Selene's Growing Suspicion
Selene reclined in the shadows of Lucifer's lavish penthouse, her gaze fixed sharply on Lisa, who seemed unusually distant. The faint hum of jazz music played in the background, but Lisa's rigid movements and the tense air around her were all Selene could focus on.
"Something's off," Selene muttered to herself, watching Lisa fiddle with her phone.
Lisa cast furtive glances toward Lucifer, who was preoccupied with his drink, then slid out onto the balcony. Selene followed silently, her curiosity piqued. Keeping her back pressed to the wall, she positioned herself to hear Lisa's hushed words through the crack in the door.
"I told you, I'm doing my part," Lisa whispered, her voice low but resolute. "No, he hasn't noticed anything yet. I'll make sure it stays that way."
Selene froze. The words, cryptic as they were, confirmed her fears—Lisa was hiding something. She leaned closer, straining to catch the rest, but Lisa quickly ended the call and tucked her phone away.
Selene retreated into the shadows just as Lisa turned to reenter the penthouse. The door clicked shut, and Selene leaned against the cold glass of the balcony's railing, her mind racing.
"What are you doing, Lisa?" Selene murmured.
The usual warmth and camaraderie Lisa exuded seemed replaced by a cold, calculating demeanor. Selene knew better than to jump to conclusions, but her instincts screamed that Lisa was involved in something far more dangerous than she let on.
---
The Case Begins
The grandeur of the ballroom, with its gilded chandeliers and polished marble floors, was tainted by the presence of crime scene tape and forensic investigators. The body of David Royce sat slumped in a high-backed chair, his once-commanding presence reduced to a lifeless figure.
Lucifer entered the scene with his usual air of confidence, his sharp gaze sweeping the room. Detective Harper approached, holding a notepad.
"David Royce," she began, gesturing to the body. "Billionaire tech mogul. Collapsed mid-toast at a charity gala. Poison is the suspected cause of death."
Lucifer knelt by the body, examining Royce's pallid face and the glass that lay shattered nearby. "Poison, you say? Any idea what kind?"
Harper shook her head. "Preliminary tests showed traces in the wine, but we're waiting for full toxicology results."
Selene, who had been observing the scene, stepped forward. "If it's in the wine, why isn't anyone else dead? Surely others would have had the same drink."
Harper frowned. "Good point."
Lucifer stood and paced toward the nearby tables, scanning the lineup of glasses. "And where's his glass?"
"It's missing," Harper admitted, frustration evident in her tone.
Selene's brow furrowed. "So, the killer poisoned his specific glass and then took it afterward. Bold move in a crowded room."
Harper nodded grimly. "The kind of move that says they're confident—or desperate."
Lucifer smirked. "Well, let's hope they left behind something we can work with. Shall we start with the guest list?"
---
Selene's Covert Investigation
The glow of Selene's laptop illuminated her face as she sat in her private room later that night. Her fingers danced across the keyboard, bypassing encryptions and firewalls with a practiced ease.
Pulling up Lisa's recent activity, she noted several phone calls to a burner number. The timestamps were peculiar—late at night, early in the morning, always brief.
"This isn't normal," Selene muttered, pulling up location data.
Her eyes narrowed as a pattern emerged. Lisa's movements coincided with visits to a remote warehouse on the outskirts of the city. Selene clicked through satellite images of the area—a nondescript building surrounded by empty lots.
Leaning back, Selene chewed her bottom lip. Was Lisa involved in something criminal? Or was this just a series of coincidences?
Selene closed her laptop and grabbed her jacket. She wasn't one to sit idly by when there were questions to be answered.
---
Breakthrough in the Case
The precinct buzzed with activity as Harper handed Lucifer a new report. "The tests came back. It wasn't the wine—it was his medication."
Lucifer raised an eyebrow. "Medication?"
Harper nodded. "Royce took pills for migraines. Someone tampered with the bottle, replacing one of the capsules with poison."
Selene frowned. "That narrows it down. Who would have access to his medication?"
Harper sighed. "An assistant, a housekeeper, maybe even a family member. We're compiling a list of everyone who had access to his home."
Their discussion was interrupted by a uniformed officer bursting into the room. "Detective, we found something!"
Harper led them to the evidence room, where a safe from Royce's office was being opened. Inside, they found stacks of files and a USB drive.
Harper inserted the drive into her laptop. As the videos loaded, Lucifer leaned over her shoulder. Each clip showed Royce blackmailing influential figures—politicians, CEOs, celebrities.
"Looks like Royce was playing a dangerous game," Harper muttered.
Lucifer smirked. "A game someone clearly didn't want him to win."
---
Selene Confronts Lisa
The warehouse loomed large in the darkness as Selene parked her car a block away. She approached on foot, her pulse quickening with every step.
Inside, Lisa stood with her back to the door, speaking to a shadowed figure. Selene crept closer, her hand instinctively reaching for the gun tucked into her jacket.
"Everything is under control," Lisa was saying. "I've made sure of it."
Selene pushed the door open. "Have you now?"
Lisa spun around, her eyes wide with surprise. "Selene? What are you doing here?"
"I could ask you the same thing," Selene said, her voice sharp.
Lisa's expression shifted, a faint smile curling her lips. "You wouldn't understand."
"Try me," Selene shot back.
Lisa stepped forward, her smile growing. "I'm doing what I have to. For all of us."
Selene's hand tightened around her gun. "That's not an answer."
Lisa tilted her head. "You'll see soon enough."
Before Selene could respond, the shadowed figure stepped into the light. Selene's breath caught in her throat, but the figure disappeared through a back door before she could react.
---
Twists in the Poisoning Case
The assistant sat trembling in the interrogation room, her face pale. "I didn't want to do it," she sobbed. "They said they'd ruin my life if I didn't."
"Who's 'they'?" Harper asked, leaning forward.
The assistant shook her head. "I don't know. They contacted me online. They knew everything about me—my family, my debts. They said Royce deserved it."
Lucifer exchanged a glance with Harper. "Whoever this is, they're meticulous. It's not just about Royce; it's about sending a message."
Harper frowned. "But why go through the trouble of blackmailing her? Why not do it themselves?"
Lucifer leaned back, his eyes narrowing. "Because they wanted a scapegoat. Someone to take the fall."
As they left the room, Harper sighed. "We're not just dealing with a killer. We're dealing with a strategist."
Lucifer smirked. "My favorite kind of opponent."
---
Solving the Poisoning Case
The assistant's confession had turned the investigation on its head. Harper and Lucifer reviewed the details, trying to figure out the next steps.
"I still don't buy the assistant's story," Harper said, scanning the interview transcripts. "If she's telling the truth, why would she go so far as to poison Royce, and then turn herself in like this?"
Lucifer leaned back in his chair, the dim light casting a shadow across his sharp features. "People do strange things when they're blackmailed, Harper. Pressure, desperation, fear. Someone clearly manipulated her."
Harper didn't look convinced. "So what, she's just a pawn in someone else's game? Someone who had access to Royce, and knew his routine well enough to orchestrate a poisoning at the perfect time?"
Lucifer nodded. "Precisely. We need to figure out who that someone is. Let's retrace Royce's steps at the gala. See if anyone had access to him and his personal items."
---
The Revelation
Later that evening, Harper and Lucifer went through the footage from the gala, piecing together Royce's movements. The security footage was grainy, but enough to reveal subtle clues. Harper paused the video at the exact moment Royce's drink was handed to him by his assistant.
"See here?" Harper pointed at the screen. "Notice the man in the background. He's a little too focused on Royce for someone just passing through."
Lucifer's eyes narrowed. "Looks like he's watching the assistant more than the drink."
Harper rewound the footage and zoomed in on the man. "That's Carlton Meyers. Royce's long-time business partner."
Lucifer raised an eyebrow. "What's his motive?"
Harper furrowed her brow. "Royce was planning to expose Carlton for embezzling funds from their company. It's clear the man had a lot to lose." She paused, thinking. "If Carlton knew Royce was getting ready to go public, it's possible he orchestrated the poisoning to cover up his tracks."
---
The Final Piece
Harper was silent for a moment, then turned to Lucifer. "If Carlton was behind this, we need to prove it. I'll pull his alibi records, see where he was during the gala."
Lucifer walked over to the desk, his fingers lightly tracing the rim of his glass. "I already have an idea. Let's take a closer look at Royce's assistant's phone records. If Carlton's been in contact with her, it might be the final piece of the puzzle."
Hours later, Harper brought the phone records back, her eyes gleaming with new information. "Look at this. The assistant received several calls from a burner phone—" Harper turned the screen toward Lucifer "—and guess who it was registered to?"
Lucifer's eyes flashed with realization. "Carlton Meyers."
"So he blackmailed her," Harper concluded. "Made her do the dirty work for him. He could've planted the poisoned pill in Royce's drink while they were alone together, or even put it in his medication bottle, knowing that he'd take it eventually."
Lucifer's lips curled into a smirk. "Clever bastard."
---
Confrontation with Carlton
The LAPD raided Carlton Meyers's mansion that night. The lights were dim in the grandiose home, and an eerie silence hung in the air as they made their way through the hallways. Harper led the team, her expression hard and determined. Lucifer walked beside her, unfazed by the grandeur.
They found Carlton sitting at a grand piano, the faint sound of classical music drifting from the keys. His fingers moved elegantly over the ivory keys, but when he saw them enter, he didn't flinch. Instead, he simply looked up with a calm smile.
"I figured it wouldn't take you long to figure it out," Carlton said, his voice smooth and unruffled.
"Carlton Meyers," Harper said, stepping forward. "You're under arrest for the poisoning of David Royce."
Carlton didn't stand. "You have no evidence," he said nonchalantly. "How do you plan to prove this?"
Lucifer folded his arms and tilted his head, studying Carlton with a dangerous glint in his eyes. "We already have proof. Your fingerprints were found on Royce's medication bottle, and we have phone records that show you've been in contact with his assistant for days. You didn't just kill him to get rid of him. You poisoned him to keep your own secrets buried."
Carlton's smile faltered for a moment, but then he sighed. "Royce wasn't an innocent man. He was a liar, a thief, and I wasn't about to let him ruin everything I built."
Lucifer stepped closer, his voice dropping to a low, menacing tone. "That's not your decision to make."
Carlton finally stood up, his posture defensive. "I'm not the first man to take matters into his own hands. Royce deserved it. You've no idea what it's like to live under his shadow."
Harper took a step forward, slapping the handcuffs on Carlton's wrists. "You may have had your reasons, but that doesn't make you any less guilty."
---
Aftermath
Back at the precinct, Harper closed the case file with a quiet sigh of relief. "Another one solved."
Lucifer leaned back in his chair, swirling a glass of whiskey. "One more criminal off the streets. Too bad the world's still full of them."
Harper raised an eyebrow. "A bit cynical, aren't we?"
Lucifer shrugged. "I've seen enough to know that the world isn't always fair."
"Well," Harper said with a smile, "at least we got justice for Royce."
Lucifer raised his glass in a small salute. "For justice."
The case was closed, but the satisfaction of solving it was fleeting for Lucifer. There would always be another case, another villain lurking in the shadows. And for someone like him, that was both a burden and a thrill.