The Chesapeake Ripper and The Baltimore Ripper

Arthur

"Still nothing from the mother. Oh, and here's a profile of her" Jack threw a file onto his desk and I glanced around his office. It was just me, Jack, Hannibal and Will. We were all stood up except for Jack, as usual really. Will hesitantly walked over when he saw me and Hannibal didn't move and he flicked through the pages, I just stared at him and waited for a certain reaction. His eyes slightly widened and he flicked through the pages even faster.
"Does she even know who she is anymore, Jack?" Will asked him. Jack just shrugged his shoulders as a response and this was getting... interesting.
"Well, she knows she's a mother" I reminded them all.
"And that's why we must look after the baby, Grace" Jack replied to me, in a calm but serious tone.
"Is there any new cases, Jack?" Hannibal questioned.
"No, the two rippers have calmed down" he said with some relief in his voice, only that he didn't know the two rippers were in the same room with him at that moment in time.
"Only a matter of time" I muttered to them all.

——— Grace's home ———

I looked back at the instruction manual on how to build the crib, with Will helping me.
"Where's the nails?" He asked me. I pointed to where they were, in a box and where I remembered them last. I didn't take my eyes off the instruction manual however.
"Got it" he mumbled to me, hearing all the nails click together.
"Okay, I think we got this" I said with confidence, throwing the manual behind me. Will lightly chuckled as he was using the nails on building the crib.
"If Oscar doesn't like this, I don't know what he will like" he joked. I laughed a little and I held up some wooden stands, for Will to hammer the nails in.
"Thank you" he said as he started to hammer, with a nail in his mouth.

"Oh it's a masterpiece" Will said, viewing the now complete crib in my spare bedroom. I crossed my arms and nodded my head as we both stared at the crib, just needs some paint now.
"I'll paint it when Oscar goes to you or Hannibal, after my shift" I informed Will, since the paint wouldn't be dry for when Oscar comes in less than 24 hours.
"Sounds good, we did good... since we didn't know what to do" Will chuckled, scratching at his stubble. I jokingly elbowed him and we both started to laugh.
"Okay, I need to get going." Will exclaimed to me, leaving the room. I hurried after him and he was already putting on his shoes by my front door.
"Why don't you stay a little longer. Maybe for a Drink" I offered to him. He hesitantly shook his head and opened Up my door and glanced back at me.
"Jack wants me back at the head quarters, he thinks he's close to the Chesapeake ripper" he confessed to me. I slightly raised a brow at him and he opened his mouth to say something.
"But what about the Baltimore ripper?" I asked him. He just shrugged his shoulders at me and gave me a slight wave goodnight, with a slight smile on his face. I gave him a wave goodbye and he shut the door. I sighed and wiped at my face, knowing I was still in the clear but Hannibal not so much. Maybe I should warn him, maybe I shouldn't. I checked the time on my wrist watch and it was soon to get dark, so I should go get the paints now before the shops close off.

——— 9:00 ———

I decided to go for a walk rather than go on my motorbike. The streets were isolated but the streetlights were bright. I glanced down at my hands to look at the paint I got, for the crib. It was a light Grey to match the wall colour in the spare bedroom. It started to rain a little, making me groan and decide to go through a shortcut. I took a turn into the alleyway on my right and a few turn, I'd be at my home.

I heard a puddle splash behind me, making me turn around and see someone in all black. My mind was screaming at me, something was wrong. To see if they were following me, I took a sharp turn in the alleyway and I saw the person also quickly change directions, slightly loosing their footing. I sighed under my breath and walked a little slower, hearing them walk a little quicker. Once I heard them right behind me, I spun around and dodged their knife attack. I hit their knee cap with the paint bucket and the attacker yelped in pain. They kicked the bucket out my hands and tried to push me against the wall but I fought back. As we were trying to resist each other, I was trying to see who it was but they had a balaclava on. Cowards. I knew someone sent them straight away - Dortlich. I pushed them away from me and they hit the wall, falling to the ground. I wiped my face and slowly circled them, waiting for them to get back up. They slowly got onto their knees so I kicked them in the stomach and they fell again. That's when I noticed they had a feminine body figure and feminine grunts. How interesting, he sent a female to do his dirty work. I glanced around my surroundings and noticed the knife on the floor, that she attacked me with. I picked it up and walked back over to the mystery person. I sat on top of her stomach and she tried to claw at my face but she were too weak.
"Oh come on. Atleast try" I put the knife back in her hands in her hand and she slightly gripped on it. I leaned down and whispered in her masked ear
"I'm right here"
I got off her and pulled her to her feet. She looked back down at the weapon I gave her in her hands then looked back up at me. I smirked, taking a few steps back and slanted my head at her, waiting for her to make the first move. She ran at me and tried to tackle me to the floor but failed, only pushing me a little. I pushed her off me and charged at me again, kicking at my rib cage. I hit the floor on the cold, concrete floor, on my back and I winced in pain, feeling the puddle I fell in sink into my clothes. I glanced up at her to see she was storming over to me, so I raised my leg and put my foot on her stomach and kicked her away. She grunted and pushed it out of her way and sat on top of me, trying to stab me with her knife. I restrained her wrist and she put more force onto it. So, I looked to my right and saw a rusty pipe. I grabbed it and used some force to smack her around the head with it. She slightly screamed and fell onto the floor beside me. I slowly got up and felt something cold on my face, as well as rainfall. I touched my cheekbone and saw she had slightly slashed me on her tumble. I watched try to get up, as I circled her with my hand clung on the rusty pipe and pressing my hand against my rib cage, where she kicked me with her walking boots. She was taking too long to get up, so I kicked her in the face and She rolled over onto her back and I saw her cough under her balaclava. The kick also disturbed the minor and the one major injury she gave me - on my rib cage -  she made me a little weaker, out of shape to go and kill Dortlich. I felt my anger build up in me, so I sat on her stomach again and I put my hands around her throat. I started to squeeze and she gasped for air, shaking her whole body to free herself. The mystery woman tried to hit me with the knife she held onto but I smacked it out of her hand and it landed somewhere out of her reach.
"Shh...shhh...shhh..." I whispered to her. I saw her eyes starting to go blood-shot and then her body dropped. I sighed and wiped my hands, to pull of the balaclava and I saw it was Erika. My eyes slightly widened and I jumped off her body and backed up into the wall, taking in heavy breaths and starting to tear. Why didn't she say anything to me? Goddamn it! I heard someone's footsteps getting closer to me and I kicked at the floor as I tried to not cry, with my knees tucked in my chest to hide my face. I killed Erika.
"Grace? Grace. Look at me"
I looked up to see Hannibal. He put his hands on my cheeks to inspect the slash wound on my cheekbone and saw the tears forming in my eyes.
"Who was it?" He asked me. I looked behind him to stare at Erika's dead body and shook my head, trying to tell myself something else. I decided to just not answer Hannibal, so he sees I am not completely vulnerable. I used the wall to help myself get back onto my feet and Hannibal held his arms out, to catch me in case I fell.
"Come, I can help with your wounds" he suggested to me. I shook my head at him and leaned on the wall to help me walk away but I gasped for air when I felt my gun shot - on my foot - reopen. I nearly fell but Hannibal caught me and he put my arm around his neck and held onto my waist. He walked slow so I could keep up with him, since I was limping.