Attuned to my presence, he looked up. “Are you all right?”
Uncle lifted his gaze from the body, waving an impatient hand for me to come assist them. “Of course she is. Hurry, Audrey Rose. We haven’t got the luxury of pondering life all day. For some god-awful reason Superintendent Blackburn wants the body back in two hours. There’s much to do. Now, hand me the toothed forceps.”
Why indeed was the superintendent in such a rush? I tied an apron around my waist, then quickly sprinkled sawdust across the floor, following my postmortem preparations. I doubted we needed the sawdust, as the body appeared completely drained of blood, but proceeding as usual helped my mental state clear.
I grabbed the tray of postmortem tools, handing the forceps to Uncle. I wrapped my emotions together, not allowing a single thread to unwind.
It was time to act like a scientist.
I watched Uncle peel back the skin flap on her thigh, seeing nothing but an anatomical diagram needing to be studied. We’d done the same thing to frog specimens over the summer. This was no different.
“The superficial layers of the skin and fascia have been removed,” Uncle clinically stated. Thomas rapidly transcribed each of his words onto a medical sheet, his pen hungrily lapping up the ink and going back for more. “The breasts have been excised and were found in various positions. One was located under her head, the other was found beneath her right foot.”
I handed Uncle a dissecting knife and Petri dish, taking it back and sealing it once he’d placed a sample inside. He shoved his spectacles up his nose, leaving a smear of blackened blood along the brass. He’d have to address that later. People would start fearing him again if he walked around splattered in gore.
“The viscera were removed entirely and were also scattered about the crime scene. Her kidneys and uterus were found under her head, while the liver was near her feet,” Uncle said. “All the intestines were placed on the left side of the body. The
missing flaps of skin—both from her thighs and abdomen—were sitting on a small table and are now resting in two bags for further inspection.”
Uncle paused, allowing Thomas enough time to capture everything down on paper. When he motioned to continue, Uncle did so, reporting from memory everything as if he were reading from a book.
“A great deal of trauma was inflicted upon her face. Several lacerations were noted—at the scene—in various directions, and her mouth had been cut down to her chin,” Uncle said. “Her throat appears to have been slashed down to the bone prior to the removal of her organs.”
Using the forceps, Uncle peeled back the flayed skin, inspecting the hollow cavity once containing the life force of this woman. The corners of his mouth tugged down, and he reached for a handkerchief, blotting at his brow.
He set his jaw, then continued with his findings. “Her heart was surgically removed and was found neither at the crime scene nor in her person. It’s my belief it was removed for attempted transplant by the murderer.”
A large, metallic object clanked to the floor. Uncle motioned for me to pick it up. I grabbed a pair of forceps and lifted the large gear to the table.
“Set it there for the time being,” Uncle said.
Something inside me snapped like a brittle twig used for kindling. This had gone on long enough. Murdering women. Taking organs. Now there were gears inserted into their bodies? Each new crime grew more horrific than the last, as if Jack couldn’t control the animal rage clawing his demonic soul one second more.
What would the next victim look like if he wasn’t stopped immediately?
I refused to find out.
I’d finish this postmortem, then go directly to the source of evil and speak with the devil himself. After witnessing him with this woman last night, all doubt of his guilt was erased. Father had hunted his last victim.
If I had to bring all of Scotland Yard with me, I would. Hope for redemption was as dead as the woman lying on the mortuary slab.
“Wadsworth?” Thomas’s brow creased, his tone implying it wasn’t the first time he’d called my name and was pretending not to worry. I put on an air of annoyance and he replied in kind. “You look about ready to mount a horse and go gallivanting into some epic battle. Might you pass your uncle the bone saw before you run off and save the world?”
I glared, but gave Uncle the bone saw and rinsed the other tools off in carbolic acid. We were almost done. Since the body had been so badly attacked, there wasn’t much for Uncle to sew up. Especially since Scotland Yard wanted another doctor to inspect the cadaver before the evening was through.
“It’s a bit strange. Blackburn demanding the body back so soon, I mean,” I said. “Could he be the killer, working on Father’s orders?”
My uncle stiffened, then lifted a shoulder. “If you’re right about your father’s whereabouts last night, I suppose anything is possible. We need to be open to all theories. And we need to test Blackburn out.”
Uncle placed the skull back together, then got up to wash his hands.
“Are you interested in confronting Jack the Ripper with me?” I asked, checking over my shoulder to be sure Uncle hadn’t heard. I didn’t want him dissuading me from turning Father in. Uncle was still trying to prove Father’s innocence. But I’d seen enough.
Thomas eyed me suspiciously. “Of course I’m interested in confronting the Ripper. What else would I be doing with my time these days? Besides wooing you, that is.”
“I’m heading home shortly. Father should be sitting down to supper within the hour. I plan on—”
Uncle thrust a bag at Thomas’s chest. “Take this directly to Superintendent Blackburn, will you? Best we immediately hand over any mechanisms lest they toss me back in Bedlam. Be sure to gauge his reaction.” Thomas held on to the bloodstained bag, a crinkle in his brow when he glanced from my uncle to me. Uncle huffed. “Get on with it, boy. Make yourself useful and stop staring at my niece like that.”