906. Chapter 906

After Resurrection

Episode 7.14

By

UCSBdad

Disclaimer: I've come back to tell you that I don't own Castle. Rating: See above.

Author's note: This is a sequel to chapters 532, 574, 599, 656, 678 and 703, the continuing adventures of Detective Inspector Kate Beckett of Scotland Yard and her husband, Sir Richard Castle.

She was startled by the ringing of the telephone by her bed, even though she was awake and dressed and ready to go to the Yard. She remembered that when growing up a telephone had been a luxury for the rich. But, now that she was married to Sir Richard, she realized she was rich as well. She sighed and reached for the phone. Having three phones in our flat is really extravagant. I should talk to Rick about it.

"Beckett here." She said.

"Detective Inspector Beckett? Can you come at once? The Head of the Metropolitan Police, Sir David Bhusted-Phlush, needs to see you at once." Said her boss, Chief Inspector Douglas." I don't know what's up, but things have been rather busy here for the last hour or so."

"Certainly, sir. If it's urgent, I'll take a taxi instead of the tube. I can be there in fifteen minutes."

"Nonsense. "Said her husband. "I'll drive you and you can be there in seven minutes."

"Richard, I can take a cab."

He smiled at her. "What's the use of having a brand new 1928 MG sports car if I can't use it to get you to work quickly and safely?"

"Safely?" She countered. "The way you drive, Lover, I'd be safer running through the Underground."

"That's absurd and you know it. I'll have the car outside in a jiffy."

Kate nodded and Rick left with a smile on his face. She took a minute to check that the seams of her stockings were straight, Sir David being a stickler for neatness, and went downstairs where Rick waited.

Seven minutes later they pulled up in front of Scotland Yard and Rick parked. "I'll just pop in and have a cup of coffee. Douglas still allows you to keep a pot, does he not?"

Kate rolled her eyes. "You're just hoping to get some information for your new book, aren't you?"

Few people knew that Sir Richard, the scion of family who went back to the Norman Conquest had to write murder mysteries under the pen name of Richard Rodgers as his father had mysteriously disappeared in the Himalayas when Rick was but a lad, leaving the family nearly bankrupt. However, his latest series, about a brilliant and beautiful Scotland Yard detective named Nicole Cold was a best seller all over the Empire and even in America.

Kate and Rick went to Chief Inspector Douglas's office to report. "I'm here, sir."

Douglas looked up from his desk. "Excellent, Beckett. And I see you brought Sir Richard with you. Excellent. Sir David just called. He thinks that your husband may be of assistance on this case."

With that, the three headed for Sir David's office and were admitted at once.

"I have some dreadful news. The London Ripper is back."

All three were shocked. Rick spoke first. "But, Sir David. The Ripper is dead. Constable Demming accidentally backed a police car into him and knocked him off of the Tower Bridge, and into the Thames."

Sir David nodded. "However, no body was ever found. Of course, that did save Demming's career. And I understand he's doing quite well in the Sudanese Colonial Police. He broke up a ring of camel thieves. Would have gotten a commendation if it were not for his unfortunate….personal relationship with one of the female camels."

"What about the Ripper killing, sir." Kate asked.

"Late last night a tramp, a Mr. Turner, was looking for a place to sleep when he found a young woman, dead. Like the other Ripper victims, she was young and blonde and woman of the streets, strangled as the others. And the Ripper left a farthing in her hand as his calling card, so to speak. That's what he thinks her life was worth. The part about the farthings in the other victims hands was never released which is why we think it's the Ripper and not some imposter. " Sir David turned to Kate. "I think that you and Sir Richard should interview the fellow who found her. You and your husband make a good team, and this is a priority case. You'll remember what the press did to us over the last batch of murders."

Kate nodded. "Fleet Street papers were calling us uncaring incompetents and worse."

Rick and Kate hurried to talk to Mr. Turner, but got very little. Decades of imbibing the demon rum had reduced his mental facilities to hardly anything at all.

Then they drove to the spot where the body had been found, but again found nothing.

By the time Rick and Kate returned to the Yard, they had identified the victim.

Kate placed a photo of the victim on the murder board. "A sad tale. The victim, Miss Gina Cowan, ran away from her home in Yorkshire at age sixteen and came to London, hoping for a career as an actress. But she fell in with had company and ended up working as a prostitute. She has numerous arrests, but was still young enough and attractive enough to attract clients. And also to attract the Ripper."

"Don't those sorts of women work for someone? A pimp?" Castle suggested. "He might know something."

A quick review of the file provided the name of the man who had posted bail for Miss Cowan.

Kate and Rick walked into a shabby pub in the East End of London. One flashily dressed man, sitting with several women attracted their attention.

"Eric Vaughn?" Kate demanded. "Detective Inspector Beckett Scotland Yard."

"Ja, dat iss me. Eric Vaughn." He replied in a thick Germanic accent.

"What do you know of a Miss Gina Cowan?"

"I haffn't seen her for months." Vaughn insisted.

She interrogated him for nearly an hour while Rick tried to charm his "girls", but none of them would admit to having seen Cowan for months. Finally, the two left.

"He knows something." Kate said. "He just won't talk to the police about it. He doesn't care about those women. He just hates the police."

Rick patted his wallet. "Perhaps I could go back inside and appeal to his better nature?"

"Rick, you shouldn't…" But Kate was already talking to his back.

Rick came back in a few minutes. "By the time I got back, Vaughn and his women were gone. The bartender said he got a phone call just after we left. It seemed odd that such a place would have a telephone, but it seems Vaughn paid to have one installed some months ago."

Kate smiled. "He's involved in this. And he has a partner. And I'll bet the partner is the London Ripper."

By the time they returned to the Yard, they found that Sir David and Douglas had come up with a plan of their own."

"We've flooded the Rippers usual area of operations with constables who've arrested all the street walkers that can find. Then we'll send our decoy out." Into Douglas's office walked Constable Ann Hastings, but looking quite different from her usual self. She had a blonde wig, far too much makeup and her clothing was rather scanty.

"Are you certain this is a good idea?" Kate asked her boss.

"Sir David likes it."

Kate shrugged.

The plan was for Kate and Rick to hide themselves as near to Constable Hastings as possible to keep an eye on her. Other policemen would block off the streets in case the Ripper got past Hastings, Rick and Kate.

Rick and Kate sat in a darkened doorway, watching Hastings for several hours. Then they saw Hastings head toward a darkened alley where a shadowy figure waited. A few seconds went by and, then they heard Hastings scream.

Both raced from their hideaway. They found Hastings sprawled on the ground in the alleyway. Kate knelt by her. "She's alive."

Rick saw a flash of motion. "There he is." He took off running after the shadowy figure. Kate was about to run after him when Hastings groaned and began to try to get up. As Hastings staggered to her feet, Kate took off down the alley.

When she reached the end of the alley, she found only an empty street that was soon filed with police officers. Somehow Rick and vanished. Vanished with the Ripper.

To be continued.