Haunted: A Lockwood & Co Story

Chapter Thirteen: Winkman's Auction

The robes that were required at Winkman's auction were both a help and a hindrance. They covered the bottom half of their faces and large hoods covered the top of their heads. The robes fell to just above Charlotte's ankles, which meant she wouldn't trip over them if she needed to run. She stood next to Lockwood in this creepy creaky elevator that was taking them to where they needed to go. She was still mad at him, but right now the Bone Glass came first. They needed to get the mirror back to DEPRAC so that this could all just end and everyone would be happy again.

The elevator came to a stop and the door slid open with a loud creak. The hallway was lit up with one blue light that made the hall look more haunted than it probably was. The security guard that was leading them stepped out first and then the two agents in disguise followed him. He led them past doors and past more security guards.

"Hold it together," Lockwood whispered to her.

"You hold it together." she hissed back at him. They made a right turn and the light became less blue and a lot warmer. The security guards opened a door which they locked and shut behind them. They came face to face with Adelaide Winkman. Charlotte's eyes went slightly wide at the woman but she probably wouldn't be able to tell. Charlotte could hear the voices of lots of people before one rang louder over the top. Julius Winkman.

"Good Evening, ladies and gentlemen. Old friends and new..." As her husband spoke, Adelaide smiled handing a paddle, with a dark red 197 on it, out to Lockwood who took it.

"Welcome, stragglers." Adelaide said, motioning for the two to go in. "Have fun."
"You have my word that tonight's session will be well worth your journey." Winkman said as the two walked into the large room. Charlotte was immediately hit with waves psychic charge but the first thing she noticed was the amount of dark green, almost black robes in the room. Charlotte was too short to see over the amount of people but she could just make out a few of the doors on the side of the room. All blocked by security guards.

"We have a plethora of items up for auction tonight, including a cigarette case found on the beaches of Dunkirk, permeated with the torment of a fallen son." Charlotte and Lockwood moved a little closer to the front and Charlotte was able to see to the front. Winkman was standing on a stage up the front, surrounded by sources in silver-glass boxes. Charlotte watched as Adelaide walked up the stairs to join her husband.

"The source of one of the nation's most prolific murderers, Anne-Marie Nelson." Winkman said, pointing to a box.

"We want the mirror!" A woman shouted out.

"Where is it?" This time the voice came from a man, who was standing next to Charlotte. This started yells that all overpowered each other and no one could understand what anyone was saying. Charlotte cringed. With the sounds coming from the psychic world and the real world, it was very loud.

"Of course you do." Adelaide said, putting her hands up to quiet the crowd. "And here she is. That rarity. The piece that has so exercised the hard working people at DEPRAC these past few days."

Julius Winkman had pulled out an object that was covered in a silver net and Charlotte's eyes widened. It was the mirror. The crowd started to murmur at the sight of the object in Winkman's hands.

"Recovered, at great cost, from the grave of visionary genius, Sir Edmund Bickerstaff." Winkman placed the Bone Glass on the pedestal as Adelaide pointed at it. "We present to you his Bone Glass."

Winkman then started to take off the silver net and the sound of flies buzzing sounded through Charlotte's ears. She screwed her eyes up at the loud noise that overpowered almost everything else. Charlotte opened her eyes again to see that the glass had a black covering over the middle.