Jack the Ripper Hits Walford (Scenes 91-93)
Dedicated to Donna - thanks for reading xxxx
(Scene Ninety-one: 30th September - 2.00 p.m. Kelly and Jake lay flowers outside Angie’s Den. Theirs are the only floral tributes for the unpopular prostitute who lured Kelly and Zoë into the game).
Kelly: She wasn’t all bad. She looked after me in the early days. She looked after Zoë too, if it wasn’t for Roxy, Zoë would’ve just been on the streets begging or streetwalking. At least she and I both had a roof over our heads, even if it came with a price.
Jake: Well nothing’s for free they say.
(Kelly weeps silently).
Kelly: Oh God, Jake, what kind of person is prowling this area? How can he do such a thing? He’s tearing so many lives apart…even Roxy had family…
Jake: I don’t suppose he thinks about things like that.
(A reporter sees them and goes up to them).
Reporter: Did you know the deceased? Was you at the party?
(They confirm that they did and that they were).
Reporter: And can you tell us something of Dennis Rickman? Who is he and what does he do? What do the residents generally think about him?
Kelly: Well he’s not someone I bother a lot with. He’s Sharon Watts’ brother of sorts. They’re not blood related. But her father, her adoptive father that is, was Den Watts who was found dead in the canal and Dennis was Den Watts illegitimate son.
(The reporter greedily laps up this story and thanks Kelly for her time).
Jake: Any what about some cash for this story then?
Reporter: Well we do like a bit more information….
Jake: Well okay then how about this…Dennis works as a mortician and rumour has it, these murders only happened after he finished his training there!
(Kelly looks at him in astonishment. They don’t get paid a lot of money, but what they do get paid is enough to make Jake content and promise Kelly a night out on the town again. Neither of them realise that the killer is watching them).
(Scene Ninety-two: The Killer’s Bedroom 31st September - a dilemma faces him. It was too good an opportunity to miss, taking down the Queen of All Whores, but unfortunately she wasn’t on his hit list and this causes problems. He would’ve liked so much to have done a double-act like his mentor, but Angie’s Den didn’t prove the ideal setting for such accomplishment.
Still, he consoles himself he did demonstrate such artistic skills with Roxy! And he couldn’t believe it when he managed to slip in and out of the place without being noticed.
The Killer still has on his list
Kelly
Zoë
Saskia
Pat Butcher
Jack the Ripper of 1888 only claimed five canonical victims, at least that was the general consensus of opinion, the Killer smiles. Surely his mentor slayed many more than that! And if he’s able to carry out his fiendish work and claim all those still on his list he’ll go down in history as better than the Ripper of 1888, or at least recognised as being more prolific. He’s got every respect for Jack the Ripper, the man had the right idea to set out and eradicate the east-end women of ill repute - unfortunately he didn’t go far enough.
Walford is a small neighbourhood, and already rumours are circulating that a certain mother is thinking of absconding with her daughter. He’ll have to prevent this somehow!
He begins penning his next letter to the Walford Gazette and this time, he muses, one to the police - DCI Marsden might be called for too. Just to keep her on her toes!
And like his mentor, all those many years ago, he’s practised handwriting and knows how to disguise it enough so that the fools will think they’re all hoax letters and not take him seriously until it’s too late.
This time his Dear Boss letter reads in a poetic form just like many of the Ripper of 1888 letters were.
Dear Boss
I took the Queen of All Whores Down
And made her my own.
I could send you my knife
That took out her heart
And tore her apart.
So you’ll be left without a shred of doubt
Jack the Ripper is About.
He makes no reference to his previous letter and sniggers as he smears the letter with fresh cat blood. He would’ve used Roxy’s blood, but it’s all dried up now.
For DCI Marsden, he chooses to refer to the much infamous Mishter Lusk letter which was accompanied by half a kidney, of course re-wording it slightly. Today’s modern forensic pathology will be able to determine that the kidney is indeed from Roxy and whilst he’s sending various notes around Walford terrorising the neighbours he’ll have at least one letter delivered that shall be treated seriously.
From Hell
Missus DCI Marsden
I send you half the Kidne I took from one woman prasarved it for you, toother piece I fried and ate it was very nise. I may send you the bloody knife that took it out if you only wate a whil longer
Signed Catch me if you can
Missus DCI Marsden
He takes great pride in this parcel and writes the address unusually neatly. No point in arousing suspicion at the post office - he wants his package to get through. He smiles gleefully, just as his mentor had claimed to have done, he too has enjoyed the kidney and ate it for his supper only hours after the murder of Roxy!
(Scene Ninety-three: 1st October - Gem N arrives at the station as requested by DCI Marsden and is taken into the office where all the chief officers involved in the case are waiting to be briefed on the latest letters received by DCI Marsden and the Walford Gazette who have chosen wisely to work with the police instead of against them).
DCI Marsden: The portion of kidney has already been sent to forensics.
Gem N: It is Roxy’s. And I can confirm that he did eat a part of it.
(She looks briefly at one officer who heaves noisily at the information).
DCI Marsden: And are both letters by the Killer? The handwriting is very different in all three?
Gem N: He’s disguising his writing and trying to be clever in the process. He’s using a book “Letters from Hell” for inspiration and the letter which enclosed the kidney is an almost exact copy of the Mishter Lusk letter; he’s re-worded it to address you. That is the only difference. He’s also copying the handwriting in some of the reproduced letters. He’s practised long and hard. He’s been planning these murders for the most part of a year.
DCI Marsden: How available is that book?
Gem N: I managed to get a copy easily enough when you contacted me. But all this is on the internet as well, so he’d be able to look it up easily enough and print out what he wants. He could be someone who is a book collector of the ripper, or someone who just surfs the net. I can’t tell you which unfortunately.
DCI Marsden: And you still can’t see who it is?
Gem N: I’d tell you if I could. I want him caught as much as you do. He plans to kill more than five I can feel it in my bones. He’s got some sort of hit list he’s working from, although I’m not sure if Roxy was a planned victim…more like opportunity for him I think. Not sure.
DCI Marsden: What about the blood? I wanted you to see the letter first, but of course that’s going to forensics too.
Gem N: Cat blood. Definitely. It’s fresh. He’s been picking off cats again. He needs to practise his skills. But I can feel that he works with a knife anyway. Has very flexible wrists.
DCI Marsden: We’re still holding Dennis Rickman.
Gem N: Oh?
DCI Marsden: I don’t like him.
(Gem N smiles. Fact be known, the DCI doesn’t like many people).
DCI Marsden: He’s too evasive for my liking. His lack of cooperation arouses my belief that he’s guilty of something.
Gem N: He’s killed at least one person.
DCI Marsden: And I’ll get him for that murder if nothing else.
(To be cont)