by Bob Bidecant
5.8
‘Fiendish murderer on the loose in Whitechapel, Vigilante’s chase Hebrew. Government refuse to offer a reward.’ Shouted the newspaper boy. Gurin handed the boy a penny and got back into the cab. The cab was too bumpy for him to read any more than the headlines when the cab arrived at Evdokimoff’s office. He jumped down from the cab and entered the building, the door as usual already open for him. He placed the paper on the Counts desk and took his cloak off as he watched him read it. Evdokimoff looked up at him and smiled.
‘Mikhailovich’s men have done their job well. They started rumours that Jews were seen near the all the crimes. Incredible as it seems now even the locals are producing stories that they have seen Jewish looking men at the scene. We seem to have produced a mass hysteria.’
‘They are running around in mobs looking for Jews to lynch.’ Gurin informed him.
‘The paper states that yesterday, a Hungarian Jew was thrown from a bridge and several others have been attacked leaving Synagogues.’ he added.’ A few more killings and there will not be one politician or police officer who will dare to be seen protecting or assisting any Jews. Once we have London in an Anti-Semantic frenzy, Mikhailovich will make contact with the police commissioner and inform him that we have uncovered the Radicals and they are preparing an assassination on the Tsar. As soon as they agree to work with us then we will go for the banker.’
‘The police?’ Gurin was surprised. ‘Why do we need to wait for the police?’
‘Alexi, we need allies and friends within the police force and the Government, strong friends. They are our eyes and ears everywhere else in the world, and Britain is no different. They have put up the most resistance to work with us in the past. They have always been too protective of the Jews. Now Jaak is changing everyone’s opinion against them now. The more women that he rips and we blame on the Jews, the stronger the police will become against them. Yesterday I had a meeting with a member of parliament and he told me that it’s not only the public that believe a Jew is responsible for the East End killings, the whispers around Whitehall and Scotland Yard is that even they think a Jew is doing it.’
‘What is Scotland Yard?’ Gurin had never heard of the name before.
‘It’s the nickname of the Metropolitan Police Force. The public entrance is situated in Scotland Yard. They are constructing a new building and they will move there as soon as it is complete.’ Evdokimoff hesitated.
‘Actually that gives me an idea.’