Scarecrow of 1889
Chapter 54: Restricted movements

Chapter 54: Restricted movements

Ricardo sat beside the man, who appeared pale and frightened. The man’s lips moved, but he struggled to speak, his words catching in his throat.

"Hola, Charles Leary," Ricardo greeted Charles, who had moved to one corner of the carriage.

"Please don’t hurt me! I was only accompanying Jane because she asked me to. I didn’t mean anything I said in court that day," Charles blurted out in one breath, his fear palpable as he anticipated the worst.

Ricardo’s eyes remained fixed on Charles, the memory of that day in court still fresh in his mind. He then said, "I know you did it to save us all. And it is because of you that I am even here today."

Charles felt a glimmer of relief hearing this and asked, "Was there... something that you needed from me?"

"Yes," Ricardo responded. "I want to know what Jane was doing at the soiree today, knowing she isn’t too fond of such events unless she’s working on something."

Charles hesitated, torn between his loyalty to Jane and the fear gripping him. But when Ricardo began to pull off his gloves, revealing his woody fingers, Charles’s face drained of colour. "T-That, Jane is trying to catch the copycat killer who is imitating you. She was there to find a lead."

"And did you fail to mention that there was no need for her to do that?" Ricardo questioned, his tone dangerously calm, to which Charles vigorously nodded.

"I did. But she’s a stubborn woman, who seeks justice," Charles replied, unable to tear his eyes away from the sharp, claw-like fingers. How the hell was this possible?!

Ricardo frowned upon hearing this; he didn’t want Jane getting involved with the next killer. It was unsafe for her. He heard the lawyer mention, "Gruger and Woodbead have kept a watch on Jane. If you ever show up near her..."

"So I have noticed," Ricardo murmured, a hint of amusement in his voice. The idea that three men could keep him at bay was laughable. With the scarecrow aiding him, that number barely stood a chance. He then said, "I will find a way to talk to her. You can ask your coachman to stop on the next street."

"Here?" Charles asked, his face a mask of astonishment. Was Ricardo not worried about being caught?

"Yes," came the curt response.

Charles knocked on the front window and called to his coachman, "Ronan, stop the carriage on the next street."

When the carriage did stop, Ricardo placed his hand on the carriage door. But he didn’t step out right away. Instead, he asked, "Mr. Leary, I assume you will keep Jane out of trouble."

Charles was taken aback by Ricardo’s concern for Jane. He simply nodded, watching as Ricardo stepped out of the carriage with his hat on, seamlessly blending into the crowd before disappearing from sight. He let out a sigh of relief.

At night, Jane received a call, and before she could pick it up, one of the men who had been guarding her since yesterday answered the receiver.

"Reinhart’s residence," the man spoke, and at the same time, Jane entered the room with a frown. The men Gruger had set up were more troublesome than she had expected. After the person on the other end replied, he offered the receiver to her and said, "It’s Mr. Leary."

Jane stared at the man and asked, "Would you know it was Sylvester Crowley if he changed his voice and spoke to me under another name?"

The man straight-up stared at Jane with a stunned expression, as if she were insinuating that would happen. She rolled her eyes and spoke into the receiver, "What is it, Charles?"

"Is the room clear?" Charles asked and heard Jane hum. "I met Sylvester today. Or more correctly, I met Ricardo."

Jane’s expression remained unchanged. She asked, "Are you doing okay?"

"Yes, yes. I am," Charles replied, then added, "He sort of knew what you were up to and didn’t seem too pleased about you putting yourself in danger."

"I have three men guarding me," Jane stated, looking at the man in her living room, who was trying to decipher what she was saying. "The killer won’t come after me."

"Not the same when you’re going after this person either..." Charles nervously laughed.

"Did you get home?" she asked.

"Yes, I did. I’m calling you from my home with the windows shut tightly," Charles breathed, still worried that Ricardo might find him sleeping and kill him for being close to Jane.

"Alright then. I’ll talk to you soon. Let me know if you find anything," Jane responded, before wishing him goodnight and placing the receiver back on the wall.

Three days later, Jane was sitting in her office, writing a document in the presence of the guard in the room, as if she were going to pass letters to Ricardo. Addison suddenly burst into her room, slightly breathless and he informed her,

"Milady, I have narrowed down the scribbler! He’s been visiting the back town and if we make it, we should be able to find him!"

Quickly arriving at the back town, which was mostly where the market area was and bustling all the time, Jane looked left and right, trying to find the man from the official case she was working on.

Addison shouted, "There he is! He’s running!" he pointed at a man, who wore a black cloak and as if hearing them, he began to sprint.

Everyone began following the man, the two guards tagging along noisily. One guard even suggested, "Miss Reinhart, why don’t you stay here while I go get that man."

"That won’t be necessary. This is my work, not yours," Jane said firmly.

"It’s unsafe for you to go—"

Jane ran past him, placing her hand on the edge of a small wall-like fence and vaulting over it. The men followed closely, and one of the guards exclaimed, "I see him! I’ll go after him."

"Wait, don’t scare him! He has a lead! He is going to lead us to—"

But the guards weren’t there to hear the rest of her words as they chased the person, who disappeared in a blink of an eye. Jane and Addison decided to take another route, as it seemed like stealth wasn’t going to work here.

When they arrived at a deserted alley, Addison stumbled to the ground. Jane was about to help him until her eyes fell on the dead body of a woman lying there.

"What the bloody hell!" Addison exclaimed, his eyes widening in shock. "This is..."

Jane’s expression hardened as she noticed a scarecrow doll beside the body. Unlike the ones left by the actual scarecrow, this one had eerily detailed gore. It was only a matter of time before the guards returned, empty-handed, and the people who stumbled upon the scene screamed, drawing everyone’s attention.

"Miss Reinhart, it seems you’ve circled back into the case," Sergeant Gruger remarked, clicking his tongue. "I hear the guards weren’t with you when you discovered the body?"

"Because they decided to leave my side," Jane replied nonchalantly.

"Anything else you’d like to share? Maybe you saw Mr. Crowley and let him go without alerting anyone?" Sergeant Gruger raised his eyebrows, implying she was colluding with the killer.

Already irritated with the guards Gruger had set up and her lead escaping, Jane retorted, "Yes, I met him when he dropped the body, while the man we were chasing was a ruse to get your guards away from me."