Haunted: A Lockwood & Co Story

Chapter Ten: Illegal Job Offers

Charlotte ate the rest of her cheese toastie on the way to the surprise location Lockwood was leading them to. She had gotten changed out of her pyjamas and now wore a white cropped tee with a light purple knitted cardigan that was slightly too big for her and slipped off one shoulder. She wore high waisted wide leg jeans and her usual purple converses that she noticed matched Lockwood's gray ones. Her curly hair had been thrown up into a quick ponytail. Her brown roots were starting to show a bit more and Charlotte made a note to add some blonde dye to the shopping list. Her rapier was attached to her belt as they walked through London's underground. She was walking slowly behind the two boy's who were animatedly talking in front of her in hushed voices. Lockwood led his friends out of the underground station and Charlotte covered her eyes as she looked directly into the sun.

"Lockwood, where the bloody hell are you taking us?" Charlotte asked, catching up to the two boys.

"Just wait we are almost there." They were nearing the business district of the city and Charlotte wondered just who they were meeting. Soon they came up to a quite tall building. The base of the building was quite large but as it went up it got skinnier. Charlotte was sure that if you looked at it from the top it would look like a really skinny pyramid. On the top of the building there was a large sign that said 'Fairfax Iron'. Charlotte's jaw almost dropped.
"The man we are seeing about a ghost is here?" Charlotte asked in disbelief. "At Fairfax Iron?"
"Yes." Lockwood said, before leading them into the building. Charlotte and George hung back while Lockwood talked to the receptionist before coming over and pointing them in the right direction. He lead them up a few stairs before they came to an elevator. Lockwood pressed a button for a level after Charlotte and George were in the elevator.
"Right so your big, radical plan is a job at Fairfax Iron, for work we can't legally do?" George asked Lockwood as Lockwood reached into his suit pocket and pulled out a folded newspaper clipping.

"George, this negativity, it's why I don't tell you things in advance." Lockwood said as Charlotte reached out and took the paper out of Lokwoods hands. She unfolded it to see that Lockwood had circled an advert for a job in blue pen. Underneath it was written Floor 20, 10:30am.

"Agents required for unusual supernatural investigation. Money commensurate with danger." Charlotte read out, before looking at Lockwood. "I'm assuming that means a lot of danger, right?"

"It better be at least 60 grand's worth of danger." George said, taking the paper from Charlotte. Just as George took the paper the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened. George shuffled over to next to Lockwood, who had shuffled a bit closer to Charlotte to make room for the workers coming into the lift. Soon there were a lot more people in the elevator before the doors shut and the lift started moving again.
"When we get up there, we need to be at our absolute best." Lockwood instructed the other two. "Totally professional. So I'll do the talking."

"I saw Sir John Fairfax once." George said and Charlotte leaned forwards to look at George. "He donated my school's iron defences and gave a speech in assembly. Miss Kingston got her hair done special."
"Yes George, that is exactly the sort of thing I don't want you saying." Lockwood advised him. Charlotte had to try not to laugh at the boy's story.

"I can't say he ever came to my school, but Simons sure did seem to love him alot. I'm sure he even had a poster of him in his office. Might have even worshipped the guy." Charlotte said. Lockwood then looked at her.

"You're just as bad as each other." Lockwood mockingly said as the elevator once more came to a stop. Charlotte gave him a quick grin.

"So, when you said 'see a man about a ghost', do you have a name for the man we are meeting?" Charlotte asked Lockwood. He shook his head. The others in the lift started exiting at floor 15.