Haunted: A Lockwood & Co Story

Chapter Six: Psychic Connections

"I didn't know it was her source. I swear." Charlotte protested. The three of them had found the source and had gone down to the kitchen. George, who had finally put on some trousers, and Lockwood leant against the bench while Charlotte sat at the table. She felt like the police were interrogating her. The source sat in an iron box with silver glass in front of the girl. "I just took it because... it's like I can feel what she's feeling. What she wants. It's hard to explain."

"A psychic connection." Lockwood suggested.

"Yes! That's exactly what it is." Charlotte said, pointing her hand at Lockwood.

"I literally cannot believe you stole a source from a crime scene. DEPRAC will bury us." George exclaimed. Charlotte scoffed. Of course, he would accuse her of stealing a source.

"I'm not the only one who steals sources here am I, George? What about that ridiculous skull you're always experimenting on?" Charlotte fired back at him. "Annabel was stuck behind a wall for 40 years, with nobody knowing, and DEPRAC doing sod all. She needs our help. My help."

"And what exactly, does she expect you to do after all this time?" George asked her. She stayed silent for a moment.

"Solve this murder mystery. Get justice for her." Charlotte told him. Lockwood had been silent this entire time that Charlotte and George had been going back and forth.

"She's dead, Charlotte," Lockwood said. Charlotte immediately knew that he wasn't going to be on her side. "We can't help a ghost. We need to destroy her source and move on. Let her go."

"Come on, George. Back me up." She pleaded with the boy. She knew he never backed down from the chance to do an experiment, and so she would appeal to his love for the hobby. She stood up from the table and walked closer to the two boys. "You love a new experiment. Why throw away the chance to test out new phenomena?"

"Nice try, but psychic connections are a weak science. You felt sorry for her. You heard her death loop. End of the story." George told the girl. Charlotte crossed her arms.

"So prove it then. Before you destroy the ring, let me try to connect with her one more time. See what else I can feel. Let me prove to you both that this is real." Charlotte challenged. She could see George actually thinking about it and knew that soon it would be two against one.

"No way. It's too dangerous." Lockwood crossed his arms, having made up his mind. George turned to Lockwood.

"It is almost dawn. Her ghost would be much weaker." George told him. Charlotte was starting to win this argument.

"No. We've only just escaped with our lives. Twice." Lockwood said, his voice sounding final.

"Because you were unprepared. Twice." George told him and Charlotte nodded. "This time we will do it properly."

George moved from being beside Lockwood to coming and leaning against the table next to Charlotte. Charlotte tried to fight the urge to do a happy dance. She was getting her way.

"I need to do this Lockwood." She was determined. She watched as Lockwood shook his head before inhaling briefly.

"What was that you were saying about normal people George?" He asked. Charlotte's face lit up as she realised that she had done it. They were going to test her theory. They quickly gathered all the things that they would need to protect themselves from harm and met again in the library. Lockwood had grabbed a grey zip-up jumper and put it on, before double-checking the kit they had grabbed. George pulled the curtains shut as the first signs of daylight started to show. The room was instantly clothed in black, minus the light coming from the lamp in the corner. Charlotte sat down on the chair that they had placed in the middle of the room. Lockwood walked over to her, ring in hand, as George walked over to where the kit was. Lockwood came to a stop in front of Charlotte and she had to look up at the boy. He held the ring out and just as Charlotte went to grab it, he pulled it back.