Scarecrow of 1889
Chapter 20: Missing from the register

Chapter 20: Missing from the register

Jane quickly arrived at her office to catch her assistant. Addison looked surprised and said, "Miss Jane, you have returned! Did you hear the news?"

"I did," Jane replied, and she shook her head to ask, "Did you speak to Lady Delilah’s contacts?"

"I did. I spoke to her neighbours, her children, and the people whom she’s worked with and as you know her life has been pretty much public. There’s very little to uncover there," Addison sighed. "There’s also something that I found out."

"What is it, Addison?" Jane asked, dropping her trunk as she had taken a carriage straight to this place rather than her home. And it wasn’t like she had anyone waiting for her in the house now.

"I don’t think it is just women," Addison stated, bringing a deep frown to Jane’s face. Knowing exactly what he insinuated, she asked,

"How many?"

"Two men have died. Their wrists were cut," Addison stated.

Jane’s lips pursed, and she said, "They don’t seem related to the case, Addison. Their appearance after death isn’t the same."

"A moment, milady," Addison raised his finger before moving to his desk, shuffling things around, and finding a book. Pulling it away from the rest, he said, "This is the illustrator’s book that I borrowed from him. As the case has been closed for a long time, he was willing to share it. Though I don’t have the recent case illustration."

Taking the book from him, Jane flipped through the pages before her eyes fell on the drawing of the victim’s body. She stared hard at the hands that had no wrists. But it wasn’t what caught her attention. It was the way the body was found.

"It’s the position of scarecrow," Jane murmured, noticing the way the hands were spread wide and the torn wrists were placed downwards, making them look lifeless.

"I found out that the other murder was in a similar position and was recent. Sebastian Daniel. He was found dead the noon before Delilah Swan was killed," Addison let her know.

"It seems like what we theorised initially is being proven wrong, as if to derail the whole thing we have come up with until now," Jane whispered with her eyebrows deeply furrowed. "I will go speak to the people Lady Delilah knew and see what connection we might find."

"Miss Jane, the commissioner wants to talk to you, and I have already written down the transcripts of what I spoke with them, milady. It being a high profile case with the addition of Lady Delilah, nobody wants to get involved more than they have. They close the door right on the face when I mention the case."

Without wasting time, she went to visit the commissioner at his office, and as expected, the man wasn’t happy. He spoke to her,

"Miss Reinhart, I heard you went to Stirling when the famous Delilah Swan was found dead. Was your trip there comfortable?"

"Yes, commissioner," Jane answered.

"You must already have an inkling of why you are here. As the case has become high profile, people whom the actress knew and their interrogation will be further handled by Sergeant Gruger and the inspector," the commissioner stated with a sigh. He said, "I am not taking you off the case, but you won’t be handling this side of it. Do you understand, Miss Reinhart?"

"Yes, commissioner," Jane obliged, and the commissioner looked pleased with her response. "You will also hand over information and details that you and your team have found to the inspector, so that they can get more area in working on this."

What were they doing until now? Jane questioned herself. "Yes."

"Good. You can leave now," the commissioner dismissed her.

Jane stepped out of the room with a glare directed at the sergeant, who stood right outside the commissioner’s room.

"You must be grieving your servant’s death, Miss Reinhart. It would do you well to take rest," Sergeant Gruger taunted her.

Not bothering to respond to his words, Jane walked out of the building and met up with Addison back in the office. She asked her assistant,

"How’s the progress on the fingerprint match from the scene with the register?" Jane inquired.

"They’ve gone through four books so far, milady. There are seven more to go," Addison replied. "It’s a slow process, and there’s a chance the fingerprint might belong to someone else..."

Jane nodded, acknowledging the challenge ahead. She picked up a piece of chalk and a book containing the names of the victims’ acquaintances, then began meticulously transcribing the names onto the board.

Addison observed in silence as his boss continued to write for several minutes, her focus unwavering. Once she finished, Jane started marking the names with the locations associated with each individual.

"Let’s start by eliminating the female names from the list before moving on to the men," Jane declared, gesturing towards the names on the board to the other associates. "Get these names and cross-reference them with the fingerprint."

Jane and her team worked tirelessly, sifting through page after page as the hours ticked by. Midnight arrived, but they pressed on, fuelled by coffee and determination. Finally, as the last of the books were examined, one of them spoke up, "The books are complete, milady."

Jane looked up at the board, where the names of the women had been struck out, leaving only three names remaining.

"Agnes Holloway, Maeve Canavan, and Elizabeth Button," Jane murmured, her gaze fixed on the remaining names. "Miss Maeve recently moved here for work. Obtain her details from Dublin. Mrs. Button resides on the east side, and Miss Holloway is from Willowdale."

In the afternoon, as calls were made to gather information, one of Jane’s associates knocked on her office door and entered.

"What is it, Gael?" Jane inquired.

"Miss Jane, I contacted the register’s offices and uncovered something," the associate informed her. "There’s no record of Miss Agnes Holloway in the register for Willowdale or any of the nearby towns. I believe she provided false information."