Dr. Joplin seemed nervous as he surveyed the group at the table, preparing to answer Ward\u2019s question. \u201cWell,\u201d he began after some consideration, \u201cthere could be a number of reasons why the Ripper might take such actions, but, in my opinion, he\u2019s doing it to prevent blood loss from the wounds he inflicts after death.\u201d
\u201cHow\u2019s that?\u201d Ward asked, leaning forward in concentration. He was clearly interested in hearing more about the doctor\u2019s theory. Aaron listened as well, but he was also trying to read the physician to see if he was legitimate or some sort of a fake looking to advance his own agenda.
\u201cSo\u2026 if you think of the heart as a pump, driving blood to the various parts of the body, if one were to make an incision, particularly the large slashing cuts the Ripper uses in the neck and torso areas, while the heart is still pumping blood, there will be a splattering effect, far beyond what we are seeing now, which is only due to the particular motion the slayer is using when he makes the cuts. Asphyxiating the victim before the incisions are made is one way to lessen the effects the pumping motion has on the blood splatter.\u201d
\u201cDo you think he does this so that he can drain the victim?\u201d Vicky asked, her face contorting into a grimace as she pondered the information supplied to them by the doctor.
He cleared his throat again, and Aaron could feel his confidence rising just a bit the more he spoke. \u201cI believe that is part of the reason,\u201d Dr. Joplin nodded, \u201cthough we know that Jack does not feed off of his victims to the extent one would expect from a typical Vampire. He seems to be more fascinated with both the hunt and the dissection, at least in most of these cases, so it might just be that stopping the heart before he makes his incisions gives him a cleaner work area if you will.\u201d
That explanation seemed reasonable to Aaron, and while he still wasn\u2019t sure what to make of the newbie, he could see why Ward had brought him in. He certainly seemed to know what he was talking about when it came to medical information.
\u201cThank you, Jamie,\u201d Ward said with a smile and a nod. \u201cI think it is fair to say, then, that the Ripper was in the process of dispatching this young lady when you discovered her, and there\u2019s likely a possibility that Dr. Joplin\u2019s explanation is the reason why.\u201d
\u201cDid she live?\u201d Carlo, a Hunter with a thick Spanish accent asked.
\u201cWe alerted the police, and they took her to hospital. Since she hasn\u2019t made the papers, I\u2019m assuming so,\u201d Frank replied.
\u201cDo we think Mylett could\u2019ve been another victim interrupted then?\u201d Harvey asked, referring to the victim from early December that both the police and the press refused to attribute to the Ripper.
\u201cActually, we got some information on that last night,\u201d Vicky dove in before Aaron had a chance to. She looked to him, and he raised his eyebrows, an indicator that she could proceed if she wanted to. Clearly, she preferred to defer to him.
\u201cWe ran into our informant last night,\u201d he explained. \u201cAccording to him, Mylett was not a Ripper victim. He says she killed herself.\u201d
\u201cThat seems implausible,\u201d Edmund chimed in. \u201cWho strangles herself in the dead of winter in a public park?\u201d
\u201cOne of the reasons we haven\u2019t accepted the police\u2019s official report,\u201d Ward reminded him.
Aaron continued. \u201cOur friend also says that the girl found with the stake through her stomach the day after Christmas was a Ripper victim. He says this is an indicator that the Ripper is \u2018changing things up,\u2019 that the police are on to him, and we can expect more diversification in the future.\u201d He looked around at the faces, and each of them seemed stoic, as if they realized they still had a long road ahead of them.
\u201cJamie, you examined the late December victim yourself, didn\u2019t you?\u201d Ward asked. The doctor nodded, and the leader continued. \u201cDid you find her wounds consistent with the Ripper\u2019s tactics?\u201d
\u201cI didn\u2019t,\u201d Jamie admitted, \u201cbut that doesn\u2019t necessarily mean he didn\u2019t do it. If what Aaron and his informant are saying is true, the different tactics could be an effort to throw the police off of his trail.\u201d
\u201cAnd this Vampire you meet with says that\u2019s what he is trying to do?\u201d Frank asked. \u201cGet the police off of him?\u201d
\u201cYes,\u201d Aaron confirmed. \u201cHe also admitted that he, himself, is on the police\u2019s list of suspects.\u201d
\u201cAnd we\u2019re sure that this guy is not the killer?\u201d Berta asked.
\u201cI have never truly suspected him,\u201d Aaron replied, \u201cbut I think we\u2019ve confirmed it if you saw the Ripper last night, blocks away from where we spoke to the Vampire informant, and the man you chased was dressed much differently than the one we spoke to.\u201d
She nodded, and Aaron now felt certain the man he\u2019d been speaking to could not be the killer\u2014though he was no closer to discovering who Jack the Ripper really was.
\u201cWe do know, then, that one of the suspects on the police list has to be the Ripper, then,\u201d Edmund noted, \u201cif we believe the informant.\u201d
\u201cGreat. That narrows it down to a hundred men,\u201d Vicky reminded them.
\u201cThere are some suspects from the initial list we can remove,\u201d Ward said, \u201cthough the list would still be quite long and growing each day.\u201d
\u201cIt still might be a good place to concentrate our efforts,\u201d Dr. Joplin added, and Aaron was surprised to hear him speak up without being asked a direct question, a first. \u201cAs I\u2019ve stated before, I do believe the Ripper has medical experience. If we hone in on those suspects already on the list who have some sort of medical practice, we should be able to narrow it down considerably. Then, we can determine how best to proceed.\u201d
\u201cA fine idea,\u201d Ward said with a smile. \u201cLet\u2019s get to it.\u201d
While the rest of the team continued to pound the pavement of Whitechapel, Aaron and Vicky volunteered to go through the paperwork supplied to them by the local police documenting each of the nearly one hundred suspects they took seriously. There were a few hundred more that were dismissed, and while Aaron was a bit apprehensive of taking anyone\u2019s word for it, he did trust the members of their own team who also worked for the police department to make accurate recommendations.
The job was simple at this point; look at each suspect and add medical practitioners to a narrowed list which the team would then more closely examine. However, as Aaron and Vicky began to go through the pile of documentation, they realized the task wouldn\u2019t be as simple as first imagined. Some of the suspects had no career noted or the information was so incomplete, it wasn\u2019t clear whether or not they could potentially have a background involving some sort of medical experience.
Letting out a sigh, Vicky shook her head and said, \u201cWe need a list for \u2018unknown\u2019 or \u2018not sure,\u2019\u201d she said, grasping a document in each hand. \u201cThis one says he was currently employed as a \u2018worker,\u2019 and this one says, \u2018unable or unwilling to articulate his profession\u2019.\u201d
\u201cI agree,\u201d Aaron nodded. \u201cSet those in a separate pile, and we\u2019ll jot them down independently.\u201d
They were sitting across from each other at Aaron\u2019s desk, the daylight long since faded, and Aaron was glad his eyesight had improved since he Transformed or else he might not be able to read some of the handwriting in the dimly lit room.
\u201cOh, this is helpful,\u201d Vicky went on, holding a sheet up close to her face as she read. \u201c\u2019Place of employment? Yes.\u2019 Really, what are they thinking when they write this out?\u201d
Trying not to laugh at her frustration, Aaron said, \u201cI think the police are probably just as overwhelmed as we are, perhaps more so. With so many officers collecting data from dozens of people each day, tips coming in, ridiculous responses to newspaper articles, we\u2019re bound to get some inaccurate or incomplete information.\u201d
\u201cHmmm,\u201d Vicky nodded, either considering his remark or contemplating the next sheet. After a few moments of silence as they both continued with the documentation, she asked, \u201cWhat about butchers?\u201d
The thought had occurred to him as well, although Ward said Dr. Joplin thought it was highly unlikely that a typical meat cutter could make the same sort of precise incisions the Ripper had displayed on a few of his victims. Still, it would potentially save time later if they went ahead and made a list of butchers now in case it was needed later. \u201cList number three,\u201d Aaron nodded.
After several hours, they cleared through the pile and began to write the three lists, a task that took them into the morning light, and when they had finished, they had a list of eight medical professionals, six butchers, and ten \u201cothers\u201d they needed to research more to verify they did not belong on either of the two previous lists.
\u201cWell, that took longer than I expected,\u201d Aaron said, stretching.
\u201cYou tired?\u201d the blonde asked. \u201cI don\u2019t think I\u2019ve ever seen you tired before.\u201d
\u201cNo,\u201d he assured her. \u201cJust not used to sitting for so long.\u201d
Vicky nodded. \u201cAre you sure it\u2019s not me? I hear I have a reputation for causing stiffness in men.\u201d
Aaron\u2019s eyes widened, and he felt the heat rising to his face. He was used to off-color jokes from the male members of their team, but he couldn\u2019t remember ever hearing Vicky, or any other lady, make such a comment.
\u201cOh, lighten up,\u201d she insisted, readjusting in her seat. \u201cIt was meant to be a joke.\u201d
\u201cYes, quite humorous,\u201d he agreed. \u201cI\u2019ll laugh later. When I\u2019m by myself.\u201d
She pursed her lips together and shook her head. \u201cI guess that must not be the only thing you do when you\u2019re by yourself?\u201d
\u201cPardon?\u201d Aaron asked, unable to believe her brashness.
\u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d she said, \u201cI don\u2019t mean to be rude. It\u2019s just\u2026 I\u2019ve known you for thirty years now, Aaron. Thirty. And I\u2019ve asked you to join me for dozens of meals, done my best to draw your attention, even showed you my ankles, and while every other male I come into contact is more than willing to get to know me better, you insist on disinterest. I see the way that you look at me, though. I know you find me fetching. Why? Why won\u2019t you even explore the possibility that we could be more than just colleagues?\u201d
He wasn\u2019t sure if it was the early hour or the intimacy of the setting that brought her to this, but he was taken aback by her forwardness. \u201cVicky, I honestly don\u2019t know what to say,\u201d he began, leaning back in his chair.
She sighed. \u201cI apologize if I\u2019m making you uncomfortable. I don\u2019t want it to be that way. I\u2019m just\u2026 frustrated. You\u2019re so much more attractive than any other man I\u2019ve ever known. Stop blushing; it\u2019s true. You\u2019re intelligent and kind. And despite my attempts to distance myself from you, I keep finding myself falling under your spell.\u201d
He was blushing, her accolades making him feel uneasy. It had been too long since he\u2019d been in the company of a complimentary woman. \u201cVicky, thank you. That means a lot, especially coming from a beautiful woman, especially coming from you\u2014someone I both admire and respect. It\u2019s just\u2026 I\u2019m married. I promised myself to one woman years ago, and I\u2019ve no intention of going back on that promise.\u201d
\u201cAaron, I don\u2019t know what happened to her,\u201d Vicky began, leaning forward and speaking in a quiet, calm voice, \u201cbut she\u2019s gone. It\u2019s been nearly half a century. Don\u2019t you think it\u2019s time to find someone else to share your life with?\u201d
\u201cShe may be gone, but that doesn\u2019t make my promise to her any less real,\u201d Aaron insisted, absently twisting the ring that encircled his finger. \u201cI\u2019ve resolved to keep myself only unto her, as I promised on our wedding day.\u201d
Vicky slowly shook her head. \u201cI appreciate your conviction, my friend. But do you think that\u2019s honestly what she would want for you? To continue on this path alone?\u201d
While he still spent hours each day thinking of Aislyn, remembering her soft skin, her warm lips, the way her body felt beneath his hands, he had never truly asked himself what she may want for him, now that she was gone. He now knew that his Aislyn had left him the day she had fallen victim to the Vampire, that the body he\u2019d driven the stake through no longer occupied the soul of the woman he loved. Would she hold him responsible for her demise? After all, he had promised her on many occasions that he would keep her safe, a vow he had failed to keep.
Earlier in his career, it had been quite easy to ignore the women who showed interest in him. He was so focused on learning, bettering his skills, and missing the woman he loved and their child, he didn\u2019t have time to pay attention to anyone else. Now, forty years after his journey began, he was more aware of the women who flashed him coy smiles or gently touched his arm. He was particularly aware of Vicky, a fine woman if there ever was one. Here she was before him, offering her heart, and for the first time, he was actually contemplating the possibility of weakening his resolve to stay true to his marriage vows.
The prospect seemed even more complicated than the mountain of paperwork they\u2019d just sorted through, and he realized now was not the time to make a brash decision. \u201cI understand your perspective,\u201d he finally managed to respond, \u201cbut\u2026 it\u2019s too soon.\u201d
She opened her mouth and then closed it, a sign that she was compelled to argue that four decades was plenty of time, but not to him. Time had little meaning now that it was endless, and in the larger picture, forty years may as well have been forty days. He missed his Aislyn more than he could express.
\u201cAll right then,\u201d Vicky said. \u201cI suppose it is pointless to invite you to breakfast then.\u201d He offered her a weak smile, a clear declination, and she stood. \u201cWell, I\u2019m starving. I\u2019ll be back in a few hours for the meeting.\u201d
\u201cVery well,\u201d he replied, watching her walk to the door.
With her hand resting on the doorknob, she turned and said, \u201cThink about what I\u2019ve said, Aaron. Regardless of what you think you\u2019ve done, you deserve to be happy. Even if it\u2019s not with me.\u201d
Before he could formulate a response, she was gone, leaving the stacks of papers on his desk, a diversion from her remarks if nothing more. But as he began to arrange the documents so that he could return them to Ward, he couldn\u2019t help but to reflect on her statements, subconsciously. How would Aislyn feel if he were to move on? Was it even something he wanted to consider? Could he ever find another woman to make him even half as happy as he had been with his redheaded beauty? He didn\u2019t think it was possible, but somewhere, deep inside, he began to hope he might find out.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Dr. Joplin seemed nervous as he surveyed the group at the table, preparing to answer Ward\u2019s question. \u201cWell,\u201d he began […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-143","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-shadows-bargain"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/demonslayerrmanga.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/demonslayerrmanga.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/demonslayerrmanga.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demonslayerrmanga.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demonslayerrmanga.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=143"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/demonslayerrmanga.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/demonslayerrmanga.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=143"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demonslayerrmanga.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=143"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demonslayerrmanga.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=143"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}