Timeshares Part 4

"Leave me alone, please," Celeste pleaded, lowering her voice to sound more masculine. She wasn't into girls herself, but even if she had swung that way, she wouldn't have been remotely tempted by Nellie's offer. The decrepit old bag was about as s.e.xy as a leper. Celeste tightened her grip on her umbrella. "I'm not interested . . . really!"

"Half a s.h.i.+lling!" Nellie persisted. "A bargain."

Lifting her skirts, she grabbed at Celeste's trousers.

"Don't touch me!" Celeste yelped. Panicked, she poked Nellie in the gut with the point of her b.u.mbershoot. Nervous fingers pressed a b.u.t.ton concealed in the grip, activating the high- voltage stun baton built into the umbrella. A bright blue spark jolted Nellie, who dropped onto the cobblestones, twitching and convulsing, before curling up into a fetal position. A low moan escaped her lips.

Yikes! Celeste yanked back the umbrella. Guilt stabbed her as she contemplated the downed prost.i.tute. She had brought the stun umbrella with her for her own protection, but maybe she had overreacted a little. Celeste yanked back the umbrella. Guilt stabbed her as she contemplated the downed prost.i.tute. She had brought the stun umbrella with her for her own protection, but maybe she had overreacted a little. I didn't want to zap her, but she wouldn't leave me alone! I didn't want to zap her, but she wouldn't leave me alone!

Thankfully, Nellie still appeared to be breathing. Celeste glanced around nervously, afraid that someone might have seen her stun the old woman. Bobbies and plainclothesmen were swarming Whitechapel these days in hopes of snaring the elusive Ripper, but n.o.body seemed to have observed her encounter with Nellie. She doubted that the woman's sprawled form would attract much attention either. What was one more inebriated wh.o.r.e pa.s.sed out in the street?

Nevertheless, she made tracks toward Dorset Street, leaving Nellie behind. A bobby at the corner nodded as she pa.s.sed. Celeste felt a little safer knowing that the police were out in force tonight, even though their attempts to catch the Ripper were doomed to failure. Scotland Yard had been hunting Jack since August, but at least four women had been butchered nonetheless. Despite their best efforts, the police were no closer to solving the mystery than they had been when the murders began.

But Celeste had an advantage over the frustrated coppers. She knew exactly when and where the Ripper was going to strike next.

Miller's Court was an enclosed yard just off Dorset Street, accessible via an arched gateway. Mary Jane Kelly, the Ripper's last known victim, lodged in a one-room apartment on the ground floor of a rooming house that catered almost exclusively to prost.i.tutes. Whitewashed brick walls hemmed in Miller's Court, which looked more like an alley than a court. A broken window was left over from an ugly fight between Mary and the man she lived with, Joseph Barnett, who had moved out more than a week ago, perhaps because Mary had starting working the streets again. A thin muslin curtain hid the interior of the room from view. A number by the door identified the address as number 13. The unlucky number would certainly prove so for Mary Kelly. The Ripper had taken his time with her . . .

The infamous locale looked just as Celeste had imagined it. Miller's Court had been (would be?) demolished in 1920 and renovated several times since. Celeste still remembered how disappointed she'd been when she had first visited this neighborhood in her own time; it had been all office buildings, parking garages, and warehouses. A modern loading dock had been built over the site of Mary Jane Kelly's grisly demise. All traces of the gaslight horror had been swept away and gentrified out of existence.

But not here, not now. Celeste had hardly been able to contain her excitement when she'd discovered that the "Gaslight & Greasepaint" tour coincided with one of the Ripper murders. Talk about a lucky break! She had been prepared to sneak away from the tour and hole up somewhere, maybe for days, until the closest convenient killing came along, but, as it turned out, the timing couldn't have better. It was almost as though Timeshares had gone out of its way to make things easy for her.

She made a mental note to thank them in the acknowledgments.

Big Ben tolled one A.M. in the distance. Celeste breathed a sigh of relief. In theory, she should be in plenty of time to catch Jack the Ripper in the act. The coroner had placed Mary Kelly's time of death at around four in the morning, but having little faith in nineteenth- century forensics, Celeste had allowed herself plenty of leeway, just in case the murder had taken place earlier than anyone had realized. She secreted herself in a shadowy doorway facing the entrance to number 13 and popped in a pair of night vision contact lenses. The lenses gave the scene an unearthly green glow, but they would allow her to observe the proceedings unseen. Miller's Court was dark and unlit, making it ideal for both her and Jack the Ripper.

The rain started up again, and she took shelter beneath the doorframe. The winter chill began to seep into her bones, and she hugged herself to keep warm. She was in for a long, cold vigil, but she couldn't complain. Mary Jane Kelly was going to have a worse night.

Much worse.

At the moment, the doomed prost.i.tute was still alive. Smoke rose from the chimney of number 13. Candlelight escaped the broken window. Celeste could hear Mary singing inside her pitiful hovel, sounding tipsy and off-key. An Irish accent betrayed her roots in County Limerick. Celeste couldn't quite make out the words, but Mary's neighbors would later testify that she had been singing "A Violet I Plucked from My Mother's Grave" well after midnight.

She was only twenty-four years old.

A man's voice joined in the singing, and a chill went down Celeste's spine as she realized that Mary might already be entertaining her killer. Jack the Ripper was only a few yards away, on the other side of a bolted wooden door.

Who are you? Celeste wondered. Her brain ran through the usual list of suspects. Sir William Gull, the Queen's physician? The celebrated painter Walter Sickert? Montague Druitt, the suicidal lawyer? Francis Tumblety, the quack American physician? John Pizer, a.k.a. "Leather Ap.r.o.n"? Prince Albert Victor, the Queen's grandson? More than a century of Ripperology had produced a plethora of theories and suspects, but no definitive answers. Celeste wondered. Her brain ran through the usual list of suspects. Sir William Gull, the Queen's physician? The celebrated painter Walter Sickert? Montague Druitt, the suicidal lawyer? Francis Tumblety, the quack American physician? John Pizer, a.k.a. "Leather Ap.r.o.n"? Prince Albert Victor, the Queen's grandson? More than a century of Ripperology had produced a plethora of theories and suspects, but no definitive answers.

She fought a temptation to try to peek through the window. It was too early; she couldn't risk scaring the Ripper away or, worse, putting herself in danger. What if she didn't recognize his face? It was possible the Ripper was someone completely unknown to history whose face would mean nothing to her. Better to trail him home after he was done with Mary and get an actual name and address before heading back to her own century. h.e.l.l, maybe she could even snag a sample of his DNA later on . . .

Mary's song was cut off abruptly. A strangled cry briefly disturbed the night.

Celeste flinched. She tried not to think about what was happening inside number 13 right now. This is all ancient history, This is all ancient history, she reminded herself. she reminded herself. Mary Jane Kelly was murdered over a century before I was born. Mary Jane Kelly was murdered over a century before I was born. Celeste was here to observe history, not change it. Who knew what kind of b.u.t.terfly effect she might set off if she tried to intervene on Mary's behalf? Celeste was here to observe history, not change it. Who knew what kind of b.u.t.terfly effect she might set off if she tried to intervene on Mary's behalf? I could return to a future in which Charles Manson was the first man on the moon, or maybe I was never born . . . I could return to a future in which Charles Manson was the first man on the moon, or maybe I was never born . . .

Mary's murder, and subsequent mutilation, had to happen. It was part of history.

"Rest in peace," Celeste whispered. "It will be over soon."

Long hours pa.s.sed as she huddled in the doorway, waiting for the Ripper to complete his savage work. Because the final murder had taken place indoors, and not out in the open, Jack had been free to indulge his blood-thirsty predilections as never before, and he had taken full advantage of that opportunity. By now, Mary Jane Kelly was in pieces.

Don't think about it, Celeste thought. Instead, like countless Ripperologists before her, she wondered why the murders had apparently stopped after tonight. What had become of the Ripper afterward? Had he died of natural causes, committed suicide, been imprisoned on other charges, confined to a lunatic asylum, moved away from London, or simply retired? Was Scotland Yard truly clueless, or had there been some sort of official cover-up? Celeste thought. Instead, like countless Ripperologists before her, she wondered why the murders had apparently stopped after tonight. What had become of the Ripper afterward? Had he died of natural causes, committed suicide, been imprisoned on other charges, confined to a lunatic asylum, moved away from London, or simply retired? Was Scotland Yard truly clueless, or had there been some sort of official cover-up?

She couldn't wait to find out.

Her vigil was briefly interrupted around three in the morning when an older woman entered Miller's Court, calling on one of Mary's neighbors. The woman glanced uneasily at the darkened doorway where Celeste was lurking before hurrying inside.

OhmiG.o.d, Celeste realized. Celeste realized. That was Sarah Lewis. That was Sarah Lewis. At the inquest, Lewis would later testify that she glimpsed a suspicious figure loitering outside Mary Kelly's flat in the wee hours of the morning. All at once, Celeste understood whom that mysterious figure was. At the inquest, Lewis would later testify that she glimpsed a suspicious figure loitering outside Mary Kelly's flat in the wee hours of the morning. All at once, Celeste understood whom that mysterious figure was. Me. I'm the one Sarah Lewis saw. I've been part of history all along-and I never knew it! Me. I'm the one Sarah Lewis saw. I've been part of history all along-and I never knew it!

This proved it. She was doing the right thing. The revelation strengthened her resolve to stick it out, despite the wet, miserable conditions.

I was always meant to be here. It's my destiny to expose Jack the Ripper-over a hundred years from now.

Finally, about five in the morning, her patience was rewarded. Jack the Ripper slipped out of number 13, closing the door behind him. Celeste glimpsed a furtive figure wearing a heavy Inverness coat and carrying a leather bag. The brim of a felt hat obscured his face, much to her frustration. She held her breath, retreating as far as she could into the murky doorway. This was the tricky part: she needed to shadow the Ripper back to his lair to find out who he really was. Maybe even steal a piece of his mail.

Wonder if he keeps a diary-or trophies of his kills?

She would love to get her hands on those!

The Ripper exited Miller's Court, turning left onto Dorset Street. Celeste hurried to follow him, but she had only gone a few steps before she was grabbed roughly from behind. A gloved hand was clasped over her mouth. The cold edge of a knife pressed against her throat.

"Drop the umbrella!" a harsh voice whispered into her ear. "Or I'll rip you to bits."

Celeste froze in fear. Who? Who?

"The umbrella!" the voice urged her again. The knife p.r.i.c.ked her jugular.

The rigged b.u.mbershoot clattered to the ground, leaving her unarmed. Celeste remembered the emergency locator b.u.t.ton she had left behind at the Carlton and kicked herself for her recklessness. Was she about to become the victim of a random nineteenth century street crime?

It's not fair, she thought. she thought. I'm not even born yet! I'm not even born yet!

Her a.s.sailant shoved her toward number 13. Was it just her imagination, or did his voice sound vaguely familiar? "Inside!"

The door was unlocked. The mugger hustled Celeste into the apartment. She braced herself for the horror she knew was waiting.

Mary Jane Kelly's cheaply furnished room now resembled a slaughterhouse. Most of the murdered woman rested on her unmade bed, but choice bits were displayed on a rickety wooden table a few inches away. Her clothes were neatly folded atop a chair. A crimson flood soaked the sheets and floorboards. A blazing fireplace consumed various articles of clothing. Celeste had seen grainy black-and-white crime photos of the butchery, but that barely prepared her for the nauseating sight and stench of the b.l.o.o.d.y spectacle. Her gorge rose.

What kind of person could . . . dissect . . . another human being like this?

A strong hand shoved her into the corner. "Don't even think about screaming," the man warned, "unless you wanted to end up like her."

Gasping, Celeste spun around to confront her attacker. In the flickering light of the fire, it took her a second to recognize him.

"Ramsey?"

The tour guide stood only a few feet away from her, brandis.h.i.+ng an eight-inch hunting knife. Like her, he had discarded his formal attire for less ostentatious period attire: an Inverness coat and felt hat. Perspiration dotted his face.

An overwhelming sense of relief washed over her. "Thank G.o.d!" she exclaimed, clutching her chest. "You really had me going there. For a second, I almost thought you were Jack the Ripper himself!"

"I am Jack the Ripper, you stupid cow!" Spittle sprayed from his lips. He viciously slashed the air between them, driving her back into the corner. "Or should I call you 'Jordan Pinkerton'?" He sneered at her startled expression. "Yes, I know who you are. I recognized you right away from the author photo on your books. I've read them all, you know. And I knew exactly what you were up to the minute you showed up for the tour." He snorted derisively. "Like you were really interested in Richard Mansfield or Gilbert and Sullivan!"

She blinked in confusion. "I don't understand. I just saw Jack the Ripper leave, right before you grabbed me."

"That was me all right," Ramsey said. "From the last time I was here. One of the singular advantages of time travel. You can visit the same time twice. Be in two places at once. Take an actual trip down memory lane."

Celeste tried to keep up. "Jack the Ripper is a time traveler, too?"

"Astounding, isn't it?" He grinned devilishly. "I was always obsessed with the case, ever since I was a kid. I read every book and Web site, saw every movie. You obviously don't remember me, but I actually saw you speak at that Ripperology conference in Glasgow a few years back. You even gave me your autograph!"

She remembered the conference, but not the man. "You're a fan?"

"Of Jack the Ripper," he insisted. "Not you. Would you believe I used to dream about being the Ripper? Almost every night. I would wake up panting in excitement. Then, when I got this gig with Timeshares, the proverbial lightbulb went off over my head. I didn't have to be just a spectator to history. I could make my dreams come true!"

Was he serious? Celeste struggled to make sense of what he was saying. "But who was Jack before you? Sickert? Druitt?"

"No one! You're still not getting it. You can't hold onto that old-fas.h.i.+oned linear thinking where time travel is concerned." He gestured grandly at the dingy brick walls surrounding them. "This is November 9, 1888. I was always here. It always happened this way." Bloodshot eyes gleamed with madness. "That's the sublime paradox of it all. I inspired myself!"

He's insane, Celeste realized. Her momentary relief gave way to renewed terror. Had too many trips through time warped Ramsey's brain chemistry? The waiver she had signed had mentioned minor unpredictable side effects . . . Celeste realized. Her momentary relief gave way to renewed terror. Had too many trips through time warped Ramsey's brain chemistry? The waiver she had signed had mentioned minor unpredictable side effects . . .

"How do you think the Ripper avoided getting caught?" he gloated. "I always knew where the bobbies and undercover cops weren't weren't going to be, where history said it would be safe to strike." He fished his locator b.u.t.ton from his vest pocket. "Plus, of course, I always had my ace in the hole. If ever I found myself cornered, I just zapped myself back to the future before I could get nabbed!" going to be, where history said it would be safe to strike." He fished his locator b.u.t.ton from his vest pocket. "Plus, of course, I always had my ace in the hole. If ever I found myself cornered, I just zapped myself back to the future before I could get nabbed!"

She eyed the locator b.u.t.ton avidly. If only she could get hold of it, just for a second!

"I think I understand," she humored him. "So what now? What happens next?"

"You're the murder expert. What do you think?" He leered at her. "You're doing me a favor, actually. I had run out of Ripper victims. To be honest, I'm seriously considering putting in for a transfer to the 1960s and starting over as the Zodiac Killer. You can be my swan song as the Ripper."

Celeste gulped. "But I'm not a prost.i.tute."

"No, you're a money-grubbing writer who cashes in on murder and bloodshed." He stepped forward, backing her up against the blood-soaked bed. "Close enough."

"Wait!" Celeste appealed frantically to his vanity. "You don't want to kill me. I can make you famous, reveal your ident.i.ty to the world." She nodded at the door. "You can just disappear into the nineteenth century, knowing that someday the entire world will remember your name."

He laughed in her face. "Nice try, but no dice. You reveal my ident.i.ty and I'm just another boring slasher to be psychoa.n.a.lyzed and dissected by hack writers like you. Don't you see? It's the mystery mystery of Jack the Ripper that will keep people fascinated for generations to come. That what's make him a legend. What makes of Jack the Ripper that will keep people fascinated for generations to come. That what's make him a legend. What makes me me a legend." a legend."

She tried another tack. "But you can't kill me. You'd be changing history. Mary Jane Kelly died alone!"

"Not anymore." He shrugged. "So there's one more body found at Miller's Court, a mystery woman for people to puzzle over for the next hundred years or so. It just adds a new wrinkle to the story." His knife gleamed in the firelight. "By the time I'm done with you, not even the future will recognize you . . ."

He raised the knife.

A loud sneeze, coming from under the bed, startled them both.

"What the h.e.l.l?" Ramsey faltered, looking away from Celeste just for a moment.

She saw her opportunity and took it. A spinning kick knocked the blade from his grip. The knife skidded across the floor several feet away.

"Hey!" His befuddled expression was a joy to behold. "You can't do that!"

Celeste followed up the kick with a roundhouse punch to his jaw. "Here's the thing, dummy. You're not facing a tipsy nineteenth-century wh.o.r.e this time. I've studied kickboxing, Krav Maga, and taken way too many self-defense courses!"

"Nosy b.i.t.c.h!" Ramsey dived for the knife, but Celeste was faster. She leaped past him and s.n.a.t.c.hed up the fireplace poker. He lunged for her only to get smacked in the arm by the swinging poker. Bone shattered audibly and he dropped to his knees, whimpering in pain. A second blow across the back of his head left him sprawled face down on the floor. Not taking any chances, she prodded him with the poker to make sure he wasn't going to be getting up again anytime soon.

"That's for Mary Jane Kelly," she gasped. "And Polly Nichols, Liz Stride, Catherine Eddowes, and Annie Chapman!"

Ramsey seemed to be out cold, but she held onto the poker just in case. She had seen too many horror movies to turn her back on the downed monster. Crouching beside the p.r.o.ne Ripper, she claimed his locator b.u.t.ton. A second sneeze reminded her that they were not alone. She peered curiously at the bed. "h.e.l.lo?"

"I-is it safe?" a feeble voice stammered.

Celeste stood up. "I think so. Who is that?"

To her surprise, Bernard Moskowitz crawled out from beneath the flimsy wooden bedstead. His Sherlock Holmes outfit was a study in scarlet. His scrawny face was white as a sheet.

"You?" she blurted in surprise. The other tourist was supposed to be safely tucked away at the Carlton. Just like me. Just like me.

"I . . . I couldn't resist," he confessed. "I just had to find out who Jack the Ripper was." His sh.e.l.l-shocked gaze fell upon the morsels of flesh laid out atop the table. He looked away from the carved-up carca.s.s upon the bed. "Oh G.o.d . . ."

Celeste realized that the poor kid had been under the bed the whole time. Guess we both had the same idea. Guess we both had the same idea.

Thank heaven.

A pocket watch informed her that it was nearly five-thirty. In approximately five hours, one Thomas Bowyer would be dropping by to hit Mary up for thirty-five s.h.i.+llings of overdue rent money. He was in for the shock of his life, but Celeste wasn't inclined to stick around to see.

"You ready to get out of here?" she asked Moskowitz.

He nodded weakly. "Please."

She pressed the locator b.u.t.ton.

"My sincere apologies for this unfortunate business." Rolf Jacobsen, founder and president of Timeshares, sat across from her. "But I'm sure you understand how we would like to keep this embarra.s.sing incident our little secret." He slid a notarized doc.u.ment across the top of his antique mahogany desk, which had once belonged to Thomas Alva Edison. "Mr. Moskowitz has already signed this confidentiality agreement in exchange for a free pa.s.s to the time and location of his choosing." He flashed Celeste an oily smile. "I believe he's requested a tryst with Mata Hari . . ."

"Uh-uh." Celeste didn't even look at the proffered doc.u.ment. "You're not going to buy me off so easily. That maniac could have killed me!"

"Again, my apologies." He handed her a fountain pen. "Clearly, we need to do a more thorough psychological screening of our employees, both before and after their trips to the past." He shrugged. "It's possible we underestimated the long-term cognitive effects of regular temporal dislocation, but I a.s.sure you that we are already putting new procedures in place to ensure that such an aberration never happens again."

"An 'aberration,' is that what you call it?" Celeste was offended by the blandly corporate euphemism. "At least five women were killed and mutilated."

"Those tragedies are a matter of historical record," he pointed out. "We couldn't have prevented them if we wanted to."

"Even though one of your tour guides was responsible?" A horrible suspicion gripped her. "You knew, didn't you? You suspected that Ramsey was the Ripper, but you kept on sending him back to 1888!"

Jacobsen was unruffled by her accusation. "History is history, Ms. Jordan. What happened happens." He pressed the confidentiality agreement on her again. "Now then, how can we convince you to leave this unpleasantness where it belongs-in the past?"

"Don't even try." She got up to go. "I already have everything I need. I know the true ident.i.ty of Jack the Ripper. That's a gold mine."

"More like a single nugget." Jacobsen gestured for her to sit down again. "Don't be too hasty, Ms. Jordan. You're obviously a shrewd woman . . . and a fine author." He called up one of her books on the monitor of his computer. "Perhaps we can come to a different sort of arrangement."

She eyed him warily. "Like what?"