PROBLEM - Anthony Lockwood

CHAPTER TWENTY

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why don't you write me love letters

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"WHAT'RE WE LOOKING AT?" inquired Lockwood as they examined the ring from behind silverglass.

"I put the ring behing silverglass so that we can safely examine it," George revealed, tickering with some mechanisms and increasing the resolution of his microscope.

"But it's daylight, love," Alice pointed out.

"Yes, well, to state the obvious - I'm a bit more risk adverse than you, aren't I?" George declared, "You're lucky those bruises cleared up as quickly as they did."

George was right, to be fair - Alice was lucky. The bruises around her throat from the chanelling incident had disappeared now. Strangley quickly. But then again it was a mystery how they appeared in the first place. From the others' perspectives, Alice wasn't actually there - she couldn't touch ghosts...

Alice, on the other hand, used to play a handclapping game with a ghost since the age of three.

Witch benefits.

George looked up, "Now, the intruder was after the ring - but why?" He clicked a button and a screen lit up with the inside of the ring. "Hallmarks."

Lucy leant forwards, "'H 22 115.' Maybe H for Hugo."

"That's what I thought, but who was the other big H in Annabel's life?" George quipped

Alice grinned and grabbed their copy of Hamel, "Act 2, scene 2 - line 115. 'Doubt thou the stars are fire, doubt that the sun doth move, doubt truth to be a liar, but never doubt I love.' Aww, it's a love letter." She turned to Lucy, "That's so cute. I love, love letters."

Lucy chuckled and shook her head, "That's why Annabel wanted you to take the ring - it proves that she and Hugo were together." She turned to the boys, "That had to be enough to put him away - right?"

Lockwood stood and took the ring from the glass, "No, it doesn't prove anything. So they were together - it doesn't prove that he murdered her." He placed the ring back into the locket of the necklace and looked down at Alice. "The ring's going in the safe and I'm keeping hold of the key. Because, well, you can't be trusted."

Alice leaned back in her chair and playfully rolled her eyes.

It was funny that he thought a key would stop her.

Lockwood sat down again, placing a letter on the table, "Now, final ruling of Sheen Road just came in. If we don't get our shit together our agency's done."

George began to read the letter, "'Mandatory indefinite oversight'?"

Lucy grabbed the letter from him, "What does that mean?"

"It means we still owe 60 grand but now we can't do anything without adult supervision," Lockwood explained.

Alice smirked and turned to Lucy, "I think Luce knows an adult who'd be happy to supervise us."

Lucy rose her eyebrows, "I don't know what your talking about."

"He looks 42!" Alice exclaimed.

Lucy burst out laughing, burying her head in her hands, "He does not!"

George and Lockwood exchanged a very confused look. George leaned forwards, looking at them. "Soo... who are we talking about?" Lucy and Alice instantly stopped laughing, turned to George and shot him dirty looks.

George put his hands up in mock surrender, "Okay, just you two, I get it!"

Lockwood chuckled, "Guys lets all get ready. We're going to go see a man about a ghost."

...

Wearing an off the shoulder ivory jumper and a high rise ivory skirt with gold buttons, Alice stood in the lift between Lucy and Lockwood. She wore white stockings and her regular black pointy shoes as well as her black gloves and a knee length trench coat that she'd borrowed (stole) from Lucy.

"So your big, radical plan is a job at Fairfax Iron for work we can't legally do?" George inquired.

"George, this negativity - that's why I don't tell you things in advance," Lockwood mused.

Alice grabbed the newspaper from him and read the ad. Lockwood had circled it and noted down underneath it 'Floor 20', his handwriting was interesting, since he wrote more or less in print but his r was in cursive. Posh bastard. "'Agents required for unusual supernatural investigation, money commensurate with danger'. I'm guessing that's alot of danger, right?" Alice inquired, looking up at him.

"Better be at least 60 grand's worth," George quipped. He moved aside as the elevator began to fill with people.

"When we get up there, we need to be our best - totally professional. So I'll do the talking," Lockwood told them, his voice low.

"I saw Sir John Fairfax once, he donated my school's iron defences and gave a speech in assembly," George revealed, he chuckled, "Miss Kingston got her hair done special."

Alice and Lucy laughed lightly.

"Yeah, George, that is exactly the sort of thing I don't want you saying," Lockwood mused.

"When you said 'see a man about a ghost' do you even have a name for who we're seeing?" Lucy inquired.

Lockwood shook his head, "No, just the floor: 20."

Alice raised her eyebrow and she looked at the buttons on the elevator, "Top floor." She turned, shifting uncomfortably as they reached the 17th floor and some of the people left, leaving then alone with two old men with breifcases. One of them looked to be in his 30s and was staring unashamedly at Alice's legs.

She shifted again.

Sensing her change in demeanour, Lockwood looked down at her. She stood in front of him now, with her back turned to him. "What it is?"

Alice turned her head slightly, "Nothing?"

Lockwood followed the stare of the man, "Creep," he hissed quietly.

"You get used to it," Alice muttered, looking hard at the floor. They'd only be on here 3 more floors and he hadn't actually done anything yet. 

Just endure it. A stare isn't going to hurt you.

Alice had dealt with far worse.

She pushed the thought from her head as Lockwood shook his head, "No you don't," he whispered. He wrapped his hand around her waist from behind, the other hand on the hilt of his rapier.

Alice's knees felt weak.

If he wasn't holding her so firmly, she would've surely fell.

Lockwood glared daggers at the man as he looked up and blanched at Lockwood's hand on her. The agent clenched his jaw, "We have a problem?" he demanded.

The man took one look at the hand on his rapier and the vein that looked like it was about to burst at Lockwood's temple before shaking his head, turning around and legging it at the next stop.

Lockwood's hold on her relaxed and Alice pried free from it, turning to face him and looking down. "Thank you."

Lockwood nodded awkwardly.

Lucy and George exchanged a look.