Lockwood & Co.: The Screaming Staircase

comment in fashionable circles. Under his influence, she had largely abandoned a promising acting career, though she had recently made attempts to find new roles in
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    ‘Hugo Blake,’ I said softly. ‘Her former boyfriend. I bet he gave her the necklace.’
    George nodded. ‘And he took her home that night . . . Well, I think we know what he did there.’
    ‘Keep looking,’ Lockwood said. ‘They arrested him, but was he charged? For all we know he may have gone to prison,even though they didn’t locate the body.’
    It didn’t take long to find the answer. A small piece dated a few days later tersely recorded that Hugo Blake had been released without charge. Scotland Yard sources were quoted saying the Annabel Ward enquiry had ‘run up against a brick wall’.
    ‘A brick wall is right!’ I gasped. ‘Those idiots! She was right there , all along!’
    ‘They didn’t have enough evidence to nail Blake at the time,’ Lockwood said, scanning the page. ‘He was the only real suspect in the case, but they couldn’t back it up. He claimed he’d escorted her home and left her there, but hadn’t gone inside. No one could prove otherwise, and since they didn’t have the body, or anything else to go on, they couldn’t press charges . . . So they let him walk. This is perfect. Looks like Blake’s our man.’
    George sat back in his chair. ‘How old was Blake then?’
    ‘Twenty-two,’ I said. ‘Poor Annie Ward was only twenty.’
    ‘Well, that was forty-nine years ago. Long time, but he’d only be seventy-one now. He’s probably still alive.’
    ‘I bet he is,’ I said savagely. ‘I bet he’s been living it up ever since. He got away with murder.’
    ‘Until now,’ Lockwood said. He grinned at us. ‘This is just what we need – as long as we treat it right. So here’s the plan. We contact DEPRAC. If Blake’s still living, he’ll be arrested. Meanwhile we go to the papers, tell them thestory. Killer caught after fifty years! That should make some waves.’
    ‘That’s fine,’ George said slowly, ‘but I’m not sure we should go public yet. There’s a lot more research we could do, checking into Annie Ward’s past.’ He patted the pile of London Society magazines beside him. ‘She’s bound to be here somewhere. And if we’re lucky, we can probably find juicy stuff on Blake too, which might—’
    ‘You carry on.’ Lockwood scraped his chair back, got to his feet. ‘Let me know what you find. Meantime, I’m going to talk to some people. We lost three clients this morning. For the sake of the agency, we can’t afford to hang around.’
    ‘Well . . .’ George adjusted his glasses doubtfully. ‘Don’t be too hasty, that’s all.’
    Lockwood gave us both a gleaming smile. ‘Oh, I’ll be careful. You know me.’

14

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DISCOVERED AFTER 50 YEARS!
MURDER VICTIM’S BODY FOUND
TRIUMPH OF DETECTION
BY LOCKWOOD AGENCY
    In one of the most incredible examples of ‘cold case’ detections of recent years, the body of Annabel ‘Annie’ Ward, who vanished almost half a century ago, has been discovered in a house in south-west London. Operatives working for the Lockwood & Co. agency battled half the night with the terrifying spirit of the victim, before locating and making safe the remains.
    ‘We barely escaped with our lives,’ says young agency head, Anthony Lockwood. ‘But destroying the ghost wasn’t enough for us. We wanted justice for the unknown girl.’
    The team subsequently employed sophisticated research techniques to establish the identity of Miss Ward. DEPRAC has since agreed to open a murder investigation.
    ‘There’s no case too old or too difficult for us,’ says Mr Lockwood. ‘In fact, the tricky ones suit us best, because of our high professionalism and distinctly personal approach. We want to dispose of Visitors, of course, but we’re also interested in the human stories behind the hauntings. Poor Annie Ward died long ago, but her killer can still be brought to account. Lucy Carlisle, one of our top agents, communicated psychically with the Visitor during the operation and, despite a raging inferno started by the vengeful spirit, gained vital evidence that we think will lead us to the culprit’s door. That’s all I can say for now, but we expect to have more news soon, when we’ll reveal the full sensational truth behind this tragedy.’
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    ‘What a great article,’ Lockwood said, for the twentieth time that day. ‘Couldn’t have been