Buried Within
Uslessness
"Wait." Maisie swallowed, looking at the two male agents for Lockwood & Co. while her mother sat in the foyer of the agency drinking tea as if the outside world, let alone the paranormal agents around her, weren't a load of crazy. "You mean to say we just wasted our entire day looking for where the place was?"
"Yup," the shorter of the two said, pushing up his glasses while smiling like an idiot. "By the way, riding with your mother was an adventure. She has a way of starting to drive that is crazy fun, but we picked up fish and chips for everyone on our way back."
"And you think that makes up for us wasting our day?" Maisie said, her voice straining as she looked around the front foyer and the fire crackling while her mother continued to drink tea as if nothing was out of the ordinary. However, someone reacting excitedly about how her mother started every single trip was undoubtedly unusual, yet not something her mother had ever noticed. "Otherwise, she would have changed how she started the car, right?"
"It certainly was interesting," Lockwood said, clearing his throat. "And there is fish and chips."
"And whose idea was it to get food that we very likely, and very well did, have for lunch while we were out looking for the house that all the two of you had to do was let my mother know someone was further scamming her?" Maisie said.
"To be fair," the other boy said, pushing up his glasses.
"George," Lockwood said, sighing.
"But shouldn't we be truthful with her?"
"It depends on what you were going to say?"
"Pointing out the fact that we wouldn't have sent them on the wild goose chase if we—if I specifically—had thought of checking to see if there wasn't something fishy going on," George said. "And there's no telling whether DEPRAC will resolve this and your mother be able to keep her property, as the office is still convinced, even though we're not, that it's her signature."
"Are you saying my mother may still lose that creepy house?" Maisie said.
Her mother set down her cup of tea with a clink before turning to look at her; her mouth pushed into a firm, thin line. "What do you mean I may still lose the house?"
"I mean," Maisie said.
"That's why I made a call," Lockwood said. "It drops the chances down greatly."
"Who cares if you lose the house!" Maisie said, exploding from anger. "We wouldn't be in this mess if we'd just stayed in our old home! You know, the place we were a family until you kicked my dad out! But no…."
"I told you, I'm not taking a penny from that man," her mother said, returning to sipping her tea. "It wouldn't be right after what he did."
"And what did he do?" Lucy asked.
"Never you mind," Maisie's mother replied, keeping whatever led to her parents' divorce a secret.
"So," Lockwood cleared his throat. "I've some things to do down at DEPRAC tomorrow, and George will be doing research. Which of you wants to go where?"
"You think I want to help?" Maisie said.
"It's either that or," Lucy tilted her head towards Maisie's mother, which resulted in her letting out another sigh. Lucy didn't need to finish for Maisie to know her other option was to stay at the place.
"Hey. Why don't we talk in the kitchen?" Lockwood said.
"Can I have another biscuit, Anthony dear?" Maisie's mother said, which resulted in the young head of the agency cringing, which amused Maisie as she'd been the only one dealing with her eccentric mother this entire time.
"Sure. Sure, Ms. Pascal," Lockwood said, sighing before bringing over a biscuit from the jar by the door leading out into the front hall before tilting his head, indicating they should speak elsewhere. Maisie followed him, as did Lucy, but when George tried following, Anthony motioned he should stay, likely to keep Maisie's mother from following.
"So?" Lucy said, folding her arms.
"Do you have any idea how to reheat fish and chips so they're still edible?"
"What?" Maisie said. "You didn't think of that when you got them?"
"It was your mother's idea," Lockwood said. He then took a deep breath. "And I think you should go with me to my meeting at DEPRAC at noon."
"And why should I?" Maisie asked.
"And why shouldn't I?" Lucy said. "Why am I stuck researching with George, not that researching with him is a bad thing?"
"You know, researching sounds fun. Like something I can do despite not being trained," Maisie said.
"Uh," Lockwood took a deep breath, looking down at the kitchen table where there were a lot of notes written on it, including some unsavory ones about Lockwood's personality. "Because I'm actually going to be speaking with your father, but don't tell your mother that as he's…."
"Why? Why are you meeting with my father?"
"Because there are certain things I need to be filled in on?"
"And you think he's going to fill you in on stuff my mum doesn't want me to know while I'm there?" Maisie frowned. "Look. I don't know what happened between my mum and dad, but I do know my dad tried to do right by us when the divorce happened. And then," she pointed to the front room, swallowing as she did so. "That loony had to go and ruin it, dragging us out of that home, making us live on the streets, and then buying that house. I think I'll go and research with George; thank you."
"Wait? You don't want to talk to him?" Lockwood's eyes widened. "So, there aren't many things that catch me off guard."
"I don't know. I just get the feeling he'll continue to try and do right by mum and me, which includes not exasperating that," Maisie pointed into the other room.
"You mean to say you don't think your dad did anything wrong?"
"I don't know," Maisie sighed, looking at the table. "Maybe I'm just lying to myself, telling myself that he's trying not to ruin my relationship with crazy in there, which is crazy in itself, but I keep getting this, 'you know he did wrong' from her, without her ever going into what he'd done to lead to her divorcing him, or why he didn't fight. I mean, it happened way too fast compared to some of my classmates whose parents got divorced, and it was messy, either. It was just too weird."
"I see," Lockwood said. "I'll respect that, but if I find out more, something I feel you should know, or that Lucy, since she's going with me, feels you should know, I'll tell you."
"And if I think something he thinks you should know isn't something you should know," Lucy said, "I'll make sure he doesn't."
"Yeah," Maisie said. "Maybe wait until I'm ready to hear whatever it is? Because I really don't want to hear something like my dad having another family. Particularly after…." She paused, frowning.
"Something the matter?" Lucy asked.
"Just, I feel as if I should remember something, but I can't place my finger on it. What I can't remember."
"Well, you can't remember, so that makes sense," Lockwood said.
"I guess."
"Just," Lucy piped up. "Since you're going with George, know he is, well…."
"I know he's eccentric, but look who I have for a mother. At least the things he says are amusing," Maisie said.
"Not always," Lockwood said, his eyes drifting to the unsavory comments on the table before his head snapped up, and he put on a smile as if he were a perfect gentleman, unlike the words on the table said.
"Well, he's been good at rattling her."
"Maisie," Lucy said, sighing as she did. "I'm not sure that's a good thing.
"In my books, happy days," Maisie said. "Happy days when she's the one being driven crazy rather than the other way around, of her driving everyone else crazy."
"I think she's driving George crazy, though," Lucy said, glancing over at Lockwood.
Again, Lockwood's eyes widened, then he nodded, agreeing with what she said. "George wouldn't be cleaning the place like he is if she wasn't."
"Then it should be interesting. Tomorrow, I think."
"Or maybe not." Lucy shook his head. "George does try to be on his best behavior, even when he's not a perfect gentleman, though. He really does."
"I guess that's fine," Maisie said, although, in reality, anything compared to interacting with her mother seemed fine.
