The Beginning of the End

32. We'll Find Her

Dan yawned and downed some more coffee while he sat at his desk that morning, trying to finish paperwork and get started on searching for more clues for the case he got called in on early this morning. He hated dropping Trixie off at Chloe's so early, but it didn't seem fair to drag his daughter to work with him on a Saturday morning, and he hadn't gone grocery shopping in awhile, so there was probably no food for her to prepare for herself whenever she woke up. He made a mental note to make it up to her later. 

From the corner of his desk, Dan's phone began vibrating. Turning it over, the Caller ID read: Unknown number. 

"Seriously?" Dan muttered under his breath. He had been getting calls from the same number about every half hour since he arrived. He figured it was just another dumb prank Lucifer was pulling on him again. 

Having had enough of the annoyance, Dan pressed the talk button and angrily said, "Whoever you are, stop calling me! I don't-"

"Well, howdy there partner." A cold malicious voice calmly replied from the other end. 

Dan froze. It felt like his heart, and the rest of the world around him, had come to a grinding halt. His palms clammed up and sweat began beading on his forehead and back. 

No. This couldn't be right. Dan was just being paranoid. 

"Look," Dan's breathing labored some, making him sound more scared than he would've liked, "if this is a prank, some sick prank you're getting paid for, stop. This isn't funny."

Dan took the phone away from his ear, about to hang up, when the voice spoke again, "Oh, I'm getting paid. I'm getting paid in much more than I ever could've hoped to be during my days as a cop. Also probably not by who you think it is."

Dan's breath shook more as the voice continued. This couldn't be happening. It was impossible. Malcolm Graham has been dead for years! Somebody was probably just trying to scare the shit out of him. 

"So Dan," Malcolm said coolly, as if he was just catching up with a buddy at a bar, "I've heard you've been quite the boy-scout lately. Volunteering your time with the less-fortunate, befriending kids who've had it rough, the list goes on..."

How did he know what Dan's life looked like lately? Had Malcolm faked his death all those years ago? No! He couldn't have. Chloe and Lucifer both witnessed it. Hell, Chloe was the one who pulled the trigger. 

"But we both know that deep down, you're still the same corrupt cop, just like the rest of us. Willing to do whatever it takes to get a leg up or a few extra zeroes added to that pay check." Malcolm's tone was condescending and wicked. 

Dan shook his head and then replied in a whisper, "You're wrong. I'm not that person anymore."

Malcolm laughed. 

"Whatever you think you know about me, that's not who I am, and you can't use guilt against me." Dan pressed his finger into his desk, trying to sound strong enough to get his point across to this lunatic. 

Cold humor rang through Malcolm's voice as he spoke, making Dan believe that this truly was the real and very much alive Malcolm Graham on the other line. 

"Well of course I can Danny! That's what Hell is after all, and...in case you haven't guessed it already, I'm about to make your life a living one, you know, to give you some practice before you get down there yourself."

That sounded like the old Malcolm, all of that crazy, nonsense talk about Hell and reliving your worst fears over and over again. Charlotte had gone through something similar when she had a brush with death, but Charlotte had been a good person and got help for her fears. Malcolm wasn't, even in the slightest, ever a good person.