The characters of Robert Goren, Alex Eames, James Deakins, and Mike Logan do not belong to me.
Alexandra Eames shivered as she walked slowly up and down the dark empty street, pausing under one of the gaslit street lamps. Kind of reminds me of my days back in vice, she thought, as she kept her eyes peeled for just the right man. So far she still had no male takers. Geez, what does it take? She wondered. Too much competition. So she took to a more isolated spot, in an alley.Even with the gaslit lamp, it was still dark, and very still, quite unlike the bustle and nightlife of New York City.
There were a few other differences, too, like for one thing, this was not New York, it was London, England. And it wasn't the year 2005, it was the year 1888. And she wasn't waiting for just any john, she was waiting for a very specific one: a man who went by the name of Jack. Jack the Ripper.
As Alex stood there waiting and shivering, she wondered vaguely if she was shivering because of the dampness and cold or because of her anxiety over this particular stake out. This was different, too. Back home she could stay in contact with her partner with a tiny little microphone or some other electronic gadget. Here, they had nothing. She had to trust her partner blindly, but, if anyone could be trusted, it was Bobby.
Still, it was a scary situation.
Suddenly Alex heard a noise behind her, and turned quickly to see what it was. "A rat!" she breathed, exhaling heavily. She'd never in her life been so glad to see a rat. But she was starting to get a little more nervous, and was beginning to question her decision to use herself as bait to catch this guy; there were so many ways it could go wrong. Bobby had been totally against it, but she'd insisted; she wanted to do something on this case. Still Bobby refused. But now-- another noise! And this time there were no rats.
"Bobby?" she whispered.
But it was not Bobby. Bobby could do nothing to help her; he was having problems of his own. Bobby was locked in a jail cell, his hands cuffed behind his back, bruised and bleeding, the result of several brutal beatings by a sadistic guard. He'd been arrested on trumped up charges of being the Ripper himself, the very man he was trying to protect from hurting others. And now Bobby was under the supervision of that very guard, who was going to make sure that he didn't make it out of that jail alive. But Bobby knew he had to make it out of there. Not only did his own life depend on it, but also the life of his partner.
Somehow Alex and Bobby's great adventure had gone horribly wrong.
New York City, 2005
Detective First Grade Robert (Bobby) Goren was writing quickly on the forms in front of him in an effort to get his paperwork done in a hurry. His partner, Alexandra Eames, had expressed a desire to get out on time tonight, and Bobby was doing his best to accommodate her. Bobby and Alex were the lead detectives on the NYPD's elite Major Case Squad, and both could count on one hand the number of times this month they'd actually gotten out on time, not to mention the many times they'd been called back in. But Alex had special plans for tonight. It was her little nephew's birthday, the child she had been surrogate mother to, and she was determined to be there on time.
"How you coming, Bobby?" she asked, looking over at his stack of papers.
"Last one," he announced.
"Good! Here, take some of mine," and she handed Bobby a few more.
"Alex, I told you, you can leave. I'll finish these up." Bobby also had plans for the evening, but they weren't till much later when he planned to meet an old flame over drinks.
Alex smiled. She really could not ask for a better partner, she thought fondly. Nor could he. They were born to be partners. So Alex said, "Thanks, Bobby; we'll just finish it together. Besides," she added teasingly, "you'd never let me live it down."
Bobby and Alex weren't the only ones rushing to get out on time; the whole squad seemed to be in a hurry tonight. It was the weekend, and most of the harried detectives, at least the ones who had off, had some kind of plans for the weekend.
In all the rushing around, no one seemed to notice as a little old man seemed to appear out of nowhere. But the old man seemed to notice everyone else, in fact, appeared to be searching for someone. Detective Mike Logan, fairly new to Major Case, wandered by, and the old man stopped him.
"Excuse me, sir, could you direct me to a Detective Robert Goren?"
Logan grinned. He knew Bobby was getting ready to leave. "Sure. Right this way," and he led him right to Bobby's desk.
Bobby looked up slowly, his mind already telling him his plans for the night were shot. He couldn't help but notice the old man's apparel, a curious mixture of futuristic, yet somehow very old fashioned.
"Bobby," Logan said, still grinning, "this gentleman would like a word with you."
Bobby shot Logan an "I'll kill you later look" and rose to address the old man.
"Hi, I'm Detective Robert Goren," he said. "Is there something I can help you with?"
"Thank God!" the old man exclaimed. "I've had one heck of a time finding you!"
Bobby was somewhat surprised. He wasn't all that hard to find, at least not at the Major Case Squad at One Police Plaza.
"Well, looks like you've found me now," Bobby sighed. "And you are…?"
"Jonathan Osmet. Professor Jonathan Osmet."
Both men shook hands. "What can I do for you, Professor?" Bobby asked.
"Detective Goren, I am here to ask for your help. You're the only one who can help me!"
For some reason Bobby took a liking to the older man. "Well, uh, would you like to tell me a little about it?" he said soothingly.
"Oh yes! Thank you! Thank you!" the old man said, pumping Bobby's hand furiously. "You're absolutely the only one who can do this!" he repeated.
Bobby's curiosity was piqued. "Do what?"
Professor Osmet looked at Bobby strangely. "You don't know?" he said, seeing the puzzled look on Bobby's face. Then he answered his own question. "Of course not!"
"Detective Goren, I would like for you to come back with me to London," he said, very formally. "And help me find and stop Jack the Ripper."
TBC
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