“I beg your pardon, sir, at this late hour,” the officer began.
“Not at all. I have full accessibility for an officer of the law. Especially one so far from home.”
“Thank’ee sir,” the officer replied.
“What it is I can do for you this evening?” Jack asked.
“I am from the station in the East End, sir. I have come at the request of Dr. Bagster Phillips. He sent me to fetch you, sir."
His stomach was turning but he maintained his confident exterior. “Did the good Dr. Phillips mention why?”
“He did not, sir. He only mentioned that he required your assistance.”
“Very well. Please, let me gather my cloak and I shall be with you directly. Won’t you come inside as you wait?”
The young officer shivered in the cold and looked up at the sky from which snow fell onto the London streets. He nodded and accepted the refuge, temporary as it was.
Cloak in hand, Jack exited the house with the officer, tossing the cloak across his shoulders as he hit the night air. Outside a carriage awaited emblazoned with a shield of the police. Twenty minutes later, Jack strolled into a police station in the East End to meet with Phillips. His heart pounded with each step.
“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. I apologize for whisking you away in the dead of night,” Phillips said to Jack as he entered the room.
“Not at all.”
“Again, I thank you for your offer of service. I often read about your miracles in the daily.”
“Not miracles at all, really. Merely proper research, keen science and swift medical execution.”
Phillips nodded. “I see. At another time, of course, I would very much enjoy hearing more of your methods. But at this moment, we have a situation most urgent.”
Phillips was uncomfortable with the arrangement. It was not typical to summon one of Jack’s stature and class without an appointment, let alone in the middle of the night. But the situation was not typical and he desperately needed Jack’s assistance.
Jack sensed that Phillips was uneasy and was glad of it. As long as Phillips was not at ease, he would not have the opportunity to grow suspicious of Jack. Jack let the unease set for a moment more but knew he needed to move the evening forward so he finalized the pleasantries.
“Dr. Phillips, you know that I spent twenty years in America?”
Phillips nodded and Jack continued.
“During those twenty years, I saw scenes that would make a gentleman’s stomach turn and make him seem very ungentlemanly.
“The government there drove the native tribes from their homes. I witnessed firsthand the aftermath of native villages burned; the inhabitants slaughtered – men, women, and children. Many of these acts were by men who were supposed to be acting on the behalf of the people but instead took the law into their own hands. I cannot tell you how glad I am to back in a land of laws. I appreciate what you do in support of those laws. I will do whatever I can to assist you.”
Phillips smiled. “Thank you. And I hope not to take too much of your evening.”
“What is it I can do for you?”
Phillips looked at Jack seriously. “As you know, many years ago I worked on the Ripper case. We were never able to find the murderer. As you also may know, the case was officially closed in 1892. That is the official closing of the case but not necessarily for me.”
Phillips looked at Jack to see if he was following him. Jack nodded his head in understanding and Phillips continued.
“The Ripper case has been most puzzling. I won’t go into details but he wrote me several letters. Each letter portrayed someone whose enthusiasm for murder was mounting. Then, without explanation the murders stopped. Others have thought for some time that the Ripper perhaps died which is why he stopped killing. I do not believe that.”
Why is he looking at me like that? Does he know who I am? Jack asked himself as he listened to Phillips.
“We never had an official suspect although we questioned many people,” Phillips continued.
“Including Jack Pizer,” Jack interrupted, cautiously joining the conversation.
Phillips smiled. “You know the case well.”
“How could I not? Although I lived in America, the murders were international news.”
“There have been no other murders that resemble the methods of the Ripper since. For over nine years, there has been nothing. Until now.”
Jack raised his eyebrows to convey surprise.
“You may remember at one point we suspected a man named George Chapman.”
Jack nodded that he remembered.
“Chapman matched the description of a male seen with several of the murder victims. That man was described as very tall and broad and Chapman matched this description. The man was also clean shaven. Although Chapman now has a moustache, at the time of the murders he didn’t. We brought in Chapman for questioning but we were never able to quite make our case. Now, Chapman is a suspect in another murder.”
“Really?” Jack asked. “And this is what you wanted to see me about?” He was not sure what to make of the conversation.
“It is. The latest murder victim was not mutilated like the others. And this victim was associated with Chapman – she was his wife. We believe that she was poisoned but so far nothing we have done has been able to prove that.”
Jack thought he knew where this was leading. “So you think that perhaps I have some method of detecting the poison?”
Phillips nodded and smiled. “You should have been an investigator.”
“Perhaps,” Jack said and thought for a moment. He of course he could detect poisons but was wary of showing Phillips his methods. The processes he
