NYC: Thursday

[superjoanjett]

Up until yesterday, Jessica hadn't even heard of Portalicity. So the trip back to NYC, along with a special guest, was quite easier than expected.

Malcolm had already done the groundwork for the case which was the usual: A wife cheating on the husband and the husband paying Hogarth for proof of the affair for a future divorce trial.

The case was unusual in one aspect: The credit card reports did not show any kind of use at the usual dive hotels used for hookups. However Malcolm had discovered a lease in the woman's maiden name that was still active. In Brownsville.

The place in question looked more like an abandoned building than an apartment which for some reason made Jessica uneasy.

Still, she had found a point on the roof of a main building that had sight on both the main and back entrances of the building. And she had two full flasks with her to keep her warm.

Hopefully her guest had brought his own. It could be a long day.

"Is this as glamorous as your LA stakeouts?" she asked as she peered through her telephoto lens.

Comments

[my_own_advocate]

"Well, usually the LA stakeouts are warmer," Lucifer said. A pause. "And in a car."

He had a cup of coffee in his hands that was quickly starting to grow cold.

[superjoanjett]

"Yeah. Well, I don't have a car," Jessica said adjusting the setting on her camera. "Can't afford it and don't want it. Besides there's no point since I'm living at Fandom for the foreseeable future."

[my_own_advocate]

"And you're in New York," Lucifer said. He squatted down next to her, peering at the camera. "Seen anything yet?"

[superjoanjett]

"No."

Jessica frowned in thought. "So in all your experience with cheating spouses were any of them in dirty warehouses? Because in my experience I'm not seeing it as ideal spot for a hot experience."

[my_own_advocate]

"No," Lucifer said, glancing towards the building. "Generally dirty warehouses seem to be more of an organized crime thing."

[superjoanjett]

Jessica took the telephoto lens on her camera and began to scan the building. For the most part there were broken windows or clear windows that allowed easy sight into the rooms visible.

But the third floor had plastic sheeting covering most of the windows.

"Something isn't adding up," she said relaying what she saw and handing Lucifer the camera to take a look for himself. "Think we should take a closer look?"

[my_own_advocate]

"Wouldn't hurt," Lucifer mused, taking the camera. He held it up and eyed the building through it warily. "Almost seems like a drug operation of some kind."

[superjoanjett]

"Maybe. But the profile Malcolm gave me doesn't fit the bill. Socialite. Second wife. Charity causes, blah, blah, blah. The type of person who usually gives me a headache."

She took a look at the measured distance between the roof and the width of the street.

"I'm going in from the top. Need me to carry you?"

[my_own_advocate]

"I once infiltrated a suburb where wine moms were buying drugs off school children," Lucifer said lightly.

As two large white wings slid out of his back. "You never know."

[superjoanjett]

So. Wings. Jessica just stared at Lucifer for a moment, not registering anything he just said.

Because wings.

"Yeah. Okay," she deadpanned. "I think you got that handled."

Securing the camera. She bent her knees and launched herself into the air which... kind of looked like flying. But really it was just jumping high and falling gracefully.

Landing on the roof she turned to watch Lucifer... flap his wings.

Because again... wings.

[my_own_advocate]

Honestly. Mortals.

Lucifer descended gracefully with long, steady beats of those, yes, wings.

He landed neatly on the ground, where they retracted into himself almost immediately. "And here I thought you were too jaded for staring."

[superjoanjett]

Now Lucifer was just getting a look. How dare he question her jaded persona!

"Seriously, how can you wear a suit like that and sprout wings?" she asked, turning her head to look at the back of Lucifer. "There aren't even holes for them to sprout out of!"

Because that's the important thing to discuss right now.

[my_own_advocate]

"Well, you know what they say about 'mysterious ways'," Lucifer said.

He did not use that phrase entirely seriously, no.

[superjoanjett]

Okay. Now this was just a thing and Jessica shrugged it off. "C'mon, one person leaping over a rooftop wouldn't get too much attention. I don't know about two," she said heading toward the roof entrance. The door was locked but it didn't take much force for Jessica to force it open.

[my_own_advocate]

Lucifer stuck his head in and looked around.

"Hello?" he called. "If there are any bad guys, drug addicts or philandering women in here, please make yourself known."

Stealth, thy name was not Lucifer.

[superjoanjett]

"... Really?"

Jessica was feeling so much sympathy for Decker right now.

[my_own_advocate]

"Mostly just looks like an abandoned greenhouse in here," Lucifer sighed. "Ah, well. After you?"

[superjoanjett]

"Thanks," she said dryly. And what he said was true. The room was empty except for numerous creates, plastic sheeting on the windows and on the floors.

She walked forward into the center of the room and turned around in a circle, surveying the area. "The place is too clean and unguarded for drugs."

[my_own_advocate]

"What, you think it might be an actual greenhouse of some sort?" Lucifer asked, wandering past the crates. "A community project?"

He squatted down again, attempting to peer between the slats. "Could be dirt," he said, "Could be dirt hiding something, I suppose."

[superjoanjett]

Jessica looked down at the plastic sheeting coated floor and started to feel uneasy about the whole situation.

Get her on the plastic.

"Shit."

Jessica pulled out her phone and hit speed dial and had a very one sided conversation. "Malcolm? Did you get picture of this woman? No? What about previous names? That's her maiden name?"

There was huge eye roll followed by a loud: "Fuck me!"

Jessica shoved the phone in her pocket and started to head to the door, grabbing Lucifer's arm on the way. "It's a trap."

[my_own_advocate]

"A trap?" Lucifer echoed, hurrying with her. "What sort of trap?"

[superjoanjett]

"A trap for me."

Unfortunately they didn't get very far before a familiar voice-

Well. Familiar to Jessica.

-called out. "Is that one of your 99 friends?"

Which was followed by the sound of a cocking gun. From the doorway a woman in a expensive suit, immaculate dyed hair holding an automatic pistol stepped out and smirked.

"Because I'm happy to kill one more."

Jessica rolled her eyes. "Audrey Redman," she said explaining to Lucifer as she was backing up. "Her mother died during the alien invasion a few years ago. Blames super powered individuals. Tried to kill me. Most likely forgot what I said I'd do to her if she tried it again."

"That was before I did a little digging. All the press you got for killing that man? Made it really easy to find out you don't have any friends. Or laser eyes."

Jessica couldn't help but scoff at that a little. People were so gullible.

[my_own_advocate]

"No, but she does have a mean left hook and me," Lucifer said, grinning oh-so-pleasantly, pulling away from Jessica a bit so he could adjust his jacket. "So I suggest you skedaddle instead of wasting our time any further."

[superjoanjett]

"You're very funny," Audrey deadpanned. "What are you? Her boyfriend?"

"Not my boyfriend," Jessica replied sharply.

"Doesn't matter. He's going to die too. With the help of my friends."

At which point six crate tops popped off and several people stood up holding guns at both Lucifer and Jessica.

"God damn it," Jessica swore.

"I'm not the only person who was hurt by you people," Audrey said with a smirk as she and the other people began to open fire.

[my_own_advocate]

"Oh for crying out loud," Lucifer snapped, wings sliding back out of his back at a moment's thought. One long, white-feathered appendage stretched out to form a wall between Jessica and their assailants.

"You are not killing anyone today," he snapped, ignoring the few bullets that struck his chest.