AS GOOD AS DEAD → ANTHONY LOCKWOOD

XI

Doubt thou the star, part one

IT'S BEEN two days since the intruder came and a wound on Greer's forehead still hurts like hell and it causes her to have migraines and headaches. She feared that it would scar though they didn't stitch it. Her shoulders hasn't been so good either, she had trouble washing her hair and needed some assistance 'cause every time she raised her arm, her shoulder hurt.

George shows up in Lockwood's room in the morning and asks the two of them to meet him and Lucy in the kitchen cause he wants to show them something fascinating.

And when they came downstairs, they saw George beside the TV and something Greer had never seen before which made her furrowed her eyebrows at it.

"so what are we looking at?" Lockwood as he takes a seat "I put the ring behind silver glass so we can safely examine it."

"Yeah, but it's daylight," Lucy said "Yes, well, to state the obvious, I'm a bit more risk averse than you, aren't I?" George said "Now, the intruder was after the ring. But why?" He added as he looked at them with a smile before clicking something in the machine and the TV turned "hallmarks." George said and they saw the ring closely through the TV. Lucy walked closely to it before bending down "H 22 115." Lucy read out loud the numbers on the ring.

"Maybe H for Hugo?" Lucy thought, eyes on George "That's what I thought. But, who was the other big H in Annabelle's life." George grabbed a small book from the counter and hands it to Lucy "Act II, scene 2." George told her.

"Doubt thou the stars are fire, doubt that sun doth move, doubt truth to be a liar."

"But never doubt I love." Greer joined Lucy "I've read that book before like everyone else does except for the two of you." Greer said, crossing her arms on her chest "This is it!" Lucy exclaimed, "The hallmark's a love letter." She added "That's why Annabelle wanted me to take the ring, it proves she and Hugo were together. That has to be enough to put him away. Right?" Greer could see the excitement in her eyes.

"No. It doesn't prove anything." Lockwood said standing up so he could grab the ring from the silver glass "So they were together. But that isn't evidence he murdered her." The excitement on Lucy's face was soon replaced by a disappointed one as Lockwood says "The ring's going in the safe." Lockwood told them "I'm keeping hold of the key because, well, you can't be trusted."

"But it's her source." Lucy protest
"Which you stole illegally. Now, the final ruling of the sheen road just came in." Lockwood pull out the mail that he and Greer saw earlier. He must have read it when George showed Greer the newspaper.

"If we don't get our shit together now, this agency's done." Lockwood said "Mandatory indefinite oversight?" George read out loud "What does that mean?" Lucy asked, snatching the paper from George's hand to read it "It means we still owe 60 grand, but now we can't do anything without adult supervision." Lockwood answered.

"Adult supervision sucks, it's not like they can see them and help us." Greer said in annoyance "Well, they actually can. They can be bait." Greer chuckled to herself, shaking her head in joy because of her joke.

"No, no, no. This must be a joke." Lucy scoffed "No. It's a chokehold." Which is worse "But I've got a plan." Lockwood smiled, his not-so-normal smile, it's his I've-got-something-that-i-think-is-a-good-idea smile and that smile often become successful but mostly sucks but still successful.

"We're going to see a man about a ghost."

"Here we go again," Greer said and sank to her chair, face-palming herself as she closed her eyelids, thinking about the possible things she could do to prevent doing what he thinks is a good idea.