by I D Johnson
Once again, Ward was speaking to him, this time using his first name, which hadn’t expected. “Jamie, you examined the late December victim yourself, didn’t you?” Jamie nodded, and Ward continued. “Did you find her wounds consistent with the Ripper’s tactics?”
“I didn’t,” Jamie admitted. He saw the man across from him raise his eyebrows, and suddenly he remembered his name. When Ward had introduced him, just the day before, he’d looked at Jamie just like that, as if the doctor was just a foolish kid who knew nothing. Jamie continued with his answer, trying to appease the Guardian across from him. “But that doesn’t necessarily mean he didn’t do it. If what Aaron and his informant are saying is true, the different tactics could be an effort to throw the police off of his trail.” When he finished speaking, he waited, thinking someone might correct him if he’d recalled the name incorrectly. No one did.
Frank was speaking again. “And this Vampire you meet with says that’s what he is trying to do? Get the police off of him?” He was clearly asking Aaron. Jamie felt relieved to have remembered his name. It wasn’t like him to forget things. Perhaps that was another part of the intimidation that radiated from this fellow.
Jamie caught the answer, despite his distracted state. “Yes,” Aaron confirmed. “He also admitted that he, himself, is on the police’s list of suspects.”
Berta’s voice boomed. “And we’re sure that this guy is not the killer?”
With a shrug, Aaron said, “I have never truly suspected him, but I think we’ve confirmed it if you saw the Ripper last night, blocks away from where we spoke to the Vampire informant, and the man you chased was dressed much differently than the one we spoke to.”
Berta nodded, and Jamie agreed. They could be certain that this informant, the one Aaron and Vicky had been speaking to, couldn’t be Jack the Ripper. Of course, that didn’t get them any closer to figuring out the Ripper’s identity.
“We do know, then, that one of the suspects on the police list has to be the Ripper, then, if we believe the informant.” Edmund’s conclusion was sound.
Vicky’s voice held a decidedly sarcastic tone. “Great. That narrows it down to a hundred men.”
“There are some suspects from the initial list we can remove,” Ward reminded them, “though the list would still be quite long and growing each day.”
Before he realized he was even speaking, Jamie found himself chiming in. “It still might be a good place to concentrate our efforts.” He glanced up to see Aaron McReynolds looking at him a bit differently, all of a sudden, as if Jamie had actually said something somewhat intelligent. He continued, “As I’ve stated before, I do believe the Ripper has medical experience. If we hone in on those suspects already on the list who have some sort of medical practice, we should be able to narrow it down considerably. Then, we can determine how best to proceed.”
Pounding him on the shoulder, Ward replied, “A fine idea! Let’s get to it!”
Just like that, the meeting was over and the team split off, each heading out to their respective tasks. Ward didn’t get up straightaway, so Jamie stayed seated as well. He noticed Vicky and Aaron also lingered. Once the rest of the members were gone, Aaron said, “Vicky and I can go through the names if you’d like, compile a list of suspects based on medical experience.”
“Excellent,” Ward nodded. “So long as it doesn’t take you out of the field.”
“Don’t worry about that,” Vicky said, smiling. “You know we never sleep.”
“Dr. Joplin, if you don’t mind, could you go over a few things with Vicky and Aaron, let them know what kind of medical expertise we might be looking for? I know we need to send you back to Jordan soon, so if they have some sort of idea what to go on, it might be helpful.”
Ignoring the fact that Ward seemed to think he could enlighten the pair on years of medical expertise in a matter of minutes, Jamie smiled and nodded. “Of course. I’m happy to.”
“Very good, then. I’m going to go follow up with the police on that possible victim last night.” Ward clapped him on the shoulder again, harder this time, and Jamie winced a little, as Ward pulled himself out of his chair and headed toward the door.
Staring across the table into those intense blue eyes made Jamie uncomfortable, so he looked into Vicky’s instead. “Your record is impressive, Dr. Joplin,” she said with smile.
“Thank you,” Jamie muttered with a shrug, “but I’m relatively new at this. At all of this.”
“You graduated early from Harvard, didn’t you?” Aaron asked, and Jamie had a hard time telling if he was impressed or if his raised eyebrows were a result of his own smugness.
“I did. But, frankly, Transforming was really never my choice. It was my sister who led me here.” He wasn’t sure why he felt compelled to tell the pair this. Perhaps it was in order to compensate for any shortcomings they may witness as he attempted to help solve this puzzle. It was clear that the Jack the Ripper case would be unlike anything any of them had ever encountered before.
“Well, I’m impressed,” Vicky said, standing. “Do you have some advice for what we might be looking for?”
Jamie scratched his head as he thought. “Really, whomever is responsible for these dissections is a rather skilled surgeon, someone with a medical background for certain, but likely a great deal of practice as well. If we were talking about a human, I’d say he’d need to be in his mid-to-late forties or early fifties, but since he’s undead, there’s really no way to judge how old he might appear or proclaim to be.”
“Indeed,” Vicky agreed. “So we need to be looking for surgeons and no one else?”
Weighing her question for a moment, Jamie began to nod. “I would say yes. I think if, as your informant says, Jack is on our list, he is amongst the surgeons.”
“Can you explain a bit about how you can tell?” Aaron asked. “What is it about the cuts that have led you to this deduction?”
Again, it was difficult to tell his reasoning for asking the question, so Jamie decided to assume it was curiosity and not that he believed the doctor didn’t know what he was talking about. “Some of the organs that have been removed are fairly difficult to access as they are entombed by other organs and various bodily layers. For most people, even those who have been practicing general medicine or who are new to performing surgeries, removing them without damaging the organs, as Jack has done, would be extremely difficult, and yet he does it under the pressure of potentially being caught without making a single false move. Most of the organs were without a nick. It’s quite impressive.”
“Well then, if I ever have an appendicitis, I shall know who to call.” Vicky rolled her eyes and made a coy smile. “Your help has been invaluable, Doctor.” She stood and reached across the table, bringing both men to their feet.
Jamie accepted her hand. “My pleasure,” he replied, smiling at the beautiful blonde. Aaron’s gaze seemed even heavier on him, and Jamie silently wondered what the story might be between these two.
Once he had released Vicky’s hand, Aaron offered his, and Jamie took it, forcing a smile. “We’ll go have a look at the list.”
“Very good. Best of luck to you. I’m headed back to the police station and possibly the morgue.”
“How long will you be in town?” Vicky had already taken a few steps toward the door but turned back to look at him as Jamie came around the end of the table.
“I’m honestly not sure,” he replied, “but hopefully for a few weeks. I’d like to see this case through, though I have no idea how long it might take.”
“None of us do.” Aaron sounded exasperated.
“We should have dinner one night,” Vicky said, turning back and heading toward the door. “It would be nice to hear more about America. I hear it’s an exciting place to be.”
Jamie wasn’t sure what to say. He’d assumed that there was something going on between Aaron and Vicky, but the other Guardian didn’t protest her offer. Of course, Jamie also didn’t know if her request w
as friendly or something more amorous. “I’m sure that would be lovely,” he replied, following the pair out into the hallway.
“Good,” Vicky said, turning to smile at him. “I just love your Boston accent. It’s so… adorable.”
Jamie chuckled nervously. He found her British accent more intoxicating than cute. “Thank you,” he managed, trying to avoid Aaron’s penetrating gaze.
Vicky shrugged at him demurely and then headed down the hallway.
Aaron lingered, and Jamie was forced to look him in the face. “Thanks again for your assistance, Doctor.”
The expression on his face was unreadable. It was almost as if he found the conversation slightly amusing. Jamie nodded, and Aaron turned and followed his partner down the hallway. Jamie had a feeling dinner with Vicky would never happen, but if it did, he was sure it would be a night he would never forget.
Chapter 19
Macon, Georgia, USA 1890
Jamie stood in a valley, gazing up at a mansion atop a hill. He recognized the Italian Renaissance Revival architecture from some of the houses in his neighborhood which had been built around the same period from which this structure dated. The ornate pillars on either side of the entryway appeared to be made of marble, though it could’ve been the terra cotta often associated with architecture from the period. Most of the house was made of brick, and he imagined the view from the third-story would’ve been breathtaking back before any other houses came to occupy the area. Now, the yard was a mere acre and a half in front butting to a roadway that led to neighbors just a half-mile down the road, though the back of the house was still surrounded by rolling grasslands that ended in a forested area some distance from the house.
Georgia was an interesting territory to Jamie. Headed by a Guardian who had to have been around since before the American Revolution, the accents were more foreign to him than even the ones he’d encountered in his visits overseas, and he had a hard time understanding Bo, the Leader, whenever he gave instructions.
The group gathered at the base of the hill before the palatial home was relatively small in Jamie’s opinion, considering what they’d been tasked at doing. This house had been in the same family for half-a-century and was known to be the sort of place where people visited and never left. Col. Gage, the patriarch of the family, had fought, and died, in the Civil War, defending his home from General Sherman and his marauding soldiers who burned so many other homes in the area on his infamous march to the sea. If it hadn’t been for an apathetic bloodsucker, Col. Gage’s bones would be lying in a shallow grave somewhere instead of occupying his soulless body inside his house of horrors.
Though Bo wasn’t exactly sure how many other vampires resided here, the story went that Col. Gage had returned home and immediately turned his entire family and some of the house servants so that he’d never have to be alone. If that were the case, his wife, four daughters, two sons-in-law, and who knows how many former slaves dwelled in the 18,000 square foot home.
“Our mission,” Bo began, surveying his troops the best he could from his squatting position in front of the hill, “is to get in, slaughter all them sons of bitches, and get out unscathed.”
“Seems simple enough.” Margie had been assigned this same mission by Jordan Findley by coincidence, not because she or Jamie either one had been looking to join forces again. In fact, Jamie had been happy to be free of her ever since their last conflict in Boston, a town he hadn’t spent much time in since he’d come back from London almost two years ago. Findley had given him several other high-risk assignments, and he supposed he’d eventually be sent back to help out Ward and his team if they ever got a handle on the Ripper. For now, he was happy for the experiences working with so many other teams were garnering him, although he wasn’t excited to see his sister.
She ignored him as well, content to focus on the task ahead of her. He noticed she was no longer wearing wide legged trousers and was dressed like a man, which he paid no mind to. If that’s what made her comfortable, then so be it. Margie’s reputation for handling Vampires had preceded Jamie at almost every other destination he’d arrived in.
Margie’s face was not the only familiar one in the group Jamie huddled with now. Kit was here as well, having been asked to come up from Atlanta to join Bo. Though she would never outlive the embarrassment she’d suffered when she’d accidentally shot him in New York City, to Jamie, it was a thing of the past, and the Hunter had drastically improved her skills such that she was now the Hunter Leader for the Atlanta area, which was quite an accomplishment.
The others consisted of four Hunters and three more Guardians that Jamie didn’t pay too much attention to. He’d been a part of so many teams these last few years, he’d decided long ago it made no difference who the others were. He’d learn their names and then forget them before he saw them again. Instead of trying to store useless information in his brain, he gave them each nicknames to help him remember who was who during the battle, and then as soon as he boarded the train to go off to the next, he expunged the information from his mind. Most of the time, his assignment was the same, to hang back and make sure everyone who was injured got patched up, so there was really no reason to know who Bo was referring to as he told the teammates what to do.
This time did seem a bit different, though, and Jamie’s ears perked up when he heard his name. “Jamie, I want you to stick with Kit. You’ll be her protection as she sweeps the cellar.”
His eyes wide, Jamie, asked, “You mean you want me active? The entire hunt?”
“You gotta problem with that, son?” The old man’s white beard picked up the moonlight, and Jamie absently wondered exactly how old he must be too actually look like an old man.
“No, sir,” he replied promptly. “It’s just… I’m usually held in reserve so that if anyone gets hurt, I’ve got enough energy to repair them.” He didn’t add “without having to heal myself first” to his comments because he was certain Margie would have something to say about that. As it was, she snickered as soon as he was done speaking. Jamie peered at her in the darkness, daring her to say something.
“I think ye’ll be fine,” Bo replied. “Kit’s a deadeye, anyhow.”
Glancing at the pretty brunette next to him, Jamie saw her swallow hard. So she was still carrying her gun, then? While he’d consulted some with her father about perfecting the weaponry, he hadn’t had enough time to focus too much attention on it, and as far as he knew, no one else was packing. He looked around at the others and could see the sort of weapons he expected—stakes, flasks he assumed contained holy water, and silver blades. His shoulder ached a bit at the memory of the bullet the beauty had injected there, but he said nothing.
Bo continued to explain the rest of the plan, ending with, “We won’t enter until after the ball begins.”
Once again, Jamie was confused. “Ball?” he asked, but before Bo or anyone else could answer, the house behind them seemed to come to life. Illuminated with what appeared to be a mixture of electric lights, gaslights, and firelight, the building cast a glow across the lawn. Music began to stream from inside as well, and through the parted curtains in each window, they could see what appeared to be people partnering up and performing a macabre sort of waltz. Even from here it was quite evident that the dancers were not human, not all of them anyway. There could be some actual people inside; most of them were clearly undead.
Jamie did a quick headcount and realized instantly they were far outnumbered. The dancing didn’t seem to be limited to the bottom floor. All three stories were filled with revelers. And he assumed there must be some sort of a phantom orchestra as well. “How many….”
“Lots,” Bo interrupted. “Don’t matter. We can take ‘em.”
Thinking the man must be a bit crazy, Jamie looked at the other faces. They all appeared fairly confident, except for Margie, whom he knew to be too practical to think they could each take out ten or twelve vampires. But she only shrugged in his general direction.
Feeling a hand on his arm, Jamie turned to face Kit. “There are a lot more of them than I thought,” she whispered.
“You don’t say?”
She cleared her throat. “This is… suicidal, isn’t it?”
“No,” Jamie said, trying to be reassuring. The others were beginning to grow antsy,
Ready to enter the mansion. “It’ll be all right.” There really was no turning back now, not when the rest of the team was ready to go. He knew Kit didn’t want to look like a coward, and while Jamie was relieved there was little chance of him or his sister losing their lives this night, it was still his job to protect these Hunters, Kit included. It really seemed ridiculous, what they were about to do, but he was in no position to argue with a regional Guardian Leader. “I’ll keep you safe, Kit.”
She breathed a sigh of relief. “Okay,” she said quietly, her hand patting her hip, where he assumed she had her gun. “I just hope none of the vampires are carrying.”
His eyes widened. “Do they?”
Kit nodded. “Sometimes. This is the south, Jamie.”
“Right.” He had no idea one country could have such vastly different areas.
Bo gave the directions for the first part of the team to head out, and they slowly began to snake their way up the hillside, hiding behind trees and shrubbery as they approached. Jamie seriously doubted they’d have the element of surprise since the Vampires were likely able to sense their presence already. This team would leap to the third story balconies and infiltrate there, working their way down as another team began on the second story. Bo, Margie, and a couple of others would burst through the front door while Jamie and Kit were to gain entry via the rear through the cellar doors, which were allegedly placed into the ground near the back porch. Bo signaled for the pair of them to get into position and then headed out himself.
Since they had the furthest ground to cover and wouldn’t be approaching the front of the house, Jamie steered Kit far around the side of the structure, on the other side of a row of trees that would hide them from anyone looking out the windows. The problem with him being given such an obscure assignment was that he wouldn’t be easily accessible should one of the other hunters be injured. It wasn’t like they could communicate via telepathy like the Vampires.