━━ CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO / edmund bickerstaff
episode four, part five

The taxi ride was quiet. Demi had taken her place next to Lockwood and despite the argument, her first move was to rest her head on his shoulder. Her arm wrapped around his back awkwardly pressed against the taxi seat. But she didn't care. She just wanted to be close to him and her whole body already ached so it didn't really matter much.

His head had tilted to rest against hers and he pressed a kiss to her hair, connecting their hands which rested between them. It was quiet and they knew that they would find George but Demi was worried. She had been worried, all this time, about him even if she was annoyed by how both of them had treated Lucy. And even how Lockwood had treated George. It was infuriating but she couldn't be annoyed forever so she wasn't going to be.

When they arrived at the cemetery, Demi was the first one to get to the taxi door and she shoved it open. Without even checking for the others, she walked - determined - towards the Chapel where they had been barely two hours earlier. Lockwood was quick to catch up, grabbing her hand to calm her down. And at that moment, they both spotted it. At that same moment, they saw the last people they wanted to see. They both came to a stop, Lucy and Erin coming up behind them.

"I have a strong feeling that you were right about George being here," Demi mumbled almost sarcastically. The four of them watched as Kipps' crew and the Snyder Agency all filed into the Chapel for some reason. Demi could only assume that something had happened.

"Oh God," Erin said. Her gaze was clearly on Snyder. That made Demi frown, deeper. She didn't want to see Chase right now. She didn't know what she'd do.

"Why is Kipps here?" Lockwood asked as he glanced between the girls. His annoyance was clear. His grip on Demi's hand shifted slightly harsher but she didn't mind. It was a good reminder of what she had now.

"Why don't we find out?" Lucy snapped and then the four rushed into the Chapel. They could hear Kipps talking as he always did. His voice was infuriating. And Demi was reminded why she had punched him in the face at Combe Carey.

"We're right here," Lockwood said as he pulled Demi through the door behind him. Lucy and Erin were close behind and every eye in the room turned to the group as they walked through the group that had gathered.

"Ah!" Kipps said as he watched them move through over to George who was situated along the right-hand wall by a body. What they could only presume was the body from the grave. That was now not covered in an iron net. Which meant that the Source was gone. But when Demi turned around to face the opposing group, they realised that they had lost Erin to Chase. Demi frowned but tried not to think about it as she stood as close as she could to George.

Demi could see that Chase had said something to Erin but she couldn't hear what it was. Then he seemed to pull her close. It was a gentle gesture and she heard his next words loud and clear, "I'm just glad you're safe." It made Demi's stomach churn but she ignored it in favour of looking at Lockwood with a small smile.

"Good evening, Inspector," Lockwood said. His usual bravado never seemed to drop but that was good now. Demi would need his confidence because all of hers had been sapped out of her after the night that they had had.

"Anthony Lockwood and a case gone wrong. Nothing seems to change," Barnes said as he crossed his arms over his chest. Demi wanted to bite back because whatever had happened here, clearly wasn't their fault, but she held her tongue.

"Nice to see you here, Kipps. What's that, third time this week?" Lockwood ignored Barnes as he met gazes with the blonde. He was holding himself like he usually would, overconfident. Lockwood had reason to be overconfident, they at least got the job done. Kipps was simply arrogant and got his team members killed.

"Twice by my count," Kipps responded simply, ignoring Lockwood's taunts. His goading. Lockwood didn't look entirely bothered by it but Demi knew it annoyed him. It had got under his skin so much after the wraith-hunting incident. It must have killed him for Kipps to still not acknowledge what happened.

"And Snyder? Twice in a week, what a treat," Lockwood turned his gaze onto Chase. His eyes narrowed and his words rolled with sarcasm. Demi nudged him in response, the corners of her lips turned down. But Lockwood flashed her a smile and took a hold of her hand, trying his best to reassure her.

"The mirror's gone," George said. Demi's head snapped up to him and she furrowed her eyebrows. The mirror was the Source - which made some sense - but the fact that someone would be stupid enough to take it was baffling. "This is big." It was a redundant statement but it seemed to emphasise to Lockwood that George knew they needed this case.

"It is, yeah. And it's our case." Lockwood said, nodding his head at George before he looked to the two Agencies standing across from the four.

"Not anymore. We've already made a preliminary report," Kipps said simply. He seemed so high and mighty despite the fact that clearly Snyder and Fittes had been hired to work together. So, Barnes didn't actually have that much faith in Fittes which only seemed to annoy Demi more.

"I didn't almost get killed by him," Demi pointed vaguely towards the body, "for you lot to fumble this case like you have all the others." There was a bite to her words. A snap and she let her annoyance briefly leak out before she composed herself.

"If you'd let Bobby explain, you'll see how much more prepared we are," Kipps responded with bitterness in his tone. He hated when Demi talked down to him. He hated that she had given him a black eye which was still very much obvious. If anybody knew it was her, it would be so beyond embarrassing for him.

"The first question is," Bobby interrupted the staring contest between Demi and Kipps. They broke their gaze away, watching the brunette step forward. He held himself just as arrogantly, "Why an iron casket a century before the Problem? Well, the Fittes database confirms it to be a still, used in breweries in the late 19th century. It also confirms that 1886 saw a violent labour dispute at Hildrew's Ales at Kilburn." He continued to explain but that made Demi scoff.

"So they shot their boss in the head?" Demi asked, cocking an eyebrow and not believing a word of what they were saying. A spirit that strong wasn't a vengeful dead brewer. It was strong enough to bruise her skin without being near her. It was strong enough to make her permanently stuck using her Touch which had only happened four times. Combe Carey, the murder house and twice a few months before Lucy had joined them. This wasn't just some ordinary visitor, just like they weren't.

"Yes. There you go sir," Bobby said simply, dismissing Demi completely as he passed the report to Barnes.

"As Demi already stated, this well-dressed man was the owner, murdered by his workers and buried in the first thing they could find," Kipps explained and Demi rolled her eyes. She glanced back at the still, not believing this for a second. There was no way that's what this was. She just didn't believe it and George didn't seem to either.

"An accidentally murdered brewer?" Barnes asked, not sounding like he believed them either.

Demi couldn't help herself as she mumbled, "What a load of shit." Lockwood heard her and gave her a pointed look. She shrugged in response and he looked away, almost amused by her not believing Bobby. Even though she had no proof to the contrary.

"It was an unfortunate way to die, which would trigger a ghost to be unquiet. We are safe to assume that the mirror is a personal item." Chase explained, stepping forward from where he had been beside Erin. Demi gripped Lockwood's hand a little tighter and he moved half a step closer.

"Enough to be his Source perhaps," Jasper, one of the Snyder agents, added. It seemed like they finally had something to say and the dark-skinned boy was the first one that grew the balls to speak up. He then added, "Unless Karim has a better answer?" The way he said it made Demi's blood boil. It was like they were trying to humiliate George. That was exactly what Chase would do.

"Yes, I do, actually," George responded simply and that made Demi break out into a grin. It was George, of course he had something better.

"You do?" Lucy asked, surprised and Demi gave her a look. The lack of faith she seemed to have in George was astounding.

"Yeah."

"You sure you do?" Lockwood attempted to confirm but Demi used where their hands were connected to pull him to the side slightly. Effectively telling him to shut the hell up and trust George since they all did.

"I know who that man is," George said as he moved his gaze from Lockwood to the rest of the group. A confident look on his face. Demi grinned.

"This better be good, Karim," Barnes said, his arms crossed over his chest again. The file in his hand though he hadn't even bothered to open it properly yet.

"Bobby, why would anyone carry a cast-iron still for two miles just to have something to bury a body in? You do it because it's iron. You do it to guard against the evil spirits you're trying to bury. Of course, we're talking a hundred years before the Problem, so that's odd. But then there's the inscription on the mirror. You saw that, right?" George asked curiously, beginning his explanation. Demi already knew that whatever George had found was the truth. The two Agencies had failed before they'd even really started.

"We're working on it. We've already hired an Aramaic translator." Kipps explained, his gaze shifting to Barnes. His arms crossed over his chest to mirror the Inspector. The pride and arrogance still hadn't left his demeanour.

"They'll be glad of the work, but this is Phoenician," George's response was blunt and Lockwood chuckled. Demi grinned even wider, ear-to-ear, "Very trendy in Victorian occultist circles. It means 'the truth lies beyond'" George explained. Barnes seemed to recognise the phrase.

"That's the slogan of the Open Arms Fellowship," He said. George nodded as he let his hands rest by his sides.

"And about six other ghost cults over the decades but this is the earliest use I've found. This death was no accident. We're looking at a wealthy occultist way ahead of his time, executed and buried in secret with a mirror that will be worth a fortune on the black market," George seemed to have finished with his explanation and it was a lot more plausible than whatever Fittes and Snyder had come up with.

"So, is it our case?" Lockwood asked as he glanced from George to Barnes. There was a hopeful note to his tone.

"If you have a name, I'm undecided." Barnes decided as he glanced around the smaller Agency. That seemed to annoy Chase.

Who promptly said, "Barnes, can we discuss this matter privately please?" But Barnes didn't have a chance to respond before George had spoken first. Abruptly cutting any of Chase's demands off.

"Have you got anything on Dr. Edmund Bickerstaff in that report of yours, Bobby?" George asked curiously, "His family used to own this cemetery."

"Edmund Bickerstaff? He's a joke. Britain's most famous pervert." Kat snapped, baffled by someone even bringing the name up. Demi was slightly surprised too considering what Joplin and Saunders had said but she knew George better than to doubt him. So, she waited to see where he was going.

"Mm-hm. Unless he wasn't," George began as he walked away from the trio and towards the coffin, "Unless that was a cover story for the real reason he was creeping round graveyards. Doing what, I don't know, but the iron coffin, the inscription on the mirror, it's ghost-related." The confidence in George's words was enough for Demi to believe him.

"But you've got no proof!" Bobby exclaimed. His outburst felt like a child who'd just been told no for the first time. It was pathetic.

"Bobby, just a hunch. Something I read in a book, if you remember those," The sarcasm rolled off his tone as he grabbed the cane from the still, "Wealthy Victorians often secretly marked their belongings in case of theft. So, why don't you release that clasp for me?" George had made his way over to the brunette with the cane in hand. And Bobby hesitantly held it and unclasped the top of the cane.

It popped open and right for Bobby to see was, "Bickerstaff's crest." His tone was so defeated and it was beyond satisfying.

"You're having a laugh." Raul scoffed. Demi was surprised that any of the Snyder agents had bothered to speak up. This was embarrassing for them.

"Thank you, Bobby. You've been a wonderful assistant," George took the cane back and placed it into the still again as he continued to speak, "The man in this casket is Edmund Bickerstaff. A dodgy Victorian doctor with secret links to the occult and a missing mirror that'll be worth a fortune to some very ruthless people." George had returned back to his Agency and Demi let go of Lockwood's hand in favour of wrapping her arm around George's shoulders, pulling him into a side hug.

"This is why you're my favourite," Demi mumbled quietly and that made George grin as he let his head rest against Demi's briefly. Then she let go of him as Lockwood spoke up.

"Well, looks like the best team won." The arrogance was at least justified this time and it made Demi smile.

But that arrogance seemed to set everybody off and the whole Chapel quickly began to devolve into various shouts;

"Oh shut it"

"This is our case"

"You wouldn't know anything"

"You shut it, Karim,"

"God, Bobby, you are so butthurt. Just because you can't research,"

"And what do you do exactly, Demi? Sit there and look pretty?"

"You thought it was a brewer-"

"Your group is made of a bunch of kids with an ego!"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Without an adult, you're all just a mess, Lockwood!"

"Oh, piss off Capellan!"

It was a disaster and Demi had half a mind to give Kipps another black eye. It would at least mean he matched but before she could do anything rash or impulsive; Barnes shouted, "Shut up!" The annoyance was written across his face, "All three Agencies are working on the case. Working together." His words were a snap as he looked between everyone. Though that didn't seem to stop anything.

"What?" Kipps snapped, his mouth drawn into a scowl.

"Are you joking?" Lockwood snapped. Demi felt the same but she bit her tongue as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"I am not going to work with those four muppets!" Camelia added and it was about to evolve into another argument before Barnes cut over everyone again.

"It's not gonna be a problem, is it?" Barnes said as he looked around at the others. Lockwood didn't seem particularly happy about it but he gave in.

"Not at all, Inspector," He mumbled.

"No, Inspector," Kipps agreed with a tight smile on his face. It was convincing to absolutely nobody.

"I am sure we can find a way to be civilised with each other, Barnes," Chase added, acting like the adult he was supposed to be.

"Good. Locate the missing relic. Find out who's stolen it and why. I need you to share information," Demi scoffed, knowing that she would never be caught dead talking to any of the Snyder agents right now, "back each other up," Barnes gave Demi a pointed look before he added, "and get it done before anyone else gets hurt." Lockwood nodded and then he glanced at the group, urging them to leave. But Demi said that she wanted to stay behind for a moment.

She was going to talk to Chase but before she had a chance to approach, Barnes had come over to her. Her gaze shifted upwards and he gave her a friendly smile. That was instantly suspicious. She could barely remember the last time that she had seen Barnes, she didn't want to talk to him but it seemed she didn't have any choice.

"I wanted to check in," Barnes said and Demi's eyebrows furrowed, "Are you fit to be working with your injuries?" He asked curiously. Demi sighed. Her back still ached but it had just become part of her. The pain was normal even if her wrist ached more than it had before.

"I'm fine. I've been resting," Demi's tone was clipped and Barnes didn't believe her for a moment. He crossed his arms over his chest.

"I understand that Portland Row is your home but your parents are worried about you," Barnes said simply, "And they wouldn't want this." His words were genuine but Demi didn't trust them and the mention of her parents only made her flinch away slightly. She missed them and she hated that everything seemed to remind them of her.

"Tell them to call me if they're so worried," Demi responded and Barnes sighed. He knew he would get nowhere so he stepped back and walked off, slipping past the Snyder Agency that had begun to disperse now. Demi brushed her fingers through her hair, taking a deep breath. This was all so exhausting.

She didn't even realise that Chase and Erin were talking alone before she turned around as Erin scampered off. There was clearly something that had happened but Chase didn't seem to even acknowledge that Demi was there. His gaze was on the door as he watched Erin leave. A breath left his chest and Demi swallowed back the anxiety.

"Chase," Demi said softly. It was nothing like how she had been a minute ago. The anger had disappeared and the reminder of her parents again made her want to know even more. After what Erin had said, it was so confusing.

"Yes?" Chase's gaze lifted to meet Demi's and she was holding a tentative smile on her face. Trying to be as pleasant as she could be considering they weren't the last time that they spoke.

"Can we talk?" Demi asked, her voice was anxious. Chase would be able to see that but he had known Demi since she was a kid. He knew every little nuance in how she spoke and held herself, he had trained her at Fittes, yet they didn't know each other at all anymore.

"What do you want, Campbell?" Chase asked. He wasn't hiding his annoyance and that only made Demi more anxious. She had let her walls down for the first time since he had abandoned her and it was being met with aggression. She should have expected that.

"I just wanted to ask you something," She began as she stepped closer. Her hands moved to rest in the pockets of her jacket, as she shifted on her feet, "I was talking to Erin earlier and she mentioned a picture. With... well me in it? I just wanted to know..." Demi paused for a beat. Why was she asking this? What did she want from this conversation? She didn't even know. She just wanted to know. Maybe knowing that he still cared, she wasn't entirely sure, "Which picture it was?" It was the only question that came to her mind and so it stumbled out. Chase's eyes narrowed.

"I don't know what you're talking about. Er must have missed something." He responded. It was a lie. He was a seasoned liar but Demi had learnt his tell after years of it. And that was a complete lie. It hurt that he was lying, still, after everything.

"I haven't known her for a long time like you have, but she doesn't seem like the one to lie," Demi mumbled, the corners of her lips turning down to a frown. Chase crossed his arms over his chest, unimpressed.

"And why do you care? After all these years, why are you attempting to be civil now?" Chase asked, sternly. Demi didn't even know the answer to that question. She had no reason to be civil but she was sick of the fighting. There were enough petty arguments on Portland Row.

"I just- I'm lost, and stuff has happened and I keep thinking... about you and everything that happened. I want it to end... I want to move on." Demi's words were hesitant and messy but they seemed right. She did just want to move on.

"Reliving the past won't help you. I won't help you." Chase said before he went to leave. He took two steps but Demi couldn't let him go. She knew she should have left it but she just couldn't.

"Please" It was a plead. Such a pathetic plead but she didn't know what else to do. She just wanted to move past this but knowing that he might still care. It was throwing her off, "Please, just tell me about the photo and then we don't have to talk. Just tell me why you are keeping it." Her words grew slightly in confidence but they still seemed somewhat pathetic, desperate.

Chase paused in his footsteps and he turned back. A sigh escaped his lips and he met her gaze again, "Your parents accepted me into your life, and we became our very own version of a dysfunctional family. You... I loved you like you were my own daughter, petal," The old nickname stung but Demi tried not to show a reaction to it. Even if it was something that she missed so much, "I struggle to move on from the past but make no mistake, Campbell. I would choose my new family, my new one with Er, over the past. That photo changes nothing," Chase explained. It made Demi's eyebrows furrow. That didn't make sense.

"Then why don't you get rid of it?" Demi asked, tilting her head to the side. She felt hopeless. She wasn't sure why but it was frustrating.

"I will. I can't have ties to the past to keep me from my future, you won't be able to torment me, petal. Not like I clearly do to you." Chase's words stung and then he left. Demi's face fell and she stared where he had just stood for a moment before she pushed her fingers through her hair. That wasn't what she had expected but this was Chase. She shouldn't have expected anything from him. A huff escaped her lips and she headed out onto the front of the Chapel.

And she ran right into Kipps and Lockwood going back and forth. Chase and the Snyder Agency were walking down the path, away from the Chapel. They were bathed in darkness. The moonlight almost seemed to avoid them, highlighting the two boys standing in front of Demi instead.

"Enjoy your last case," Lockwood said as Demi focused back in on what was actually going on. Her eyebrows furrowed but before she could question anything, Lockwood grabbed her hand and pulled her down the steps back to the others. It seemed that they were heading back to Portland Row.

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