A/N: I haven't used the term Jack The Ripper yet... If you've all noticed. The name Jack the Ripper wasn't used until October 1888. Also I don't think I mentioned that H-Division refers to the group of police in charge of Whitechapel.
CHAPTER WARNING! Contains mention of sexual assault.
RIPPER'S LONDON 4
13/09/1888
Victims and Things just don't add up…
They really thought that their temporary boss had been joking when he told them pull the files on some previous unsolved murders or attacks on women that could be victims of 'Leatherr Apron.' Gibbs had forbid them to use that term unless accompanied by the word murderer. Team Gibbs as they seemed to be referred to as now had been given free use of the large conference room. Gordon and McGee had cleared a room while Tony had brought in a couple of chalk boards.
That was when they began bringing boxes and boxes of papers from the archives and current investigations. This action had caused rumors and speculations from the others, especially the prospect of Mary Nichols not being the first victim of Leather Apron.
Gibbs almost smiled approvingly when he noted how quickly and without question the three had set things up. "Good," he took a sip of coffee from his cup. He thought there had to be an easier way to get a damn good coffee.
"You requested my presence?" Doctor Mallard walked into the room.
"Doctor Mallard?" Gibbs hadn't had a chance to meet all the key players yet.
"Please call me Ducky… You know I never really liked-," Ducky began to explain the reason he disliked the Doctor Mallard name.
"Alright… Ducky it is then. Take a seat over there Ducky," Gibbs said.
"Alright Inspector Gibbs," Ducky answered obediently. He knew who the man was since the Scotland Yard Inspector was the main topic of conversation from everyone at H-Division.
"Don't call me that. I am your boss, but I don't want you lot to put me above you. We're here for one reason and that is to bring in Leather Apron to face justice for what he's done," Gibbs responded.
"Alright Jethro," Ducky said.
"Good. Now. Let's start with the unsolved murders," Gibbs said as he pointed to Tony to begin.
"Emma Elizabeth Smith. Forty-five year old mother of two. Widow and Prostitute," Tony answered as he looked at the sketch of the victim. "Mrs. Smith, on her way home on April the third was stopped at the corner of Brick Lane and Wentworth Street. Where she was beaten, raped and according to her, she was raped by a blunted object and then robbed," Tony said.
"I heard about that one," Gordon added. "She walked to 18 George Street with her shoulder wrap in between her thighs," he said. He didn't work the case but it was talked about for a couple of weeks.
"She was rushed to London Hospital where she was able to give a vague description of the group who attacked her. But slipped into a coma and died as a result of her injuries four days after," Tony continued on.
"Fors," Gibbs prodded.
Ducky sat with the inquest reports and medical reports. "Well like Anne Chapman and Mary Nichols the vagina was brutalized," that was the only similarity he could think of. "That's where any similarities end. According to the reports there were no signs of the mutilations that accompanied Anne and Mary," Ducky responded.
"And the fact that there was more than one attacker," McGee said. That and he didn't feel the need to say that a knife wasn't used on the body.
"So…, We scratch her off the list. Next," Gibbs responded without missing a heartbeat.
"Martha Tabram otherwise known as Emma Turner. August 7. Just outside the George Yard Buildings," Tony said. There had been some argument between him and Gordon over the validity of this case being solved or unsolved. "Stabbed at least thirty nine times," Tony said.
"Well considering that the body wasn't mutilated and they were stab wounds and not cuts like the two… It's hard to even think about putting her on the list," Gordon argued. "Can't see any real reason why she'd be a victim," Gordon continued on.
"Well her murderer seemed intent on inflicting straightforward damage to vital organs. Such as the lungs and parts in the abdomen. Then again… The stabs could've been made by someone who was driven mad by rage. Whereas the murder of Mary and Annie was sickeningly deliberate," Ducky polished his glasses.
"What if Martha's murder was the one that got him started… Got the taste for mutilation started because of it," Tony suggested. He wasn't exactly sure why he thought about arguing the point. Maybe it was that damn Lewis who got that idea stuck in his head. It had at least warranted further investigation.
Gibbs narrowed his eyes, there was definitely strong feelings on this one. Neither of them seemed to be willing to concede their belief. Perhaps for just that fact, they needed to look deeper into it. "We'll put Martha Tabram in the list as a possibility," Gibbs stated. "Right," he stuck the Martha photograph on the chalkboard, then did the same with Mary Nichols and Annie Chapman's photographs.
"Testimonies at the inquest," Gibbs raised the chalk. "Now what did the witnesses say?" Gibbs asked.
Everything was pretty much straightforward. That was beside the fact that that the murder was still unsolved. But there were no controversial conflicting eyewitness accounts that seemed to accompany the Annie Chapman murder. "Elisabeth sees someone talking with Annie Chapman as the clock strikes half past five and she hears the man ask 'will you?' and the Annie said yes," Tony explained. "With in a couple of minutes, Albert from number 27 was outside… He heard a woman yell no and then there was a sound of something falling against the fence… But didn't see anything because the fence was in the way," Tony told the story as they had it so far.
"What makes them so sure of the time they heard what was going on?" Gibbs asked them. The times that they said were so exact.
"Well… Elisabeth said she heard the clock ring half five," Gordon continued on. "While Albert saw the clock face reading two past half five the second time he was outside," he continued on while looking through the notes.
"Right… Is it at all possible that Elisabeth Smith could have heard the five fifteen bell?" Gibbs asked.
"Well considering the echoing effect caused by the houses and the area and take into account that there was someone talking. That added to that she may have tried to hurry passed, therefore her feet could have been hitting the ground harder," McGee answered.
"Point, McGee," Gibbs snapped. He was getting tired and McGee's elongated answer was starting to get on his nerves.
"Uh, yeah, it is possible and could be likely that it was indeed the quarter past bell she heard," McGee quickly gave the positive answer.
"There is still one more discrepancy," Ducky said as it looked like they were going onto the next lot of papers. "The time of death or Annie Chapman is more around the four thirty mark," Ducky told them. "There's actually no way she was alive at half past five or quarter past five," he said.
"What are you saying?" Gibbs asked as he rubbed his face. He needed coffee and needed it fast if this was going to keep going.
"That Elisabeth Long could have been looking at a dead victim at that time," Ducky answered solemnly. "Say, that the killer was doing his work and he heard someone approaching. So… He holds Elisabeth up with an arm around her shoulder so that it'd be unseen by the passerby," Ducky waited for the others to say something about this theory.
"But she heard them talking," McGee said quickly.
"Did she hear them talking? Or just the killer talking? For instance…," Ducky paused for a moment. "Will you?" He asked in his normal voice. "Yes," he then answered him self in higher pitched feminine voice. "See how easy it would be," Ducky responded.
"So you're saying, that he hung around Hanbury Street for an hour with a dead prostitute?" Gibbs asked. He wondered what kind of sick person could do such a thing. Not even his years in Scotland Yard prepared him for Whitechapel.
"We were there at Hanbury Street just after the body was discovered. It's more than speculation that Annie did not meet her demise at that location," Ducky said as the others nodded their head in agreement.
"So…, Where was she murdered then?" Gibbs asked. It was a stupid question, if it was known, then it would've been mentioned in the reports. There weren't any reports of unexplained pools of blood anywhere. Surely, those types of injuries would cause a damn lot of blood to be spilled. And someone would've raised the alarm. Since it had been all quiet in that respect, then the place they were looking for was still around somewhere.
"That's the hundred pound question," Tony said as he leaned back in the chair.
"What we need to do is trace the footsteps of Annie Chapman and Nichols…, Also to have a talk with people that might have known them," Gibbs said as he clapped his hands causing the others to almost snap to attention.
"There's one person that could help with knowing them," Tony smiled in the direction of Gordon.
"Missy A," Gordon turned his head sideways to look at Tony and they both smiled.
"Alright…," Gibbs stood up. "DiNozzo and I will see this Missy A… Gordon and you McGee, I want you two to trace back the last known whereabouts of Mary and Annie," he told them. "Duck… I understand you're testifying at the inquest in a couple of days… I know this is asking too much, but I need you to draw attention of the press off us for as long as possible…," Gibbs said to the Doctor.
"I'll do what I can Jethro," Ducky responded affirmatively.
"DiNozzo!" Gibbs raised his voice. "With me. Now," he ordered.
"Yes, Sir," Tony responded automatically. That earned him a tap on the shoulder and a death glare that made Tony freeze. "Calling you by your name just doesn't feel right," Tony explained.
"I'm your current boss, DiNozzo. But I will not consider myself a superior person. Do NOT call me sir again… Do I make myself clear, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked with narrowed eyes.
"Yes, Boss," Tony said. The older man had referred him self as their boss a couple of times. So calling him Boss seemed to fit in extremely well. And there was no negative reaction from Gibbs when he did so.
The Prince Albert
(The Pub)
Even though it was early evening by the time Gibbs and Tony walked into The Prince Albert, it was full of patrons who were eager to spend their earnings on drink or other things that may take their fancy. Their presence was acknowledged with silence. A moment later, everyone continued on with their own conversations.
"What can I get for you, Gentlemen?" The man behind the bar asked them.
"We're here to see Missy. Is she upstairs?" Tony asked directly. He got a nod in return. Gibbs and Tony made their way through the smoke-filled room and climbed the stairs to the second floor. "I have to say something about this one… Warn you I guess. Missy A is a contradiction in terms, wrapped in an enigma… Really the cleanest, most law-abiding whore you'd ever meet," Tony explained as he knocked on the door and waited.
"Tony!" The thick black haired lady answered. "Hey there. Come in," she greeted Gibbs. Tony couldn't help but smile when he noticed the boots that Missy was wearing. Her boots went halfway up her legs and he wondered if Abby always wore dresses that were way too short. Her hair was usually tied up but at the moment the hair just naturally hung down to her shoulders. He quickly turned his attention away when Missy turned around. "This a new friend Tony?" Missy said.
"No… I mean, not really," Tony said as he tried not to trip over his own words. Tony was very experienced with women but Missy A seemed to always have a peculiar effect on him.
"Oh I see. A client then? You willin' to pay for a good time Mistah… I can show ya things I know ya can only dream of," Missy said to Gibbs. She emphasized the common sounding accent. Making it sound thick and faked.
"Missy this is…," Tony was exasperated that she thought the Scotland Yard Inspector was a prospective client. He wasn't too sure what the backlash could be for him or for Missy.
"DiNozzo… Perhaps we should introduce you to her properly… This is Abigail Scuito. Our eyes and ears on the street. Not in our employ, but someone who gives us certain information when we need it," Gibbs stated as the two hugged.
"Been awhile, Gibbs," Abigail said.
Tony's jaw had dropped in shock. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Well he definitely had Missy pegged wrong. That would make him a laughing stock. "Aren't you going to say something, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked.
"You two know each other?" Tony asked. Tony was so surprised about what had transpired he didn't see Gibbs raise his hand but he felt the pain of the hand hitting the back of his head. "Thanks I need that. Of course you know each other," Tony said, snapping out of the shock. He had lived in Whitechapel for near on three years and it was still surprising him with twists and turns.