Finding Jack: 1888 in Whitechapel

5. Still Alive

"GOD DAMNNIT!" James cried out, shouting at the top of his lungs. It was the next morning and the news had not been taken well by the rest of the team. Needless to say, everyone was awfully sick and tired of this case (mainly because of the drinks the night before). All of their work had been for nothing. That man was innocent of the crimes they had charged him of. However, nobody was more worried than James. He looked like he hadn't slept a wink. His skin was pale, his hair was wilder than usual, the spikes curling downwards to the ground. Many bags sat underneath his eyes.

"What now?" Joey asked, tension building rapidly in the room. Despite the fact that it were he who discovered the body, he was doing okay. He had managed to sleep, despite the rude discovery of that body. These kind of sights used to keep him up at night, but now it was just an everyday thing that he was somehow accustomed to. Besides, he was so darn drunk that he could almost have slept beside the gory body. The room had been silent for some time now. Everybody was in thought.

"We killed an innocent man." Rachel sighed, contemplating her life choices. "We must continue to look for the real killer in his honour." The room was filled with thick anxiety, even from Rachel herself, but she had been working in the police force for quite some time now. She worked hard to get here and she was not going to give up. Standing up suddenly, she exclaimed. "Come on! We are the H-Divison; do we give up so easily? Sure, the boss is dead and, er, so are many young women, but we must keep moving forward. Do we let that monster go free, or do we give him justice??" Nobody spoke or looked up. She sighed once more.

"Rach-" Brandon began a few minutes later.

"That's Inspector Penender to you." She snapped back, snatching the images of the newest victim from the table and studying it. 'Milly Sawford' she thought to herself. How many were going to die if she didn't do what was right? She needed to review the evidence. She needed to catch Jack.

~~~

Within an hour, conversations began again. "So, we are sure that this was Jack?" James asked, his nerves showing for the first time in the whole investigation.

"I am sure of it," Joey stated, looking to the image. Rachel nodded as well, though her attention was not entirely on the conversation. "Everything alright, Rachel?"

"Oh- Oh yes, everything is fine." She replied, quickly looking up and refamiliarising herself with her colleagues. "There's just something that keeps rematerialising in my head. I can't seem to get it to go away." Everyone turned to Rachel in that moment.

"Have you got something to add, Inspector Penendor?" Kayla asked, her interest peaking. They had got virtually nowhere with their investigating for the day, so any ideas would be beneficial.

"No, I just need to revise my notes; I'll check back with you tomorrow." She explained, scribbling some things down.

"In that case," Ellie began with a yawn, "we better get a good sleep and work on this tomorrow."

"No." Joey ordered. "We must keep working. Rachel is right, he is still out there, and we must stop him as quickly as we can." Ellie rolled her eyes.

"Come on, Joey, you're not thinking straight!" She complained, pointing to his lousy, tired handwriting. "Come on, I'll walk you home." He took in a painfilled breath before nodding and picking up his coat. Within ten minutes, it was just Brandon and Rachel.

"Come on, Rach!" Brandon begged, trying to drag her by the hand. "We gotta go get some rest. We'll catch him tomorrow, okay?"

"You don't understand!" She yelled, pushing him away. "We killed an innocent man. He told me something and I can't let it go. He- He told me who did it."

"HE WHAT!?" Brandon exclaimed, his face scrunching up with anger, his hands reaching for his head in disbelief. "WHAT DID HE SAY?!"

"I- I can't tell you that." Rachel stuttered, placing out the collection of victim images across the table. Brandon made a sound of disbelief before he began to walk out. "W- Wait!" She called, making Brandon stop for a moment. "I- I love you, okay?"

"I know." Brandon replied, before exiting the police station. Ignoring the tears pouring from her eyes, Rachel continued to work. If she could crack this, it would all be over. If Jack is who the imposter said he was, this changed everything. She didn't even consider it until now.

But of course! It began to make sense, little details beginning to add up. "So, it is an inside job? But that means-"

"Yes." Replied a familiar voice from behind. She covered her mouth with horror. Her friend, her colleague. The man told the truth. Why didn't she listen? None of that mattered now, though. Now that she knew, things were about to get ugly.

"So it is true." She interrogated, looking up and down the figure in black. "You are 'Jack the Ripper'?" The figure nodded and smiled.

"Don't run." They whispered as Rachel's eyes darted looking for exits. Slowly, she grabbed her baton. This was not going to be easy. "It wasn't easy being a famous murderer and a detective, y'know?"

"Why did you do it?"

"Never you mind about that." The figure pulled out a medium-sized blade. Rachel's eyes widened. "I figured you'd catch on to me this time." They explained, slowly approaching her. "You're a good detective. It's a shame our friends will find you dead tomorrow morning-"

And with that, she ran. There was a room with a window that she could use to escape easily. But 'Jack' would not give up that easily. "RACHEL!" They cried as they began to swing their blade towards her, only managing to cut her back slightly. She slammed the door shut. She held it closed, gritting her teeth because of the pain.

"Why do the murders? Why kill all those innocent people?" She asked, resisting the urge to scream in pain. The injuries were bleeding, sure, but she could cope for the time being.

"Addiction." They replied, before hammering the door with their fist. Surely they couldn't get through. She felt a force trying to open the door. Oh God. Was this the end? These were the last thoughts in her head before the door burst open and a careful cut was placed in her throat. She looked up to the figure. I'm sorry, Brandon. I am so so-

A kick was enough to finish her. One final blow to the head and it was done. A career of success in the metropolitan police was swiftly finalised by the foot of Jack. Within moments, the same voice that ended her life returned. "What have I done? What h-have I done!?" the voice yelled and began to sob. In the corner of their eye, they noticed a rope. There was only one thing they could do...