Love of a Raven

Chapter 34: My End of the Contract

"You are telling me that she did die there, Dr. Phillips?" Galvin repeats the Dr. Phillip's earlier observations with his notebook and pen ready.

Galvin had decided that the first person we should interview is the police surgeon Dr. George Bagster Phillips who gave us a detailed examination of the body in the inquest. Before we came to see the doctor, we sat through the inquest and learned that there was a witness who have not only seen Chapman, but the person she was seeing at the time before her death. Galvin believes that this man could be the murderer and has stated that we will visit the witness once we have finished our business with Dr. Phillips.

"There was no blood trailing at the yard so I can say for certain that she was killed where she was found." Dr. Phillips confirms as he adds another spoonful of sugar into his coffee.

Currently, we were able to have this conversation in his lab. Galvin is sitting in front of him while I was sitting in the corner listening in on them and keeping watch for any other beings pretending to be humans. None were out of the ordinary.

"All right, and what about the fact that the murderer has some knowledge in either the medical or anatomical field? You were the one that said that he had those." Galvin ponders with a turn of his page.

"Yes, that's correct and I stand by it." Dr. Phillips declares, bringing a soft hum from Galvin.

"What makes you so certain that he has any sort of medical or anatomical background?" Galvin asks at the same time a loud ruckus erupts from the entrance. They must have brought in another intoxicated gentleman or lady. . .

"From the way he cut her throat! It takes a man with medical or anatomical expertise to have sliced out the reproductive organs in a single movement with a blade about six to eight inches!" The doctor enthusiastically praises while I had to stifle a chuckle. I highly doubt that our killer has any knowledge on either of the two fields.

Based on the inquest Galvin and I attended earlier, the coroner raise the possibility that the murder of Chapman was deliberate so as to obtain her uterus on the basis that an American had made inquiries at a London medical school for the purchase of such organs. Other experts dismiss the idea that the killer had surgical skills and have also suggested that the organs were removed by a mortuary staff who took advantage of bodies that had already been opened to extract organs that they could then sell as surgical specimens. Why would anyone purchase them is beyond my comprehension.

Just the mere thought of someone in possession of those organs has my blood running cold and it took everything in me not to retch my breakfast at the moment. Fortunately, I overheard Galvin thanking Dr. Phillips for his time which I use to indicate our leave. Standing, I went over to Galvin's side immediately and bid the doctor farewell.

"Who is next on our list of people to speak with?" I question immediately after we left the building. A few carriages came our way and I flag one down which one stopped in front of me.

"Up next is a Mrs. Elizabeth Long, the last person to see Chapman alive before her untimely death." Galvin answers as I help him up on the carriage.

Once he was inside, I climbed in after him and took my seat across from him. Galvin gave the man our destination, the carriage taking off at full speed, then looks down at his notebook. Quite possibly reviewing his notes on either the interview he has conducted or of what he heard about Mrs. Long from the inquest. I heard that she last saw the victim with a client, but that was all she said. She didn't give a full description of the client which is what Galvin intends to find out himself.

The carriage ride wasn't long. We arrived at 29 Hanbury Street, Spitalfields, the last place Mrs. Long saw Chapman alive. I stepped out of the carriage and paid the driver. When I turn to look at Galvin, I find him standing by the backyard and shifting his head every few seconds. I didn't interrupt him for a couple of minutes because he was too enthralled with the street and there was still no sign of Mrs. Long around.