Niki Slobodian 04 - The Devil Was an Angel

by J. L. Murray

  “Absolutely, sir.”

  We sat down in Ron's office, a large, mahogany desk piled with papers between us.

  “Moving up in the world, Smithy,” I said. “Nice digs.”

  “It's bigger than I'm used to, that's for damn sure,” said Ron. He opened a window and sat down, pulling a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket. He put one in his mouth, watching me. His eyes slid to Lucifer. “Who's your friend?” He lit the cigarette with a plastic lighter and inhaled, blowing the smoke toward the window.

  “I'm not important,” said Lucifer in a low voice. “You don't need to know my name.”

  Smithy looked at him for a long moment. Then he looked at me and took another drag of his cigarette. “Sorry to hear about Sofi,” he said.

  I looked at Lucifer, who gave me another half-smile. He thought he was so clever. I turned my attention to Smithy. “You weren't at the funeral.”

  Smithy nodded. “I know. I thought it would cause problems.”

  “For you or for me?” I said.

  “A cop at an Abby funeral?” said Ron. “Folks at funerals need something to be mad at. I would have started a riot.”

  “Sofi was never branded an Abby,” I said.

  “Because I turned a blind eye to her little side business,” said Ron.

  “Thanks for that,” I said genuinely. “And I know you were always looking out for us. It would have been a whole different funeral if you were there. Sasha's old crew showed up.”

  “I'm sure they would have loved me.”

  “They're not real keen on politicians,” I said.

  “Neither am I,” he said, blowing smoke through his nostrils. “You know I hate this shit.”

  “Then why are you doing it?”

  He leaned forward, his elbows on the desk. “We all gotta do our part.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means,” he said, stubbing out the cigarette in an overflowing ashtray, “don't believe what you think you see, Nik. These sonsabitches are going down. And I'm going to be there to watch it happen.” He smiled. “But enough about that. You didn't come down here to hear about me. What's going on?”

  “Seriously?” I said. “You're not going to tell me what the hell you're up to?”

  “Nope,” he said. “Puts you in danger. In case this all goes sour.”

  “Ron, I can help you.”

  “I know you can, sweetheart. But I won't ask you.”

  I sighed, looking at him. He always had been a stubborn old bastard. “You remember my partner?” I said.

  “Big fella?” he said.

  “That's the one,” I said. “His name is Bobby Gage. He's missing.”

  “That's a damn tragedy,” said Ron. “I liked him.”

  “You only met him once,” I said.

  “Yeah, but anyone that makes a fool of that shithead Hugh Perry deserves a medal in my book. When was the last time you saw him?”

  “At the funeral,” I said. “He was freaking out. He took off and I haven't seen him since.”

  “What was he freaking out about?”

  I smiled. “I can't tell you.”

  He shrugged stiffly. “I guess we both have secrets to keep.”

  “You have no idea.”

  “What do you want me to do?”

  I thought for a moment. “Can you look into a crime that happened a couple years ago?”

  “What's the crime?” Ron said, swiveling his chair and turning to the dusty computer. He wiggled the mouse and screen sprang to life.

  “You know how to use that thing?” I said.

  “Hell yeah I do,” he said. “Everything's connected now. Get with the times, Slobodian.”

  I laughed. “Sorry. I just remember you refusing to use a cell phone.”

  “Times change,” said Ron. “Sometimes you have to learn new things to survive. So what am I looking up here?”

  “The murder of Bobby Gage's family,” I said.

  Ron stared at me. “Jesus. Real name Robert?”

  I hesitated. “Yeah,” I said. “Robert Gage.” I couldn't see Gage as a Paul Watts. It didn't suit him.

  Smithy clicked around on the computer, his eyes following whatever he was seeing on the monitor.

  Lucifer leaned toward me. “What is he doing?” he said. “What is that box?”

  “It's a computer,” I said. “It stores information.”

  “Like a book?” he said.

  “Sort of,” I said.

  “Why doesn't he just use a book?” said Lucifer.

  “Your guess was pretty good,” Ron said, not looking up from the screen. He didn't even seem to notice Lucifer. “Four years ago last week. Sara Gage and Robert Gage, Jr. were the victims.” He frowned. “Kid wasn't even two years old.”

  “Photos of the crime scene?” I said.

  Smithy clicked a few times, then leaned back in his chair. He looked at me. “Goddamn. You don't want to see this shit, Niki.”

  “I've seen worse,” I said. I came around the desk and peered at the screen. It was the same as the murders I'd seen everywhere. Except these hadn't been so clinical. There was blood smeared everywhere, with a broken lamp on one side of the picture, an upturned cabinet on the other. The two bodies had been piled on the bed instead of left where they fell. The smaller body was curled on the larger body's lap. Sara had wrapped her arms around her son before she died. The boy's face was a nightmare made real. I squinted at the screen. I could see Sara's face. Besides being dead, she was unscathed. Why hadn't they smashed her as well? They'd had no problem with the child.

  “What was her cause of death?” I said.

  Ron clicked through a few pages until he found what he wanted. “Asphyxiation,” he said. “Someone put a pillow over her face. Goddamn, Nik. Your partner is the one that found them. Did you know that?”

  “Yeah,” I said. “That I knew.”

  “Dunno how a man can find his family like that and not go batshit crazy,” said Ron.

  “Well, he did go crazy,” I said. “For a while. He was institutionalized, I think.” Lucifer had come around and was peering over my shoulder. I could feel the heat of him.

  “Makes sense,” said Smithy. “He's only human.” He turned to look at me. “He is human, isn't he?”

  I shrugged. “More or less.”

  “Smithy turned back to the screen. “It was unsolved. They thought Gage did it for a while, but he had an alibi.”

  “Alibi?” I said.

  “Yeah, his buddy said they'd been out for drinks when it happened.”

  “What was the name of this fine citizen?” I said.

  Smithy followed the blurry words with his eyes. “Looks like a Mr. Leland Kane.”

  “Kane?” said Lucifer.

  “His name was Kane?” I said, making my voice calm.

  “Yeah,” said Smithy. “Guy checked out, so Gage was in the clear.” He looked at me again. “That mean something to you?”

  “Yeah,” I said. “But I don't know what.” I looked at Lucifer, who looked as confused as I did. “Ron, can you run a search on Bobby? See if he's popped up in the last few days?”

  “Sure thing,” he said. “I need another computer for that, though.” He got up from his chair and walked out into the station.

  “What the hell is going on?” I said, walking back to my chair and plopping down. Lucifer sat next to me. “Why would Kane kill Bobby's family and then give him an alibi? It doesn't make sense. Wouldn't he want Bobby to take the blame?”

  Lucifer frowned, deep in thought. After a long moment he looked at me. “There is quite a large psychological element to torture,” he said.

  “You got a point?” I said.

  “Yes,” he said.

  “What is it?” I said, annoyed.

  “What if the point was not for your friend to take the blame? What if the point was torture?”

  “Why wouldn't he want Bobby in prison?” I said. “Isn't that the ultimate torture?”

  “Torture
happens in the mind,” said Lucifer. “Physical pain is nothing. Just a leeway to break the spirit. Kane wanted him to suffer. This we know. But what if it went beyond just killing his family? Prison is a place to seek redemption. It's a bit like purgatory. A place to come to terms with the travesties one has endured. Or caused.”

  “That's not really how most people see it,” I said.

  “But Kane has lived in Erebos,” said Lucifer. “He doesn't want your friend to find redemption. He doesn't want him to heal. He wants him to suffer.”

  “So giving him an alibi forces him to go out into the world,” I said. “Or into the loony bin.”

  “Kane wanted him to blame himself,” said Lucifer. “For the rest of his life.”

  I took off my sunglasses and looked at Lucifer. “You know an awful lot about torture,” I said.

  “I'm Lucifer,” he said with a shrug.

  “I know,” I said. “I just keep forgetting...you know. What you do.”

  “I don't do anything, Niki,” he said. “But I am capable of unspeakable things. So are you. You have to understand. Every creature is capable of dark things. Things no one wants to think about. But even more importantly, every single creature in every world – be it your world, Heaven, Hell – we're just as easily capable of so much beauty. Incredible beauty. Gorgeous things that will break your heart they're so lovely. Kindnesses and selfless acts. Suffering for another. Art, music, poetry, literature. Love. Every new facet of the good in us more gorgeous than the last.” He was looking into me, his eyes seeming to penetrate right into the core of me. “Don't let the darkness overwhelm you, Niki. You're too good for that.”

  For a second I couldn't look away from him. I forced my eyes away, but I could still feel him looking at me. What was it about these angels that had such an effect on me? I was mourning one, only to be drawn to the other. For a moment I hated myself for even thinking that way. I looked at Lucifer. He hadn't looked away. There was a strange, deep sadness behind his eyes. Behind the dark, shifting orbs. I identified with that sadness. Or maybe I was imagining it.

  “Sam wants me to stay away from you,” I said softly.

  “Then why don't you?” he said.

  I frowned. “I don't know. You're helping me find Bobby.”

  “Is that the only reason?” he said.

  “He loved me, Lucifer,” I said.

  “And you?” he said. “What did you feel?”

  “I felt drawn to him,” I said. “But it was so fast. We barely knew each other. And then he was gone. If only I'd had more time.”

  “Then what?” said Lucifer.

  I shook my head. “I don't know. I'm not so good at that part. I do beginnings and endings. There's never much of a middle for me.”

  “You would have tried with him, though,” said Lucifer.

  “Yes,” I said.

  “Next time you see Samael,” said Lucifer, “ask him about Cassandra. And then ask him again why I'm so dangerous. And when you know, you can look me in the eye and tell me you still want him back.”

  Lucifer looked away from me and I felt cold for just an instant. He was angry, but I didn't know why. Something had happened between him and Sam. Something to do with Cassandra.

  Ron came back into the room, shutting the door behind him. He had that bad news look. It was only exacerbated by his droopy mustache.

  “You're not going to like it,” he said. “But it solves your mystery.”

  “You found Bobby?” I said. I swallowed the lump in my throat down. I'd seen that look before. It usually came with I'm sorry for your loss. “Is he dead?” I said, my voice cracking.

  Smithy looked surprised. “God no,” he said. “He's alive. But...”

  “What?” I said. “Spit it out, Smithy.”

  “He's been arrested,” he said.

  “Arrested?” I said. “For what?”

  “He caused a disturbance,” said Smithy. “Downtown. Then he hit the officer that tried to calm him down.”

  “Shit,” I said. “Well, where is he? Is he here?”

  “That's the part that's not so good. Considering his history.”

  “What is it?”

  “He's been moved,” said Smithy. “To Birch Springs. Same facility he was at before,” said Smithy. “I checked.”

  “Why the hell was he moved there?” I said. “Does that happen often? I mean, it can't have been more than a day or two since he was arrested.”

  “No,” said Smithy. “It doesn't happen. Not ever. It's New Government policy to stick the crazies in with everyone else.” He cleared his throat. “Not that Bobby's crazy, mind you. The order came from high up the ladder.”

  “How high up?” I said.

  “There was a judge's order for a psychiatric evaluation,” Smithy went on. “And it was apparently decided immediately that he should be moved. I made a call. I know a few guys that were at that station when it went down. They said it was all real goddamn strange. They had to sedate Mr. Gage. When the doc came in they said Gage went berserk. Tried to kill the shrink with his bare hands. But, Nik. This might not mean anything, but I'm getting the creeps over this now. Maybe it's because I've got conspiracies on the brain. Maybe it's a coincidence.”

  “Tell me,” I said softly.

  “It's the doc that evaluated him,” said Smithy. “The guy Bobby tried to strangle.”

  “What about him?”

  “His name was Doctor Leland Kane.”

  TWELVE

  “Slow down, you're going to kill someone,” said Lucifer.

  “What do you care?” I said. “You can't die, right?”

  “But the other humans can,” he said.

  “Dammit, why can't you be the reckless personality when I need you to?” I said. I eased off the gas. “I'm just worried is all.”

  “I know,” said Lucifer, rearranging his long legs. “It's understandable. But getting there five minutes faster isn't going to resolve anything.”

  “You're so sensible when you're not trying to break my bones.”

  “Would you rather I spoke comfort to you?”

  I eyed him dubiously. “Are you capable of it?”

  He thought for a moment. “No,” he said finally. “What would Bobby Gage say?”

  I looked at Lucifer quickly, then back at the road. “It is what it is, sis,” I said, making my voice as deep as I could. “You can't save everyone in the goddamn world.”

  “That's good advice,” said Lucifer, obviously suppressing a smile. “Is that really how he talks?”

  “Yeah,” I said, smiling myself. “He's just Bobby.” I felt my smile fade to a frown. Only he wasn't Bobby. He was a damn stranger named Paul with a revenge agenda. And Paul seemed to be in some pretty damn serious trouble right now. I could feel my gun digging into my back and, even though I doubted it would be effective against Kane if we met up, it made me feel better to be carrying it.

  “Why is he doing this?” I said.

  “Kane?” said Lucifer.

  “Yeah. I mean, I can see why he's messing with Bobby. It's crazy, but I can see the reasoning there. Bobby left him and he's getting back at him. Some people are like that, they just can't let things go. But the killings. All those people, they couldn't have all crossed Kane. They were just people, you know? Families. Why would he kill them? It can't just be random.”

  “Why?” said Lucifer.

  “Why what?”

  “Why can't it be random?” said Lucifer. “Chaos presides everywhere. It always has. There cannot always be meaning behind everything.”

  “I used to think that,” I said. “That it was all chaos. But I met the Creator. He promised to reset the balance. There's a goddamn balance to the universe. But then He went away, and nothing changed. It's the same world, the same shit that there always was. If anything, it just seems worse now. How is that possible?” I realized I wasn't just talking. I really wanted to know. “It's like everything that we did, everything we lost, it was all for nothing.”


  “Niki,” said Lucifer gently, “it's not that simple.”

  “Yes, it is,” I said, my voice hard. I was trying to stay calm, to keep driving, but I wanted to scream. I could feel the souls starting to pull at my chest again. It never stopped. There was a sharp tingle behind my eyes. “It's simple. It has to be. There is a god, but He doesn't goddamn care.”

  “The Creator doesn't think like that,” he said. “The balance just means that the things that used to happen, Abbies, Outsiders, they won't just happen any longer. There will be no more wars in your world started by angels. It doesn't mean things will be better. It doesn't mean people won't die, or feel pain or stop doing horrible things.” I could feel Lucifer's eyes on me. “It just means that life will go on.”

  The road began to blur as my eyes teared up. “Dammit!” I said. I slammed my foot into the brake and swerved the car onto the shoulder of the road. I heard horns honking at me, but I could barely see. Cars sped past, shaking my crappy little car with their wind. I opened the door and got out, walking away from the road, not looking, not caring where I went. I just had to get away for a minute. I felt my foot slip on the gravel and I fell hard, sliding down an incline. I laid at the bottom, the breath knocked out of me for a moment. Peachy.

  “Niki, are you all right?” Lucifer's voice called.

  I finally managed to pull air in my lungs. I panted for a few breaths. “I'm fine, leave me alone,” I rasped. I sat up and brushed myself off. My leg was bleeding and I'd ripped my pants. I stood up, ignoring the throbbing where I'd cut myself. I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand. I could hear Lucifer clambering down the incline towards me. I didn't turn to look at him. A field spread in front of me, unseen from the highway. I could hear the cars speeding along the freeway above, and no one knew that something beautiful was down here. It had miraculously stopped raining and the clouds had cleared somewhat; the sun had just gone behind the trees and a surreal light filled the meadow. Spring wildflowers were getting ready to bloom. I reached down and touched the hard buds, just a hint of vibrant pink visible through the green pod. Life goes on. A hand touched my shoulder and I spun around, pulling away from Lucifer.

  “What are you doing?” he said.