Four

The first stop on the tour was at St Boltoph’s , a small stone church that was nestled right in the middle of all the towering commercial buildings. The guide, now known as Jeremy began to speak about this period of time. Ladies of the night, prostitutes would wait for clients outside on the pavement of the church. It was believed that Catherine Eddowes was picked up from this spot on the night 30th September 1888 as her body was found just around the way where they were headed next.

“Holy, hard to think that prostitutes existed back in those days huh?” he whispered.

Tucking a loose strand back into her woollen cap she nodded “I guess, but if you think about it. Was there much else woman could do for money back then?” She would go crazy being a woman in those times, no rights nothing. But then they didn’t know any better.

“Yeah, good point. I wonder if he had something against the type of women that they were? Since each one was a “lady of the night” he pondered clicking his teeth together.

They both looked up when the guide interrupted them “Well sir, the general theory was that he could of been a religious man and saw this as a way of punishing their sins, but no one really does know” he confirmed.

"Well that’s just all kinds of sick. Asshole” he muttered.

“Jon” Lily whispered nudging her elbow into his ribs.

“Sonny’s right what sick bastard does this to these women?” an elderly woman with her husband that had been standing next to them interrupted with a distinct Southern American drawl.

Jon smiled turning to the older couple “Thank you” he whispered and nodding back at Lily.

Lily shook her head laughing “You shit” she muttered at the proud look on his face.

Jon gasped and put his hand on his mouth “Ms St James... the language” he teased coming closer, his lips teasing the tip of her nose.

“I’m going to have to take you home put you over my knee and spank you” his hand slid inside her coat against the rich cashmere snaking around her back.

“I’d like to see you try” she dared him her eyes falling to his lips letting her s connect with his. The kiss was soft and full of flavour of warm minty gum before she finally pulled away seeing the older couple standing there grinning proudly at them.

“Sorry” Lily said patting her hands to her cheeks.

“Oh don’t be dear, it’s nice to see two youngins in love. You don’t see it all that often anymore out and about” she commented wrapping her baby blue woollen scarf around her neck.

In love? Ahhh. Lily knew they were just being polite, but Jesus! Jon chuckled as her blue eyes grew big as saucers.

“Thanks” he offered. He didn’t correct the woman, it was never in his best interest to talk to complete strangers about his relationship status.

They all followed the guide a little further after some more historic information about the church passing a pie cart on the side of the road.

“Ohh pies! Want one?” he asked her dragging her out of the group to the small vendor.

She laughed, his excitement was compared to a kid in a lolly store. “Sure” she said as Jon squinted at the small chalkboard menu.

“I’ll have a dressed steak pie thanks, light on the cheese and a little relish” she told the man.

“Sure thing “

“Dressed?” Jon asked her “What’s a naked pie?” his lopsided grin widening.

She motioned to the man scooping mashed potato and sprinkling cheese on the top of her pie along with relish and some other green looking garnish.

“Oh, wow... give me one of those too please” he told the guy slipping him a couple of notes.

He handed Lily’s to her on a paper plate with a fork and went about making Jon’s up before the joined the tour group again.

“Damn this is good” he forked a pile of potato mixed with pie into his mouth.

Two minutes up the road sheltered by more commercial buildings was a small courtyard known as Mitre Sqaure. They all gathered around the south corner where two park benches sat adjacent around a flowerbed. Lily leaned against the wrought iron fence and while Jon perched himself on the edge of the park bench tucking into his pie.

Men, always excited about food. The guide went onto explain that this is where Catherine Eddowes’s body was found mutilated on 1.45 in the morning of the 30th September 1888.

The short man paced along where Jon was sitting on the edge of the seat “And here, is where her feet were and here where you are sitting is where her head lay” he said stopping directly in front of Jon.

Jon’s eyes widened as he leapt up off the seat nearly losing his pie, the hairs of the back of his neck creeping up. And that eerie feeling of being in someone’s grave shivered through his body. Lily moved over to him “You ok?” she asked.

“God, yes fine now... that’s just so wrong, they build a park bench there?” he asked.

“Kind of creepy right? Wait, you’ve got some pie...” she scraped a little bit of pie on his chin off and licked her finger. “Good huh?” swirling her tongue around the end of her pinkie.

Jon groaned and straightened himself up “You are going to be the death of me, you know that don’t you?”

“Maybe” she winked pulling back realizing that again they were the centre of attention to the people around them. Her body moulded back into the side of his, like it was made that way as they watched the guide continue to talk about the mutilation of the bodies. By the time it was to move on they’d finished their pies and followed the guide onwards. The night lights twinkled above them from the overhead buildings and the stars flickered in the deep night sky above them.

They walked further down a narrow brick alleyway that you wouldn’t be caught dead in at this time of night by yourself. They soon came to a stop around Goulston street where the guide proceeded to explain that this is where graffiti had been found in chalk that could of been done by the Ripper.

“It’s not conclusive but it read ‘The Juwes are the men that will not be blamed for nothing’” he showed the wall area on the now building it was in its place.

The short man stood with is arms behind his back just in front of Lily and Jon “While it’s not certain this was left by the ripper, it was believed to be. The morning it was found Police Superintendent Thomas ordered it to be rubbed off, and at first they were just going to take off the reference to Jews since it was tagged around a heavily populated Jewish area and he didn’t want any uprising of violence to occur. In the end he demanded the whole thing to be rubbed off leaving no trace of what could have been a clue”

Lily smiled and leaned in towards Jon “You’re not scared are you?” she whispered.

He laughed “God no, but it’s really interesting I’m glad you suggested it” Ok so he was a little. Something about retracing footsteps of a murderer was a little creepy.

“You’re welcome” she turned her gaze back to the man until she yelped when two fingers pinched into her side. “Sorry” she said to the people around them. Jon’s head was turned away from her view but it was shaking from the back. “You little shit” she whispered jabbing him back in the sides of the ribs.

He laughed and moved in closer to her letting his lips brush over her ear. “Too Easy LJ, too easy”

Her lips pursed “Well that may be so but keep that up and you won’t be getting anything from me later” she dared. Who the hell am I kidding? Look at those eyes, those lips... Jesus. Wild horses weren’t going to stop her once they were home.

His eyebrow arched with the soft smile that played on his lips “Oh really. We’ll see about that now wont we?” his fingers delicately brushed against her breast and even through the wool he could feel her tip harden. His lips teased hers just touching watching her close her eyes and wait until a soft mewl escaped her lips. “Yeah I thought so” he said kissing the tip of her nose, again denying her his lips as he pulled away but she tugged at the lapels of his coat.

Leaning forward she whispered “I want to go home. Now” she hated herself for caving, but this was ridiculous the amount of tension they’d built up she could only take so much. She knew by the inward groans he made forcing himself away each time he was teetering as much as he was.

She was dead serious. Her baby blues were clouding over with something much more deadly. Want.

He nodded and again waited for her to make the first move out of there. She grabbed his hand and pulled away from the group as they took off down a small dark brick alleyway. The only sound was her boots clicking across the cobblestones and their hitched breaths. “We’ll walk home, it’s not too far” she said “I need the air” and I need to calm the hell down.

Jon took her hand and swung it forward “Sounds good” air to my cock would be good right now. Christ.

She relaxed into his side once again as they strolled through the dark streets, a thin blanket of fog started to creep in around them. Her skin goosed again as she shivered.

Jon chuckled pulling her in closer “Not scared huh?” he teased.

“I’m cold not scared” she snapped. Jon didn’t have a chance to respond when a figure jumped out shadowed by the darkness blocking their pathway. The high pitched scream piercing his ears.