Lockwood & Co. The Secret Of Penelope Fittes

3 months earlier/ Chapter Five

I'm going to introduce myself: My name is Lucy Joan Carlyle and I'm an agent at Lockwood & Co.
Let me describe myself briefly: I have shoulder-length, straight hair and brown eyes. My nose, at least I think, is a bit too long. I have a sporty figure and I am 1.67 meters tall. I live in the attic of Portland Row 35, together with Anthony Lockwood, my boss, a man with an interesting jet stunning fashion style, and George Cubbins, who can compete with a potato.
Tonight we had a case in some neighborhood I'd never heard of. According to our client, her daughter saw a ghost looking through old documents in the study.
This time it was just the three of us, Holly had taken a week off. One member of her family died unexpectedly.
Given our track record with cases where we didn't do our research good enough and almost died (Lockwoods way of putting it) or in other words where Lockwood didn't gave George enough time to do a proper research (the way everyone else sees it) George should have been in the archives long ago and researching our newest case, but he wasn't really interested. It was something else that attracted his attention.
We were all sitting together at the kitchen table and I was telling my friends probably for the hundredth time that, what the skull had told me. (You know what I mean. That Penelope and Marissa Fittes are one and the same person)
"And the skull is quite sure?" asked George, who leaned over a thick notebook.
"Well, yeah. I think so, yes. After all, he was talking to her, wasn't he?"
"Fascinating, just fascinating. Okay, I'll go to the archives and see if I can find anything!"
Lockwood, who had only watched us through his newspaper, grabbed George by the arm in a flash and held him back.
"Ow! What the..."
"Have you forgotten that we have a case tonight where you haven't done any research? I know it's a big deal with Marissa and Penelope, but don't forget our agency! After this case, we have two days off. You can rummage through old newspapers day and night! Now you'd better check on our latest assignment."
"Nice speech, Lockwood!", George said doggedly, trying to free himself from Lockwood's hand, but failed. He looked at him stoically and didn't loosen his grip.
"Lockwood's right, George!", I interfered, "The fittes' thing is not so important now! You better focus on the case right now. Anything else would not be so good for our agency!"
George looked at me and Lockwood in turn, but then nodded, and Lockwood let him go. He rubbed his arm, sighed and disappeared from the kitchen.
Lockwood looked at me: "Thanks, he probably would have strangled me without you!"
I smiled, but then I got serious again: "You're right, Lockwood! We should focus on our cases now, anything else would just distract us!"
Lockwood grinned at me, "Would you like to do some exercise before we go?"
"Sure, I'll just get ready!"
Immediately I rushed up to my room.

...........********...........

When I came back down, Lockwood was already in the basement. I followed him, grabbed a rapier and went into the training room.
Lockwood was already fully in his world, slashing and poking, dancing around our straw dolls with his rapier and skills I have never seen everyone doing before. When he saw me, he stopped and grinned at me.
"Double-circle attack?"
I nodded and we stood back to back. Me against Esmeralda and Lockwood with Joe. Lockwood gave me a light push and we started right away. We bumped, whirled and drew knots of protection with our rapiers into the air. With each slash, we both moved a little to the right until I faced Joe and Lockwood Esmeralda. At the same moment we jumped up and stabbed our opponents in the stomach. I landed a little clumsy, Lockwood elegant on the floor.
"That wasn't so bad," he said, just a little out of breath.
I nodded, totally out of breath.
"Do you want to practice one by one?"
Again I nodded because I still couldn't talk.
Lockwood went into position immediately, I tried to catch my breath and after a few minutes I started as well. We fought for a long time, until I felt Lockwood putting his hands around my hips.
"You move your upper body too much! The movements must come from your wrist!"
I smiled inside myself. Lockwood always found something he could correct me on.
"You up for a duel?"
He raised his eyebrows in surprise, but then nodded. We stood up and lifted the rapiers. After the first minutes I noticed that the duel was a hopeless idea. Lockwood was just way too good for me. Panting, I backed off and Lockwood smiled at me for sure.
He grinned, "Do you regret it?"
"Never. Should I?"
He shrugged his shoulders and struck the rapier out of my hand with a quick movement.
"Maybe?"
"Oh, great fighter. You don't want to hurt me, do you?" I asked in a mocking tone as he approached.
Lockwood lowered his rapier.
"Not in a million years!"
He was getting closer and I looked at him in surprise when I saw a new look on his face.
Wait a minute! I know that one! I know that look because that's exactly I have been looking at him when he doesn't notice it.
Lockwood looked like he wanted to kiss me. Right now in a basement surrounded by dust, salt bombs and rapiers. A total Lockwood move. If the situation wouldn't be so tense I would have laughed.
There was only a handbreadth between us.
Just a few more centimetres...
Lockwood bent slightly down as an excited voice rang from above:
"Lockwood, Lucy, come quick! You gotta see this!"