Scarecrow of 1889
Chapter 58: With the latest victim

Chapter 58: With the latest victim

Jane’s coach drove her to Reynolds residence right away, while she forgot to leave a message for Ricardo about the recent developments about the copy killer. Once she arrived before Reynoldses place, she noticed three carriages stationed at the front, and the lanterns burned brightly outside the house.

She entered the house, her eyes skimming through the place, when suddenly Sergeant Gruger appeared before her like an evil omen.

"Miss Reinhart," Sergeant Gruger announced. "I don’t remember you being assigned to this case, that you have come here." His eyes were narrowed at her in suspicion.

"I am the one who called Lady Jane," Mrs. Reynolds responded from the back and Sergeant Gruger and Jane turned to look at the fairly older woman, who made her way to them. "Is there a problem, Sergeant?" she asked in a firm voice.

Sergeant Gruger looked tongue-tied, and Mrs. Reynolds spoke to Jane, "Lady Jane, if you will come with me this way," she raised her hand in the direction. Jane only gave a nod, sparing a look at the useless officer before walking past him.

"Mr. Reynolds, what is Jane Reinhart doing in here? You know well enough that she is a person who is not to be involved in this case this time," Sergeant Gruger said in a hushed whisper to the judge of Riddleford.

Mr. Reynolds wore a grim expression as he replied, "Pardon me, but my wife believes Lady Jane would be more helpful in calming our poor niece than being badgered with questions by the men. Aurora has refused to speak and looks shaken. Hopefully, Lady Jane can soothe her nerves," he sighed. As the officers had arrived here more than an hour ago but had been unsuccessful with his niece. "I don’t understand why the killer tried to attack Aurora, as if he had been watching her for a while."

"The detectives mentioned that Sylvester has been targeting spinsters this time."

"What?!" Mr. Reynolds snapped at the sergeant. "You knew this, and no one bothered to inform us?" His fury was evident.

"We felt he was doing it for fun. The news was going to be released—"

"And when would that be? After more deaths? Without letting people be cautious?" Mr. Reynolds was more than annoyed with how the officers in Riddleford worked. If it weren’t for his roots here, he would have relocated long ago. "Just because society feels that unmarried women have no hope doesn’t mean they aren’t cared for, Sergeant Gruger."

Sergeant Gruger had never seen the calm judge so angry before. He nodded, "I understand that, Mr. Reynolds. But this happened only because she was out in the evening by herself. Had she returned home early or better stayed inside, she wouldn’t be in this state."

Mr. Reynolds closed his eyes, taking a deep breath before saying, "Sergeant Gruger, why don’t you visit us tomorrow?"

"Huh?" The officer blinked, dumbfounded.

"Thank you for showing up, but for now, Aurora is in no state to talk. You and the others can take my niece’s statement tomorrow." Mr. Reynolds showed the officers the door.

Inside the Reynolds residence, Jane was led to a room on the ground floor by Mrs. Reynolds, who paused outside and spoke in a lowered voice, "Aurora came back rather shaken. I am hoping that she will talk to you, as she has refused to eat out of fear."

"I will do my best with whatever I can," Jane replied reassuringly.

"I’ll go ask the maid to prepare some refreshments," Mrs. Reynolds said with a small smile, which quickly faded as she turned and walked away.

When Jane pushed open the door, she caught sight of Aurora sitting on the bed, her knees pulled up and her arms wrapped around them. Noticing Jane, the young woman looked surprised and remarked, "Lady Jane, what are you doing here...?"

Jane acknowledged the gravity of the situation, "I heard you crossed paths with the scarecrow killer." As she stepped closer to the bed, she noticed the bruises on Aurora’s forehead and the bandage on her arm. "You’re hurt."

Aurora looked down at her bandaged arm and replied, "It wasn’t something I expected to happen."

"I’m sorry to hear that you had such an experience. No one should have to go through that. No one deserves the fear and pain," Jane said gently, trying to comfort the young woman, whose expression had dulled compared to the last time they had met. "How are you doing now?" she inquired with concern.

Jane could sense the depth of Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds’ worries when she arrived. Aurora seemed to be trying to keep her emotions in check, a common reaction for someone who had experienced trauma.

"I’m... I’m doing fine now. I mean, away from the killer who almost got me," Aurora let out a nervous laugh that quickly faltered. She stared at her palms, then said, "I thought today was going to be my last day. It feels like a bad dream until I notice the wounds I received while trying to get away."

Jane took a seat on the edge of the bed and placed her hand on Aurora’s. She felt a pang of sympathy for the young woman, especially knowing she didn’t have her parents. It reminded her of her own experiences and brought out a sisterly affection, a desire to protect Aurora.

"I know you had a bad day, but I need to know what you saw and who you saw today, Aurora. Maybe I or the officers can find the culprit who terrorised you," Jane gently urged her. Given Aurora’s memory was fresh, it was best to get the details now before they became muddled. "Anything will help."

Aurora pursed her lips, continuing to stare at her palms before clenching her hands as if to brace herself. She finally looked up to meet Jane’s gaze and said, "It was so sudden. I was with Valerie, our maid, this evening, taking a stroll down the street near the market area. I don’t know when we got torn away because of the bustling crowd, and I found myself drifting to the edge, near an alley."

"I couldn’t find Valerie, and thought to stay put as I am new and still adjusting to the town. Then suddenly, I heard this little girl crying. At first, I thought it was just my imagination, but I wanted to make sure no one was hurt and followed the sound. And then I finally saw him," she said, clutching one of her arms.

Aurora took a deep breath, "I turned around and saw this man wearing a dark cloak. Though I couldn’t see him clearly, I felt this overwhelming fear. He lunged at me, and I tried to run. I tripped and fell but managed to get back up and run as fast as I could. I think I only got lucky because I fell back into the crowd... otherwise, I might have ended up like the other women."

Jane squeezed Aurora’s hand reassuringly. "You were very brave, Aurora. We’ll make sure he doesn’t get the chance to hurt you again."

Noticing the bruises on the young woman, she couldn’t believe how the copycat killer had targeted a lesser-known woman than her, when she had especially gone out to announce to the killer to come after her. Would this mean that she would have to lay low for her turn to come? But she doubted she had that much time if others would be targeted by it.

Aurora nodded, tears welling up in her eyes. "Thank you, Lady Jane. I was so scared... I still am."

Jane offered her a comforting smile. "It’s okay to be scared, but you’re safe now. And we’ll do everything we can to keep it that way." She would need to find a way to get back on the case for this and there was only one way to do it without being highlighted. She said, "If you are okay with it, Aurora, I would be more than happy to stay beside you until the killer is caught."

When the young woman stared at her in surprise, Jane wondered if it was because like the others, she thought she wanted to meet Sylvester Crowley. But then she said, "You might put your life in danger by accompanying me."

Jane smiled at the woman and said, "You don’t have to worry about me. It isn’t the first time I have come across a killer."

Jane spent more time at the Reynolds residence, gathering details about the man Aurora had encountered. She noted his height, clothing, and whether he was carrying a weapon. It wasn’t certain that this was the copycat killer, especially since they hadn’t confirmed the presence of a faux scarecrow doll, but Jane gave it the benefit of the doubt.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice, Lady Jane," Mrs. Reynolds said, grateful.

"It was no trouble at all. It was the least I could do after Mr. Reynolds lent me his ear when I needed to speak to him," Jane offered a polite smile. "I think it would be safest for Aurora to stay inside for now. If she needs to leave, ensure she has someone to accompany her at all times. Do let me know if anything comes up." With those words, Jane returned home in her carriage.

The next morning, as if news had spread about the scarecrow’s first missed murder, Ricardo called Jane at her residence.

"The judge’s niece was attacked last evening while we were waiting to bait him," Jane said through the phone.

"So I heard. Only a sloppy person would make a slip and try to draw someone in a public space," Ricardo sighed softly. When he heard Jane clear her throat, he said, "The scarecrow is unhappy that the reputation he built is being tarnished."

A frown appeared on Jane’s face, and she said, "It’s going to be harder now with the killer’s failed attempt. He might wait this time before trying to finish what he started."

"If he isn’t able to strike, he might find another target," Ricardo pointed out. Impatience often led to desperate actions.

Jane sighed at the thought. "I’ll have Addison make a list of young women who have entered spinsterhood in the last four to five years. If they can be warned to take caution, it would make this copycat killer’s movements that much harder."

"I would like to see the list too. Also, if you are accompanying these young women, you should be careful yourself," Ricardo reminded her.

"How did you know that I am..." Jane’s voice trailed off.

"I know you are the kind of woman who wants to get to the bottom of this and also wants to protect," Ricardo stated from the other side of the telephone line. "Just be careful."

"I will."

Jane already knew the risks that came with her job, and the criminals she chased around. Her guard was already up.

One week passed, with everyone taking every precaution possible and the killer didn’t strike. Jane made sure to check in with Mrs. Reynolds about Aurora’s state, who said she didn’t have the heart to step out of the house. The week after that, she got a call from Aurora herself.

"Is everything alright, Aurora?" Jane inquired who was in her office.

"I apologise for disturbing you during your work hours, Lady Jane, but I thought you would like to know that the detectives found a lead this morning. They believe it’s someone from the east coast, though they didn’t reveal much beyond that. I thought it might be useful to you," Aurora informed her over the phone.

"It is, Aurora. Thank you for informing me right away," Jane responded into the mouthpiece. She then turned to Addison and called him, "Addison, the detectives found a lead. See what you can find in the department."

"I’ll take a look right away, milady," Addison nodded and quickly left.

"Will you be going there too later, Lady Jane?" Aurora asked, sounding hopeful that Jane would be on the case.

"Unfortunately, I cannot work on it directly because of my previous connection to the earlier scarecrow case," Jane replied to the young woman. She then let out a wry laugh and added, "It’s one of the reasons why I’m being watched so closely too. But don’t worry. Addison is a capable person and he’ll get the information."

There was a pause before Aurora asked, "How about I request the inspector or commissioner to put you back on the case? Truthfully, I would be much more at ease, especially knowing how the officers aren’t as efficient as you in their work."

Jane gave it some thought before agreeing, "Okay. I think it’s worth a try if it helps."

Since it was already decided that Jane would accompany Aurora if they were to cross paths with the killer again, the young woman arrived in her carriage to pick up Jane for a trip to the commissioner’s office.

On the way, Aurora said, "With your expertise and familiarity with the case, I think it would be much easier for them to catch this person. I am sure that with a little persuasion from my side, the commissioner will agree to it."

"I don’t mean to bring your hopes down, but the last time I visited him, he didn’t want to hand the case to me," Jane replied, before taking a peek outside the window where the streets looked deserted today.

Aurora smiled reassuringly. "That’s why we’re both going. He’ll have to listen to reason, especially after what happened to me."

As the carriage continued to move, Jane began to notice a faint, irritating smell in the carriage. She wrinkled her nose and waved her hand in front of her face as smoke began to fill in. "What is that smell?" she asked, her voice muffled as she tried to cover her nose and mouth.

Aurora, looking concerned, quickly reached into her bag and pulled out a handkerchief. "Here, use this," she offered, handing it to Jane.

Jane took the handkerchief gratefully, pressing it against her nose and mouth. The scent of the handkerchief was oddly sweet, and she felt a strange drowsiness wash over her. "Aurora, this smells strange..."

Before she could finish her sentence, Jane’s vision began to blur, and the last thing she saw was Aurora’s calm, almost detached expression. The carriage continued to move forward, but Jane’s world turned dark as she lost consciousness.