Capturing the Devil (Stalking Jack the Ripper #4)(96)

I’d now be the one setting a trap for this monster. “He’s not the only one who tires of this game.” I pushed to my feet, jaw set, as Thomas handed me my cane.

“Let him come for me.”





FORTY-ONE

AGAINST ONE’S NATURE

GRANDMAMA’S ESTATE

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS





15 FEBRUARY 1889


Back in London, what felt like ages ago, I’d sat in Hyde Park with my brother, watching birds fly across the pond, readying themselves for winter. They didn’t go against their nature, never ignored the voice inside them urging them to seek warmer lands. Their innate sense of preservation urged them to flee to warmth and safety.

At the time, I’d wondered why the women who’d found themselves at the end of Jack the Ripper’s blade hadn’t listened to their own innate warning systems—the ones that whispered of danger. Now, as I stared at the golden ram’s-head mask left to taunt me, I understood why.

I hated the way the horns twisted like serpents above goat-shaped ears. It looked like a devil’s mask from Eastern European folklore. One where goat and man had morphed into one terrible creature. In fact, I was almost certain I’d seen something similar during our stay at Bran Castle. I abruptly stopped thinking about the mask and went back to packing. Little bells of warning jingled in my mind, calling me a fool. But I’d had enough. I couldn’t stay in this house, waiting—no, hiding from my fate. I would not let fear make me its prisoner.

I shoved the last of my dresses into a trunk, sitting on it to shut it tight.

Thomas knocked on my door, his attention immediately falling on my unruly luggage. His brows raised. “Are we leaving and I’m the last to know?”

“Not we. I. ” I huffed as I reached down to fasten the locks with no luck. The

bloody thing was a beast thanks to the bold designs Liza had initially packed as part of a post-wedding surprise holiday. They were lovely, but highly impractical for travel. Thomas crossed his arms. His look promised a debate and I was tired of them already. “If I am on my own, he’s more likely to strike. You know that’s true, even if you don’t care for the idea of it. I’ll go rent a room somewhere near the fair, or see if Minnie has any rooms above the pharmacy left. I’ll wander the streets during the daytime. Eventually I’m bound to catch his notice.”

“Of course I don’t like the idea of it, Wadsworth. I can’t fathom anyone who would.”

“It’s a little reckless, but it’s also a good way to provoke him into action.”

“Please. Don’t. You do realize what you’re asking of me, right? You’re asking me to stand by and wait for a cunning murderer to come for you. As if it might not break me to lose you.” He gripped the doorframe as if to keep himself from rushing to me. “I won’t ask you to stay. But I will ask you to consider how you’d feel if I was the one marching into death. Would you stand back and not fight for me?”

An image of him sacrificing himself as bait sent chills skittering along my body. I would sooner chain him to a laboratory table than permit him to do such a thing. He deserved credit for allowing me a choice when I’d rob him of his without second thought. “Thomas…”

I watched him swallow his fear down, saw the resolve set in. He wouldn’t stop me. He’d watch me walk out the door and disappear into the night. He would be terrified, but I knew him well enough now to know he’d keep his word. We’d been down this path together before. One where our ideas of how to proceed during a case diverged. That time, I’d chosen my own way over trusting in our partnership. It was a mistake. One I did not intend to make again. I slid off the trunk, deflated. A tear slipped down my cheek and I angrily swiped at it.

“I don’t know what else to do,” I confessed, holding my hands out. The scent of lavender wafted into the air, the oil healing and soothing my burns. “How do we catch someone who might as well be a demon born of another dimension?”

Thomas crossed the room in an instant, taking me in his arms. “By standing against him together, Wadsworth. We will solve this mystery and we will do it as a united front.”

“As touching and nauseating as this little scene may be,” Mephistopheles said from my doorway, his hands shoved into his pockets, “I have some information that might assist in your endeavor.”

The ringmaster strode into my room and settled on the bed as if he were the

high king of the Fairy claiming his throne. He set his top hat on the golden ram’s-head mask and kicked his boots up, the leather shining in the most annoying manner. “Cute mask. Do you wear it to set the mood, or…”

“You are completely ridiculous.”

“Is this the first time you’ve realized this?” Mephistopheles raised his brows.

“And here I thought you were quite bright, my unrequited love.”

“Where have you been?” I asked, hints of my earlier suspicion returning. I couldn’t stop thinking about how talented career murderers were. They were friends, lovers, family members. All leading what seemed like regular lives, except for one monstrous secret. “Minnie has been looking for you.”

“She—”

“Let me guess,” I said, losing patience and cutting him off. His usual response always involved mention of his… charms. I was not in the mood for jokes. “She wouldn’t be the first woman or man to do so. Can you be serious for once?”