RIPPER'S LONDON Chapter 3
Forming the team
Date: 12/09/1888
"Gazette News! Inquest into Annie Chapman starts today! Inquest into Leather Apron's second victim starts today!" The young boy shouted out. There were no better newspaper sellers than kids who were willing to run around the streets shouting at the tope of their lungs. People eagerly handed over the coins for copies of the paper to read about the misery that 'Leather Apron' was causing the streets of Whitechapel.
Working Lads' Institute Hall
9 00 am. Inquest into Annie Chapman's Murder begins
"This is the inquest into Annie Chapman's murder and I will not tolerate it being turned into some circus," the Chairman said with conviction. "Due to the infamy of this murder and that Mary Nichols, I have taken the unusual step of letting in members of the public. But if it turns into a circus, if there are uproars then I'll clear the hall… Everybody better understand that," he continued as he made sure to lay down the law.
Tony's eyes scanned the room from his vantage point. It was a possibility that 'Leather Apron' could be in the very same room. They could be standing a few feet away from him and not even know it. His eyes fixated on the silver haired stranger. "What is he doing here?" Tony asked.
"What?" Gordon asked as he watched a witness go to the chair.
"That's the man that was at the station, not saying or doing anything," Tony said without taking his eyes off the man. "I wonder who he is…," he said and noticed that the silver haired man was scanning the room to as if looking for someone or something.
Blue eyes locked with green eyes for a second with intensity. Tony quickly broke his gaze. Members of the press were hovering around like a plague of rats waiting to feed on the rotting form of humanity.
Coroner Wynne E. Baxter was in charge of questioning the witnesses and the doctor. He was no stranger to medical controversy or being in the limelight. Tony knelt down beside Ducky's chair. "Who's Baxter? He kind of looks familiar," Tony whispered.
Ducky acknowledged Tony's remark with a nod. "Wynne E. Baxter… He's well known for his work in the medical profession with Joseph Merrick," Ducky answered Tony.
Joseph Merrick's name didn't ring the bell for Tony. "I must be confusing him with somebody else," Tony commented.
"No, I don't think so Anthony… Perhaps you know the young man by his unfortunate circus name of The Elephant Man," Ducky elaborated on the medical case that Wynne E. Baxter was famous for. Just about everybody knew who the Elephant Man was. The young man's grotesque appearance had given birth to monsters and horror stories. Underneath all the deformed skin, Joseph was probably a wonderful human being.
"Oh yeah… Hey. Do you know that man over there?" Tony pointed towards the silver haired man who was looking around once again.
"No idea, Anthony. I've seen the man around before. Actually he seemed to appear out of nowhere about a week ago," Ducky answered. He had seen the stranger at the station a few times and also just around Whitechapel but never had the occasion to have a conversation with the man.
"Been about a week huh?" Tony said before returning to where he was standing. His mind was forcing two and two together. Again he scanned the room. He was trying to ascertain which of the people looked like they could attack a woman with such ferocity. In his mind, he began to mull that very question over and over.
"State your name and what you do for a living," Coroner Baxter said to the next witness that was called. The woman casted her eyes downward, giving the hall full view of her thick curly hair. "It's alright… No need to be shy," Baxter encouraged her.
"Elizabeth Long," Elizabeth answered. "I am a park-keeper," she said.
"You may have to speak up so everybody can hear you," Baxter said as he paced in front of her. "You stated to the police that you were walking down Hanbury Street on the eighth of September… Can you tell the people what you had observed when you reached number 29?" Baxter asked.
"Yes. I was going to the Spitalfields Market to pick things up for some meals. I passed Anne Chapman and she was speaking with a man who was slightly taller than her. I think he was a foreigner. He had an accent," Long attempted to avoid eye contact from all the people looking at her. She rubbed her hands nervously.
"Did you get a look at their faces?" Baxter queried.
"No… They were facing each other. The man's back was towards me and the street while Anne Chapman's back was against the fence," Elizabeth answered.
"What time did this occur?" Baxter asked.
"It was half past five in the morning. I know because the Black Eagle Brewery clock sounded. That was when I heard the man ask… 'Will you?' and Anne Chapman said 'Yes' by the end of that, I had passed by. It wasn't unusual for those kind of women and men talking at that time of the morning," Elizabeth answered, getting more confident as time went on.
"What was the man wearing?" Baxter asked her.
"He was wearing one of those brown deer-hunting hats. He wore a big coat. Black I think but might've been dark grey or brown. I don't know for sure. The light wasn't too good around that area. It is hard to tell the exact color," Elizabeth responded. She looked at the coroner to see if her answer was alright.
"Thank you," Baxter told Elizabeth as she stepped off the chair and left the hall. "Next I would like to call Mister Cadosch," Baxter said. With what was going on, there wasn't any room to waste time. Like everyone else, Baxter knew that the Press was looking for any excuse to criticize proceedings.
A young sat on the chair and rubbed his ear as he waited to be asked the questions. He thought that at least he didn't take the stand first. There were two things he hated at times and that was being first in line and last in line. "State your name, address and what you do for a living?" Baxter began the witness statement.
"Albert Jean Cadosch. I live at 27 Hanbury Street and I'm a carpenter," Albert answered as he leaned forward just a bit.
"Could you please tell us what you saw and heard on the morning of eighth of September?" Baxter asked the question. Making sure that he kept his voice even and his questioning direct.
Albert thought for a moment as he made sure he recalled everything of relevance from that morning. "I woke up at around quarter after five and went outside. While out there, I heard a woman call out 'no'," Albert answered the question.
"You are a family man are you not? Tell me what you were doing outside at that time of morning," Albert noticed the slight redness appear on the young man's face. "I think we get it. In your opinion, what did the woman's voice sound like?" Albert asked.
"Angry," Albert answered. "She sounded angry. I didn't see or hear who she was talking to. And as it's a common occurrence for people to 'meet' in between our two houses so I didn't think much of it. After getting a drink, I left the house again and decided to wait until Alice got out of bed so I wouldn't disturb her. The clock at Christ Church read thirty two after five. There was the sound of something hitting the fence but I did not investigate," Albert continued with the story.
"Why didn't you investigate?" Baxter asked.
Albert rubbed the back of his neck. "Well you know… It wasn't uncommon for sexual acts to be performed in the area," Albert answered.
"Did you see anybody?" Baxter asked directly.
"No I did not see anybody at all. I heard the noise against the fence and nothing else," Albert answered. Internally, he was grateful that he didn't investigate what was going on. God only knew what could have happened if he did.
"Thank you Mister Cadosch," Baxter said as he motioned for the young man to leave the chair.
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An officer tapped Tony on the shoulder. "Hey… Mister DiNozzo," the officer said and stood on his toes to talk into the taller man's ear. "There's a stain that's been found at number 25 Hanbury Street," the officer told him.
Tony tapped Gordon on the shoulder and motioned for him to follow. They made their way through the rows of chairs to get the unofficial third man of their team. "McGee… Hey. Psst," Tony quickly motioned for McGee to follow. He enthusiastically leapt to his feet and followed the other two. The silver haired man climbed to his feet and inconspicuously followed the three officers.
Lewis Roberts was a seasoned reporter. One who always had one eye on what was going around him. Some people thought he was the best in the business, and those people included Lewis. He was the man that informed the public and he took that responsibility very seriously. He had no doubts that the sudden exit of the three H-division police meant that there was something going on. So, there was no way he was going to hang around the inquest listening to testimonies that said the same thing.
Tony, Gordon and McGee waved down a horse and carriage. "Did you see that silver haired guy again?" Tony asked.
McGee piped up. "He actually followed us out. I think he took the carriage behind us," he assumed that the stranger was still following them.
Gordon looked around. "Looks like your friend noticed us leave as well," he couldn't help but smile. He didn't need to explain who the friend was. "Go faster," Gordon told the coach driver.
They held on tight as the coach picked up speed and almost toppled over as it turned the corner. "Take the next left and drop us off and keep going," Tony said. While they investigated the 25 Hanbury Street stains they didn't want to be disturbed by some strange onlooker. "McFollow, I want you to follow that silver haired man. Follow him but be careful," Tony warned. He and Gordon hid behind a wall as they watched the coach go by.
"We better go now," Gordon said as they began running to Hanbury Street.
They had a tough time trying to sidestep the oncoming coaches as well as the everyday traffic of people. But they both managed to make it there in one piece. "Hello. I'm Laura Sickings," An elderly woman introduced herself.
"You live here? You found the stain?" Tony said as he fought to catch his breath.
She pointed to the stain that was against the side of her house. And went on about what she thought the stain could be. Tony was reluctant but bent down and leaned forward to have for a closer examination. His nose twitched at the awful smell of it. "It's not blood," Tony straightened up.
"Your keen sense of smell?" Gordon asked him. He shook his head when he saw Lewis Roberts entering the area. "Oh God," Gordon said with annoyance.
"What ya two found there?" Lewis asked as he brought out his notebook. "Is that blood? Did ya find more blood here?" He asked them.
Tony snatched the notebook and flicked through it before handing it back. He wanted to check to make sure it wasn't his. "No this isn't blood," Tony responded.
"Are you sure? You're not -," Lewis asked with a certain amount of suspicion. He was sure they were withholding information that the public should know. "Hey!" Lewis cried out.
Tony had grabbed the back of the reporter's neck and forced his head to the stain. "Tony!" Gordon cried out.
"Smell it! Smell it, smell it," Tony said coldly. "Does it smell like blood to you?" He almost had the reporter's nose touching the dark stain. "Or does it smell like someone's pissed against the wall?" He asked. "It's a urine stain. Not blood," Tony let Lewis go. The man looked at him with such distaste before leaving.
Commercial Police Station
4 15 pm
"Inspector Jethro Gibbs," Superintendant Thomas Arnold shook hands with the silver haired man sitting in front of him. "You've had time to inspect my men at work?" Thomas asked him.
"I needed to observe some goings on… It's better if I put together a team that can totally concentrate on solving the Leather Apron case," Gibbs said. He made sure to stay straight on target.
"Good idea… Do you have anyone in mind?" Arnold asked.
"Yes… Tony DiNozzo. His partner Gordon Cale and Police Constable Tim McGee," Gibbs began to say. There was a look of disapproval from the Superintendant. "What?" He asked.
"Now I understand you're one of the top Inspectors of Scotland Yard… But I can give you about twenty names off the top of my head that'd be better than Anthony DiNozzo and PC McGee is still young and lacks real experience," Thomas explained.
"I've made my choice," Gibbs stood up. "If you can't give me a real reason why I can't have these three men, then they're with me," Gibbs stated and Thomas just shrugged his shoulders. There was no reason that Thomas could think of really besides Tony's lack of discipline at times. Well most times really.
"Well for the duration of the Leather Apron Investigation they're yours," Thomas turned his palms up in defeat and waited for the Scotland Yard Inspector to leave his office.
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Tony and Gordon walked into the Commercial Street station and found the McGee who was looking like a beaten dog with his tail between his legs. "What happened?" Tony asked the young PC.
"Well turns out the stranger is a Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Been staying at a Mrs. Piltcher residence since September the third. It's an address he usually stays whenever he visits the local area," McGee told him.
"You never cease to surprise Mc-Information," Tony said as he tapped McGee on the shoulder. "What else? Did you find out what he does?" He asked.
McGee nodded slowly. "Scotland Yard Inspector," McGee almost laughed at the sudden change of expressions of Tony and Gordon. They too had realized that they played cat and mouse with someone from Scotland Yard.
They saw the silver-haired blue-eyed Inspector walk towards them and almost snapped to attention. There was almost a stare down. "Look Sir… I can explain," Tony said emphatically.
"Never apologize," Gibbs said gruffly. "I'm Inspector Gibbs. You three. With me. Now," he spoke in clipped sentences. This caused the three to look at each other nervously. Surely their actions would bring on dire consequences. "You're my team. That means you belong to me. You take your orders from me and nobody else. If you have a problem tell me now and I can replace you," Gibbs told them.
"Yes Sir," Tony answered for the others.
"Do I look like a Knight to you?" Gibbs asked Tony when he spun around.
"Uh," Tony was about to say something but closed his mouth. How was he supposed to answer that and not say the wrong thing? Already it seemed like it was going to be tough working with a man that seemed drunk on his own power.
"No… I am not a knight and I haven't been Knighted by Queen Victoria. So don't call me Sir," Gibbs said harshly. He noted their unease which could be a good thing keeping the three on edge.
Tony, Gordon and McGee looked at each other and visibly swallowed. Of course they were used to having a tough boss. But this man was above their boss and looked like he could rule with a clenched fist. It was clear that Gibbs was a man who took leadership extremely seriously.