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Los Angeles’ number one bounty hunter entered the precinct. She had a man with her: six foot seven, at least three hundred pounds, hands tied behind his back, bruising and blood on his face. Maze pushed the guy to the counter where she always delivered her prey. She looked around and saw Chloe Decker at her desk. Maze smiled and raised her hand when Chloe looked for a moment at her. Then she turned to officer Monica Woodhead to deliver the man she had arrested.
“Will Bennett,” she said to Woodhead. “Murderer, with a price of eight thousand dollar on his head.”
“Wait a moment,” officer Woodhead asked Maze. “I call Ella; she might want to see this.”
Maze raised an eyebrow. “See what?”
After a short call Woodhead grabbed the forms she had to fill in order for Maze to get the money. Ella appeared at Woodhead’s desk. “Hi, Maze, Hi, Monica. You think he is one?”
“What are you talking about?” Maze asked.
“Monica has done a workshop with a priest, father Romney. A workshop on recognizing demons.”
“And I think he is one,” Woodhead said, pointing at Will Bennett. “He has all the signs.” Chloe came closer to watch from a few yards distance.
“All signs?” Maze asked.
Ella nodded and whispered to Maze: “It’s a very expensive workshop, but very good.”
“Really? Surprise me.”
“Watch,” Woodhead said. She took a bottle from her desk and poured some liquid in a cup. Then she bent over to Bennett and murmured: “Spiritus nequam, in nomini filii Dei nostril, Jesu Christi…” In the meanwhile she splashed some drops of the liquid in Bennett’s face. The man cursed and tried to turn away, but was held at his place by Maze.
“… excedere corpus…” Woodhead said a bit louder in the stream of Latin words she muttered.
“Just simple prayers in Latin,” Maze said to Ella and shrugged.
“Hush.”
“...redire ad infernum…” Woodhead splashed some more water at the man.
Maze grabbed the cup and took a zip.
“Hey,” Woodhead protested. “That is expensive. Holy water from the springs at Lourdes in France.”
“It’s just water,” Maze decided.
“O, no. A demon that gets a single drop on his skin will burst in flames.”
"Are you sure?” Maze asked. She poured the rest of the cup in one hand and washed her hands with it.
“Absolutely,” Woodhead answered. “Anyway. We have no luck, Ella. This Bennett fellow is not a demon. The prayer would have knocked him out, the holy water would have burned him.”
“I’m impressed,” Maze said and rolled her eyes to Ella.
“Demons are real, Maze,” Ella said. “Hell does exist.”
“Vaguely remember, yes.” Maze chuckled, then turned to Woodhead. “Did you ever find a demon with that Latin and holy water?”
“No. But that is easy to understand: demons sense I did this workshop…”
“Do they?” Maze interrupted.
“...so they stay away from me,” Woodhead continued. “They fear me.”
“I bet they do,” Maze said. “Shall we finish the paperwork? I want my money.”
The tribe had lunch together and Ella told Linda about Monica Woodhead and the demon workshop. “… I told Maze demons are real,” Ella said.
“Of course demons are real,” Maze reacted. “I am a demon.”
“You are a great method actor. Maze, just as Lucifer. You two always stay in character, I admit. But you listened to Monica’s prayer and you even zipped the holy water with no problems, so you’re no real demon.”
Linda took Ella’s hand. “Or maybe the workshop that officer Woodhead did is not as good as you think.”
Ella shook her head. “I’ve heard from people that know, such as my own pastor, father Williams, that this workshop is the best of the US. I think I will do the workshop myself.”
Chloe smiled and shook her head. “It will be a waste of time, Ella. Believe me.”
“Why are you all against me?” Ella said, her voice raised. “I want to do that workshop. It’s my time and my money.”
“Money?” Chloe asked. “How much will it cost?”
“Twelve hundred dollar.”
“What?” three voices cried out.
“Ella,” Chloe tried once more. “Maze is a demon and she was certainly not knocked down by that prayer from officer Woodhead.”
“Which proves she is not a demon. She plays a demon, but she is our friend. She helped me save my brother and for that I will always love her as a sister.”
“A sister?” Maze asked. “Me?”
“Yes.”
Maze closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Ellen.”
“Ella!”
“Ella,” Maze accepted, her eyes still closed. “I can’t let my sister waste twelve hundred dollar.”
“Maze,” Linda interrupted. “Please, no…”
“I have to, Linda. Ella, I will not harm you. I don’t want to eat your soul and I will not drag you to hell.”
“Maze, you really do a great job as method actor, but…”
Maze opened her eyes. "Ellen, Ella, listen. Repeat what I say: I will not harm you. I don’t want to eat your soul and I won’t take you to hell. I only want you to not waste your money. You and your soul are safe.”
Ella rolled her eyes. “You will not harm me and don’t eat my soul, so my soul is safe. Yes, Maze.” She laughed. Her laugh faded away and changed in soft wining. Ella had grabbed Chloe’s and Linda’s hands and stared eyes wide open at Maze. “O, my God,” the girl whispered.
Chloe looked at Maze. It was as Trixie had described: half of Maze face was rotten flesh, left half of the lips almost gone, white eye without pupil with the skull visible around it, muscles and white tendons without skin. Maze’ face changed back to all human. “O, my God,” Ella whispered again.
“Ella,” Linda said and took Ella’s hands in hers. “You are safe and your soul is safe. She will not harm you.”
Ella trembled, swallowed, breathed deeply. “You knew?”
“Yes,” Linda answered.
“You also knew,” Ella whispered, looking at Chloe.
“Yes,” Chloe answered. “You can trust Maze. I do and Linda does. She is as a sister, remember. She didn’t want to frighten you, she only wanted to safe your money.”
“You are a real demon.” Ella now looked at Maze and whispered: “You only wanted to safe my money.”
“Yes and yes,” Maze said. “I don’t want you to loose twelve hundred bucks on that useless Latin prayers and tepid water of Monica Woodhead.”
“If it would have been whiskey…” Chloe said with a small laugh.
“Mm,” Maze said. “Still very expensive whiskey. Even in the Lux they don’t charge that much for a drink.”
“You never pay for your drinks in the Lux, demon,” Chloe said.
“Neither do you, human,” Maze answered. They both smiled, bent to each other and exchanged a small kiss.
“The Lux…” Ella said. She sat straight, tensed again. “The Lux? Lucifer!”
“Also not a method actor,” Chloe said.
“And you trust him? You love him?”
“Yes and yes.”
Back in the precinct Ella was working in the lab, studying some evidence. The door was open, but someone knocked on the doorframe. She looked up and faced Lucifer. She shivered. Why do you knock, she would normally ask, but what if it made him angry?
“Is it ok if I come in, miss Lopez?”
She gasped for breath. He smiled and looked as kind as… as an angel, she thought. “Yes,” she whispered. “Why?”
“I came to see whether you’re ok and whether I can offer you any help.”
As Chloe and Linda had assured her; he was the same Lucifer she had liked and trusted for years. He was indeed. She rushed to him and hugged him. He tensed as always, then slowly relaxed and closed his arms around her. Nothing had changed.
“I saw Maze’ face.”
“The detective told me, yes.”
“Chloe says you also have a face that frightens.”
“Yes. I do, miss Lopez.”
“Linda said it’s better not to see it.”
“I agree with the doctor.”
She did a small step back, but hold his hands. “But can you show me just your eyes? Please.”
Ella was standing at Chloe’s desk, large cup with a caramel triple frap, double whipped cream and rainbow sprinkles in hand, talking with Maze and Chloe, when officer Woodhead came to her.
“Father Romney is going to give the following workshop next month,” Woodhead told Ella.
“Yes, ok.”
“So if you’re still interested, I can give you the link to subscribe.”
“Thanks, Monica,” Ella said. “But twelve hundred bucks is a lot of money.”
“It’s only money, Ella. If a demon devours your soul...”
Ella gave Maze a quick look and grinned. She bent over to Woodhead and whispered. “Last week the devil appeared in front of me.”
“O, girl!” Woodhead crossed herself
“His eyes were burning red with the fires of hell. He assured me there is only one demon on the loose in LA and she prefers whiskey above souls.”
Woodhead was still crossing herself. Ella shook her head and said: “So again, twelve hundred bucks is really a lot of money. Sorry, Monica, but if needed I will defend myself against that demon by offering her a whiskey instead of splatting father Romney’s holy water.”
“That’s my girl,” Maze said to Chloe.