[The industrial district]
Old warehouses lined both sides of the street, their faded walls covered in graffiti and rusted fire escapes. A crowd had gathered behind metal barricades near the corner, with several people holding phones up to record whatever was happening beyond the police tape.
Lucifer walked straight toward them with Chloe a few steps behind him.
A traffic cop noticed him crossing the open space and rushed forward, one hand raised.
"Sir. Uh. You have to stay behind the barricade..."
Lucifer barely acknowledged him. He slipped past the barrier as though it had been placed there purely for other people, then continued into the street without slowing down.
The traffic cop stared after him in disbelief.
Then an engine roared somewhere around the corner.
A muscle car came tearing into view at impossible speed, pursued by two police cars with lights flashing and sirens screaming through the industrial streets. Gunfire cracked through the air. One of the muscle car's tires exploded, sending the vehicle skidding sideways before it flipped hard onto its roof.
The crowd screamed.
The car slammed across the street, sparks ripping beneath its crushed frame as it slid directly toward Lucifer.
He did not move.
The wrecked car came to a stop inches from his shoes.
For several seconds, Lucifer simply looked down at it, mildly annoyed that someone had nearly interrupted his afternoon with a collapsing vehicle.
Then an angry voice exploded from somewhere nearby.
"WHO THE FUCK IS THIS GUY?!"
Lucifer looked toward the sound.
A large video monitor stood near the sidewalk, surrounded by camera equipment, cables, lighting rigs, and crew members. An assistant director stormed away from the monitor with an expression that suggested someone had just ruined the most expensive shot of his career.
Chloe hurried over with two uniformed officers behind her and held up her badge.
"He's with me! Sorry."
Lucifer ignored the assistant director and looked past him toward the overturned vehicle.
A stunt actor was being helped from the wreckage. He had the same neat jawline, the same expensive hairstyle, and the same blandly handsome face that Lucifer had expected to see.
Lucifer frowned.
"You are definitely not Grey Cooper."
The assistant director threw both hands in the air.
"No! Of course not! What the hell is this?"
Chloe stepped forward.
"We need to speak with Grey Cooper."
A few minutes later, they found him farther down the street near another section of the set.
Grey Cooper stood beside a trailer with fake cuts and bruises painted across his face, clearly part of the day's filming. He looked genuinely shaken when Chloe mentioned Delilah's name.
"God, Delilah, yeah... heard about that this morning. Can't believe it. We did a movie together last year. Got pretty close. I'm glad she's alive."
Lucifer tilted his head.
"Close enough to share a bed, I wonder?"
"Friends."
Lucifer gave him a knowing look.
"Friends who kept finding themselves half-dressed in the same room?"
Grey frowned at him, clearly wondering who this strange man was.
Chloe gave Lucifer a sharp look.
"Settle down. I'll handle the questions, thank you." She turned back toward Grey. "Mr. Cooper, when did you last have contact with Delilah?"
Lucifer raised one finger.
"Before we descend into the tedious procedural section, I have one rather interesting question."
He turned toward Grey with a bright smile.
"What is it that you desire, Mr. Cooper? What is the secret fantasy waiting in that little head of yours? What do you see when you close your eyes?"
Chloe rolled her eyes. 'Here we go again.'
Grey looked at Lucifer for several awkward seconds before the answer escaped him.
"I'm the President of the United States."
Lucifer laughed.
"Well, that is certainly ambitious. Although I suppose the Devil might still have some competition after all."
Grey immediately looked embarrassed, as though he had not meant to say the words aloud.
Chloe glanced at Lucifer with the faintest hint of surprise before taking over.
"Those are some pretty big aspirations there, Mr. Cooper."
"Well. After the acting and stuff-"
"Oh, don't be embarrassed. Hell, if Arnold can do it, right? But ya know, you wouldn't want any nasty secrets screwin' that up, would you?" She said.
"No... I wouldn't."
"Better to pull the skeletons out now... public's very forgetful."
Lucifer looked genuinely confused. "Why would anyone want to become a politician when they already get paid to pretend for a living? You make films, Mr. Cooper. Surely that must be more enjoyable. Although I cannot say I have ever enjoyed one of yours."
A black SUV pulled up behind them.
Grey's annoyance sharpened. "Is there a point to this?"
Chloe did not blink. "Mr. Cooper, were you having an affair with Delilah?"
Grey's mouth fell open.
Before he could answer, the SUV door opened and Amanda stepped out. She looked immaculate, even on a film set, dressed with the practiced confidence of someone accustomed to cameras following every movement.
"Honey, have you been getting my texts? I thought you were breaking for lunch like a half-hour ago-"
She stopped when she saw Chloe, Lucifer, the officers, and Grey's deeply uncomfortable expression.
"What's going on?"
"These people are detectives," Grey said quickly.
Amanda looked at Chloe.
"Real ones?"
"Yes, ma'am. Well, I am."
Lucifer looked Amanda over with open admiration.
"You are far more striking in person. There is a certain glow about you that cameras seem incapable of capturing."
"Thank you!"
Lucifer considered that.
"Although I must admit, I have never cared for your work on the big screen."
Amanda blinked.
"Thank you...?"
"My apologies. Lucifer Morningstar."
He extended his hand. Amanda took it.
The moment their eyes met, Lucifer felt the familiar pull of his gift begin to work.
"Wow. Great name. What's this about?"
"We had some questions. About Delilah."
Amanda released Lucifer's hand and turned to Chloe with immediate concern. "Oh. Yes. That's so sad. Can't believe that someone would try to kill her."
"Yeah... very... sad..." Grey wiped sweat from his brow.
Chloe's attention shifted toward his wrist.
The watch.
It was expensive and identical to the one Eddie Deacon had been wearing when he died outside Lux.
"Your watch. Where'd you get it?" Chloe asked.
Grey looked at his watch. "Oh... um, it's a prop..."
Amanda pointed out, "No, that's the one Delilah gave you, isn't it? For Time Will Tell."
Grey forced a laugh. "Oh, right. That's the movie we did. It was a... wrap gift."
Chloe's eyes narrowed. "She gave a ten-thousand-dollar watch to the whole crew?"
"Oh, no. Just me. Far as I know. 'Cause we were... ya know, co-stars and everything," Cooper replied.
Lucifer turned toward him with an amused expression. "If you wish to become president one day, Mr. Cooper, you will need to become significantly better at lying."
Grey looked at him, then lowered his voice. "I know, right?"
Lucifer's smile widened. "So you were sleeping with her then?"
"Oh, yeah." Cooper nodded with a happy smile.
Amanda slowly turned her head.
"Uh, I can hear you, Grey."
"So can I," Chloe added.
Grey stared at Lucifer in panic. "Crap. I just said that out loud, didn't I?"
Amanda barely looked surprised. "Whatever. Not like I didn't know, Grey. You're a terrible liar. And actor, by the way."
Grey turned toward her.
"You knew?"
"Of course. Why do you think I've been sleeping with Bobby?"
Grey looked toward his bodyguard.
Bobby nearly choked.
Amanda folded her arms. "And lemme tell you, it's gooood. I climb that man like a tree," She said with an expression that looked like she just had a round on her way to the set.
Grey looked horrified.
"Are you serious?! My bodyguard?! What a cliché!"
"Oh, I'm a cliché?! Well, you're a dick."
Grey spun toward Bobby, anger exploding across his face.
Bobby instinctively raised both hands, though that did not stop Grey from lunging at him. Amanda tried to separate them while the two men stumbled into a nearby equipment cart, knocking over cables and sending a crew member running for safety.
Lucifer watched the chaos with obvious delight. 'Hehehe. Nice.'
Chloe studied Grey, Amanda, and Bobby for a brief moment before nodding toward the uniformed officers who were on the set to protect the high-profile actors.
"Arrest them," She turned to Lucifer. "One of 'em's gotta be guilty."
Lucifer smiled brightly. "That was considerably more entertaining than I expected."
Chloe looked at him.
For the first time that day, a small smug smile appeared on her face.
Around them, Grey shouted at Bobby, Amanda shouted at Grey, the officers moved in to separate them, and the confused film crew watched their entire afternoon dissolve into a spectacle.
Lucifer and Chloe stood together at the edge of the mess, both of them watching the chaos they had helped create.
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