The Reaper's Kiss
Page 23
“Don’t even think about it. I have come this far, and I have every intention of climbing aboard that boat.” Anne stared at Simeon, her face full of defiance.
He sighed and then closed his eyes, knowing that he shouldn’t do what he was about to do. He retrieved a second pistol from his jacket and ensured that it was in working order. He passed the weapon to Anne and said, “Keep it pointed at the ground and don’t use it unless you have to.” Anne’s face erupted with a huge smile and he continued, “And try not to shoot me in the arse.”
“I will try, but I cannot make promises,” she said, laughing.
***
Gossup returned with the small boat within the hour, puffing, breathing hard to get his breath back and rubbing his thigh muscles, obviously aching with the exertion.
“Goss, Abberline, Naismith and Benjamin will remain here.” He held up his hand to stop the protestations. “If he is aboard then we will attempt to bring him ashore. Rest assured, you will all be present when justice is served. The boat is small – we cannot risk capsizing when we are so close to our prey.” Without waiting for a reply, he strode towards the dock. Bakari held the boat steady as Tallow, Simeon, and Anne climbed aboard. He jumped in, and Tallow began to row them across to the Bonnie Prince.
Bakari was the first to clasp the side of the Ripper’s craft, climbing from one boat to the other. Tallow threw him a rope to tie off their craft and was the next to climb aboard followed by Simeon. Anne’s route was slightly different. Simeon and Bakari each took an arm and simply lifted her aboard.
They drew their weapons, but Simeon was already having second thoughts. Unless the Ripper was asleep, how could he have failed to hear their arrival? He motioned for Tallow to lead the way as he stayed close to Anne. Tallow opened the small wooden door that led to the confined living quarters of the small vessel. He took one look back at Simeon and then disappeared from view. Bakari followed and Simeon, clasping Anne by the hand, slowly moved forward. He looked down the small wooden steps and listened for signs of a struggle. When only silence met his ears, he pressed on.
“It’s deserted,” Tallow announced.
Simeon had expected as much, but he still felt a deep disappointment.
“Search the place. We may find clues to his whereabouts.”
As the others went to work, Simeon crossed to the small porthole. He could see his men on the bank and knew they would feel just as disappointed when they found out that the Ripper was absent. Then he caught sight of another figure. It stood no more than one hundred paces to the rear of his men.
“The bastard is on the shore! Bakari, Tallow go - you will be far swifter than me.” Both men raced from the cabin and ignored the small craft. They dove into the water and swam for the shore. The figure of the Ripper suddenly began to run. Simeon smiled; there was no way a man of the Ripper’s age could out run the likes of Bakari and Tallow. He heard the click of a pistol hammer and his smile faltered. He turned to see Anne pointing his own weapon at his chest.
“I am sorry, Simeon, but I cannot allow you to harm him.”
“All this time… you have been a follower of Cronos,” Simeon replied.
“No, I have never been one of their rank. They even sent one of their scum to try and kill me. I met the professor here - he gave me the will to throw off the shackles my father had placed upon me.”
“You mean he taught you to be a killer?”
“My father deserved to die. He was cruel, a waste of human life.”
“And what do you think the Ripper is?”
“Silence! Don’t you dare talk of him in the same breath as my father.”
“Or what, Anne, you will kill me?”
“If need be,” she snapped.
“Because there will be no trade. Do you think Gossup is the sort of man to offer terms? He will gut your professor the minute he lays hands upon him.”
“Then there is no point keeping you alive, is there?”
Simeon smiled.
“Oh, Anne have you not guessed yet. I’ve been on to you for quite some time. Do you really think I would sleep with a murderous whore like you?”
“Whore!” She screamed and pulled the trigger. Click…
“Or give you a loaded weapon?”
She wailed like a demented banshee and threw the pistol at Simeon. As she continued to scream, she glanced about the cabin. She grasped a bread knife and waved it in his direction.
“Be warned, Anne. I am not my son and have no reluctance to hurting the fairer sex if need be.”
She charged towards him, holding the bread knife high for the attack, screaming her hatred for him. Abruptly, she stopped, the blade dropped from her hand, and the scream died in her throat. Simeon lowered the smoking pistol in his hand as he watched the crimson liquid spread across Anne’s chest. She fell to the cabin floor her chest rising violently as she tried to breathe. Simeon stepped over her body. “Do not worry, your beloved professor will soon be at your side.” He climbed the steps to the deck and dropped into the small boat. He rowed ashore without another thought for Anne.
Simeon reached the bank and made his way up into the trees. He could hear men calling and soon came across Tallow.
“Where is he?” he asked.
“Gone to ground. He couldn’t have got far,” Tallow replied. “We will find him.”
A terrible cry split the air. Both Simeon and Tallow began to run towards the scream. The others arrived from different directions and another cry rang through the trees. Simeon scoured around to see that all of his men were present, and yet the screaming persisted. Simeon led them up a small incline and burst through the trees to see two figures in a small glade. One lay on the blood-soaked ground. The other stood above him a long, curved blade in his hand.
Simeon stepped forward and placed a hand on the standing figure’s shoulder. “I was not sure that you would get here in time,” he said gently.
“Oh, I wouldn’t have missed this, Father.”
“William – but how?” Naismith stuttered.
“We suspected that Anne might have been working with the Ripper,” William answered. “Forgive me, my friends but keeping the illusion seemed easier the less people that knew.”
“Was she?” Tallow asked.
“Yes, she just tried to kill me. She will not be returning home with us.”
The figure on the ground whimpered.
“He’s still alive, William,” Gossup announced.
William pulled a bag from his shoulder and emptied its contents onto the ground. These are the Cronos blades that we have collected as we chased this bastard. He and his followers used them to kill the innocent, our friends and our loved ones. The Ripper wanted fame and to be honoured in the halls of power. He thought he could manipulate an entire empire.” William wiped a tear from his cheek. “I say that we deny him his glory. Restrict him to no more than a story to frighten children. The slaughtered demand that they be remembered more than the killer. I have no wish to know this man’s name.”
Each man took one of the blades. The Ripper’s eyes spread wide as the men appeared above him. The blades were held aloft and then were forced downwards. Each weapon struck flesh time and time again, until what was once the form of a man was nought but a bloodied pulp.
The remains were gathered and transported back to the Bonnie Prince and placed next to the body of Anne Fitzgerald. The boat was set on fire, and as Simeon and his men washed the blood from their hands in the waters of the loch, all remnants of the Ripper were destroyed.
Gossup stood up and looked at the inferno. “Come back from that you bastard!”
The End
If you have enjoyed my work please leave a review or if you would like to contact me:
robius1@sky.com
AUTHOR’S NOTE
I have purposely not attempted to give my readers the same experience usually obtained from reading Jack the Ripper books. Partly, because there are many people with far greater knowledge than me on
the subject but mostly because I am not so sure people really want to know the true identity of the infamous killer. Let’s be honest, the moment his/ her identity is revealed then the myth dies. In this series I have tried to capture the fear and anger experienced by the populace and the impotence of a police force. If I was to pick a single man responsible for the killings then I would lean towards the flamboyant Francis Tumblety, a complex character to say the least.
Thank you for taking the time to read my Jack the Ripper series.
AUTHORS BOOKS
The Ripper Legacies
The Reaper’s Breath
The Reaper’s Touch
The Reaper’s Kiss
The Spartacus Chronicles
Spartacus: Talons of an Empire
Spartacus: The Gods Demand Sacrifice
Spartacus: The Pharaoh’s Blade
Stand Alone Thriller
The Wrath of the Furies