Under the Floorboards (and In the Walls)

Flo Bones, Extraordinaire-George

Leaving home that morning I trudged down the road. A thought struck me. There was one person who knew more about the goings on of the London underworld than anyone else. Immediately I turned, no longer heading to the archives.

I could smell the river before I could see it. It was a sickly green today. Which was Flo's favorite color. So hopefully that meant she was having a good day. I patted my pocket to check the package of licorice I had picked up from the corner store.

I was grateful for the excuse to go see Flo.

Her boat was tied up under the bridge. She was probably napping. I snuck on board. The boat rocked under my feet. But I had spent enough evenings here with Flo that the feeling was familiar. I peered into the cabin window. The dirty glass made the dim room hard to see, but I could just make out Flo's bed and her form, gently falling and rising with her breathing. I knew better than to startle Flo awake. I walked around the deck, shuffling my feet and looking at her equipment. This would wake her up and give her time to see it was me, and not a threat.

"Good morning, Georgie."

I turned to her voice and grinned wide. "Good morning, beautiful."

She sidled up to me and smiled. "What do you need from me today?"

I laughed, almost hurt. "Really Flo? You think I need something? Can't I just want to visit my girlfriend." She grinned at how I said it. It was all so new. But it felt so right. She was my girlfriend. Officially. Proudly.

She kissed my cheek. "You could," she said with a smile. "But I know you. You're usually at the archives at this time of the day. If you're here, it means you need something."

I sighed. Sadly true. "Let's just say I'm glad for the excuse."

"Out with it. What do you need?"

"It's the Saunders Paranormal Investigators..." I began.

"And how they are fakes."

"How do you know that?"

"Psshaw. Who couldn't?" Flo said as if it was the simplest thing in the world. "They're adults for one. They cant sense or see visitors. No matter how fancy your so-called Visitor detecting jewel is, you wouldn't go near a source. Adults are too afraid. If it was real, they'd be giving it to actual agents to use while they hide behind iron enforcements. Adults like them would never take actual risks." Flo was coiling a rope that was lying on the bottom of the boat. She always got nervous during any kind of conversation we had. I think she needed to be doing something at all times. "I've heard they've had several successful cases. I'd look into that."

"You're right, of course. Have you heard of anything on the streets? With the relic men?"

"Whatever they're doing, they're being smart. Everyone knows that there are DEPRAC agents undercover, they just don't know who. Saunders has to know that. They aren't buying sources from relic men."

"They must have their own guys stealing them."

"Like what happened to you."

"Exactly. We have a lot of suspicions, Flo." She had finished with the rope so I took her hand, rubbing it with my thumb. "But they're already friends with Marissa Fittes and even Barnes made a comment about their good work in the paper. We need hard evidence."

"Like their sources?"

"What?"

"They have to be keeping their sources somewhere. Probably their headquarters. What if you broke in there to get the evidence."

I pursed my lips.

"At least something to show Barnes." Flo said earnestly. "Even if it wont stand up in court. You need to get DEPRAC to start looking into it."

"Again, you're right."

She smiled at me. The light off the river danced in her eyes. "You get to the Archives and work your magic. I'll look around and see what I can find."

"You're the best Flo." I cupped her face with my hands and gave her a kiss. She kissed me back and we stood in the moment before parting. I know it might be morbid, but I always tried to capture a picture in my mind when saying goodbye. I never knew- especially how we both lived- when the last goodbye would be. I wouldn't waste a single one.

-

The Archives gave me a lot to go on, of course. I got back home and started laying my findings out. I had the original blueprints to the headquarters. A report on all of their cases. And a bit of each known member's history.

What stuck out to me about their cases was they were all new. Someone just began to notice malaise. In one case, the house had just been worked on by Rotwell two months prior. The source that Saunders found was an old vase tucked away in the attic. They never took commissions from DEPRAC or the city. They approached their customers as a general rule. Obviously, they were planting the sources and then coming in after to easily find them in the broad daylight. They knew where they were and secured them in turn. It was sick. How many people had they killed so far? Countless deaths a week from sources and any one of them could be because Saunders put a source in someone's house. And then there was Sophie Wilde. Walking her into a death trap light that.

More close to home: Lucy. Trying to murder her in her sleep. The thought of them lurking around our house made me shudder. I glanced around. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. In the kitchen at least. We were going to have to do a complete search of the house to be sure though.

What got me was the members. None of them had been agents before. They had never had much talent. Sounded like a bunch of sad adults who never got to be agents or anything else important and this was their plan to edge in on the Problem. Again, sick. It always disturbed me when people tried to cash in on the problem.

The phone rang. I hesitated. Normally, Lockwood answered the phone in case it was a client. I didn't want to leave my research... but it might be someone important. I set down my pen and went to the phone.

"Hello you've reach Lockwood and Co, this is-"

"GEORGE!"

It was Flo. She sounded rushed.

"I need you to get down here."

"What, why?"

"No time to explain. Get to the 6th Cherry Lane as fast as possible... and bring your rapier." Click

I dashed to the table and begin stuffing supplies in my pack. After a second's pause to jot down a note on the thinking cloth I flung the door open and ran out into the diming daylight

I love George. And Flo. I felt bad for not including Holly in this fic and not having much of Kipps. Since it's my first fic I was worried about getting bogged down with a lot of characters. But I'm having a lot of fun with Flo. She's such a fun person. I think she brings out the best in George. #SaveLockwoodandCo #LockwoodandCoPlanA