Page 39 of Taken By the Ripper
And like the foolish woman she was, she began hatching a plan. A terrible plan. A plan that could get herself killed or worse.
But it was the only plan she had, and if she didn’t start to enact it quickly, she might never see Mazie again as she once was.
She snatched a piece of parchment and a quill from the table near the door and wrote as neatly as her racing heart allowed. In reality, she worried the warning note was illegible as it was.
i should have Gone and told you everytHing when yOu were here. don’t let this detract yoU from your originaL goal.
-Clara
The capitalized letters spelledGHOUL. It was all she could do without tipping off anyone else, such as the ignorant officers, and placing them in danger as well. Claude would know what it meant.
She couldn’t wait around for Jack to show his face. Nor could she scour the city trying to find Claude. If there was any chance to help her sister, this was it. Claude was going to have to findher.
And if he couldn’t or wouldn’t…
Well, then she was on her own.
But Claude said she could trust him. And right now? She was choosing to do so. If he could hunt down Jack, they would have a chance to save Mazie. If she was still alive.
She folded up the note, placed it in an envelope, and handed it to the mustached officer. “If you see Detective La Cour, please give it to him immediately.” She paused and stared blankly at the floor. “I want to be alone.”
The man dipped his head and placed his hat back on. “I’m very sorry, Miss Thompson. If anything turns up, we’ll let you know.”
The officers turned to leave, and she watched them as they exited the estate. The moment the door closed behind them, Clara rushed back toward the infirmary and began snatching a few supplies and stuffing them into her pocket. A rolled bandage. Needle and catgut thread. Two scalpels.
But a sniff from the corner urged her to spin around to find Norma dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief. Although her sister said nothing, she had clearly overheard her conversation with the police.
“Be strong,” Clara murmured, squeezing Norma’s shoulders and pulling her into an embrace. She stroked her sister’s long, golden curls kinked around her shoulders as if she’d recently pulled pins out of her hair. “We’ll find Mazie, and she will be just fine.”
Norma shook her head, her fingers trembling as she swiped the tears running down her cheeks with her handkerchief. “I heard what the officers said.”
She lifted Norma’s chin until she met her gaze. “You listen tome. Not to them. A death is never confirmed without a body. Mazie is a fighter. If anyone could have survived, it’s her. I refuse to believe she’s gone. She’s too stubborn for that.”
Watery laughter escaped Norma’s mouth. “I suppose you’re right. There is no sense in mourning just yet.”
Clara squeezed her sister’s shoulders reassuringly and lied to her face, because sometimes lies were necessary. “The police will find her. Don’t you worry about a thing. Go off to bed, and don’t leave the house. Don’t let anyone in, either. No visitors. No patients. No one.”
Norma swiped the back of her hand across her teary eyes. “What about you? You never turn down a patient.”
“I won’t be able to rest without knowing you are safe. Promise me, Norma.”
Norma nodded and untied her apron from around her waist, tossing it into the dirty hamper resting against the wall. She started toward the hallway but paused mid-step and glanced over her shoulder.
“Your friend will help, won’t he?”
“My friend?” Admittedly, she had few friends and wasn’t sure what she meant. “Yes, I’m sure the detective will make this a priority.”
But Norma shook her head. “Your other friend.”
The blood drained from Clara’s face when she realized what her sister referred to. The Ripper. “How do you know about him?”
“He’s come by several times. He scared me at first. But he was kind. He’s misunderstood but means no harm.”
Clara sagged against the wall as unexpected relief lifted a portion of the weight pressing down on her shoulders. Perhaps she wasn’t as insane as she’d previously thought. If Norma thought well of Jack, then she knew she hadn’t misjudged his character.
“He’s a good man.” Even though she didn’t know his name. Even though she had never seen him in broad daylight. But she trusted her gut instinct, which told her she could place her trust in him.
With a nod, Norma continued on her way down the hallway, and Clara kept still until she caught the quiet patter of her feet on the staircase. Only then did she move quickly to snatch several more items from the infirmary, don on a coat, and slip outside to the back of the house to try to avoid notice by anyone who might still linger outside or be watching from a window.
