Death Mask (8 page)

“What is it?” Andria blurted out. “What’s on the paper?”

Finn threw up a hand to stop her questions then gently unrolled the paper scroll.

“It’s a “Wanted Poster”…for Jack the Ripper.”

Andria scrunched her eyebrows together. “Jack the Ripper?”

“Yes,” Finn said, confused. “Jack the Ripper.” He looked up from the poster to check the name on the tombstone and then looked back at the poster. “Not sure what…” He stopped talking in mid-sentence when the name on the tombstone kindled a thought. “Wait a minute,” he said. “Could John refer to the nickname of Jack and Piperr be an anagram for Ripper?”

“Anagram?”

“Yes,” Finn confirmed.

“What’s an anagram and what does it have to do with Piperr?”

“I think it means we may have just discovered the identity of Jack the Ripper.”

“What! You can’t be serious.”

“Think about it. Now that we have this “Jack the Ripper” poster as a piece of the puzzle, it’s all starting to make sense.”

Finn was in full detective mode now. Andria watched his face in amazement as she could almost see the evidence of the case falling into place in Finn’s mind.

“The
Scotland Yard
uniform, the clown suit, the
London
medical tools, the mask’s riddles; the
English
accent… they all add up. If John Piperr, a.k.a. Jack the Ripper, was a Scotland Yard Bobby like this uniform suggests, then he would have been able to fly under the police radar to commit the Ripper murders. But after his out-of-control London killing spree and the unrelenting publicity that followed, he must have fled to New York City to escape the heat and joined the circus as a clown to hide his identity. That’s why he was never found in London and the case has remained a mystery for over a century. But now, he…or the mask containing his life force, must want to confess the truth to the world about who he was so he can rest in peace…for the second death.”

Andria dropped to her knees. Her head was spinning. “Incredible,” she said, mesmerized by the thought. “And now his haunted likeness resides in
my
museum.”

Chapter 17

Finn and Andria took the first available flight back to Atlanta the next morning. Shortly after take off, Andria interrupted Finn’s makeshift breakfast—complimentary peanuts and coffee from the stewardess—with a question.

“One thing I’m still confused about,” she said.

“What’s that?”

“If John Piperr died and was buried in New York then how did the mask get from New York to Pennsylvania with no paper trail? Or, maybe more importantly, why?”

“It’s certainly curious, but not sure we’ll ever know the complete truth. My theory is that it probably had several stops along the way in which it created chaos at every turn similar to what we experienced. Hence, each time, just as with us, it was muffled and sent away to a new, unsuspecting owner only to be re-discovered and sent away again and again.”

“But why wouldn’t someone have thought to destroy it as Juan did?” she asked.

“Maybe they did but couldn’t bring themselves to do it. Or maybe the mask struck first, the same way he did against Juan.”

“I suppose,” Andria said. “Just wish we had more definitive answers.”

“Why didn’t you destroy it?” Finn asked.

Andria gave Finn a blank stare. She hadn’t given that side of the coin much thought. “What?” she asked.

“Why didn’t you destroy the mask?” Finn repeated.

“I’m not really sure. I guess maybe because of my job I saw the mask more as a historical artifact than an evil vessel. Regardless, it seemed easier to mute it than destroy it.”

“Odds are that’s exactly why the others didn’t destroy it either.” Finn said.

“Hmm. I guess it is easier to ignore something rather than deal with it.”

“Welcome to the fundamentals of police work, Miss Walker. Given a choice, most people take the path of least resistance.”

Just then, the plane’s captain came over the intercom instructing them about seatbelts and their upcoming descent into Atlanta.

The plane touched down at 9:15 am. Within sixty seconds of their landing, Andria was on the phone with Mr. Gaines to schedule an emergency meeting that same morning to discuss her and Finn’s graveyard discovery. Although she didn’t share specifics with him over the phone, the urgency in her voice hinted to Victor that there was trouble.

***

Victor’s Mercedes was parked in front of the Curiosities Museum when Finn and Andria arrived just after 11:00 am. Being a Sunday morning—a day the museum is not open for business—the Mercedes was the only car in the parking lot.

As promised, the two of them found Victor sitting at his desk reading the day’s newspaper. They entered his office with Andria in the lead for better acceptance. Victor looked up from his paper to see Andria’s stern face and rose to greet them, smiling. “Ahh, Andria, my dear. What’s all this fuss about?” he asked.

His hopeful enthusiasm was short-lived however, because neither Andria nor Finn replied. Instead, they quickly advanced toward him and took seats in adjacent chairs facing Victor’s desk. This alarmed Victor. He’d never seen Andria behave this way. He sat back down in his chair and braced himself for what they had to say. Without hesitation, each of them took turns spilling their portions of the story.

Victor’s first response to their news was, naturally, one of disbelief. But the more he listened, the more he believed…or wanted to believe. Then, almost immediately, his demeanor changed from excitement to concern. Although what they’d unearthed seemed legitimate, Victor’s analytical mind churned with the negative possibilities; predominantly that the particulars of the case could take years to verify and consequently tie up his investment for decades…if not indefinitely.

Victor let them finish their story then posed a question regarding the current whereabouts of the mask. The answer, thanks to Andria’s earlier quick thinking, was that it was now lying securely in a bucket beneath a mound of sand in the museum’s storage area where it hopefully could do no further harm. This information gave Victor comfort. And without the concern of it causing more havoc, it also gave him much needed time to think and develop a plan.

There was no doubt the mask was about to become one of the most valuable objects in the world. Whether he kept the mask and milked it for its incredible marketing appeal or sold it outright to the highest bidder, Victor didn’t think he could lose, but it wasn’t the money that concerned him; it was the malevolent nature of the mask itself. Based on what he had learned today, combined with the mask’s progressive stunts over the past few weeks and its mysterious, haunted background Victor was skeptical, at best, of the positive endgame possibilities it offered. Making money was one thing, but who knew the problems the mask could cause him in the future; or cause the next owner…or the next owner after that? Yes, Victor was a businessman, but he was also a conscientious human being and no amount of fortune was worth someone else’s blood on his hands.

There was still another option, although probably not the most popular. He could destroy the mask and never reveal its secret. After all, without the mask as proof, who would believe such lunacy? But forever eliminating a priceless piece of history, particularly one with the magnitude to solve one of the world’s most famous, unsolvable crimes posed its own set of dilemmas, especially for someone entrusted to act as a responsible steward for
all
things past.

At the end of their long conversation, Finn, as a favor to Andria, gave Victor three days to make a decision about the fate of mask before he went public. It was a reasonable agreement under such extreme circumstances. Although Victor’s lips agreed to the three days grace period, his heart already knew the answer.

Chapter 18

It was less than a week after the museum’s final bloody episode and Finn and Andria’s subsequent discovery of the mask’s “Jack the Ripper” identity that Victor Gaines decided to sell his biggest claim to fame. Although the mask was an irreplaceable marketing prize, it was also loaded with legal and moral liabilities. Not only could further incidents with the mask deter more customers than it attracted, it could also get more people killed. Although unable to bring himself to destroy it, the mask needed to be stored away from the public eye, permanently.

Victor sat at his desk for nearly an hour before pulling Andrew Game’s business card from the top drawer. He studied the card for a moment trying to recall the details of their first meeting. The last offer from Andrew had been two million dollars. That amount, after all that had gone on, seemed like a godsend now.

Inscribed at the top of the business card was a company name—The Powers Group, Inc.—followed by Andrew’s name and number listed underneath. Victor picked up his phone and dialed the number.

“Hello?” Andrew answered, on the other end of the line.

“May I speak with Mr. Game, please?”

“Yes, this is he,” Andrew said. “Who am I speaking with?”

“This is Victor Gaines, owner of the Atlanta Museum of Curiosities. You came to see me a few weeks ago offering to purchase the Death Mask. If you’re still interested, I’ve got a deal for you.”

***

On the fourth day after they’d made the investigative discovery of a lifetime, Finn and Andria, with the support of the Atlanta Police department, and much anticipated fanfare, revealed to the world that the skeletal remains belonging to the Death Mask “face”, and by association, the identity of the notorious killer from the infamous “Jack the Ripper” murders had finally been discovered.

The previous day, Victor Gaines had contacted lead Detective Finnegan Winters to inform him of the secure sale, and subsequent permanent confinement, of the Death Mask to a private organization and to thank him for his discretion in the matter.

The press conference, including questions from the media, lasted nearly three hours. During his presentation, Finn broke down the steps of the strange journey he and Andria had taken, its outcome and how each move had furthered their investigation. He also laid out the evidence in simple, organized and methodical sequence, carefully explaining that multiple DNA tests were planned for the exhumed “Piperr” skeleton along with tax records and housing research, both in New York and London, to not only know more about the assumed American, circus clown identity of John Piperr but also the
original London name
, occupation and lifestyle of the infamous “Jack the Ripper” persona.

When he finished speaking, the crowd and visiting media jumped to their feet to deliver a congratulatory standing ovation.

Finn and Andria, with the help of Jack the Ripper, had become instant celebrities.

Chapter 19

Finn and Andria shared bagels and coffee over a morning newspaper in the lobby of an affluent office building in Boston, Massachusetts. The day after the news conference they’d been summoned there together by mysterious matching letters delivered to each of their places of business. The details in the letters were specific but minimal, only mentioning that their dual presence was requested and their correspondence letters were to be kept secret. Although suspicious of the letters, they were also intrigued and surmised there was safety in numbers. So here they sat waiting to find out more from their mystery summoner.

At 9:00 a.m. on the nose, a dark-haired man dressed in a Navy blue, tailored suit approached the table where Finn and Andria sat. He stopped a few feet short and waved them forward. “Follow me,” he said, without any expression.

They both stood and followed his lead to the building’s elevator where all three rode in silence to the top floor. When the elevator doors opened, the dark-haired man exited left and said, “This way, please.”

The long hallway had no doors save for one at the end. When they reached the end door, the dark-haired man punched in a security code on the keypad and invited them inside.

“Mr. Winters and Ms. Walker. Welcome to Boston, please have a seat.”

“Thank you,” Finn and Andria replied in unison.

“We’ve never met before; so allow me to introduce myself. My name is Andrew Game. I am an artifact hunter by trade, with most of my findings coming from assignments given to me by a low profile company known as, The Powers Group, Inc. My affiliation with this company has lasted for some time now and has blossomed into a relationship of mutual respect and trust. I brought you two here today to offer you the same type of partnership and career opportunity.”

“Career opportunity?”

“Yes,” Andrew said. “After your news conference concerning your work on with the
Death Mask
case I did some digging into both of your backgrounds. What I found was pretty impressive on both accounts; you’re both very good at what you do. You may also be interested to know that this same company−The Powers Group−is responsible for procuring the Death Mask from Mr. Gaines and can assure that it will remain sealed away in one of our secured vaults for eternity. It is company policy, that once we attain an artifact, such as the Death Mask, it will forever be in our possession and is to never to see the open market again. I know this may be surprising news, but your artifact is not the first, nor will it be the last, of its kind. In fact, we already have a vault full of them.”

“That’s all very comforting,” Finn said. “And I’d like to see that vault one day, but if I could ask a simple question. All due respect intended, of course.”

“What’s that, Mr. Winters?”

“Why us?” Finn asked.

“Each of you has experience and background in one or more of the necessary areas needed to be successful in this line of work. And, as a huge bonus, your chemistry, when working together as a team, is undeniable. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“Not sure I know what to say,” Finn said.

“I know this has to be a little overwhelming, but even so, I do have one more log to add to the fire. This opportunity I’m offering…needs a fairly swift decision.”

“How swift?”

“One week,” Andrew said.

Finn turned and looked at Andria. “You haven’t said anything yet. What are you thinking?” he asked her.