Lockwood & Co. The Secret Of Penelope Fittes

Chapter Six

Immediately we rushed up into the kitchen, just to meet a George bouncing around the table like a little child.
"What's the matter with you?" Lockwood asked and George stopped in his stupid act.
"You won't believe what I found in the archives!"
Lockwood moaned: "Let me guess. Anything interesting on the Fittes' Mausoleum?"
George looked at him in confusion: "Huh? No, I couldn't find anything about that. But something very exciting about our new case!"
Lockwood puffed and dropped onto his chair: "Well, go ahead!"
George was unstoppable. He told us that 20 years ago there was a mass murder in the house in which 6 people were killed. The murderer got arrested and is still in prison today. The estate was inherited, but no one in the family wanted to live there. Except for the last generation that had arranged us.
However, I could not really concentrate on George's lecture. Lost in thought I stared at a drawing on the white cloth. It was supposed to be a dog, but it looked more like a toilet roll with horns (probably from George). But more importantly was the question whether Lockwood really wanted to kiss me right now. I mean, not that I mind, no, quite the contrary. I knew I liked Lockwood, I also knew I liked him very much. But I didn't realize he felt the same way about me. Or maybe he didn't and I just misinterpreted it in the basement. Maybe there was just a lint on my shoulder and he wanted to flip it off. Or...
"... or Lucy? LUCY!," George tore me out of my train of thought.
"W-what?" I asked absent-mindedly.
Lockwood looked at me with an indefinable look: "George suspects we'll run into a Spectre today. We should be careful!"
"Uh, yeah. Okay."
George took turns looking at me and Lockwood.
"Did something happen?"
I immediately ripped my eyes off Lockwood and looked at George.
"No!" I shouted quickly, "Everything's fine! I'm gonna go upstairs and get ready for the job!"
I quickly turned around so they didn't see my bright red head and stormed out of the room. Two steps outside my door someone held me back on the shoulder. When I turned around, I looked right into Lockwood's dark eyes. Oh God, how fast is this man? My heart immediately began to beat faster and I felt the blood shoot into my cheeks.
"Hey, about earlier, I..."
"No problem, Lockwood!", I interrupted him, "Listen! I really have to get ready or we're gonna be late and I don't think you want me to, so..."
I freed myself from his grip and left him standing. He had a shaky expression on his face.
As I closed the door behind me, I leaned my forehead against the wall and took a deep breath. Gosh, I could kill myself right now. And Lockwood too. Typical of him to do such a move right before a case so I would be distracted which could be the death for every agent. I sighed. That probably wasn't his intention but still a dick move. And especially not typical for Lockwood
"Oi, sweetie, what's the matter?", a voice rang in my head.
I turned and stared at the skull. Oh, great! That's all I needed.
"Nothing!"
"You know you can't fool me!"
The ghostface looked at me for a while until I turned around annoyed.
"Ha! I already know who it's about! It is about your Locky, isn't it or am I right?"
I didn't answer. And I swore I could hear him sigh.
"Don't worry, sweetheart! I think he likes you too!"
I turned abruptly and closed the locking mechanism.
Yet I saw exactly how he looked me in the eye with knowledge. The skull gave me another snobbish smile, then it vanished.

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

The rest of the day we spent taking all precautions. Lockwood and I were unusually quiet and avoided each other as best we could. Of course, George noticed it immediately.
Just as I was about to go into the living room, I saw George Lockwood grabbing by the collar and pulling towards him. Immediately I stopped and listened.
"What has happened between you two? I can see you're avoiding each other," hissed George.
"N-nothing," Lockwood moaned and rubbed his throat, "It was as usual as every day. Now, could you please let me go before you cut my air off? That would be very kind of you."
George let him go with his eyes pinched and I came into the room. When Lockwood saw me, he grinned at me for the first time since morning.
"Ready?"
"Of course!"
"Good!"; he turned to George, "Call a cab, please! We're leaving!"

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

We didn't say much in the taxi. But, well. We were on our way to a haunted house so there isn't really much to talk about.
Lockwood sat in the front, as usual, and George and I had squashed ourselves and our pockets in the backseat.
When we arrived at the villa, we paid the taxi driver and looked at the house. I left the skull at home. Since that morning, all he was talking about was how to set Lockwood up with me which was somehow cute but also very weird.
Lockwood stood there, his hands on his hips, looking at the house.
After a while he said: "Okay, I'd say we just go in and take all kinds of precautions!"
George and I nodded and together we stepped over the threshold.