Well, I did when I was allowed to do it, rather than having to deal with hovering busybodies. It would take approximately ten years to go through all the files and start making sense of the crimes at the rate I worked.
Jacobson snickered. “I am telling Bailey you told the Devil no, and she’s going to be delighted. She’s going to make sacrificial offerings to you for months once she finds out.”
“Just like my wife, she really does enjoy when people tell me no. She enjoys cultivating bad behavior. Your resilience is rare—and enjoyable. So, you want to ask me about why I’m interfering with your investigation,” the Devil prompted.
I stared at the ruler of the many hells, blinking as it occurred to me he was being rather helpful—frighteningly so. “Whyareyou helping with this investigation?”
“I said interfering, not helping.”
“I require help, not interference,” I replied, adopting the neutral mask I used on my ex-captain. “Interference is typically not beneficial, and this investigation is warped enough.”
“Would you accept ten percent malevolent and ninety percent benevolent?” the Devil asked in an exasperated tone.
“That depends on the nature of the malevolence.” Did the Devil really believe I would accept any form of malevolence? I’d already landed in the hospital once trying to change a drug addict’s fate. My tolerance for any additional negativity hovered at zero.
“You amuse me. Would it help if the malevolence was generally directed at criminals?”
“It would help a little,” I admitted.
“How about ninety-nine percent benevolence? I could swing ninety-nine percent benevolence, assuming you don’t tell my wife or my secretary. You do need a challenge.”
I sighed and regarded my new co-worker with a scowl. “Is this normal?”
“Usually, we get told we’re getting fifty percent malevolence, and if we’re smart, we’ll like it. One percent is a good bargain. The last time I had to deal with him, I got twenty percent benevolence, and I was told I’d like it. The next offer would be five percent. I decided twenty percent benevolence beat five percent benevolence.”
The last time heaven had helped me, I’d gotten sucker punched by an archangel, and my ribs still protested the general abuse. “Okay. I accept ninety-nine percent benevolence,” I replied, already regretting my decision.
The Devil laughed. “You’ll be all right. It’s only one percent malevolence. How bad could it be?”
As I didn’t want to know the answer, I refused to ask. The damage, however, was already done.
How badcouldit be?
ChapterNine
Even with thevarious clues the Devil had left us, I couldn’t figure out which divine could possibly be responsible for Alec’s curse. The puzzle vexed me, although I took care to keep my frustrations to myself. A call from our chiefs sent Jacobson back to the station, leaving me alone with my thoughts—and with a mystery of a man determined to make the most of his situation.
In some ways, Alec handled the burden of the investigation better than I did.
I wanted to free him of his anguish while he learned to cope and adapt to it.
When I thought about it, I admired his general resilience.
“It seems I have two choices,” Alec announced, startling me from my file review.
I put aside the latest of the cases, giving him my full attention. “What do you mean?”
“I was thinking about what Lucifer said, and I realized something.”
Well, at least one of us had realizedsomething. I had a whole lot of nothing, although I thought I’d made some progress on a cold case. Nobody had questioned the victim’s familyorco-workers, likely due to a staffing shortage. It wouldn’t help Alec’s case, but I could try to find closure for one of the murders.
Even the small steps mattered.
“What did you realize?”
“It’s really not my fault.”
I admired Alec for carrying the burden of guilt for something he held no responsibility for. Some of the murders had been years in the making, although others had been crimes of passion, committed due to an opportunity rather than malicious planning. “It’s not,” I confirmed. “But witnessing so much death is hard on a soul.”
