The Ripper (2/?)
The Ripper (2/?)
Kai/Lu Han
M | Romance, Mystery
so here's the next installment of the Ripper!
the names of the victims, and the suspects are of real people,
and therefore, not a figment of my very active imagination.
Like last time, some names will be linked with the pictures!
hope you enjoy :D
Warnings: gore, body mutilation, death
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4 Whitehall Place, Scotland Yard, 8th of October 1888
Jongin looked at the pictures hanging off the wall curiously as he and the Chief Inspector marched their way through crowded cubicles, the area a general pandemonium of seemingly organized chaos.
All around him the other police officers were shoving under each other's noses multiple pieces of papers, furiously pointing out text circled in red pens or photographs and what Jongin assumed were inquest proceedings from the previous cases.
Soon they came to a room with a rather somber air, other police officers sitting around a table littered with the same documents waved haphazardly around by the police officers outside the room.
Seeing Swanson, the others nod politely, staring at Jongin with the same amount of curiosity, looking at him from head to toe.
Jongin stood, back ramrod straight, uncomfortable with the attention. The Chief Inspector cleared his throat.
"Good evening, men."
They echo his greeting, turning at Swanson expectantly, eyes flickering back and forth from the Chief Inspector and Jongin.
Swanson gestured at Jongin. "This is Inspector Kim Jongin from the City of London Police."
All at once their spectators' faces shutter down, expressions becoming impassive at the announcement. Jongin ignored the itch on his nose and stared evenly at each person, memorizing their faces.
"Why is he here?" A voice spoke out, and Jongin twisted his head slightly and zeroed his gaze unto the person speaking.
Bright eyed and with a face much too soft for a voice that reverberated when he spoke, Jongin almost doesn't hear another speak out. Quickly, he faced the person who argued in his case, and briefly wonders how a mere introduction came to this.
"Because, Chanyeol, a Ripper murder was found within the jurisdiction of the City Police!" a sharp-gazed young man said back hotly, long candle-like fingers forming a fist as he tried to curb in his irritation.
"How could you be so certain, Baekhyun, that it was Jack the Ripper who committed the murders?" Chanyeol retorted.
Baekhyun opened his mouth to reply, before he's cut off by a low voice, veiled with warning.
"Because the body exhibits certain wounds and lacerations that have been present in all other murders contributed to Jack the Ripper. Now, that's enough." another said, eyebrows drawn menacingly over his face as he tried to stare the other two down.
Chief Inspector Swanson sighed, rubbing his temples tiredly. "Thank you, Kris."
The other nods in reply, looking at him expectantly.
"Detective Sergeant Baekhyun is quite right. The fourth victim was found in Mitre Street, at 1:44am. Mitre Street is just within the City, so it's understandable that the City Police Force would have to get involved." Swanson said, shuffling the papers nearest to him.
Swanson gestured at him to sit down, and Jongin smiled politely, sitting next to Baekhyun. Baekhyun smiled back at him, and introduced himself as Detective Sergeant Byun Baekhyun.
"Mr. Kim, I would think we have to update you on the case," Swanson pressed his lips firmly together, looking almost pained at the thought. "While I assume you would have knowledge beforehand through the media, there are some... sensitive information we decided not to make public, as this might be... unpalatable to the public at hand."
Jongin nodded and Baekhyun passed a set of papers to him, riddled with comments and marks, the latter's gaze even and measured, and it was unnerving so Jongin shifted his gaze away.
He tried not to stare at Baekhyun's fingers.
Swanson cleared his throat again, and Baekhyun nodded, pointing out a photograph of a woman lying on a mortuary.
"Mary Nichols, investigation headed by Inspector Spratling and Helson." Baekhyun relayed, brushing up against Jongin's arm. "5'2 tall, brown eyes, dark complexion, found dead on August 31st of 1888 at 3.40pm on Buck's Row by 2 witnesses."
Baekhyun shifted to another page. "5 teeth missing, slight laceration on tongue; large vessels on neck completely severed; mutilations on lower part of abdomen, left side wound cutting through tissues, several incisions running across abdomen, similar cuts on right side." Baekhyun ended with a wince.
Jongin shut his eyes, willed himself to stop thinking about the gruesome mental image, and looked at Baekhyun, who smiled at him in understanding.
"Thank you, Mr. Byun." Jongin said sincerely, and Baekhyun patted him on the arm, gesturing at a Detective Sergeant, who came and gave Jongin a new report.
He smiled at Jongin, flashing rows of white teeth. "Kim Jongdae." he said, pointing to himself, before dragging him to where a Detective Inspector and a Detective Constable were discussing. He pointed at each one of them. "Kim Minseok and Zhang Yixing."
They both flashed polite smiles, Yixing scooting to give space for Jongin. As soon as he had settled down Minseok launched into the report.
"Second victim, investigated by H division, Annie Chapman. 5"tall, blue eyes, pallid complexion. Found dead on 8th of September, at a time before 6am on 29 Hanbury St."
"Deep incisions around the neck, throat severed. Two cuts; clean, on left side of the spine, a possible attempt to separate the bones of the neck." Minseok bit the inside of his cheek.
"Possible signs of suffocation, abdomen opened; intestines severed and laid on the shoulder of the deceased, uterus and accessory appendages, upper portion of vagina and posterior two thirds of the bladder removed, still missing."
Minseok said finally, ending the gruesome report.
Jongin felt sick, and wondered how perverted a person could be before Yixing shoved another report down his throat, and Jongin realized how deep sadistic pleasure went.
"Third victim, Elizabeth Stride. 5'5 tall, Pale complexion, light gray eyes, found dead 30th of September, the first of two murders on the same night." Yixing shuddered, but valiantly continued.
"Place of death is Dutfield's Yard at Bernel St. Clear cut incision on the neck, haemorrhage cases by partial severance of the left carotid artery. "
"The second victim of the night is Catherine Eddowes, which I am assured you would have enough knowledge about, seeing as it is in your jurisdiction." Yixing says, waving the sheet of paper tiredly.
Jongin nodded, not trusting himself to speak. He gazed around, watched the other police officers make discussions, crossing out some blurry photographs which he assumed were pictures of suspects.
"The public has been informed of the matter well enough for them to have an overview of what we are currently facing against--- I fear they have not been too pleased with our failures." Jongdae said finally over the silence which settled over them like a cloud.
"Have suspects been brought in for questioning?" Jongin asked, skimming through another file briefly.
"There are those which we have suspected, but we are without enough evidence, and only short of catching the perpetrator in the act will give us the evidence that we need. He is too crafty, with enough knowledge of the narrow passageways of East End for possible escape routes and enough anatomical knowledge to make those mutilations without causing the blood to run rampant and without damaging the other organs of the body." Jongdae replied.
"We've located butchers and slaughtermen and those with medical knowledge; asked them intensively and their actions were duly accounted for. While higher ups admittedly have their own favored suspects, we cannot single out one of them to be the killer." Jongdae continued.
"Favored suspects?" Jongin echoed.
"Thomas Cutbush and Michael Ostrog, for starters. The general consensus here is the murders must have been done by someone who was of unsound mind, so we've narrowed down the suspects into a notable few, but like I have said, we have reached a rather dead end."
"I see." Jongin replied.
"We cannot find a plausible motive for the murders either. There is no trend in his victims, no similar background, they did not know each other, and it is almost as if he accosted them while they were on the streets. The only thing common between them is that they were all prostitutes, but we reached a dead end too." Yixing said, waving his hands vaguely in the direction of the victims' reports.
"The constant media coverage does not seem to help either." Jongin murmured, looking at Jongdae.
"No, it is not helping." Jongdae replied. "We've received a lot letters and notes, all claiming to be Jack the Ripper, but our preliminary opinion is that they are hoaxes.”
"The Metropolitan Police is receiving and examining more letters as we speak--- we're almost certain that each one of them are hoaxes but we are still duty bound on ascertaining them." Minseok interjected.
"That is quite a lot to take in." Jongin said, rubbing his temples, sure that a headache was brewing in the confines of his head.
"Take it easy, Mr. Kim." Yixing urged, giving Jongin a rather bland smile. "The Chief Inspector Swanson looks like he's ending this meeting."
Jongin looked at Swanson, who was motioning at him to come closer, so Jongin politely excused himself from the company and walked over to the latter.
"We are meeting again tomorrow, men. You may go." Swanson said, nodding at them before striding towards the door without another word. Jongin followed him, and it's not until they reached the street where Swanson faced him and started talking again.
"You can go, Mr. Kim-- I trust you have found acceptable lodgings?"
"Yes I did, sir."
Swanson sighed. “Good. Please come to the meeting tomorrow as well. Now that you're involved, you'll be representing the City Police in this case. I trust you can find your way here without a companion?"
Jongin nods.
"Then I'll be seeing you. Thank you for aiding the Metropolitan Police with your services."
The Chief Inspector waved a hand briefly in goodbye, smiling at him slightly before walking in the opposite direction.
Jongin waited until the man's back faded from view, and immediately, he started to feel the chill settling deep in his bones.
Jongin started walking, and doesn't look back.
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if you're interested to read more about the whole mystery,
here are the references that I used for this fic!
Jack the Ripper.org , The Casebook
if you have any questions related to Jack the Ripper, please do ask!
I'll try my best to sate your curiosity lol
like always, please read and comment!
<3