Sunday Snippet: Call of the Ripper

Happy December! The most wonderful, crazy time of the year is in full swing. I'm excited for the holiday and really need to get my house cleaned up so we can actually celebrate. LOL

The mega-crossover of DC shows occurred this week and it did not disappoint. So many things happened with interesting pairings and twisty turns. Supergirl and Arrow kicked off the fun and the crazy times spilled over into The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow. Great to see some familiar and new faces. I won't get into much more, but the double wedding ended up being a surprise for me. YAY!

Riverdale continues to go places I don't expect. I have such a love / hate relationship with this show. I'm actually so happy we didn't have any Lodge parent appearances. I loved Hermione last season but this season I'm very "meh" about her. I also loved getting some insight into Sheriff Keller's personal life. I'm not necessarily a big Mayor McCoy fan, but I like the interesting twist with them. I also, somewhat shockingly, liked the beginning of Chuck's redemption. I'll stay tuned to see if that comes to anything.

I need to catch up with Gotham. I had way too much work to get through and took a full break from television on Thursday.

I did manage to catch up with Murdoch Mysteries yesterday and enjoyed both episodes I needed to see.

I'm still watching holiday movies on the Hallmark channels and should get started on television episodes this week. I'll probably begin with the Doctor Who specials. That's kind of my thing; I always begin with those.

That's it for this week's television wrap-up. Tonight's post is from Call of the Ripper, a novella that started with a writing community prompt of write a story where the characters are investigating Jack the Ripper.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Two 'Ripperologists' take a working vacation to experience the essence of Jack's madness. But when a modern day stalker takes an interest in their excursion, the call of the ripper hits a little too close for comfort.

And a snippety peek…

"Sean! Come look at this." Faith turned the laptop toward the hall where Sean would enter from.

He moved closer, bending down to get a good review of the images she found. "We haven't seen these before, have we?"

The pictures were scans of old letters talking about the murders.

She shook her head. "No. And see, there's a Whitechapel address on them." Giddy excitement filled her.

Sean took the computer and settled down beside her. "In the murder area?" He enlarged the picture.

Faith shook her head. "Don't know yet. I'll start comparing maps with the address and maybe use current satellite imagery." Her fingers itched to get started.

Sean chuckled. "Which is my cue to get the hell out of your way and let you get started." He passed the laptop over. "I have a meeting with the Adders. Should be able to nail down the job and get it scheduled for fall." He got up and crossed over to the coatrack.

The relentless rain hadn't stopped for over twenty-four hours.

Faith waved him off and dived into researching the address on the letters.

Two hours later, she growled her frustration and opened a browser tab for her blog.

I love research. That said, going back over one hundred years and trying to "see" what once was is so damned hard. Between old maps and current satellite details, the jumble created in my brain is making it impossible to get a good picture of what the streets of Whitechapel were like during the Ripper's reign of terror.

She posted a scan of the maps along with a captured image of the street level view.

The good news is… after I verify some information I'll have some new details and the usual speculation that goes along with it. Until then… wish me luck.

And pray I don't go insane during the process.

Watch your backs,

Faith

She clicked on update and waited for the post to upload. At least the short entry helped clear her head. And checking comments from her followers would provide a distraction when the grid lines started blurring again.

Her lips curved. "No doubt the regulars will have a bunch of suggestions, too." She had the best audience.

Like-minded people whose fascination with the morbid and macabre rivaled hers. They loved the adventures Faith dragged Sean into—late night library runs, collector and estate sales, and Faith's personal favorite, the candid discussions Sean filmed. They got a lot of traffic from those, especially when Faith offered up real-time commenting from viewers.

The key in the door gave her a reason to take a longer break. Maybe bouncing some ideas off Sean would shake the cobwebs loose.

Oddly enough, this one has been fun to brainstorm and write. I'm looking forward to seeing how everything comes together.

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin