Catching Mr Ripper

September 1st Morning

Edmund sat in his office in the police station, along with police constable John Neil. He wanted to go back over their stories, the nagging feeling that they and he was missing something wouldn't stop. A woman was brutally murdered and they had nothing more than her mutilated body and how she died. It isn't good enough. She deserves better, she deserves to have her killer stand trail for his crimes.
"You were first on the scene?" Edmund asked.
"Yes sir. I had been past there half an hour before. She was still quite warm, her eyes were open, her throat had been cut, and she was lying in a pool of her own blood" John told him.
"What happened next?" Edmund asked studying the man.
"I saw Constable Robert Thain passing and I told him to fetch the coroner" he explained.
"What time did she arrive?" Edmund asked.
"Just before 4am. You would have to ask her anything else though. Blood makes me queasy" John frowned.
"You're a constable that hates blood?" Edmund tried to hide his smile.
"Yes sir, I threw up in the gutter" Edmund tried to hide his surprise and instead cleared his throat and rose from his chair.
"Well, thank you constable I think we're done here"
"Glad I could help, sir" John smiled shaking his hand.
"Have Miss Vance come and see me" he nodded and left the room, soon enough Elizabeth arrived. Her French perfume that she wore everyday greeted his nose before she did.
"Hello sir" Elizabeth smiled entering the room "A constable told me that you wanted to talk" she smiled.
"About the case, yes. Please take a seat" he asked her, watching as she took a seat opposite him and his desk. They sat together in silence once again, not knowing where to begin, too scared to start something that they may regret later, much like their past together.
"Where shall we start?" Elizabeth began.
"How was the victim found?" He asked, picking up his pencil to take notes.
"She was found in an alley with her skirt pushed above her knees. A passerby thought she was a drunk. Both sides of her face were bruised. She had two wounds on her neck, the killer was most likely right handed. My guess would be that he came up behind her in order to avoid blood splatter. Her vagina had been stabbed twice and her abdomen mutilated with one deep jagged wound" Just as Edmund had finished writing Elizabeth started again "There were also several incisions across her abdomen as well as four cuts down the right side of her body"
"Anything else?" he kept his eyes glued to the page as he wrote, her eyes could always get him side tracked.
"The knife that was used to kill her is estimated to be 6-8 inches long. Possibly a cork cutter or shoemaker's knife. Each wound had been inflicted in a violent downward manner"
"How long would it have taken to do all this?"
"About five minutes. She would've died from having her throat cut. She didn't suffer" she told him solemnly, knowing that fact would calm them both.
"I'm glad" the heavy silence fell over them once again as they met each other's eyes.
"When did it become so hard to talk to one another?"
"I don't know. We once never needed words to fill a silence, it would just feel comfortable. Now it just feels strange"
"Let's make a deal to be friends once again. I miss talking to you"
"As do I. But with our history it could get complicated"
"Not if we don't let it"
"Well, friend. I have a date tonight" he smiled widely.
"With who?" her voice didn't betray her but he could see the jealousy in her eyes.
"Her name's Alice. She a sweet girl"
"You never liked sweet. You need someone with some fire. You need a rule breaker" Elizabeth smiled widely.
"Not if I intend to make her my wife"
"You intended to make me your wife and I have broken a rule or two" Elizabeth knew he would frown, even as the words left her mouth.
"Lizzie. I'm sorry I can never be good enough for you"
"You were always good enough for me. My father isn't me, Edmund. I will always love you. Remember that" Elizabeth stood and made her way to the door, Edmunds voice making her freeze in the doorway.
"It's something that I won't ever forget. I can't forget" he muttered, allowing Elizabeth to leave the room.

Edmund finished up the interviews that he wanted to review before he crossed the road to the morgue. When he went inside he seemed to freeze in place as his eyes landed on Elizabeth and her voice filled his ears. He watched as she stood over a corpse singing the words that came from a nearby gramophone to herself. It was moments like this that reminded him why he had fallen in love with her. In some quiet moments she was herself and not who society wanted her to be. She was herself. She was his. He could deny it to himself but Elizabeth would always have his heart, he could try to forget her, the way she lit up a room with just her smile, the way she smelt, the way she was different from all other women. But his body could never forget the way all of little idiosyncrasies made him feel.
"Detective. What a nice surprise" William smiled despite Edmund jumping slightly in surprise. Edmund glanced back at Elizabeth and they both knew in that moment that he had been looking at her.
"I've come to see if you've found anything else of use on the body" Edmund told him, changing the subject away from what he had been doing before William had spotted him.
"Unfortunately, no. But I believe Thomas has come up with a criminal profile"
"Well thank you. I'll be off then" Edmund glanced at Elizabeth, hesitating before he put on his hat and left the morgue.
"Strange. He wouldn't happen to be the Edmund that broke your heart now would he?" William asked coming to stand across the corpse from her as Elizabeth ignored him. He nudged her slightly, making her give in.
"There is nothing to tell" she said through her teeth, cutting further into the body in front of her.
"Please, I need some drama in my life"
"We have a killer on the loose, isn't that enough drama?" William remained silent but pulled his best puppy dog face that he could.
"Fine, my house tonight but you bring the wine"
"Deal" William smiled returning to his work.