Thursday; November 8th, 1888:

The heavy autumn rain lessened and would soon turn to snow as the months passed, giving way to winter. The weather seemed all too fitting with the somber mood that weighed heavily on the hearts and minds of London's citizens during this bleak time.

Sherlock walked alone down the wet sidewalk of the rain drenched city. His eyes were fixed upon the ground that he tread underfoot as his mind still attempted to piece together the puzzle that was the Ripper's true identity. It appeared that on this dark, dreary and damp night Sherlock walked the streets alone. His tall figure and dark coat cast a sinister shadow on the wall as he walked, small pockets of mist that encompassed his escaping breaths added to his silhouette a sinister ambience.

Unconsciously, the consulting detective found himself walking through Buck's Row; the first crime scene in the spree of murders that belong to the Ripper. Mary Ann Nichols' body had been discovered in the early morning on August 31st, her throat cut twice and her abdomen mutilated by the hands of a devious predator. The blood that once stained the ground had been washed clean by the rain, but the site itself would be forever tainted by the memory of her murder.

Sherlock stared silently at the location where her body had been found, his mind drifting uncontrollably back to the night when he had been summoned by the investigating police force. There was no rain puddles on the stones of the alley that morning, only blood.

Despite the best joint efforts from the police force and the consulting detective there were no significant breaks in the case. Every lead that had been followed only uncovered more questions than answers. When a second victim was discovered only eight days later the city began to fear that an unidentified mass murderer was on the loose, and could very well be someone they knew.

Saturday September 8th on Hanbury Street of Spitalfields, the body of Annie Chapman had been discovered in the doorway of a backyard. Just as Nichols before her, Chapman's throat had been cut open twice and her abdomen mutilated. During this investigation a witness came forward claiming to have seen Annie in the company of a man of shabby appearance. Unfortunately the witness description was not enough to hold any one man accountable for the killings.

His mind still wracking over the possible identity of the Ripper, Sherlock returned to the most recent crime scene that had occurred only eight days prior; Elizabeth Stride's murder in Dutfield's Yard. The rain destroyed what little evidence that would've been left behind by the killer, and with the report of a third Ripper victim being discovered on the same night prevent a complete investigation of the crime scene before the body was taken away.

However, before leaving the first scene for the next Sherlock noted that Stride's body lacked the characteristic mutilation of the previous victims during the initial investigation. The murder of Catherine Eddowes so soon after Stride seemed to indicate that the Ripper had been interrupted before he could finish his 'work' with Stride. The possible interruption could also explain why a killer, who had previously been so meticulous in covering all traces of his crime, would leave behind a bloodied apron that seemingly belonged to Eddowes as he fled the scene of the crime.

Choosing to act on an intuitive hunch, Sherlock walked back to Mitre Square. The cold autumn rain falling heavier now than it had earlier in the evening, the night air chilling the rain to that of ice. He pulled his collar up higher to try and cover his ears and throat. Thankful that he remembered to grab his deerstalker cap he pulled it down lower over his eyes to shield his sight from the heavy drops of rain as he continued on his long walk toward the distant Square.

Upon arrival of the now cleared scene he discovered than a kindhearted passerby or citizen had left a white lily as tribute to the victims of the Ripper. The beauty of the lone flower could not however cover the unfortunate smell of stagnant blood that still lingered in the air. It was from this scene that the tattered, bloodied apron had been taken by the Ripper. During this moment of reexamination a new theory donned on the overactive mind of the consulting detective.

"Perhaps, I have been mistaken. The very notion that the apron had been dropped through carelessness on the Ripper's behalf was inaccurate. Perhaps, the apron had been dropped intentionally as either a taunt to the investigators or as bait." He spoke aloud to no one in general, almost forgetting that on this cold night he left the flat alone.

The thought was too tempting, too sinister to simply cast aside or even cast doubt. Following the same path that he and Watson had followed once before on the night of the double murders, Sherlock returned to the tenement doorway on Goulston Street. The chalk written anti-Semitic graffiti that once marred the brick wall above the location of the dropped apron had long since been washed clean. It surely had been removed by the police force to prevent possible anti-Semitic riots after its discovery.

Shaking is head at the disregard and destruction of what could be vital evidence, Sherlock stooped down to investigate the spot on the ground where the apron had been discovered. His brilliant mind felt conflicted as he eyed the weather beaten ground. On one hand the thoroughly investigate a crime scene was crucial by all means, but on the other hand he knew that what evidence could have been left behind had already been removed or destroyed by the frequent rains.

With his back turned to the vacant dark street Sherlock was exposed and unaware of a lone figure approaching from the darkness...

...to be continued...