This will be a chapter with the Jack the Ripper storyarc with a few changes to it. Of course, Undertaker will finally make an appearance.
A prostitute named Catherine Eddowes, brown-haired and long faced, is walking down the empty and nightly streets of Whitechapel in Mitre Square and lying with tonight's costumer. She decides to go home and call it a night. Tomorrow is another day of work. Men to fuck for money, that's basically her lifestyle these days.
As she's walking down Mitre Square, she hears footsteps following behind her. Steady and patient footsteps. It's odd. Almost everyone in London has gone home to sleep, minus some men that are drinking at the pubs. Perhaps it's one of them wanting to pay her for a good blow on his cock.
"Sorry, good sir, but these legs won't be open until morning," she says as turns around. To her surprise, there's no one there which is quite strange. She was sure someone was following her. Thinking that it's probably her imagination, she shrugs it off and turns back to continue her way. However, the moment she rounds the corner of Mitre Square, she gets slashed in the throat by a sharp-pointed knife. Blood gushes out of Catherine's neck and the body drops dead in seconds.
The dark figure that killed Catherine looks down at her body in distaste. It kicks the body roughly and kneels down to proceed stabbing her in the face and abdomen until the face deformed, the abdomen was torn open and the pavement was painted in blood.
The paperboy tosses the newspaper at the door of Phantomhive Manor and rides away in his bicycle. The folded newspaper bangs against the door and falls onto the gravel down below. The door slowly creaks open and Mey-Rin steps out of the manor in her nightgown and shawl to pick up the newspaper from the ground. The bruise on her ace slowly faded over the past week thanks to Tanaka's noodle water. It worked just like he said it would. She unfolds the newspaper in her hands and reads the headlines on the cover. JACK THE RIPPER KILLS PROSTITUTE IN WHITECHAPEL. She frowns at the title before getting back inside.
She goes to the study where the master usually is in the morning. She knocks on the door and awaits for someone to answer. The door opens and Sebastian appears. He looks up and down at her with a frown. "Why are you still in your nightgown?"
"I overslept," she explains, "I haven't been able to sleep last night."
"Really? Odd. You haven't been able to sleep well for over a week," he says. "Perhaps I should have the master call Madam Red to have her check on you."
"Maybe later. Another Jack the Ripper attack in Whitechapel," she tells him, "The victim was another prostitute called Catherine Eddowes. Her body was found in Mitre Square at 1:45 a.m."
"And you read all that in the newspaper in just a few minutes?"
"I'm a fast reader and I have a good memory," she says, in an almost offended tone, "I'm not that stupid."
"And for that comment, you're washing the windows from the second floor," he says harshly. Mey-Rin nods and turns to leave, only for Sebastian to stop her by putting a hand on her shoulder, "Mey-Rin, I hope there are no hard feelings about the day before the party." The day when he grabbed her by the arm and practically threatened her. The bruise on her arm was already gone (she was glad Baldroy didn't see it), almost as gone as the one on her face.
She shakes her head. "No, of course not," she says, "I'll tell Baldroy to have the master's breakfast ready."
Ciel's brow furrows as he reads the newspaper Mey-Rin has brought to him. Another victim of Jack the Ripper. A prostitute brutally slaughtered at the Whitechapel. This is getting out of hand. He'll have to leave Alois Trancy for another time. Sebastian spend a few days searching for more information on Alois Trancy but nothing else came up aside from the basic story. His full name is Alois Trancy, he is fourteen years old, his mother and father were Laura and Harold Trancy. His mother committed suicide when Alois was kidnapped at an infant age. He was found years later at a village that burned down and returned to his father. And Harold Trancy died of a strange illness the doctors could not identify. Alois inherited the Trancy Manor, he now earl and the Queen's spider, a spy that watches London's every move and reports everything to the Queen. Ciel looks over at a small spider crawling over the ceiling, building its web. A spider watching you without noticing, its eight legs silent and its four eyes watching your every move. Get too close and you will be caught in it and the spider will devour you.
Alois Trancy. Such a mystery but one that will be postponed for another time, once he deals with Jack the Ripper.
"The Queen is highly concerned about these Jack the Ripper cases," he says while he continues reading, "She sent me another letter, urging me to investigate the case."
"I'm quite surprised that the queen is concerned for the deaths of prostitutes," Sebastian says while standing next to him with his hands clamped behind his back, "Honestly, women selling their bodies for money without a care in the world of the consequences and pester those who do not share their sinful pleasures. I could are less about them. But you...I'm guessing you will be investigating the murders as the queen urges you to do."
Ciel gives Sebastian a scornful look. "It's my job as the queen's watchdog. I'm not simply going to let this slide. Besides, it's not the prostitutes the queen is concerned about. It's the other civilians. Imagine if Jack the Ripper becomes bored of the prostitutes and decides to hunt fresher meat. They're like children. They become tired of their toys and decide to play with new ones. We can't let that child have the new toy if he hasn't earned it, now can we?" He says this with a smirk. Sebastian nods in agreement
A knock is heard on the door. Clearly Mey-Rin with the young master's breakfast.
"You may enter," Ciel says.
Mey-Rin pushes the door open with her booted foot and enters the study, now in her maid's uniform. She nearly loses balance as the silver tray is heavy in her hands but finds balance again. She walks over to the desk and puts the tray down in front of the young master. "Bard nearly used the flamethrower again."
"Honestly, will he never learn? Sebastian once you're done, go to the kitchen and confiscate that blasted thing," he commands. "I rather not have my mansion burned down a second time."
"Yes, Master," Sebastian says with his usual bow before turning to Mey-Rin, "I already gave you this morning's assignment. Make sure the windows are spotless, do you understand? And try not to fall off the ladder."
"Yes, Sebastian," Mey-Rin grumbles in irritation and turns to leave to do as command.
"No, Mey-Rin, you're not going anywhere. Come back here." The way the young master spoke to her made her freeze on the spot she is standing now. He sounds bitter. Is she in trouble? Mey-Rin slowly turns around and gulps nervously, her hands fiddling with each other. "One thing I do not tolerate from you is your attitude. I understand your concern but I would suggest not to provoke Sebastian or me." He must have heard her from inside the study. "Knowing my secret doesn't give you the right to be sharp-tongued towards my butler, do you understand?"
"Yes, sir. I'm sorry."
"Tell me, what was the name of the victim again?"
"You mean, from the Jack the Ripper case? Catherine Eddowes. She was born on the fourth of April, 1842 and died just last night. Her body was found at the Mitre Square at 1 in the morning," she tells him.
"And you've read it all in the newspaper?" Ciel asks her. She nods. "How long did it took you to read all of that while bringing the paper to Sebastian?"
"Five seconds," she says and confirms him that she's a fast reader and has a good memory of certain sentences in the paragraphs she finds most interesting. She loves reading, including horror novels and the penny dreadful stories to which she finds most fascinating.
"Hmmm. A photographic memory. Interesting," he says as he closes the newspaper and sets it down on his desk. He looks at his cup for a little while before picking it up and taking a sip of his tea. "After breakfast, Sebastian and I will be heading for London to investigate Jack the Ripper. So I suggest you get dressed."
"I'm already dressed, sir," Mey-Rin tells him.
"I meant in civilian clothes or do you prefer to go to London in your maid's uniform?" Ciel says while giving her a stern look.
Mey-Rin's eyes widen. She and Sebastian look at each other in confusion before looking back at Ciel. "What?" they both say.
"You heard me," he says, "Get dressed. We're going to London."
"I'm sorry for being rude, young master, but why do you want me to go to London with you and Sebastian?" Mey-Rin asks.
"I was wondering the same thing," Sebastian says.
"Do I need to give a reason why I want our maid to go to London with us?" Ciel asks Sebastian harshly, "Despite her incompetence as a maid, her skills can serve us of good use. Besides, it's better to keep an eye on her that way and make sure she doesn't say a word about us to Bard and Finny while we're gone."
"You still do not trust me, my lord?" Mey-Rin asks with her eyes watering a bit.
A small smirk splays on the Ciel's lips. "Not at all," he says with the tilt of his head, "Why should I put my trust in someone who knows my secret?"
"I already told you, my lord, I would never tell anyone."
The young master shrugs, not really caring what she says. "Or so you say. I'm finding this conversation tedious. Get dressed, Mey-Rin. You're going to London with us. That's the end of it."
Mey-Rin sighs in defeat and nods her head. "Yes, my lord. I shall have everything ready before lunch."
"You may go now," he says. Mey-Rin then leaves the study. Despite her impecable skills and surprising intelligence, Mey-Rin can sometimes be quite naïve. It can be utterly frustrating for Ciel and Sebastian.
"Young Master," Sebastian says, "I don't think it's a good idea for you to bring Mey-Rin to London with us. She'll be a nuisance."
"I don't care what you think," Ciel says harshly as he stands from his seat. "Or would you like to stay behind instead?"
"...Is there something I should know, Master?" Sebastian asks, staring at Ciel suspiciously.
The two continue to stare at each other sternly. However, Ciel doesn't respond to his question. Instead, he sits back down on his chair. He takes a scone from his plate and bites into it.
"Have the carriage ready. Then you'll return to my chamber to help me get dressed," he says, "That's an order."
Sebastian smirks and nods before leaving the study himself. The moment he shuts the door, Ciel pinches the bridge of his nose and lets out a deep sigh. Just like the servants, the butler can be a pest as well. He has no tolerance for unnecessary questions nor did he tolerate Sebastian questioning his orders. Ciel has his reasons to bring Mey-Rin to London and unbeknownst to Sebastian, it has nothing to do with her photographic memory or her skills. It has to do with what happened in the bedroom after the party.
Mey-Rin gets dressed for her unwilling trip to London. She removes her maid's uniform and unties her auburn hair from her pigtails. She knows she shouldn't be questioning the young master's orders but she is still wondering why does he want her to go to London with them, aside to making sure she doesn't say a word about them to Baldroy and Finnian while they're in the city. And she's not very sure that she's of any good use with the Jack the Ripper case. She has a theory though and does not like this one bit.
She dresses up in a white Edwardian blouse with ruffles on front, a slim black hobble skirt and finally a grey tweed coat. She ties her hair back in a bun and puts on a dark grey hat that has a round crown and a flat brim. She keeps her boots on since they're the only things keeping her from stumbling or falling to the floor but looking at herself in the mirror, she feels looks and feels like a school teacher. The last thing she slips on are her round-framed glasses which she cherishes very much.
Mey-Rin already has her suitcase packed with her belongings. Well, few of them. The young master did say they would be there in London for a few days, probably three. If it takes any longer, she'll have to return to Phantomhive Manor to pick up a few more clothes, or she'll have to wear the same clothes which wouldn't be appropriate. After packing what she could, she leaves her bedroom and goes down to the kitchen to inform Baldroy and Finnian that she's leaving for London with Sebastian and the young master. Mey-Rin knows that Baldroy will not like this at all and will probably try to stop her from going which will be impossible. Master's orders.
She goes down to the kitchen where Baldroy is cleaning the dishes. Finnian is not here. He's probably attending the garden. She prays he doesn't use the herbicide again if he doesn't want to hear lip from Sebastian for thousandth time.
When he turns around, he nearly drops the plate upon seeing how Mey-Rin is dressed.
"What are you dressed for?" he asks.
"Um, the master wants me to accompany him to London for a few days," she explains, "Something about Jack the Ripper and is need of my service."
"Why?"
Mey-Rin simply shrugs. "I don't know."
Baldroy sighs and puts the plate back into the sink with the other dishes before walking over to Mey-Rin, throwing the damp towel over his shoulder. "I don't think you should be going to London with them, Mey-Rin."
"I know that you don't trust Sebastian," she tells him. "But I do trust the young master and so far, he's never let anything happen to me."
"Isn't he kind of the reason why you almost died -?"
"Baldroy. I chose this life and so did you and Finny. What would we be if the master had not found us? You and Finny would be dead and I would be nothing but a merciless killer. Despite everything, I'm still alive because of him and Sebastian. As much as I don't like this, I trust the master."
"I just don't like to see you get hurt again."
"And I won't. I'm a lot stronger than I look, remember? You've seen what I can do. You know what I'm capable of. So you shouldn't be worried," she says. Baldroy puts his arms around her in a tight embrace. "I'll be fine."
"You better be," he says.
However, Mey-Rin knows she can never keep that sort of promise. She was lucky the night she almost died. This time she might not be so lucky.
After saying goodbye to Finnian and Tanaka, she returns to her room to grab her suitcase and heads downstairs to meet Ciel and Sebastian at foyer. The carriage is waiting for them outside the mansion. The three get inside the carriage and leave Phantomhive Estate. She's actually inside the carriage. Truth be told, she has never been inside the carriage with the young master. She, Baldroy and Finnian always sat out of the carriage, sometimes with Baldroy driving. But she's never been in the carriage so she now feels odd being here.
Mey-Rin still doesn't understand why the master needs her for the investigation. Photographic memory is not enough excuse to take her to London. And Ciel doesn't need her protection. He has Sebastian.
"It's my first time inside the carriage," she says as she looks out the door's window. The carriage continues driving through the dirt lane with the tall trees at either side.
"Would you prefer to sit outside the carriage?" Ciel asks.
"Depends if you'll be stopping the carriage."
"I'm not stopping the carriage, Mey-Rin."
"Then no thanks. I'm fine," she says. Sebastian simply chuckles in amusement.
Reaching London, Mey-Rin's bottom is starting to become numb and already finds it uncomfortable being inside the carriage. She brought one of Edgar Allan Poe's short stories Ligeia, one of the stories she finds most terrifying but overall very intriguing. The narrator's wife falls ill and dies. He marries another woman but she too falls ill and dies. The distraught narrator stays with her body overnight and watches as Rowena slowly comes back from the dead – though she has transformed into Ligeia, his first wife. Terrifying yet tragic and beautifully written. How can something so horrifying be beautiful at the same time? That something Mey-Rin never understood but is still fascinated by it.
"Is Ligeia your favourite story?" Ciel suddenly asks.
"My favourite story is actually Carmilla but it's in my suitcase," she tells him. "However, I do enjoy Ligeia and The Black Cat."
The young master chuckles in amusement. "Edgar Allan Poe's short stories and poetry have always been intriguing. The Masque of Red Death is my preference. However, I find The Raven to be the greatest of them all. The combination of short story and poetry is most ingenious. Do you not agree?"
Mey-Rin nods in agreement. It's not just to please the young master. She agrees because it's the truth. The Raven has an ingenious blend of both poetry and story she found to be brilliant.
"It's sad that such talent had to got to waste with his death," Sebastian says.
Sadly, Mey-Rin agrees with him. Mr. Poe's incredible talent was devastatingly waste via poverty, depression and alcoholism. He died at just the age of forty, not old or young. He had a lot to offer to the world. However, his talent was not completely wasted. His books still sell and they're masterpieces, especially The Raven.
They finally arrive at a house Ciel Phantomhive bought to reside in. Ciel vocally expresses his distaste for the city because there are too many people. He bought the house in case the queen needs him to investigate murders and would have to stay in London for awhile or just in case something happens at the manor and only he has the key to the place. Once they arrive, Sebastian and Mey-Rin help unload the bags and follow the young master to their temporary home. According to Sebastian, there are six bedrooms in the house and four washrooms. One of the bedrooms is the master suite. Mey-Rin and Sebastian will have the guest bedrooms.
Speaking of guests, the moment Sebastian opens the front door to the house, they find themselves with unexpected visitors. Madam Red, Lau and Grell Sutcliff.
"Aunt Angelina!?" Ciel exclaims in complete shock.
Mey-Rin leans in to whisper in his ear. "My lord, I thought only you had the key to the house."
"So did I," he growls irritably.
They're in the drawing room rummaging through drawers and bookshelf with the books removed from the shelves and stacked on top of each other. Grell is looking into the drawers. And Lau is looking into a flower vase.
"For goodness sake, where do they keep the blasted tea in this house?" Madam Red asks.
"I can't find it either," Lau says as he continues looking into the flower vase.
"Don't be ridiculous, of course it's not in there!" she snaps at him. "Grell, keep looking. There must be tea around here somewhere."
"Madam Red! Lau! Why are you here!?" Ciel shouts. Actually it's three. Grell is here too.
The three uninvited guests turn to look at Ciel, Mey-Rin and Sebastian.
"Ciel, you're early," Madam Red smiles at her nephew.
"Your sudden appearance in London must mean that the queen's Watchdog has a new scent to follow," Lau says with a cunning smirk.
They know. They know Ciel Phantomhive is hunting down Jack the Ripper.
Ciel has Sebastian, Mey-Rin and Grell make lunch after having everything is settled. Knowing that Madam Red and Lau will not leave, he's letting them stay...for the moment. They can't stay for too long. He has too much to do now. The queen needs him to catch the killer before he strikes once more. Sebastian makes sandwiches, scones and an apple n' raisin cake. Mey-Rin and Grell serve them rose tea before returning to the kitchen to wash the pans and trays.
"The killer has struck again," Ciel informs to Madam Red and Lau as they drink their tea. "Another prostitute was found gruesomely murdered in Mitre Square, Whitechapel. These killings are far from normal. The level of violence we're seeing is unpresidented."
"The most recent victim was a woman named Catherine Eddowes," Sebastian says while Ciel continues eating his cake, "It seems that a very special blade was used on her. She was torn up beyond recognition."
"The murders' distinctive style of killing has earned him a unique nickname from the press. Jack the Ripper," Ciel says.
"A frightening name, isn't it?" Lau says. Clearly, this is a serious topic and very concerning but Lau will always find a way to tease the young master. Ciel is waiting for the moment to happen. Wait for it...
"That's why I arrived here earlier than expected," Ciel says. "I needed to look into the situation for myself as soon as possible."
Lau chuckles in amusement. "But are you sure you'll be brave enough to stomach the crime scene?"
And there it is. Ciel's eyes narrow at the question. "What do you mean?"
"The sight of a dismembered body will certainly be horrific," Lau says as he sets down his cup of tea and stands up from his seat. "And imagine the stench. Blood and gore everywhere. Sure it will make anyone vomit. Are you prepared to see such a thing?" He reaches out and grabs Ciel by the ear. "You're just a young boy after all."
Annoying by Lau's statement and inappropriate gesture, Ciel smacks his hand away. "I am the head of the Phantomhive in service to my queen. Don't ask foolish questions!"
Lau smirks amusingly. "My apologies, my lord."
"Ciel, I hope I'm not being rude by asking this," Madam Red says after sipping her own tea, "But why is Mey-Rin here? She certainly shouldn't be out of the house just yet until she recovered completely. Bringing her to the city is certainly against doctor's orders."
"She might be of good use for our case," the young lord simply says. Mey-Rin and Grell return to pick up the used plates from the table. Mey-Rin already knows about Jack the Ripper. There's no need of hiding it from Madam Red and Lau. "She has certain talents aside from cleaning the house. Isn't that right, Mey-Rin?"
Everyone stares at Mey-Rin. The young maid freezes on the spot with the tray in her arms. "Um, I do have certain talents besides cleaning, yes...Excuse me, my lord."
She takes the tray as well as the empty teacup and hurries back into the kitchen with Grell.
"That wasn't very nice, Ciel," Madam Red says.
"I said she'll be of good use," he says with an amusing smirk. "I didn't say I have to be nice about it."
"I'm quite surprised you decided to come to London with Lord Phantomhive and Sebastian," Grell says as he helps Mey-Rin dry the dishes while she washes them. Grell is no longer dressed in the gown Elizabeth gave him. He's back in his butler uniform with his brown hair tied in his usual ponytail and no longer wearing make-up.
Mey-Rin simply shrugs. "It wasn't my decision though. It was the Master's. Still, it's actually very nice to be out of the house for awhile. Fresh air. Sight-seeing."
"Oh, yes, I agree," he says, "Being inside that mansion cleaning for long periods of time must be very tiring, if I do say so myself."
"Actually, it's not at all bad. It's rather enjoyable, better than my old job." Definitely a thousand times better.
Grell's eyes widen in surprise. "Oh? I didn't know you had another job before becoming a maid. I thought you were always a maid."
She shakes her head. "Not always. However, my old job was less favourable. I was very happy when Sebastian hired me." Less favourable as in killing for hire. Sometimes killing innocent lives. She remembers killing a man who had a wife and two children. She would have nightmares of that man's face and his family pointing accusing fingers at her, calling her a murderer. It was definitely not a pleasant job to have.
"I hope you don't mind me asking this but, what was your old job?" he asks.
Mey-Rin stops washing the dishes and sighs. She really hoped he wouldn't ask that. She really hates going back to those dreadful memories. It's not his fault though. Grell is just a curious man. Still, she can't let him know of her previous job as an assassin.
"I honestly don't like talking about it," she says, looking over her shoulder to smile at him. "All I can say is that it was very unpleasant job."
"I'm terribly sorry for prying," he apologizes instantly.
"It's all right. It's not your fault." After she finishes washing the last dish, she dries her hands with a cloth.
"I think I might have something that will make you feel better." Grell suddenly takes out the pearl necklace from his coat's pocket. The necklace Mey-Rin let him borrow. "I forgot to give this back to you at the party."
He gives it to her. However, Mey-Rin smiles and gives it back to him, putting it in the palm of his gloved hand and closing the fingers. "Here. I think it looks much better on you."
Grell smiles softly. "You're too kind."
She was glad of giving up the necklace to him. It's better to see him happy than gloomy
After lunch, Ciel, Sebastian, Mey-Rin, Grell, Madam Red and Lau head out for London to see the crime scene of the recent murder. Mitre Square. Mey-Rin is quite nervous about it. Despite the many horror novels and the men she has killed, she has never seen an innocent woman brutally murdered and that makes her stomach twists. It brings back a recent memory she wishes to forget. She can see that Grell is a bit nervous as well. He keeps fidgeting his shaky hands in uneasy ways.
"Have you ever seen a dead body before?" she asks him in order to distract herself from what will await them.
Grell shakes his head. "Not really, no. And you?"
"Too many to count," she says with a sigh.
As the group approach the crime scene, they see a crowd surrounding the area with the Scotland Yard police keeping them back. Sebastian politely ushers the people to move aside. Ciel approaches the crime scene, only to be stopped by a young man with light brown shoulder-length hair and is wearing a brown trenchcoat, black gloves and a bowler hat. It's the inspector Frederick Abberline, Commissioner Randall's partner. He was one of the guests at Phantomhive Manor's party.
"Sorry my lord," he says, giving the young master a sulky look, "I'm afraid a crime scene like this is no place for a child. So why don't you just run along home?"
"I'm here to see the victim's body," Ciel says in a deadpan tone. Inspector Abberline looks at him in shock.
"The body!? Surely you must be joking - !?"
"Abberline!" Commissioner Randall appears from around the corner wearing his usual top hat and square-framed glasses. He sees Ciel and makes an unpleasant sound. "Well, if it isn't Lord Phantomhive. What brings you here?"
Ciel takes out the letter from the insides of his cape and hands it over to the commissioner. "I'm here to help, Sir Arthur," he says with a cocky smirk, "It seems that your investigation is dragging a bit. You know how insistent the queen is."
The commissioner glares at the young earl before his attention is suddenly caught by Mey-Rin who is standing next to Grell Sutcliff. She instantly shies away behind Grell's back. Ciel suddenly snatches a few papers from Abberline's hands. Documents on the recent victims. No vital clues that could lead them to the killer. Just the basic information of the dead victim, the same information Mey-Rin gave him back at the manor. This is useless to him.
"It seems that you haven't found any clues that could lead us to Jack the Ripper," he says in boredom, "How incompetent and pathetic. Really, Sir Randall, I expected better from you."
Commissioner Randall harshly snatches the papers back. "We of Scotland Yard are more than capable of handling this just fine. There's no need for you to interfere."
Ciel simply shrugs his shoulders. "Splendid." He walks over to Sebastian and whispers to him. The butler looks at him in surprise but then smiles and nods in understanding.
Sebastian walks over to where Mey-Rin and Grell are standing. He tugs Mey-Rin from behind Grell's back and whispers in her ear. "You'll be angry about this later," he says this while removing her glasses.
"What -?" Before she can finish the question, Sebastian pushes her roughly. She felt like she was tossed like a ragdoll as she falls face-first on the cobblestone ground. She pushes herself back up but as she does, she is suddenly looking at the butchered corpse of Catherine Eddowes. Her face is crushed and bloody, her nose is missing, and her upper half has been split open with blood and organs spilling out. An intestine is draped over her shoulders. The sight suddenly reminds her of how she found Lord Damian's body.
Mey-Rin cries out in terror before getting pulled away from the crime scene by Inspector Abberline.
"What the bloody hell is wrong with you!? Why on earth would you do that!?" he snaps at Ciel's butler as he leads a trembling Mey-Rin back to the group. She quickly puts her arms around Grell as she cries. Grell pets her head in comfort. Madam Red checks if she hurt herself during the fall. Luckily, Mey-Rin didn't break her nose after falling face-first to the ground.
"It was clearly an accident," Sebastian lies. Mey-Rin immediately snatches her glasses back from his hands, clearly unhappy. The commissioner and the inspector were not born yesterday though. They both saw the butler push her. Abberline is the only one who decided to be vocal about it. Sir Randall decided to stay quiet, just like the night after the party when Ciel paid him to have Scotland Yard to stop pursuing Baldroy and Finnian.
"Shall we go, Sebastian?" Ciel asks.
"Yes, sir," he nods in agreement and they all leave the crime, much to Scotland Yard's shock.
"That wasn't necessary," Madam Red says after they left the crime scene. She is referring to how Sebastian abruptly pushed Mey-Rin closer to the dead body. The poor maid was so close that she could even smell it. It was cruel and brutal. "You know she could have gotten injured."
"Yes, it was," he says before walking over to Mey-Rin, "Tell me what you saw."
Mey-Rin removes her glasses as she wipes away the tears from her eyes and takes a deep breath to calm herself down. "Catherine Eddowes was butchered quite brutally. Her faces was stabbed multiple times. Her torso was ripped open down to her womb. Her nose is missing and there were entrails around her shoulders."
"So he kills them and takes a body part as prize. Anything else?" he asks. She shakes her head. Ciel sighs and puts an assuring hand on her shoulder. "That will be all for the moment, Mey-Rin. Thank you."
"I really don't want to do that again, Master," she tells him, sniffling.
"You've seen dead bodies before. This is no different," he says, "We need to focus on the task in hand. Scotland Yard are following a case that's growing cold every second. Their evidence are useless and they have no clues that can lead us to Jack the Ripper."
"What should we do now, then, dear?" Madam Red asks.
"We go to see someone who may know more than Scotland Yard," he says.
Lau suddenly gasps. "My lord, you don't mean...?"
The young lord nods, his face neutral. "Yes, indeed."
They arrive at a shabby shop at the emptiest part of London where there are no people walking about. A large purple sign in a black frame with a skull on top resides above the black windowed door that says UNDERTAKER. The place looks eerie and creepy-looking, reminding Mey-Rin of one of the haunted houses she has read in her many horror novels with a coffin and two tombstones displayed outside and all.
"So, where are we exactly?" Lau asks. Everyone looks at the merchant in complete shock.
"You don't know!? Then what was all that about!?" Madam Red snaps at him irritably. Lau clearly wanted to be dramatic on purpose.
"It's a funeral parlour run by an acquaintance of my lord's," Sebastian explains.
"An undertaker?" Mey-Rin says. She has never been to a funeral to know what an undertaker is. "What's that?"
"A funeral director," Ciel explains. "He arranges the funerals and cremation of the deceased. He's also in charge of dressing, embalming, casketing and cossetting the corpse before their funeral."
"Oh." Mey-Rin nods, finally understanding. With her luck, she might find more dead bodies.
Sebastian knocks on the door. They wait for a few seconds. No one answers. Instead of knocking again, Sebastian opens the door to the funeral parlour and they all enter uninvited which Mey-Rin finds rude. She stays outside for a few more seconds, taking a deep breath.
"Are you all right?" Grell asks, his voice full of concern.
Mey-Rin purses her lips and nods. "I'm fine. I just...need a minute." She pads down on her coat and breathes a little while longer. "All right. I think I'm ready."
"Do you want me to go in first?" he asks.
"No, I'm fine. Thank you, Grell," she says before entering the parlour and Grell follows behind, shutting the door.
The light is dim inside the funeral parlour. It's a lot eerier inside than it is outside. There are cobwebs everywhere on the beamed ceiling. Half-finished coffins are laid on the floor, some of them almost finished; there's a chair next to one of them. A skeleton stands in a corner as well as a taxidermy body used like a statue. A few small white-clothed tables with bundles of candles on top. Shelves full of jars, beakers, test tubes and other scientific instruments stand against the walls, as if the place were a science lab rather than a funeral parlour. Mey-Rin even sees a jar full of kidneys in one of the jars. What sort of funeral parlour is this? Kidneys? Test tubes? A taxidermy body? Is this even a funeral parlour?
"If we're looking for answers, this is the place," Ciel says. "Where is he though?"
Mey-Rin suddenly hears a creaking sound and it's coming from one of the coffins nearby. She slowly walks towards it to get a closer look. The coffin is made of black wood with golden edges. It's quite lovely. Whoever this Undertaker is, he has quite the skill to make all these coffins.
The coffin bursts open and Mey-Rin lets out a startle cry.
I think I may be torturing Mey-Rin a bit too much.
Anyways, I'll be updating as soon as the hurricane has passed and I hope it doesn't cause too much damage.
Leave a comment after reading and let me know what you thought of this chapter and the previous one. See ya!