How I caught Jack the Ripper!

I sat at my desk staring at the letter pinned to the wall. I was angry, it had been weeks of hard work by myself and the entire police department, yet we had not a single clue as to the identity of the murderer that everyone was now calling 'Jack the Ripper'. So many women had been killed, how is it possible that we had nada, nothing, no clue to who this killer was.

Who was this elusive perpetrator? It was eating me up inside.

"Jack the Ripper", I read, looking at the "Dear Boss letter" written by an individual claiming to be the murderer, the press had had a field day. The letter was probably a hoax and may have been written by journalists to heighten interest in the story and increase their newspaper's circulation.

I didn't like to lose. I don't lose. Everyone knows that. I had clawed my way up tooth and nails in this egotistical man's world to become Captain, this was because I never lose. I had bested every one of these men in everything imaginable. Still, it took me ten years to thunder through the macho bureaucracy to get where I am.

A sudden timid knock at the door jolted me from my reverie.

"Come". I bellowed, my mood had scared the daylight out of everyone, they were on eggshells around me.

The new recruit Feldman walked uncertainly into the room. He looked around at the walls of the office, covered with Ripper stories and cleared his throat.

I glared at him.

"Captain Luton ma'am, there is a young woman outside asking to see you. She says you know her. Her name is Scarlet".

"Yes, send her in, and close the door Feldman". I growled.

I had tried in vain to get Scarlet off the streets, she is my sister's daughter, but we gave up after a while, she always returned after a few days.

Scarlet entered the room boldly, stepping in like she owned she joint, never was a shy one, this Scarlet.

Black fishnet stockings, six-inch red stilettos, black and white skin-tight dress with black belted waist, the tiny dress barely covering anything, extra size voluptuous boobs practically falling out of the tight fitting, clinging bodice. Scarlett was not the gum chewing type, but today she needed them since she was not a smoker. Her red lips were quivering, she was angry as hell.

"Hello Scarlet. What can I do for you today". I realized that she was more agitated than usual, the woman could not stay still.

"He got her Marge. The Ripper got Katie, we were out last night, and he chased us down. I got away, but he took her".

I jumped to my feet, excitement coursing through my veins. I pointed Scarlett to the chair.

"Tell me exactly what happened Scarlett. Where were you and what did he do"?

Scarlet sat down while I hovered over her like a bad dream. She shifted uncomfortably, I backed off a little and gave her some room.

"Me and Katie had finished our shift and was walking down Whitechapel way, when a figure come out of the shadows. He were a tall man, wearing gloves and carrying a black case in his hand, he had a dark color hat on his head, pulled down so we couldn't see his face clearly, but it was dark, so it was strange".

Scarlet started to cry, so I gave her a tissue, and waited impatiently while she blew her nose.

"Katie is so young, but she is a bad one, so I always looked out for her, you know. I grabbed Katie's hand and told her to stay close to me. But she thought he was interested in her, she always did like the weird types. He came towards us, then he grabbed Katie and went down the long dark passageway. I was scared, cause he looked back and said I would be next. That is how I know it to be him, the Ripper man, Marge. He got Katie"!

In agony I paced back and forth for a minute, then I yelled for Detectives Frank Gellow and Barney Black. They bolted into the room, not wanting to get a stern chewing out today.

We brought them up to speed, then I dispatched them along with two uniformed officers to go search the area.

A plan was fast forming in my mind. I put Scarlet in the car, and we drove to the area. Alas, the detectives had found Katie's body in an abandoned building. She had been cut wide open from her chest to her privates, body parts had been removed and her face mutilated. The killer had been brutal with his treatment of the body, he obviously had particularly violent feelings about the poor young woman.

I had left Scarlet in the car, not wanting her to see her friend's body.

"God damn it" I swore helplessly. I knew then for sure what I had to do.

"What have you got for me Frank"? I asked the lead detective.

"From what we can see, the place is totally abandoned, no one saw or heard anything. Even if the poor girl had screamed, which I doubt she could, seeing the condition of her face, no one would have heard her. We found no one in the near vicinity who could be of help.

The surgeon's initial diagnosis states that, (here Frank consulted his notebook) the left kidney and the major body parts had been removed, and her face had been disfigured, with her nose severed, her cheek slashed, and cuts measuring a quarter of an inch and a half an inch respectively vertically incised through each of her eyelids. A triangular incision—the apex of which pointed towards Eddowes's eye—had also been carved upon each of her cheeks. There are other damages, but the surgeon will have to determine the extent of the bodily injury". Frank had tears in his eyes as he narrated the gruesome facts as he saw it.

A section of the auricle and lobe of her right ear was later recovered from her clothing. The police surgeon who conducted the post mortem upon Eddowes's body stated his opinion these mutilations would have taken "at least five minutes" to complete.

"God damn it". I repeated. I returned to the car while the area was being cordoned off.

"Scarlet, I'm sorry, but your friend is dead". I finally told her after sitting for a few minutes.

"I know". She replied in a matter-of-fact kind of way, as if she were somehow defeated and drained of feelings.

"Scarlet, I have a plan. For the next few nights, I shall be working with you on the street, undercover work used to be my specialty. We will arrange with your people to have me out there. I promise you that we will catch this murderer".

She was shocked. "Are you serious, you want us to be bait? She considered for a moment.

"I guess it is better than living in fear all the time. And you will be there, right". She always was one for a dare.

We were out there for three nights. My undercover officers posed as my scores to make it believable in case we were being watched.

On the fourth nigh, Scarlet and I were walking back to her rooms. As we got to a dark set of stairs, a tall figure emerged, carrying a black bag, and wearing a large hat pulled over the face. Scarlet grabbed my hands, I squeezed hers to reassure her.

Before I could react, he had hit me over the head and grabbed Scarlet. I fell to the ground dazed. Did he know that I was a cop. Was he on to us? I yelled just as the two detectives ran into the alley, guns drawn, beckoning one of the officers to help me.

"Go". I yelled, brushing off his hand and waving him on.

I ran in the opposite direction, pulling the gun from my garter belt. If I were him, that is where I would go to dupe the police. I ran as fast as my dazed legs could carry me.

I turned the corner and came face to face with the killer. He grabbed Scarlet and placed a murderous looking dagger to her throat, while backing up a few paces. He held it so close to her skin that blood dripped down her chest, the moon had just made its appearance, but I still couldn't make out his face.

"Any closer and she is dead". Was all he said. He had no idea who he was dealing with.

I stood still as death, lined up my shot and squeezed the trigger. He yowled in pain and dropped the dagger. His left hand went limp at his side, I had shot the shoulder blade almost clean off. He released Scarlet involuntarily.

"Run Scarlet". I shouted. She took off without hesitation, but she stopped a short way off.

The Ripper turned to run. I pulled the trigger twice. Both his legs crumbled. I had no intention of killing him. He needed to stand trial and be hung.

The world was stunned when the Ripper turned out to be the police surgeon. He had always been one step ahead because he had been privy to all the information, been right under the noses of the police the whole time. Luckily, he had not known about the undercover plan, I had kept that as need to know, only a few were aware of the plan. Apparently, the surgeon's twin brother had died because a lady of the night had made him sick. Revenge had been his motive.

I was hailed as a hero. But I was not. I had saved Scarlet and maybe many more, but so many had died. They are the memories to be honored.

I could sleep at nights now. I had got "Jack the Ripper".

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