A/N: I'm honored to announce that Ripper's London has won the Decades and Eras challenge I wrote this for. YAY!
RIPPER'S LONDON
Gibbs' mouth dropped open as soon as Sir Tom Morrow had informed him of his resignation. "You'll leave at a time like this, Sir?" Gibbs asked him. It was like a punch to the gut.
"It was either get fired or quit. I was given that ultimatum after Catherine Eddowes and whatshername. It's clear now, that they need some younger blood here," Morrow said. The Mary Jane Kelly murder was enough to convince him of that. "Here's this. Use it wisely. A pardon to anyone other than Jack The Ripper," he handed Gibbs the piece of paper. It wielded persuasive power.
"Can't you wait until we get the bastard?" Gibbs asked. It couldn't look good for anyone's career if they resigned during a time of such turmoil.
"Well are you any closer?" Morrow asked.
Gibbs shook his head. It didn't matter how many leads they chased down, it always lead to nothing. All their legwork and questioning seemed to turn up nothing at all. One lead they did have seemed to have vanished into thin air.
"Until Midnight tonight I'm still the Commissioner," Morrow said as he thought for a moment. "I'm giving you free reign. The new guy might think differently. Do what you have to do, Inspector Gibbs," he told him. "Even if it means working with that Vigilance Committee. And in response to something you said to me once before… I want this killer brought in and not just some scapegoat," he told him.
"Understood, Sir," Gibbs responded with an obedient nod before leaving the office. He was in two minds about the Commissioner's last statement but was not about to argue the point. In his opinion, the whole situation was being handled wrong and it was unclear about how many obstacles were blocking the investigation's path.
Commercial Street Police Station(next day)
Tony wasn't about to wait for Gibbs to return before starting things off. He could always be filled in later. Instead of just having McGee and Gordon in front of him but half of the Commercial Street Police Personnel crowded into the office. This wasn't about who got to solve the case first… It was no longer about appearances… It was solely about catching the man responsible.
He had many numbers and times written down in his notebook. "What we have here is a person able to blend in as one of the group. I can't stress the importance of Jack the Ripper's capture enough. Now on the 30th of September, there were two murders within an hour of each other. Elizabeth Stride's time of death was put at around one am that morning. We also calculated that to Eddowes' by foot it would've taken about half an hour. Therefore left the killer only fifteen minutes to do this," Tony pointed to a photograph on the chalkboard. "However, if he used a carriage as transport… He'd be able to use the amount of time saved to do what needs to be done methodically," he said as he used the pointer to stress his point. "What the plan is that we go out… Distribute a notice to anyone living in the areas of the murders… Especially Miller's Court. Also at night, I want every carriage stopped searched and accounted for," he said to the others.
"All carriages?" Someone asked.
"I don't care if it has a bloody Royal Crest on its bloody door. If it's a carriage it must be stopped, checked," Tony said with authority. "Those who are doing house searches in the allotted area… One of the things to be on the look out is human parts… Such as hearts, kidney or kidney parts, nose," Tony skimmed through the list. He thought about passing around the grisly photograph of Mary Kelly's body to remind them of what the Ripper was capable of.
Everybody knew their job. Tony watched them leave and shuffled some papers together. He was shocked to see that Gibbs was standing near the doorway. "You could've said something you know. I didn't intend to stand on your toes," Tony said.
"You had the situation well in hand," Gibbs said.
"What happened with you?" Tony asked.
"Called away. Sir Tom Morrow resigned," Gibbs stated coolly.
That had come to a shock for Tony. Granted, he never knew the man personally, but to leave with this case pending was bad. He couldn't fathom the reason for such an action. "Oh," Tony said flatly as he sat down. He grabbed his second notebook. "We have been speaking to a lot of people who knew Mary Jane Kelly... Her age was given as somewhere between 28 and 32. She often looked after other whores' babies if they were working and she wasn't. Attractive. Always paid her rent on time until up to last month. She traveled around a lot with a Mister J. Smith before settling down in Miller's Court early this year. No known enemies," Tony gave a description and handed him the report from Doctor Mallard.
"What are you waiting for?" Gibbs asked. It was surprising not to see Tony moving around all the time. The younger man looked dog tired.
"Missy's coming around to answer some questions and provide some information," Tony answered. "I mean Abby is coming around. Hard to get my head around calling her something else," Tony added. It wasn't often that he looked past her as a high classed whore but occasionally she helped out with their investigations.
Tony and Gibbs were both surprised that Abby had decided to dress in a light blue formal dress for her visit. He watched her sit down on a chair in front of him. Abby was much more subdued than her normal attitude. "Thanks for coming in, Abby," Tony said. He thought about what he was going to say carefully. "I wanted to ask you some questions about some people. I know that you're not usually one to be so open," he continued as he got his paper ready.
"At a time like this… I think I can elaborate somewhat," Abby said. "Mary Kelly was well liked. What happened to her was awful," she said sadly.
Tony nodded. But he knew he had to be direct. "You did mention that Prince Albert Victor had spent some time in the East End. Did you ever get a chance to meet with him or any of the Royal Family?" Tony asked.
"Now, now, Tony… I can say that I've seen Prince Victor on occasion. He's really a nice man. If you think he's suspect, you're barking up the wrong tree. He doesn't have the intelligence to conspire him self out of a box. He's not very intelligent. That and the fact he told me he was going to Scotland in late September to early October," Abby answered. Her refusal to answer anything regarding any other Royal clients or acquaintances told Tony that she wouldn't volunteer any information unless it was name specific.
Tony wrote down the information and read through some of his notes. "How about Doctors? Do you get many Doctor clients?" Tony asked.
"Personally, I think I've only had one. Doctor John Williams. He was kind of a cold man and often talked to animals. Usually if there was a medical problem amongst the prostitutes, he'd be the one they go to," Abby answered truthfully.
"Did he ever come across any of the victims?" Tony asked her.
"There was a rumor going around that Mary Nichols went to him when she found out she was having a baby," she answered. Abby didn't agree with that course events. But in Whitechapel, sometimes things were just too much to handle.
"Is there anybody that possibly could be Jack the Ripper that you've come across?" Gibbs decided to interject.
"Well there's this one guy… An artist. He's really got a dark personality. He showed me some paintings of his and he even paid me so he could make a painting. Never showed that to me though. I don't know his full name, he only gave the name Sickert," she explained.
Tony wrote that name down and continued with the questioning for awhile further. Nothing of interest came up and Tony and Abby was left alone. "Are you alright, Tony?" Abby asked him for a serious answer. There were occasions when Tony would just deflect personal questions away from him.
"I am fine," Tony responded quickly.
"You know... I can help. Use me as bait Tony. I could go out, a couple of you lot can watch me. Lure the Ripper into a trap I say," Abby said. She wanted the streets safe and the murder of Mary Jane was proof that Jack the Ripper could go after any class of whore. The others were common street walkers but she was not.
"No," Tony said after tossing the idea around in his head. He seriously considered it for a second. If it was anybody else but Missy he might have said yes to it. There was almost a sibling bond between the two. "No way in hell I'd ever ask you to do that," Tony reiterated the point.
"Did you ask me? I don't remember you asking me," Abby smiled assuringly.
"No... The answer is still no," Tony stood firm. It wasn't an easy thing to say no to her. But sometimes it had to be done. "Missy, you know that I care a lot about you, don't you? Come and live with me," he suggested it strongly.
"Now Tony, that is honorable of you... But, come on it's not what you want," Abby said to him as she held his hand.
Tony felt like arguing but she was strong for a woman. She had a will of iron. "Just look after yourself, Missy. Keep yourself safe," he gave her a peck on the cheek.
"I will. Look after yourself to, Tony. No good if you catching a killer while dead on your feet. Makes for some sloppy work, it does," Abby said.
Tony met with Gibbs on the way out. "What was that about, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked.
"She wanted to see how things were going, that's all," Tony said flatly. He didn't dare tell the Scotland Yard Inspector about Abby's offer. One of two things was likely to happen. Either he was going to be as mad as hell that she was willing to put herself in such danger or he'd agree to it. Neither of those possibilities sounded good to Tony. So he decided the best course of action was to say nothing about it. As they exited the station... Gibbs wondered what the younger man was withholding. But dismissed it, late '88 was a time of turmoil for anybody staying in Whitechapel.
Night after night they patrolled the streets... Night after night they stopped and searched carriages. Night after night they questioned people. Night after night they arrested somebody. Yet, there was nothing concrete. Leads continued to hit dead ends and the general distaste of H-Division was growing as they appeared more incompetent as time went on.
Gibbs gave Tony some money and when they came across whores on the street, they'd offer them money so they could get a room somewhere and stay safe. Gibbs had thought that maybe if they can lessen the amount of targets, then the Ripper may just back off and the killings will stop.
Ten Bells Pub
Again the case had reached it's dead end. Tony sat in the dark corner of the pub. People in the Ten Bells Pub were too busy with their own business to worry about him having a few too many drinks. Tony almost knocked the bottle over as he picked it up to pour it into the glass. It was a challenge all on its own. Ten Bells Pub was a great place to disappear into the smoky crowd.
"DiNozzo," A voice talked down to him. He hadn't even noticed that Gibbs suddenly appeared in front of him.
"Have a seat," Tony pointed to the chair in front of him. "If you're here to drag me home or somewhere... Can forget it," Tony said defiantly. He stated the rules before Gibbs had a chance to say anything differently.
"Just you?" Gibbs sat down with his own drink.
"McGee's home, Gordon's taken a couple of days off. Wife's sick... I don't know. Guess we all can do with some days off. Living the case day in and day out is... I don't know," Tony shrugged his shoulders. Perhaps his father was right, he didn't have the professionalism to handle being part of the police. Hell he thought he should have solved this case ages ago. They had a great team and some how he had blown the whole case.
"You okay, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked him.
"I am fine," Tony said as he shifted in his chair. "I have half the mind to turn Whitechapel over to the vigilance committee. Let them deal with things. The East End would probably be flattened within a week," Tony shrugged his shoulders once again. To him, the East End seemed cursed and he couldn't foresee any hope for its future.
"How many have you had?" Gibbs asked. Gibbs never had a son but he always wanted to and he knew of the strained relationship that the young man had with his own father. Though, he never said anything.
"Don't know... Don't care," Tony's voice was slurred and he seemed to have a real problem keeping focused.
"You know that if its really the case that we fumbled the investigation. We failed it as a team. Same as if we find the killer, then we find the killer as a team. No one person takes the fall. No one person takes the credit," Gibbs stated.
"That's not how it'll be perceived, Boss," Tony responded with a snort.
"That's how it is though," Gibbs told him. He thought it strange how a young man could be so eager to take the weight of the world on his shoulders. "I've been ordered back to Scotland Yard," Gibbs suddenly said as he helped Tony pour his drink.
"That's bad," Tony said. He studied the bottom of the glass before taking a drink. "Guess I'm almost out," he said with a frown. "Guess the bell has tolled. Time for me to go home," he finished off the glass and almost stumbled backwards when he stood up. If it hadn't been for Gibbs, Tony probably would've hit the floor.
"You're not going home alone and drown yourself in unnecessary guilt, DiNozzo," Gibbs said.
"Unnecessary guilt?" Tony scoffed again. But he was in no shape to fight when Gibbs supported Tony's weight to help him upstairs. Abs was never one to change rooms. Maybe she'd be good enough to take him in while he slept this off. "Boss?" Tony attempted to stop.
"God help me, DiNozzo. If you get sick on me I'm going to headslap you into the twentieth century," Gibbs threatened.
"Wouldn't dream of it, Boss. I was thinking. A theory we never explored. What person can roam around the streets at night covered in blood and nobody looks twice?" Tony asked as they continued upstairs.
"I'm not in the mood for one of your riddles," Gibbs responded.
"Seriously. What about if Jack's not a Jack but a Jill. A midwife can walk around all bloody and nobody would notice... Hey if it's a pair. Could be Jack and Jill," he laughed when Gibbs knocked on the door. "Jack and Jill ran up the hill to perform a little kill. After they were done they did run... And hell came tumbling after. And you know if that he was indeed a Jill you know who the number one suspect would be? Mary Kelly. We can't be certain that what we found was in fact Mary Kelly at all. What if it's some other poor soul and Mary is living a life of luxury elsewhere," Tony raised his finger to prove a point as he was led inside of Abby's room.
"Hi Gibbs... Tony!" Abby greeted exuberantly. "You don't look so good," she said to Tony who plopped him self onto the bed.
"Thanks, Missy," he smiled.
"Oh my," Abby responded.
"Can you look after him until he sobers up. I understand if you're 'busy'," Gibbs requested her help. It was clear that Abs and Tony had been friends for quite some time. But Abigail Scuito was a working woman after all.
"I can look after him. I always make room in my schedule for some of H-Division. But where are you off to in a hurry, Mister?" Abby asked Gibbs.
"I have to go back. But I'll make it back from time to time," Gibbs gave her a little peck on the cheek before leaving.
"Now, Tony. What am I to do with you?" Abby eased Tony so that he was lying flat on the bed. She began removing the boots. "You're not sleeping with those boots on," she said to him.
"I can't. I spent most of my money on drink," Tony said with a cheery smile. "Not tonight, Missy," he added.
"Tony," Abby scolded lightly. "Lie down," she always managed to relax him by fiddling with his hair. Tony looked like he needed to clear his mind and just forget about things for one night at least. And Abby was sure that she could make that happen.
"Hm, I like that," Tony mumbled as he rested his head back. Actually, it always surprised him that Abby was the only woman he let play with his hair. It was a thing with him. Then again, it was relaxing.
"What's wrong, Tony?" Abby asked after awhile of stroking his hair. He was in a semi-hypnotic state. Sometimes it was the only way to get him to talk. That was a trick she had accidentally found out on one of their first nights together.
"It's the case," Tony sighed. It was always the case. Autumn had been nothing but the damn case for them. "I don't think we can solve it. Then this time next year, the murders would have been forgotten. That's if it takes that long to forget. We'll all go on with our lives and eventually go onto new things and nobody will look back at 1888 again," Tony's shoulders heaved slowly.
"You're talking like it's over, Tony... I'm sure that nobody will forget," Abby responded.
"He was always bettering him self. The Ripper I mean. He can't do more than what he did with Mary Kelly. Hell, I don't know," Tony said. His mind's safety net had kicked in that and the amount of alcohol taken seemed to shut down and re-lock Tony's defenses. There was no way he was going to continue pouring his feelings out. That was something that men just never did. Instead, Tony allowed his mind to spiral down into a private nothingness. His thoughts and feelings could remain locked up safely.