Chapter Twenty Five

“I don’t bloody believe it!” James yelled, as he watched Elbert count up the tricks, scoring their most recent game of bridge.

Anne, smiling, said “I told you he was good!” She virtually giggled at the glare she received.

The second day of their stay in the small apartment behind Anne’s apothecary had been mind numbingly boring, and in desperation to find something to do Elbert suggested playing cards for pennies. James, who knew better then to play poker with the man after listening to a few to many stories from Elbert’s own lips, agreed but insisted they play either whist or bridge. The games, being very scientific, favored him, or so he had thought.

He’d even gone to the effort of building, from scrap wood remaining from the damaged shelves, a holder for Anne’s cards so she could play as well. Emily, who visited during the days but left early to avoid Whitechapel dangerous nights, had been recruited by Elbert as his own partner since she hadn’t a clue how to play.

The lack of skill in his partner’s case turned out to not be a problem. “Blimey gov, looks like you and Anne owe myself and Ms. Porter here three quid!” The man had the dignity to not chortle. Much.

“I insist we get a Chess board.” James muttered sourly. He was certain he could beat Elbert at chess, or he was until the other man nodded enthusiastically.

“I’ll bring one when I come by on the morrow.” Emily commented, standing as she looked at the clock. “Night falls all too early, now a days.”

“That’d be winter marching in.” James observed. “Do you want one of us to walk you home?”

She shook her head, gesturing for Elbert to sit back down. “No. I have to stop on the way and pick up some things for my da. I’ll probably not be about, since he’s going to need me to help piece together the pipes for St. Mary’s.”

James nodded. “Walk safe.”

“Always professor!” Emily smiled, and soon it was only the two men and the ghost.

“I’ll run and get our supper, then.” Elbert commented, holding out his hand with a smirk. “My quid, good sir?”

James grimaced at the man, and reluctantly handed over half the winnings. “Emily gets the rest.”

“Of course, of course.” The rogue said with a saucy grin, before he followed Emily out the door.

“I can’t believe he had the gall to demand the money.”

Anne burst out laughing in earnest, shaking her head at his grumbling and the hurt expression he gave her. “Oh, come now! You knew you were going to have to pay for our meal either way.” She pointed out.

“True… but it’s the principle of the thing.”

She shook her head at his hang dog expression. “You two geniuses are the ones who decided to stake out an entire district of London! What did you think? Our Lord Jack was going to attack the very next night?”

James grumbled to himself again, not wanting to admit that in his mind that was exactly what he pictured. After all that was how it happened in the Penny Awfuls.

Instead, he and Elbert had been camped out in Anne’s shop for over a week and a half, leaving only when James had to teach classes or Elbert ran down to the pub for their meals. The other man had actually taken to reading one of the study books James used for his class on basic physics in desperation for something to do!

Granted the questions the man had asked were more than entertaining, Elbert being a not unintelligent man but having no previous knowledge or any true interest in the topic, but it was still spars amusement. Sighing, James turned and looked at the compass which was suspended on a tiny, delicate plate rigged with a counter weight. When Jack moved far enough east to set off the device, it would roll and ring a bell. Unfortunately that had only happened once, in the middle of the day, and Elbert had admitted to being asleep at the time. No murder had happened, which wasn’t surprising considering his previous methodology, and the frustration had truly began to mount.

Absently, however, James noticed the arrow was drifting slightly in the desired direction. “He’s teasing us again.”

Anne, glancing at the compass from where she sat, shrugged. “He’s done it before. It is possible that, whatever his goal, he’s already fulfilled it.” She tried not to sound frightened of that thought, since truly she didn’t want anyone else hurt by the monster, but she couldn’t hide it completely. She wanted her killer caught, and this was her only hope to achieve that goal at this point.

“I know. We’ll give it another few days. If he hasn’t killed again in two weeks, he probably isn’t going to.”

“I agree.”

Half an hour later James and Elbert where chatting over their savory meat pies, James filling the other man in on the decision. “I got to admit, Jimmy, I was wondering when you’d abandon the cause, so to speak.”

“What do you mean?”

Elbert shrugged, gesturing with his knife. “You, sir, are a doer. As much as you might like to play at being a scholar and are a damn fine teacher, especially if you can make this physics rubbish make sense to me, you aren’t one to sit on your duff and ponder. You’re one who has to be active, doing, and this ain’t satisfying to a man like you.”

“That’s… probably true. I apologize, but I must admit I never credited you with that much skill in observation.” James admitted.

“You’re probably right.” Elbert agreed with a chuckle. “But I know me, and you and I share that much in common. Surely it’s true that you’re a bit more patient, maybe disciplined as my aunt liked to say I wasn’t is the better word, but you and me like to be doing something.”

“Then I’m amazed you hung about.”

Elbert shrugged. “It’s for Anne, so I’m willing to be a little bored. ‘Sides that, I had a right bastard hunting for me any which way, over a small misunderstanding involving his wallet. Hiding out here with you let the bugger get angry and nicked by the Bobbies. Worked out in the end, that did.”

James shook his head. “Well, glad we could help then.” He commented wryly.

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“And I do thank you… though that was last week and all.” Elbert said with a chuckle. “He wasn’t so patient as yourself.”

“So what do we do, when we leave here?” Anne asked loudly from where she sat next to Elbert.

James put down his knife and pondered her question. “Well, now that you ask I did think of possibly borrowing a few of the law books and criminology texts from Guildhall for study. They might have a suggestion on how to deal with a rogue lord.”

“Why not just turn him in to the Coppers.” Anne demanded. “I know what you said, about him being untouchable, but I can’t believe the Queens Justice can’t capture the man.”

“That’d be the problem exactly Anne.” Elbert replied. “The Lord Jack, as you two like to call him, is a respected member of the house of Lords. He was appointed with a life peerage by Queen Victoria herself, and sits bench as a Lord of Appeal… or at least has in the past. I don’t recall hearing he has since coming back, but he’s in, thick as thieves, with all the men there and rumor has it several of them owe him a fair sum of money. Avoiding such embarrassment that him revealing that would cause could easily guarantee a successful appeal if the Constabulary doesn’t have an iron hard case.”

He took another bite out of his meat pie, chewing the rather lovely crust and meat cheerfully. He swallowed, realizing the other two were staring at him in apparent shock. “What?”

“How in the bloody hell did you know all that?” James demanded.

“I’m a criminal! Of course I know how the Judiciary works, seeing as one day I might need to fool it and all.”

“Fair enough… but I was more wondering about how you suddenly are an expert on Lord William Thompson.”

“Oh… that.” Elbert winced. “Was hoping you’d miss that, after I blurted it all out and all.”

“And yet he didn’t.” Anne observed. “Nor did I. Explain yourself.”

“I know who he is, yeah.” The man sighed. “And, to be true, I know a fair bit about the peerage. After all, I do try to court their daughters whenever possible.”

“And their wives.” James muttered.

“Never!” Elbert said, looking affronted. “I, sir, respect the sanctity of marriage. I would never do such a terrible thing!”

“At least not after what happened the last time.” Anne muttered.

“Exactly… wait… that was an accident! I thought she was single!”

Anne rolled her eyes, while James just chuckled. “So why hide knowing anything?”

Elbert shrugged. “Well… I know I’m not so smart as you, Jimmy… but I am smarter then I let on. Easier to make blokes underestimate me when the time comes.”

“And were you planning for such a time to come with me?”

“Of course not.” The other man scoffed. “Force of habit is all it was.”

“I’ll take your word for it, for now. However, if I…”

The ringing of a bell broke James off mid-sentence, and all three turned towards the compass at once. It was tilted over. “He’s here!”

It had been a matter of moments to grab their weapons of choice, Elbert’s sap and James his cricket bat, and then they were off. James glanced at the compass every few steps, calling out to Elbert any time they had to change direction. A yell of a woman, crying “Murder” Caused both to surge forward at the best possible speed. Both of them cursed the damp night whose mist stole their sight.

The fog parted, revealing a woman trying to crab walk away from a dark cloaked man who pursued her while holding a bloody wound on her shoulder. The man was holding a long, gleaming blade above his head for another stroke, fortunately not seeing James as he dove into his back. Both men went down with a grunt.

The inventor, who’d been expecting the impact, recovered instantly and rolled off of the man, coming up to a knee and swinging the cricket bat in a savage over hand strike aimed for the mans arm. The dark cloaked Lord swung his blade up in an instinctual act of self defense, and managed to deflect the heavy wood though the slim knife shattered from the abuse.

Elbert, who had been a few steps behind the slightly longer legged James, delivered a kick to the supine mans side, sending him rolling past James. He moved to pursue as the professor regained his feet, only to grunt in pain as the killer’s cane tip was driven into his gut. As Elbert stumbled the man, who James realized was wearing a molded, leather mask over his entire face, turned and ran.

James took a step to follow when the weeping woman cried out “Help… I’m bleeding.” With a curse he stopped, glaring in the direction of the killer.

“I’ve got him gov. You help the girl.” Elbert called out. He charged off into the night, leaving James to help the girl.

Turning to her he dropped to one knee and examined the wound. “Oh lord, this is deep.” He muttered.

“Not a good bedside manner dear.” Anne stated. “You have your doctors’ kit?”

“Yes.” James dug into the messenger bag he had thrown over his shoulder on their hurried way out of the shop, gathering a leather bundle and unrolling it on the cobblestones of the street. His brother, Phillip, had insisted that everyone in the family learn at least a bit of basic doctoring from him and had even provided his brother with the kit. James had religiously kept it stocked, replacing the drugs and bandages as needed. “What do I do?”

Anne frowned as she considered the cut. “Use your alcohol to clean the wound. I need to see the cut it’s self.”

Nodding, James lifted up the metal flask. “This will sting.” He warned, before pouring it into the wound. The girl, a prostitute from dress though James didn’t worry about that now, whimpered in pain but didn’t move.

Anne looked on. “That is deep, but it missed anything vital. Rip strips off of that soft wool you have… no the other one. Yes… Pack the cut with that quickly.”

James ripped the strips free, and used a small wooden stick, which Phillip used to press down a patients tongue but which James had never before found a use for. “Won’t this hurt her?” He asked.

“Are you asking me?” The woman asked, obviously confused.

“No… no… I just talk to myself a lot.” James replied with a wince.

Anne, for her part, had shaken her head. “It won’t cause any damage, not compared to the knife blade and bleeding out at any rate. Now, use the longest bandage you have and wrap it around her torso and the wound. You want it to put pressure on the wound, but not on her neck.”

Anne watched as he carefully obeyed her instructions. “It’s fortunate she is wearing such a low cut bodice, though I question her sanity. It can’t be much above freezing out.” Anne commented.

“It’s probably a requirement of her… um… profession.”

“What is?” The woman in question asked.

“Um…” James groped for an answer, then with a sigh admitted. “Your bodice is a bit…immodest.”

“That’s what the blokes like.” She commented. “Though I don’t think they’ll be liking a big livid scar.” She sighed.

“Tell her to come to your shop… or the apothecary when she’s done at the hospital and with Scotland Yard. I can tell you how to mix a salve that will all but erase the scar.”

James relayed the instructions, leaving out the fact that a ghost would be doing it. The woman smiled radiantly at him. “That’d be wonderful! I can’t pay you though…” She looked crestfallen, almost as quickly as she had looked happy.

“That’s hardly a concern for me.” James commented. “I’m just sorry you got hurt in the first place.”

“I doubt you could have known Jack his self was going to be in Whitechapel tonight. I’m just right lucky you came along.” The prostitute admitted. “Most around here would have let me die.”

“I’m not most people.”

“No you ain’t. Tell you what… if you ever need a good romp, just come find me. Alice is my name!”

“Um…” James struggled for a response while Anne watched, giggling.

“Say thank you, James.”

“Thank you…” He stuttered out. “Now, come on. I’ll help you get to the closest doctor.”

“Ain’t any, since Anne Campbell died. Not around here at least.”

“I insist. If there isn’t one close I’ll help you to wherever we can find one. Or to Scotland Yard. They’ll be able to find you help.”

“And I suppose I should tell them Jack tried to murder me.” She admitted. “I hate talking to the bloody coppers. They always look so angry at me.”

“I understand, trust me.” James stated. “But I need you to give them a description for your attacker.”

“He was wearing a mask. Not much to say.”

“I can tell you what he looks like… Unfortunately the Metropolitan Police and I don’t see eye to eye on this matter.”

She frowned, then shrugged…whimpering slightly at the unwise move. “Sure, gov. I’ll tell them whatever you want.”

James opened his mouth to thank her, when running feet caused him to whip around and stand, grabbing his bat in the process. He sighed in relief when Elbert appeared. “Sorry, Jimmy. The blighter lost me somehow. I would have sworn I was right on his arse, too.”

“Its fine, Elbert. Help me with Miss Alice.”

“Oh… Miss Alice? You’re a polite one.” The girl teased. Chuckling, Elbert helped her to her feet and the trio began limping along with Anne following along.

The ghost, as an afterthought, called out “James.”

“Yes?”

“If you ever take her up on that offer, you’ll find my haunting to become much less friendly.”

James winced at the threat in her voice. “Never even considered it, Anne.”

“Good.”

“Who is he talking to?” Alice asked Elbert, who responded by laughing the rest of the way to the closest police man.