Hello readers. I know it has been a long time since my last update, and I apologize. I have been busy with a number of things which includes putting finishing touches on my first novel. I am hoping to self-publish sometime this summer and could not be more happy with the results. And yes, it is about vampires, although not any of the vampires you've met in this series for Elementary. I'm very excited to finally get back to writing about Artemis Merrill and hope you enjoy this new installment.
And of course, I do not own the characters of Elementary or Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, they are merely on loan in the spirit of having some fun.
"Jack the Ripper was a vampire?" said Joan and Sherlock, almost in unison although with completely different attitudes, Joan's one of wonder and Sherlock's clearly expressing annoyance.
"Yes, although he wasn't one for very long," said Artemis, her dark eyes glittering coldly in the light. "In my human life, I was born and lived in London. My family was poor, I had no education of which to speak, and I married quite young but 'well'. My husband was a sailor and made a decent living but was gone out to sea quite often. I had a couple of children with him, a son and a daughter. We were very happy despite the long separations. But then my husband came home with an illness. He eventually died from a high fever. The same illness also killed my little girl. My son and I, for whatever reason, seemed immune. At first, I wished we could all die together, but that was not meant to happen. Soon after that, I began to see how limited my options were if I planned to keep my son and give him a chance to excel at something other than being another gutter rat on the streets of London. So I went to work at a brothel, and that's where I met Mad Jack. He was a nasty little human sadist in those days, back when his name was Jacob. He made your skin crawl, that one." A hint of the accent Artemis must have had back in those days crept into her voice, and she shuddered. Artemis stopped talking for a moment and stared off into space, her faced reflecting some of the darkness she had seen in her human life at the brothel.
Joan reached out and put a hand on Artemis'. "I know this is difficult for you," said Joan. "If it is too traumatic, you don't have to continue."
Drawn out of her vision, Artemis turned to Joan. "Thank you, Ms. Watson. I appreciate that, but I think it is important to tell you everything I can. And even though it is difficult, it feels…good. I've not spoken of these things before, not even to Dennis," the sober reference to Artemis' former partner brought an even more somber tone to the room.
Then Artemis continued, "Jacob was a problem, but he was a man of means so it was hard to turn him away. He was thrown out more than once for hurting one of the whores. Finally, he went too far; he cut up a woman, and nearly killed her. That woman was me. Alexander Ashcroft was a bouncer at the brothel. He found me in the room, barely alive and dying fast. I did not know until that moment that Alexander was a vampire. It was Alexander who saved me from a final death. I believe it was out of a sense of duty. He had no interest in me as a woman. But he had been watching Jacob because he knew Jacob might lead to Arawn. And Alexander had been tracking Arawn for a very, very long time."
Silence filled the room for a good minute. Sherlock finally took a deep breath and sighed out his tension. "Ms. Merrill, we have walked a tight rope with you regarding this vampire business. And I have been willing to continue pretenses since it has not affected me or my work directly. However, I must let you know that I have made a PhD worthy study of the Jack the Ripper case and Victorian England in those times. I will know if you make a mistake, and I will not let it go." Sherlock's gaze was one of quiet defiance.
Artemis gave Sherlock a quizzical stare. "Well, I must say Mr. Holmes, that I have not studied the case with that amount of intensity. I don't have an encyclopedic knowledge of Mad Jack by any means. However, I know what I know about him. It may conflict with the legend, or it may fill in the blanks, as you modern folks say. Either way, I'm unconcerned because what I'm telling you is the truth."
"Then please continue," said Sherlock, settling somewhat deeper into his chair.
"It was a difficult transition for me. As I said before, I had my biological son to consider. I had to leave him when I changed because I thought I might hurt him in a moment of weakness. For months, I struggled with what I had become and almost chose death by sun on several occasions. Alexander tried to help; he took care of me, paid for my son to go to good schools. But Alexander had never turned another human before. He had no experience to call upon, and his own transition had been much easier. He had not been so emotionally attached to his human life. My anguish devastated him. In the end, his determination prevailed, but for a time, we became each other's world out of necessity. When we emerged from that world, the man I knew as Jacob was now Mad Jack and the talk of London. Alexander had missed his chance to stake Arawn once more. He was long gone, off to find his next progeny."
"That's hardly the makings of an army of misfits," whispered Sherlock.
"Correct. As I said before, there is legend and there is truth. Arawn did not make armies; he is selective. He prefers to find those who would thrive as vampires without his help and turns them. Turning someone like Jacob gave him courage to move on to bigger and, in Jacob's sick mind, better things. You could say he was 'born this way'." Artemis' lip curled up for a moment, and she continued, "Turning mental misfits is Arawn's stock in trade; he doesn't need to give encouragement or train his children to hold anything back. Think about it Mr. Holmes; if one violent, psychopathic vampire showed up in your town, wouldn't it seem like an army had shown up? There would be dozens of deaths every night. Before the time of public records, or newspapers, or the internet, even one violent death of the kind Arawn encouraged would shock the sensibilities and be the stuff of local, and sometimes international, legend."
"So you and Alexander come out of your difficult transition and found a way to stake Jack the Ripper, very exciting for all I'm sure. But why is it that Arawn, who in your own words, prefers to give no help to his progeny, would take down Alexander Ashcroft, after more than a century, because of what he did to Mad Jack?"
"It isn't just about Mad Jack, Mr. Holmes. Arawn's progeny did not typically live a long time. That was never the expectation. Humans are not without the ability to defend themselves. Even vampires have been known to get rid of other vampires in their territory, especially ones who cause wanton destruction. The difference here was that Alexander pursued Arawn and his progeny for private reasons, not because he was territorial. As for it taking a century for Arawn to find Alexander, it actually took longer."
"So this was a vendetta of sorts," said Joan.
"So it seemed, although I don't know the exact nature. Alexander never revealed his full reasons. I wasn't really in a position to question him at the time. And I only ever helped him with Mad Jack's disposal. My relationship with Alexander waned quickly once the destruction of The Ripper was completed. His death, for me, was cathartic, and I moved on."
"So how do you think Arawn discovered Alexander's involvement in this vendetta?" asked Joan.
"Well, it's not like Alexander took out an advertisement in the Times. And as you may be aware by now, vampires have stealth on their side; so I have no solid theory Ms. Watson. I had not spoken with Alexander in decades, but at a guess? Perhaps Alexander revealed himself to Arawn, and that lead to his demise. That scenario is unlikely, given Alexander's past behavior. Or someone close to Alexander found out his secret and revealed him to Arawn. But I have no idea who that could be. As I said before, Alexander and I tended to live outside of vampire society. I cannot see Alexander revealing his deepest secrets to just anyone, human or vampire."
"Perhaps someone had suspicions and sought out the answers on their own accord," suggested Sherlock.
"Yes Mr. Holmes that is a possibility, but think about it. A single known death by Alexander's hand would not suffice. That death could have been a simple territorial dispute, and Arawn does not seem to be concerned by such things. To get Arawn's attention, someone would need to trace Alexander to multiple deaths. That is no easy task. And that would be the easy part of it; getting this information to Arawn would be even more difficult. Arawn answers to no one. He does not seek contacts or companionship, except under very specific conditions, as I stated before. Regardless of how this happened, I find myself in a most peculiar predicament as a result of Alexander's death. I was Alexander's only child; that makes me and those I care for a target. I believe that I need your help again, if you are willing to give it to me."
"So what is it you want from us, Artemis?" said Joan. "It doesn't seem like we're equipped to help with this situation."
"It will take much of my energy and time to keep Arawn at bay, if I or my associates are targets. What I need from you is to figure out how Alexander came to Arawn's attention. If you can trace that lead, I might have a chance of taking Arawn out before he gets to me or mine. But you must be careful. It is important that you not seem to do this at my behest. It must appear that the police are investigating a lead. You understand, correct? Will you take my case?"
Sherlock stood up and sighed heavily. "I'm afraid to admit it, but you've once again caught my interest Miss Merrell. We'll take your case." And with that, Sherlock excited the room, presumably to begin his research.
"You'll keep him in line, won't you Ms. Watson?" said Artemis as she unfolded from the chair. "You have entered into a most dangerous game."
"I'll do my best," said Joan as she got up and escorted Artemis Merrill to the door.