Page 26 of Secrets in the Dark
“You mean, of course, that he looked like the images of Jack the Ripper as reported by witnesses back in the day?” Della asked.
The young woman nodded seriously.
“I wouldn’t have known what you called that kind of a cap, but they’ve been inundating the news and internet with the old cases...because it’s happening again. I heard him described as a man withshabby genteelclothing or the like. And wearing a deerstalker cap. The man I saw was in a suit jacket, decent but worn, and he was wearing a deerstalker hat.”
Della glanced over at Mason. Her words of description matched the man they’d seen coming out of the alley on the surveillance tapes.
Mason gave Annie an imperceptible nod.
“What age do you think he was? Any idea on how tall?” Della asked her.
Sarah McDonald grimaced and looked helpless for a minute. “The second I saw him, I was terrified. There was a billboard in the street—you know, one of those standing billboards advertising something or another. I was so scared. And I don’t know why—”
“Was he covered in blood? Carrying a knife?” Della asked.
“I don’t know. I saw him come around the alley and I guess that we’d just been so inundated with information on the past—and present—that I froze behind the billboard. Thankfully, there were still other people on the street and he hurried out to the main road and quickly blended in with others—he was moving fast. I did see that. And I don’t think that he was old, but I couldn’t say if he was thirty-five or forty. And he was maybe five-eleven or six-one in height, I just... Average build. He kept his head low so I don’t... I mean, I hadn’t even known that anything had happened then! The world had heard about the letter sent to the news and there was so much repeating and repeating... I was terrified. Then, of course, when he was gone, I felt a little ridiculous, and I went on back to my lodging and nothing happened at all except...”
“Except?” Della pressed.
The girl shook her head, looking pained and baffled. “I don’t know. I guess that paranoia had set in. I kept fearing that I was being followed. But I got back and...nothing. I’m at a chain hotel. There was one clerk at the desk and she waved to me and I went on up and I was glad that it was just a room—I checked my closet and the bathroom and the shower and under the bed and there was no one there and I began to feel silly again. Then I heard something, and I was scared all over again because I’ll probably never know if the killer saw me or not and if...” she paused again, wincing “... I should leave the country. But I’m here for a medical conference and it’s important and... I guess my life is more important, but I’m afraid, so afraid! You said that you would protect me, right?”
“We’re going to see to it that we know your schedule, that we have patrolmen aware at all times where you are—” Sean began.
“Oh, my God! They had patrolmen all over the night that poor woman was murdered! Oh, my God, that’s not... You don’t understand! This guy is good!” Sarah said.
“Well, honestly, we don’t suck ourselves,” Sean said. But he looked around at Edmund, Jeanne, Officer Townsend, Della and Mason. “You must understand that we are vigilant, that every officer in London, in England, in all of the British Isles is aware of this situation, is on heightened security—and that we are good, we can stretch, but we do have limited resources—”
“Wait, please,” Mason said. “If English law enforcement can see to Miss McDonald’s safety for the next six hours or so, I know that our assistant director can arrange for security for her.”
Edmund smiled and nodded. “Nice to have a rich boss!”
“Nice that he’s a guy who will spend it on the right things,” Mason said. “I know that we can set something up, and believe me, it will be with someone we trust implicitly. Are you okay?”
Sarah McDonald looked from Della to him and nodded. “Your boss won’t just say something like send that scaredy-cat home?”
“Not Adam,” Della said quietly.
Mason realized that Della was looking at him, her eyes implying her approval. And he realized something else.
More than just being cautious, in this strange case, Sarah McDonald just might be right. If this “Jack” had seen her, she just might be in trouble.
And if they were with her, along with keeping her alive, they might find their man.
Marty Townsend spoke up quickly. “I can watch out for the next five hours. I could only sit in here like this because my shift ended. I have hours left in which I can watch out for Sarah. She was too scared to sleep. I’ll go with her and keep guard at her door.” He looked at Sean and Edmund and said, “Not to worry. No overtime. I was just going to go home to go to sleep.”
“That’s great,” Mason said.
“And so good of you!” Sarah said.
“Fine. Then we’re good to go. I’ll get ahold of Adam,” Mason said.
He rose and the others did as well.
“Well, we shall leave you two, then,” Edmund said. “And get out on the streets. We’re going to do a little pub-crawling.”
Mason grinned. “Barhopping for the Americans present.”
“Same thing either way,” Jeanne Lapierre supplied dryly.
