In two frustratingly uneventful days, I found myself at home, alone, standing in a swath of sunshine, staring at the Wall of Deirdre yet again. I daydreamed of a simple house with a pool, a yard, and an excellent school nearby. Lucifer was with me, and we laughed at the antics of Deirdre and her friends at a summer party, playing keep-away with a dog in the water. The scene was perfect; crystal clear, azure skies, a cool breeze blowing through my hair, and Lucifer's arms around me as we laughed, the scents of chlorine and fresh-cut grass each became focal points in turn.

When I realized what I was doing, I shook my head to clear it, determined to get down to business. My phone dinged twice; I received two texts, one from Sam and one from Lucifer.

~

Sam: The next committee meeting will be a brunch tomorrow at 11 AM at the Bistro. Please come.

~

To which I wrinkled my nose but replied:

~

Me: I'd be delighted! See you then.

~

The text from Lucifer was much cozier.

~

Lucifer: Good morning, love. Thinking about you.

Me: I missed you last night. The bed was cold.

Lucifer: Miss you too.

Me: 💖

~

It was well into the day when my phone rang with Shawna's ring tone. Guilt stabbed at me; I'd not thought much about the fact she still didn't know what happened to Dirty Cop. I tried to make up for it with my enthusiasm, though faked.

"Shawna! I was just thinking about you!" I lied. "Have you heard anything about John?"

"No. And his partner isn't telling me anything either." There were rustling noises as Shawna let out a sob, and then the phone went dead. I made a beeline for her house to make sure she wouldn't be alone. I spent most of the night on the couch watching TV and scrying Sam at some strip club while Shawna slept. I'd never seen her more depressed. It told me the depth to which she had cared about John, danger or not.

In the morning, not hearing anything from Shawna, I padded to her room in socked feet and knocked on the door. There was a pause before she called to me, "Come on in, Olivia."

She was sitting up, her phone in her lap, crying.

"Oh, sweetheart." I climbed into bed with her, being sure to bring the extra box of tissues. I handed them to her when she burst into tears. I put my arm around her and held her as she cried. On her phone was a text telling her they'd discovered his body.

"He's gone, Olivia! Dead. They found him in some hotel room but won't, or can't, tell me why he was there."

"So, what are they going to do? I mean, does he have any family?"

She nodded and sat up, wiping her nose with a tissue. "Yeah, his mom is in the city. So is his sister. I'm sure they know," she explained. "I'll call her in a few minutes to see if there's anything I can do to help."

I knew what she wanted. "Yes, and you should do that. It'll be good for you. I have a committee meeting for a new thing I'm doing."

She called, and I listened to her side of the conversation. "I think I'm going to stay with them for a few days," she explained after talking to them.

Perfect! I thought to myself. Aloud, I spoke, "I understand. I think time with them would be good for you."

I was able to get home, freshen up and change, and get to the committee meeting at the Bistro before its business started, even if I was a little late. They sat at the enormous table in a private dining room. Before sitting, I made my way to say hello to Sam.

"Olivia!" he said with a smirk that felt like an oil slick.

"Hi, Sam. How are you?" I plastered on a smile in greeting.

"Better now since you are here!" he declared, winking at me. "We should have lunch sometime to discuss the wing, just you and me."

I laughed, making a joke of his invitation. After lunch, at home once more, I began to scry in earnest. I found Sam in his office, the Senator of several nights before sitting across from him. They both puffed on thick cigars and held tumblers of alcohol. It was a bit early in the day for such heavy tastes, but who was I to judge?

Oh, right, I reminded myself. I'm in a contractual agreement with the Devil himself to be the judge of seven specific people. I grinned at my joke, but a scowl soon replaced it.

The door opened, and one of the handlers led in an underage girl. She was frightened, her brown eyes wide, showing the whites, against light brown skin. Dark hair cascaded in waves down her back, the front held off her face with a sparkling clip that matched her outfit.

She wore a school uniform, but it didn't fit in the way a properly tailored uniform would. Instead, the skirt was just a little too short, and the blouse was just a little too tight, and her lips were just a little too glossy. My stomach churned with the knowledge I was witnessing an introduction, one between a man of many years and a girl just into puberty, which wasn't as innocent as such a meeting should have been.

I watched the sickening scene of the Senator greeting the girl unfold. When the handler escorted the girl out, the Senator nodded. Sam, delighted by the Senator's agreement, poured another two fingers of whatever they were drinking while the Senator texted someone. They drank as a young man with an attaché case came into the room. He left it beside the Senator before leaving in a hurry. The Senator put it on the desk, opening it, and turned to show the money to Sam. Sam did a cursory check, closed it, then nodded. They shook hands.

My stomach rolled. I'd just witnessed a man in his fifties purchase a girl who might have been thirteen, at best. I ran to the bathroom to heave up the brunch that the despicable example of a human being had the gall to feed everyone only two hours before.

It was obvious what I needed to do, and the sooner, the better. I hated to text Lucifer and have him stay away, but he'd understand. George curled in and out of my ankles as I contacted him.

~

Me: Love, I need to request something.

Lucifer: Yes?

Me: I need you to stay away until I say it's okay and not ask questions.

~

There was a lengthy pause.

~

Lucifer: Okay. Come by the office and let me know when you are ready for company. Love you. 💕

~

I then made my plans. I texted Sam.

~

Me: Sam, I want to change my mind about meeting. How about I cook for us tomorrow for lunch?

Sam: Well, this is unexpected. I accept.

Me: Good. I'll send a car around to get you from the Bistro at 11.

Sam: I'm looking forward to it.

~

I detested allowing the man in my home, but if all went well, he'd not be in it for long. I spent the rest of the day shopping for the meal. I went all out. Only it wasn't for Sam; it was for Lucifer and me. I intended to have Sam in Hell before lunch was ready.

Tired from the short night of disturbed sleep, I went to bed early, carrying the little book about the seven Virtues. I would harvest Charity soon, and it was time to look into the others.

I had Prudence, Justice, Temperance, and Faith left. From what I read, I could expect all four to be female, most likely. Prudence was the female personification of the Virtue of 'self-governance with reason.' Many depicted her as a pair with Justitia, the Lady of Justice. Closely related to Prudence, Temperance also 'self-regulated, but with humility and modesty.' Last was the Virtue of Faith. I sighed and rubbed my temples; there were just too many choices. It was all very confusing; I had to trust things would make more sense as I eliminated them.

Frustrated, I set the book aside and took a last look at Shawna for the evening. To my surprise, she was in an unfamiliar bedroom with a client file spread out on the bed. She must have had a courier deliver her next case's files to her at John's sister's house. My guess was she would be the type who buried themselves in their work when they grieved.

I looked over her shoulder at the pictures scattered over the coverlet. At first, I could only identify the building photos, scenes from outside. I immediately recognized the name of the bar: The Meeting Place. I didn't want to look further, but I couldn't help myself.

A familiar face popped out at me: the suspect the police had arrested. I hoped Shawna was looking at these photos because she was on the prosecuting side, but it wasn't true; she would defend the shitbag.

My chest hurt, and my stomach clenched. I dropped the pendant on its chain, not wanting to see any more. I abandoned my notion of sleep and headed for the bar and two fingers of the finest bourbon I had. I paced, brow furrowed. Damn Jillian to Hell. I can't believe she's putting so much pressure on Shawna to make partner, then making her jump through these horrible hoops.

I stopped in my tracks. What if...? I picked up the pendent and concentrated until I found Jillian. I almost abandoned my scrying when I saw her on her knees in front of someone, but when I realized the man she was giving a blowjob to wasn't the plastic surgeon she dated, I paused.

He was, in fact, a Judge. On his desk, I could only see the top picture of a small pile. I recognized it from the identical one I'd seen on the bed with Shawna. I now had the chore of figuring out if Jillian gave sexual favors to the Judge because it was a fun game or if she was trying to buy him off.

Disgusted, I let the pendent go. Is the whole firm corrupt? I wondered. On a whim, I caught the swinging pendant once more and found Peggy.

She was sitting on a bench in the hall of an empty building. I didn't quite recognize it, so I watched. She seemed to wait too, with a briefcase resting next to her. She occupied her time with her phone.

The door next to her opened, and it dismayed me to see Jillian beckon her into the room. Now, my only question was: What's in the briefcase?

I didn't have to watch long before I found out. It contained exactly what I expected; a nice stack of money along with some files. The Judge reached under his desk, brought out an identical one, and handed it to Jillian, who smiled and nodded her head before turning for the door. He asked her something, and she turned to him and gave him a very formal nod, then left without looking back.

Just because Jillian was bribing the Judge didn't mean she was one of the remaining Virtues, of course. But if she were, I would have to be careful about how I harvested her; her death would garner a considerable investigation. Fortunately, I knew someone who could help.

He would have to help with Sam. I had no idea what to do with the man's body once I'd given him to Lucifer. I assumed my love would know.

My phone dinged, and I picked it up to see Lucifer's text.

~

Lucifer: Everything okay?

Me: Yeah, just making plans. I'll explain later.

Lucifer: Good.

Me: So... what are you wearing? 😏

Lucifer: 😂 A priest's cassock. It's cold here.

Me: What are you doing up so late?

Lucifer: There was a party.

Me: A party? At the Vatican?

Lucifer: No, private venue. Good place to make deals. Lots of priests.

Me: Do I want to know?

Lucifer: Doubt it.

Me: When will you be home?

Lucifer: Late morning. When will I see you?

Me: Not sure. I've got this thing.

Lucifer: I understand.

Me: 💖

Lucifer: Sleep well.

~

I knocked back the rest of my drink, watered down from the melted ice, before snuggling down into the bed for some sleep. Tomorrow morning would be one of scrying and prepping for lunch. Then, I'd get to see my Fallen Angel.

I fell asleep smiling.