KNOW MY NAME | Anthony Lockwood

𝟐𝟐 ┆𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘-𝐎𝐍𝐄

.𝑞𝑢𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠.
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I pushed the key into the lock of Portland Row 35 as I could hear arguing from inside the house.

"If you'd waited for me, none of this would've happened", I heard George sighing in a stressed tone. I assumed he was talking to Lockwood, but that thought got pushed away as I entered the kitchen.

"You were late", I reasoned looking briefly at him before turning to Lucy as she still wore the hospital gown.

"Oh my god, Evie! I'm so relieved you're still alive", George bursted out crashing me in a hug which I returned a bit confused as Lucy gasped in offence.

"But to answer your statement: I was doing my job, so we'd know what we were walking into", George pulled away facing Lucy who just rolled her eyes.

"Which I'm assuming, wasn't some old man who fell down the stairs-", George sassed at us both while Lucy rounded the table in the kitchen looking at the newspapers on it.

"That's her", Lucy said pointing to a black and white picture of a young woman on the title page of a newspaper.

"How exactly did the house catch fire, Lucy?", George urged her to tell him as we all sat down at the table. Lucy still looking at the picture of the woman.

"God she was so young", Lucy gushed in sorrow picking up the cut out not answering Georges urgent question.

"You burned it down, didn't you?", George accused her earning a slap to the back of his head from me which made him shut up giving me a glare.

"This woman. Who was she?", Lucy asked finally looking up at George who glanced back at her with confusion.

He then turned to look at me. "Is she serious, right now?", he asked me as if Lucy couldn't hear us. I shrugged nodding slightly.

He turned back to the redish haired girl. "You're not even listening", he threw his hands up in the air in frustration and disbelief.

"George. This picture", Lucy pointed at the picture again exclaiming. "This is the woman whose ghost attacked us last night", Lucy explained looking at me for backup and I nodded at George.

"It felt like...she needed my help", Lucy struggled to explain what she meant. "Tell me who she was", she urged George.

George swallowed sighing dramatically. "She was a rising star in the '80s, all set for Hollywood, until she went missing", he explained speaking in a harsh tone.

"We found her body bricked in in a chimney. Someone did that to her", Lucy explained our last nights events briefly.

"Maybe if you'd be more interested before you went charging in there-", George reasoned with Lucy and I butted in before he said something he'd regret later.

"That was Anthony's decision. She only just started", I flashed Lucy a small smile which she returned with gratitude towards me nodding in thanks.

"What was I supposed say to him?", Lucy asked anyway and George sighed.

"You're meant to say no, Lucy. You have to, or you'll make him worse", he answered her rhetorical question as I sighed hearing the door open.

I knew it was Lockwood. "Glad to see you three getting on without me", he smiled briefly at me eyeing my scratches on my face with concern before returning to his confident self.

"I'd say like a house on fire, but-", he got cut off of his terrible attempt to joke around by George standing up.

"Where have you been?", George asked sounding slightly worried for him. "Aren't you hurt?", Lucy asked at the same time standing up as well.

"Why didn't you wait for me!?", George threw at Lockwoods head as I sat there silently watching the whole commotion take place.

"George knows who that ghost was", Lucy spoke to Lockwood who seemed rather overwhelmed by their bickering. "He said-", Lucy started before I butted in seeing his exhaustion written on his face.

I stood up. "Can we do this later? Let's just let Lockwood rest for a bit, yeah?", I smiled at Anthony who nodded confirming my words with a pleading look towards George and Lucy.

"Let's catch up over breakfast, yeah?", he nodded towards George. "If you could make your ghormeh sabzi with a shedload of rice. I'd love you forever, mate", Lockwood spoke towards George before he retreated out the door.

I went after him. "I thought you said I get to rest?", Lockwood chuckled halfway up the stairs as he heard my steps behind him making him turn around.

"I know where you were", I spoke seriously looking up at him watching his smile fade turning into a frown. "You were with DEPRAC, didn't you? What did Barnes say?", I walked up only standing two steps behind him and he sighed.

"How did you know-", he shook his head cutting himself off. "You know what doesn't matter", he sighed walking up to his room.

"Yes it does, Anthony! It matters, because we are a team!", I urged behind him watching from the doorframe as he threw his coat over his desk chair rubbing his sore eyes. He was covered in ash and dirt from the house fire.

His hair now not so perfect anymore as it was last late afternoon. "Sixty thousand", he finally whispered and I frowned stepping towards him closing the door behind me.

"Sixty thousand grand, Evie. How am I supposed to pay that?", he let himself flop down onto his desk chair hiding his face behind his hands.

"That sure is one hell of a bill", I mumbled crouching down in front of him taking his hands away from his face making him look at me with tired eyes.

"I'll see what I can do", I smiled at him and he frowned at me.

"What you can do? It's not like your family is rich or something", he chuckled shaking his head laughing as I swallowed the building lump in my throat.

"Well, you see I-", I got cut off by a knock on Lockwoods door and stood up not looking into his eyes as he frowned questioningly at me.