Chapter 2
Bobby sighed again. Why were they always attracted to him? Then again, he thought, maybe he was the one attracting them
Mike Logan licked his lips. "This is too good," he muttered to Alex. "I'll go get Deakins."
But Captain Jimmy Deakins was already there. "In my office," he told the little group.
As they all herded themselves into his office, Deakins took his place behind his desk. Alex and Professor Osmet each took a seat, while Bobby and Logan chose to stand.
"So what's this all about, Professor?" Deakins asked.
"It's very simple, Sir," the professor said patiently. "I've done a lot of research and have come to the conclusion that Detective Robert Goren is the only man in the world who could possibly stop the Ripper."
A little smile played at the corners of Deakins' mouth. "Well I'm sure Detective Goren is very pleased with your assessment, Professor, but… isn't Jack the Ripper dead?"
"If only…" the professor lamented. Then, seeing the curious looks on the faces of all the others, "Oh, I'm sorry! I forgot to tell you! I'm…um… not from your time."
While the rest of them all thought "Oh, great! Another one!" Bobby felt sorry for the professor. In a way he reminded him of his Mom. Although Bobby was aware that the old was slightly off, he seemed harmless. And what could it hurt to just listen to a lonely old man spout his story? "So exactly what… time… are you from?"
"From many different times," the professor answered.
Bobby nodded.
Then Alex, somewhat sarcastically, asked, "what about Sherlock Holmes? Wouldn't he be a more natural choice? I mean, already knowing the area and everything—"
"My dear detective!" Osmet said, aghast. "Don't you know Sherlock Holmes is a fictional character?" They could all hear Logan snickering in the background, and Bobby looked at him threateningly.
"Anyway," the professor continued, "as I said, I've done research. And as brilliant as the fictitious Holmes was, you, Detective Goren, are infinitely more intelligent."
Deakins smiled as Alex and Logan rolled their eyes and Bobby stood there red-faced, knowing he wouldn't live this down in a million years. Even so, Bobby still had a liking for this old man.
"So," Osmet asked plaintively, "will you help me?"
Bobby couldn't help himself. He had a soft spot for the mentally ill. "Uh, I'll…see what I can do."
"Wonderful!" Osmet exclaimed. "Now, if I may use your…" he struggled for the right words. "Public facilities?"
"I'll show him," Alex offered. And the two left the office.
"Interesting man," Bobby said thoughtfully.
"Interesting?" Logan said. "More like a crackpot!"
Bobby turned and glared at him. Deakins stepped in and said, "Well, I have to agree, he's a little off-balance. I'm putting in a call to Bellevue."
"What?" Bobby said angrily. "Why!"
Deakins stared hard at Bobby. "What is your problem these days Goren! First you nearly fall for one psycho, then you try to get another one off the death penalty! And now…!"
Seeing the look on Bobby's face, Deakins softened a little. "Look, Goren, I understand your compassion and need to help these people, but even you, of all people, have to know how dangerous they can be."
"He's not dangerous!" Bobby insisted stubbornly.
"How do you know that?" Deakins demanded. "How do you know?"
Bobby paced the room, running his fingers through his hair, rubbing his neck.
"I…I don't know how," he said. "I just know he isn't."
"Well, not withstanding your 'intuition', I'm not having my best detective whacked by some nut job. You're not going within ten feet of the guy."
"But…" Bobby started.
"That's an order, Goren," Deakins said, picking up the phone. Bobby stalked out of Deakins' office.
After calling Bellevue, Deakins saw Logan still standing there sheepishly, and told him, "Go check on that 'professor'. I don't want him leaving."
Logan was a little miffed. "Aren't you afraid I'll get 'whacked by that nut job'? Oh, yeah, that's right, I'm not your 'best detective'."
Watching him go Deakins held his forehead. He was getting another headache. He didn't know who was more of a problem, Goren or Logan. He decided quickly. It was Goren. Bobby was just too damn empathetic and smart for his own good. Logan was just a pain in the ass.
Bobby went to his and Alex's desks, where Alex was still putting the finishing touches on their paperwork.
"We're done," he said, still angry. "Let's go."
As Alex gathered her things, Deakins came out of his office just in time to hear Logan say, "The guy's gone. He's not in the bathroom."
Alex looked surprised. "He has to be. I'd have seen him if he came out…"
"Great," Deakins muttered. He couldn't help but notice the little smile on Bobby's face.
It appeared that Alex was going to make her nephew's birthday party after all, which put her in a really great mood, and as she dropped Bobby off at his apartment building it was with the usual "see you on Monday."
Bobby, leather binder in hand, smiled at her and nodded. Letting himself into his building and into the elevator, his mind, as usual, was in overdrive. He was excited about his date tonight with an old girlfriend, but he also couldn't quit thinking about that professor. Turning the key in the lock, he was just about to open his door when he felt the presence of someone behind him. Whirling around, left hand simultaneously going for his gun, he found himself face to face with Professor Osmet.
"Jesus!" Bobby breathed. "You scared the shit out of me!… and nearly got yourself shot," he continued.
"I'm sorry, Detective," Osmet said apologetically.
"It's okay," Bobby said, a little annoyed. "How…how'd you do that?" he asked, amazed that someone could get that close to him without him realizing it until it was almost too late.
"Do what?" Professor Osmet asked, truly unaware of having done anything.
"Never mind," Bobby said. I've just got too much on my mind.
"May I come in?" The Professor asked.
"Uh, yes, of course. Come in." Bobby stood back, allowing the professor to enter first. Once inside Bobby asked the professor to sit down and watched him carefully, wondering how Professor Osmet had found him so easily. The guy couldn't find him at MCS, where he was known, but could find his small apartment out of the thousands in New York City?
Bobby had years of experience in dealing with the mentally ill, thanks mostly to his own mother's schizophrenia, and was pretty sure he could handle this old man if need be. But just in case he kept his left hand close to his holstered gun.
Sensing Bobby's wariness, warranted though it may be, and seeing the gun in such close proximity to Bobby's hand, Professor Osmet said "My dear Detective, I promise you, you are not going to need that gun. If I had planned on harming you I could have done it very easily outside your door before you even realized I was there."
Bobby had to give him that point, and relaxed—a little. Bobby was smart enough to know that even a seemingly harmless old man, slightly off-balance to begin with and possibly under the influence of something could turn into a five hundred pound monster if provoked. But Bobby was also very intuitive, and he just had a good feeling about Professor Osmet-- and a few questions.
"So, Professor, would you like to explain just exactly what your business is with me?"
"Why, Detective, I already told you—"
"And don't give me any of that bullshit about being from the future!"
"I never said that," the professor explained patiently. "What I said was, I wasn't from your time."
"Whatever."
"I am from all different times. And I am on a mission."
"To…?" Bobby prompted.
"To rid the world of evil, of course!"
"Ah," Bobby said. "I see." Damn! Was Deakins right about this guy?
"No, you don't see, dear Detective Bobby—may I call you Bobby? But if you'll hear me out I think you will see."
"Okay, let's hear it." Bobby looked at his watch, remembering his date that evening.
By the time Professor Osmet finished telling his story, Bobby had completely forgotten about any possible date. Or anything else, for that matter.
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"…And actually I was quite lucky to have all the factors come together at the same time," Osmet said, by way of explaining his method of matter displacement. It didn't take Bobby long to realize that Professor Osmet was an extremely intelligent man, if not a genius.
Bobby had another question. "Professor, you're obviously a…genius. Why do you need me?"
"I am smart, that's true," the professor said humbly. "But my genius lies in math, and unfortunately math does nothing for my sleuthing skills. You, on the other hand, are intelligent in all areas, and your sleuthing, intuition, and deductive skills are second to none."
Again, Bobby reddened. But his excitement level was escalating by the second. He, Robert Goren, was about to tackle one of the most notorious unsolved crimes of all time. At the same, he had to question, if only a little, his own sanity. Twenty-four hours ago, hell, two hours ago, he would have dismissed the very idea as totally crazy, the ramblings of a very lonely, somewhat off-balance old man.Something his mother might have dreamed up. Now here he was, ready to go nearly 120 years into the past and 3000 miles across the ocean on the whims of an eccentric genius, all in the hopes of catching the monstrous serial killer Jack the Ripper. Well, nobody ever said Bobby didn't have an open mind.
After a moment Bobby broached another subject. "Uh…my partner, Alex? I think maybe she might like to come along…"
"Well, it is a little unorthodox," the professor said doubtfully.
"Isn't this whole thing a little unorthodox?" Bobby countered.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Alex Eames had returned from her nephew's birthday party in a very good mood. Her little nephew, who was very into "Thomas the Tank," had loved his present from his Aunt Alex, a "Thomas" starter set. It was his very favorite of all his new toys.
"Did he like my present?" Bobby asked hopefully. Bobby had always loved reading, and had sent along a big picture book of "Thomas the Tank" stories.
"Actually, he loved it," Alex said. "Wanted someone to read it to him right in the middle of his party." Bobby smiled, pleased. Alex had always loved that Bobby cared so much for her nephew.
"I take it your date didn't go so well?" she continued. It didn't take a lot of detective work to come to that conclusion, as Bobby stood there with Professor Osmet.
"Um, I uh…didn't actually go on that date tonight," Bobby said sheepishly. "Guess I should call her sometime, huh?"
Alex nodded. Men! "Yeah. You probably should." After a moment, "Okay, Bobby. Why are you here…with him?"
"Eames…you've got to hear this!" Bobby said excitedly.
After listening to about half of Osmet's story, Alex, always practical, was less than enthused, and in fact, began to question not only Osmet's but Bobby's sanity as well.
"Listen to yourself, Bobby! You're talking about going back in time! Back in time!"
Alex was really concerned. "Bobby…please. This isn't real…you know that. It's not real! He's conning you, Bobby, he wants something—"
"No, Alex. It is real. Please, just hear him out. Will you do that? Please?"
Looking into Bobby's intense brown eyes, Alex couldn't resist him. "Okay," she sighed.
TBC