When Lucy re-entered the Prof's apartment, it was almost as if the past hour had never happened. All the food wrappers and take-away boxes had been cleared away, and papers were stacked neatly on the table. As she placed the shopping she had bought on the larger table, Alfendi came out from the kitchen, scratching his neck.
"Er... hi, Lucy."
"You moved quick," she replied.
"What do you mean?" He looked confused, to her amazement.
"Well, you've tidied this place up, showered, sorted out your paperwork and yet still 'ad time to follow me down to the shop and get back 'ere before me!"
He stared at her so hard that Lucy began to feel uncomfortable.
"I haven't left the apartment."
"Really?" Sarcasm was not her strong point.
Potty Prof flashed into action as soon as the word escaped her. "Yes, really. Don't be an idiot- I'd know if I'd left my own house."
Then who did I see in the shop? Silence. Dismissing it as a figment of her imagination, Lucy changed the subject.
"I bought food. Real food."
Placid Prof looked resentful. "Thanks."
The silence was thick as they ate, like a physical weight pressing down on them. In a desperate attempt to diffuse the atmosphere, Lucy said, "You know there's a reason I'm 'ere don't you?"
"I was hoping it was down to my personal charm and good looks, but I assume not."
She almost choked on her lunch. "What?!"
"I was joking."
"Oh." Now she felt stupid.
"So why did you come?"
Lucy shifted uncomfortably in her chair. "Well, um... I've got some bad news."
"Which is..?" Potty Prof snarled.
She didn't want to say it, but after all, it was what she had come for.
A deep breath, and, "Florence is ill. Well, she was always ill, but she's worse."
To her surprise, he repeated the same question she had asked the day before. "How long?"
And she replied, "They've given her a month."
Potty Prof grabbed a fork and stabbed it into the table. Placid Prof stared in disbelief at the wall. Alfendi Layton put his head in his hands as his shoulders shook. Lucy Baker placed her hand on his back, and finally they had found something they could agree on. It wasn't fair.
YOU ARE READING
Case Closed
Fanfiction"Firstly there's something you must understand. Do not think badly of me for it. But this- this will change everything." Four months after the events at Forbodium Castle, DC Lucy Baker has decided to stay on with the Prof at the Mystery Room. The t...
