Chapter Text
Another day.
More murders to observe.
Jack is convinced that this is the Ripper, without any solid evidence.
Yes, it's brutal and strangely elegant, but so are most of the kills Jack calls me to look at.
That's how the job works.
Jack's thoughts don't mean anything to how I have to do my job though.
It just means that he'll have a shotgun and be slightly more on edge.
No matter.
There was a new body with new things to observe.
If it was the Ripper, then it was, if not, that's fine.
Who did it means less to me than how it was done. Why.
My name is Will Graham.
It is 8:47 am.
I am driving to Baltimore, Maryland.
~
From where I am standing on the other side of the police tape, it certainly looks on par with the Ripper's tactics.
Little to no visible blood and no tracks to be found.
Though it won't mean anything until I can properly see it.
Jack walks to my side.
"Any thoughts so far?"
I sigh and take off my glasses.
"Yes. That I'm not close enough to process the crime."
As I turn to him, I see a mix of anger and what I think is confusion on his face.
Doesn't like it when I mock him, especially not when he's so uneasy.
I've stopped truly caring about what he thinks.
I just have to do what he wants me to do then I can leave.
What he thinks of how I get there isn't important.
Jack crosses under the police tape and takes a few steps forward before signaling for me to follow.
Now things can finally get interesting…
~
"Well then…"
I stand in front of the corpse.
A man, hung by his arms above his head on a tree branch.
His eyelids are sewn shut but it is obvious his eyes are missing underneath it.
Blood trickles down from them.
His cheeks have a smile carved into them.
Bloody handprints are all over his arms, one on his face, there's blood in his hair.
A gaping hole is left in his chest.
You can see clean through to the forest behind him.
His ribs are missing, as are most organs.
The only thing left is his heart, back lit by the sunrise.
"Now that you can see it, what do you think?"
Jack said, clearly referencing my comment from earlier.
"It has the surgical precision that is known of the Ripper, removing his organs with the elegance he always has, but this has more… emotion than usual."
I nodded sagely.
"It seems the Ripper has feelings."
I say, chuckling.
The actual FBI members of the forensics team approach finally.
They study it as best they can without taking it down.
Need to keep it up for my reenactment, I suppose.
After a moment, Jimmy pipes up.
"Does anybody else think the body looks a little familiar?"
We all stared at it a bit longer before it clicked in Beverly's mind.
"Hey, you're right, it looks like Will!"
They all turned to me.
So many pairs of eyes, god, it's awful.
I ignored them and looked closer.
We did have similar hair and faces…
Though he was a little prettier.
"Huh… I suppose…"
Not knowing how to agree that this corpse looked strangely like myself.
And as they all slowly started looking away, I kept my gaze locked.
It did look like me.
I kept staring even when Jack began to talk to me.
"Are you ready?"
I left us in silence for a few seconds before finally turning to him and nodding.
"Okay, clear out, let's go!" he yelled at everyone.
They all started to take their leave and knew what to expect.
I needed to be alone while doing this.
Closing my eyes, I turned back the clock on the crime scene.
Deconstruct everything I see.
Find the design.
I open my eyes.
The body is laid across the ground.
I walk up to it with a light in my soul.
I am happy.
His throat is bruised.
Strangled.
I take out my knife.
He is not as happy as I feel.
I want him to be.
I want him to smile.
And so I made him.
The eyes are removed next.
I don't want him to see what I'm doing.
I don't want him to see my design until it is finished.
I sew the wounds shut, carefully.
It's barely noticeable.
I move down the body, removing his shirt.
One large cut is all I need to start working.
An oval, on the entire torso.
It is deep enough that I am able to remove his skin with very few extra cuts.
His ribs and organs are in my way.
They are not part of the design.
I remove everything that is already visible, small slices aiding my way.
Then I work on the ribs.
I switch knives to a cleaver.
It will not be as clean as I would like but it is all I can do.
I hack through the ribs, just to get to what's inside of them.
Nothing else is needed besides the heart.
I once again start to remove the organs I have not deemed necessary.
Lungs, stomach, diaphragm.
Not useful.
The heart however must be kept.
I cut around it, keeping all parts intact.
Once everything else is discarded, I finish with the ribs.
All that is left is the spine and heart.
I detach the skin on the back, lining up the circles.
It is a hole straight through.
A window.
I run my bloody hands through his hair and caress his face.
He is finally finished.
I go to hang him up, tying his hands together above his head.
I attach the rope to the tree.
He smiles down at me.
I hear clopping hoofsteps approaching.
I turn.
He has come to watch me.
There is no emotion on his face, just piercing white eyes staring.
Staring.
Staring.
Staring.
My real eyes open.
"Love."
Jack turns to me.
"What?!"
I nod shakily, ignoring what I had just seen.
"He was killed by strangulation, the most intimate way to kill. His eyes were removed, showing how love is blind. The heart is used to represent love and that was the only organ left. The Ripper is in love."
He studied me, as if that would help him understand what I just said.
Beverly doesn't look at me when she speaks.
"With you…"