Chapter 12

Will ate the distance to St. Dunstan’s church and cemetery as if the hounds of hell were on his heels. They were.

Everything made sense now. All the clues Lizzy had given them. All her words of warning. The clue that the killer wasn’t what he seemed. Who would seem more unlikely to commit murders than a man of God, a man of the cloth?

But this was a man Ginny had told him she loved like the father she missed so terribly.

Will berated himself for missing the clues that stared him in the face. How could he not have noticed that a female had been murdered every other year on September 16th? Had murders become so commonplace in his line of work that he could overlook another innocent female’s death?

But in his defense, they hadn’t all been in his civil parish. Indeed, they hadn’t all been in London.

Will neared St. Dunstan’s church and stepped inside the chapel. The church was empty. No one was there.

“Reverend Fletcher,” he called out. No one answered.

He called out again, but was met with the same eerie silence.

Will exited by the side door and took the path that led to the cemetery. “Reverend Fetcher!” he called out louder.

Silence.

It was getting late. Perhaps Reverend Fletcher had gone home. Perhaps Will would find him in the rectory. He called out again, then headed for the side exit to the cemetery that led to the rectory where Reverend Fletcher lived. He’d only taken a few steps when Wesley Fletcher stepped out onto the path, breathless, as was Will.

“Were you looking for my father, Inspector?”

“Yes, Fletcher. I was. Have you seen him?”

Fletcher shook his head. “I was looking for him, too.”

Wesley closed the distance that separated them, then stopped when he was directly in front of Will. A concerned expression covered Wesley Fletcher’s face. There was also a frantic look in his eyes. Will was instantly on alert.

“May I ask why you were searching for my father?”

Will didn’t respond immediately.

“Does it have something to do with Elizabeth’s murder?”

Will’s heart raced faster. “Why do you ask?”

Wesley Fletcher closed his eyes and took in an unsteady breath. “You know, don’t you? You’ve figured it out.”

Will gave a sharp nod.

Wesley Fletcher swiped his hat from his head and raked his fingers through his hair. “I’m glad. I’m very, very glad.”

Will felt his temper rise. “How long have you known your father killed all those women?”

“I didn’t know until Elizabeth’s death.”

“Then why the bloody hell didn’t you say anything? Why didn’t you come to me?”

Fletcher turned. He took enough steps away from Will so they were separated. “I wanted to… but I couldn’t.”

“You couldn’t? Why the hell not!”

Fletcher spun back around. “We don’t have time for this! Ralphy and I have been taking turns watching him. Our visit to the police station made that impossible just now, you know.” He cast an accusing look at Will and they both whirled around as footsteps came thundering out of the darkness toward them.

“Wesley! Wesley!”

“Here, Ralphy! I’m here.”

Ralphy came lumbering toward them, breathing hard and with a terrified look on his face.

“He got her. He got her! Oh, Wesley!”

Before either of them could ask who he had, the first scream echoed in the darkening sky.

“He has Miss Ginny!”

Will ran toward the sound. He willed his feet to fly, yet he felt as if his shoes were weighted down with lead. Wesley Fletcher was right behind him, and Ralphy was trying his best to keep up with them, but his movements were more cumbersome.

Will ran through the trees and when the second scream tore through the air, he bellowed a warning in hopes that Reverend Fletcher would release Ginny and run for his life. But he was more afraid that he would complete his task of killing her, then flee.

“Ginny!” Will bellowed as he ran forward.

Will burst through the low hanging trees, ignoring the branches that snaked out to cut his flesh. His feet seemed to skim the ground, his heart pumping wildly. It wasn’t until he reached a secluded area that he saw them.

Reverend Fletcher had Ginny pinned against a tree. His fingers were clamped around her neck and her flesh had turned blue.

Will burst forward, a sense of destiny overtaking him that swirled into his muscles and made him feel lighter than air and stronger than steel. With a monstrous flying leap he slammed into Reverend Fletcher and knocked him away from Ginny.

Flesh hit flesh, and the reverend flew to the ground. Will drew back his arm and pummeled his fist into Fletcher’s face. Blood spurted from the reverend’s nose and his mouth, but Will didn’t stop hitting him. Again and again he took aim until Reverend Fletcher’s head dropped to the side.

“Enough, Inspector,” Wesley Fletcher said, clasping his hand on Will’s shoulder. “Miss Wattersfield needs you.”

Hearing Ginny’s name was like a splash of cold water. Will pulled away from Reverend Fletcher and bolted to his feet. He looked over to where Ginny had been and saw her cradled in Ralphy’s arms.

Will dropped to her side.

“Ginny,” he said, brushing strands of hair from her forehead. She was alive, but she was hurt. Will needed to get her home. She needed to be seen by a doctor, and then she needed her sisters to take care of her. Will took Ginny from Ralphy.

“Fletcher,” Will said when he held Ginny in his arms. “Go to Seething Lane Station and tell my constable to send some men back with you. Tell him we’ve got our killer.”

Wesley Fletcher nodded and took off toward Will’s office.

“Ralphy, you stay here with me. I may need you before Wesley returns.”

Ralphy turned his attention to where Reverend Fletcher lay. “I won’t let him hurt you,” he said. “I won’t let him hurt anyone ever again.”

“I know you won’t, Ralphy.” Will brushed his fingers over Ginny’s cheek. “You saved Miss Virginia, you know. If you hadn’t come for Wesley and me, he might have killed her.”

Ralphy looked at Ginny in Will’s arms and smiled. “Pretty good job. Pretty good job.”

“That’s right. Ralphy. You did a mighty good job.” Will lowered his gaze to the woman in his arms. He loved her more than he thought it was possible to love anyone. He loved her more than his own life. He didn’t know how he could have gone on living if he hadn’t reached Ginny in time. He wasn’t sure he could have.

He leaned down and kissed Ginny on the forehead. Her eyes fluttered, then opened.

“Will?”

“Yes, sweetheart.”

Ginny’s eyes were filled with terror and the color was still drained from her face.

“You’re safe. We have him.”

“It was Reverend Fletcher. He’s the one who killed Lizzy.”

“I know.” Will hugged her tenderly. “Wesley went for help and Ralphy is here with us.”

“I want to go home,” she said, burrowing against him.

“I’ll take you home as soon as the constables get here.”

She breathed a deep sigh, then closed her eyes as she relaxed in his arms.

Reverend Fletcher was starting to stir when Wesley returned with Thompson and Wallace. He tried to deny he had anything to do with the attack on Ginny, but everyone ignored him. “Lock him up,” Will said when his officers looked at him for instructions. “I’ll be back later to press charges.”

Wesley put his arm around his brother. “Come on, Ralphy. You’re coming home with me tonight.”

Will rose to his feet with Ginny in his arms and walked away from what was almost the scene of her murder. He couldn’t allow himself to think what might have happened. He couldn’t let his mind think how he would have survived if he hadn’t reached Ginny in time.

He held her in his arms as if he never intended to let her go. She possessed his heart. He couldn’t imagine a life without her.

And anyone who tried to get in the way of that would come face to face with a legend. A man folks called the greatest warrior of all time.

William de Wolfe.