Idea
1617 Words
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Reyna asks Lucifer the following morning after breakfast in the car.
“Reyna, doll face, relax. I haven’t had an idea this great since I was seven.”
“You do realize you’re twenty-seven, right?”
Lucifer nods, eyes focused on the road as Isaac follows the banter back and forth from the backseat a grin slowly spreading on his face.
“I am intimidated by your lack of a good idea in the past two decades of nearly three that you have been alive.” Reyna says in a serious tone as she turns her gaze to the windshield. “It also has me questioning the credibility of yours that this is actually a ‘good idea’.”
Isaac smacks a hand over his mouth as he laughs. Lucifer rolls his eyes.
“Well, on the bright side I know how to intimidate you now.”
“Why do I even bother with you?” Reyna mutters as she pinches the bridge of her nose, closing her eyes and turning away from Lucifer.
Her phone rings and she picks up.
“Royal.”
“Hey, butterfly.”
“Oh, it’s you.”
“You could have sounded a little less disappointed to hear my voice.” Ruben, a constant annoyance in Reyna’s life, says.
Even though miles separate the two, Reyna can hear the pouty frown and envision it.
“Very well, ‘how’s the most handsome and intelligent being I’ve ever met?’? Is that better?”
“You could’ve toned it down on the sarcasm.”
“f*****g hell, state your reason for disrupting my morning!”
Lucifer and Isaac’s eyes widen as they exchange a look through the rearview mirror.
“I wanna see you.”
“Rue, did you know that some genius invented the concept called a ‘video-call’? Use that!”
“I know, but I can’t just have a video-call in the forensics lab.”
“Murder victim or unsure?”
“Capozzi’s doing her best, but we’re ruling it as a murder.”
Reyna stays silent as her eyes meet Isaac’s in the rearview mirror.
“I can’t. Not at the moment. Tell Capozzi, under my order, she’ll lead the investigation.” Reyna instructs. “They’ll all go about work as if I was overseeing everything.”
“Not to be mean or anything, but I don’t trust her near as much as I do you, butterfly.” Ruben replies.
“What information do they have available of the victim at the moment?”
“It’s some guy named Enzo Bernardi.”
“Bernardi, disappeared four years ago in a province near Southern Tuscany of May 13th, 2020.” Reyna thinks back on what she knows. “He was last seen wearing his chauffeur clothes for the Arizmendi family.”
“Bertelli was taking Arizmendi family workers during that time trying to influence the Arizmendi’s into working for him.” Lucifer looks at Reyna. “Enzo Bernardi was among the lot missing. Had a wife and three kids.”
“Who you with, butterfly?”
“My boss.”
“Oh, and who is your boss, if I may ask?”
“No one of importance.” Reyna rolls her eyes.
“I’m no one of importance now? Genius.” Lucifer can’t help but snicker.
“Well you aren’t, except in your world of criminals and organized crime. He doesn’t need to know who you are, and you, Rue, don’t need to know who he is either.”
“Wait, you’re talking to a guy?” Both Lucifer and Ruben ask at the same time.
In the backseat, Isaac tries his best to hold back his laughter.
“Okay, now why is it relevant if either of you are men?”
“Cuz I need to know who you’re associating with, Reyna!” Lucifer and Ruben protest in synchronicity.
“Are you two siblings by chance?”
“Butterfly-”
“Doll face-”
“I need not give you explanations. Rue, I told you; get Capozzi to do the ID.” Reyna says sternly before giving Lucifer a pointed look. “And you get us to our destination already.”
She hangs up on Ruben and Lucifer focuses on the road again as an occasional chuckle is heard from Isaac.
“So, Reyna, who were you on the phone with?” He asks curiously with a broad smile.
“Someone relatively annoying that I can’t get rid of.”
“You know, maybe it’s not so bad.” Isaac says quietly as he smiles at the sight of the Cavallino Matto. “Just like dad, the other person is clearly just trying to look out for you.”
“I don’t need anyone to look out for me, Isaac. I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”
“That might be true, but you know what my grandpa always says?”
“Very well, what does he say?” Reyna sighs slightly, stowing her phone in her purse.
“He says that sometimes the people who say they don’t need anyone to take care of them, that they don’t need help or anything are the ones who need it the most.”
Reyna takes a moment to think about that as Lucifer parks in the parking lot.
“You have a very wise grandfather, did you know that?”
“Mhm!”
“Unfortunately he didn’t pass on that wisdom to you.” She looks pointedly at Lucifer as she gets out of the car.
“But- oh come on!” Lucifer slams his hands on the steering wheel. “Did you see that? Did you? She insulted me and I didn’t do anything!”
“You had it coming, I mean- can I be honest?”
“Be honest, ragazzino, always.”
“You’re not necessarily the brightest crystal in the mine.”
“But I still shine!”
“When the sun hits you.” Reyna says dully as she opens Isaac’s door and helps him get out of his car seat.
“That is not fair! You constantly insult me when I don’t even do a thing!” Lucifer gets out of the car.
“Cavallino Matto! Cavallino Matto! Cavallino Matto!” Isaac chants happily as he marches in place.
“Most of the time you give me enough yarn to crochet a blanket.”
“Oh, so you’re aware of when you insult me?”
“You think I’m not? Half of the time it’s not even purposeful.”
“Okay, okay! Can you two flirt or fight or whatever you’re doing later?! Let’s get passes!” Isaac shoves the two bickering adults towards the ticket booth.
“We are not flirting!” Reyna and Lucifer snap.
“Really? Cuz that’s what it looks like.” Isaac grins.
“Now listen here you little-”
Reyna snatches an empty bubble stick from a nearby parent and smacks Lucifer with it.
“OW!”
“No insulting the child.”
She fishes some Euros from her purse and stows them into the hands of the lady who stumbles back and takes the money in exchange for the bubble stick. The little girl with her watches Reyna with curiosity in her eyes as they leave. Lucifer rubs his shoulder and Isaac presses his lips into a wobbly line.
“Now, listen here. The two of you. You misbehave-” Reyna points the stick at Isaac before turning up to point it at Lucifer. “Or you do something stupid and I will smack you with this.”
Wide eyed, both son and father exchange a look before turning their gazes back to Reyna and nodding.
“It is now my responsibility to make sure you don’t die and I will take it seriously so help me if you do anything of the sorts and I will smack you with this bubble stick until I tire in your sleep.” Reyna threatens. “Understood?”
“Understood.”
“Good.” Reyna sticks the bubble stick into her purse. “I believe it’s time we got tickets, yes?”
Excitedly, Isaac tugs them both to get their tickets to have fun.
“Why are we here again? Isaac won’t be able to participate in much with that cast.” Reyna walks in pace with Lucifer as Isaac walks and hops up ahead.
“The main reason is because we’re here to make sure you have fun.”
“To be clear, I have fun too. It’s just slightly questionable fun.”
“What do you do for fun?” Lucifer asks, giving her a rather skeptical and cautious look.
“I murder people.”
The couple walking by with their three kids look at Reyna in shock and Lucifer laughs.
“Oh, man! You have a pretty wicked comedic streak!” Lucifer slings a hand around her shoulders. “But you probably shouldn’t say that around public.”
“What is it with you and invading personal space?” Reyna flicks his hand off her shoulder.
To piss her off, he does it again and when she turns to glare up at him, he grins down at her smugly.
“Let’s go to the Baia Dei Bucanieri! Kiss later!”
As Isaac grabs Reyna’s hand to drag her along, tearing her from Lucifer’s grasp, she grabs the bubble stick and throws it at Lucifer.
“Bring it back!” Reyna instructs as it smacks him in the ribs.
Lucifer just barely manages to catch it before running after the two.
- Writer
