The next morning, Leah was glad to finally venture out of the house with Emma for company rather than her father. He had been reluctant to let her go after recent events, but Leah begged and pleaded until he relented. She couldn't wait to look at the market stalls that lined the London streets.

Officers stalked the shadows of the streets. They were made even more prominent in the winter light. Grey clouds drifted overhead, mixing with the smoke being thrown out of the chimneys across the city. The clouds trapped the smoke above the city, creating a haze that made everything far darker than it needed to be. It would have been easy for someone to disappear into the haze.

Leah tried not to think about it. Her trip out with Emma was supposed to be a fun day exploring the city, not a day spent thinking about choking smoke and things that lurked in the shadows. Still, it was hard to ignore the officers that scampered around like rats.

They were everywhere they turned. In dark alleyways, standing in doorways, or hovering next to the many market stalls of the city. Unlike this mysterious murderer, they were unable to stay hidden from sight. Much like rats, they were in a place one would least expect them to be, always nearby and always watching.

"I thought the killer only struck at night. Why are there so many of them walking around now?" Leah asked.

"They are most likely being extra cautious." Emma watched one of the officers pass them.

"It unnerves me."

"I am sure they will catch them soon enough." Emma placed a comforting hand on Leah's arm. "You have nothing to fear."

That morning, Leah had reminded her father of the promise he had made the evening before. He was to be home before dark. If he were running late, then he was to send a note and take a carriage back to the house. Mr Manston had agreed. Some might have taken her insistence as fear. Leah saw it more as being cautious. He could be killed, or they could consider him a suspect.

"All these officers and they are still none the wiser as to who is doing all of this." Leah jumped, startled at the sudden voice in her ear. She turned. Ezra Wentworth approached her and Emma, glancing at the officers who stared at him with suspicion etched onto their faces. "Last night, someone reported that they were being followed, but they didn't see a thing. It was like they just disappeared."

Leah frowned. "How do you know that?"

"I overheard it. Even the officers are scared of the person doing all of this."

Leah looked at one of the officers. She watched the way he scampered around, the way he looked at every man who passed. They were stopping people on the street, watching anyone who might have shown a hint of suspicion. If the businessmen of the city were jumpy, the officers were far worse.

With no idea as to who had been committing these crimes, everyone was a suspect. The street boys were interrogated and watched. The workers were stared at as they walked home. They even inspected the many factory owners whose lives were at risk. Perhaps they thought the killer was trying to remove the competition and eliminate anyone who might have posed a threat to their own work.

Leah doubted it.

Whoever carried out the killings had an axe to grind, especially since all the men treated their workers the same way. Not that these murders had affected much of the day-to-day lives of the business at threat.

Most of the men, like her father, refused to show their fear about the unfolding events. Even if they showed fear in their own homes, they refused to show it in public. They continued to walk the streets without care and saw no reason to change their behaviour because of one person. Others were cautious. They looked behind them, travelled with companions, and walked in the lightest places they could find.

Ezra Wentworth kept close by as Emma and Leah continued to examine the many stalls, trying to avoid the watchful eye of the officers. Leah wished he would go elsewhere; she didn't feel like entertaining him as though he were a puppy. She had more important things on her mind than him.

After a few stalls, and Ezra showing no sign of leaving them alone, Leah had had enough. She didn't need him following her, and she didn't want it, either.

"Do you not have someone else who you can annoy? Someone who might be a little more tolerant towards you than I might be?" Leah coughed, a small wisp of smoke choking her.

"Only if you answer my question."

"You haven't asked a question, and I do not want to play guessing games with you."

"Will you help me start my own investigation into these murders or not? We both know that I am hardly capable of doing it by myself and I could use someone with a little more sense." He placed a hand on Leah's arm. She brushed it off.

Leah thought back to her father. She thought of his brazenness the previous day, his refusal to come home before dark or in the safety of a carriage. It would be just as easy for someone to follow him without him having noticed. He was not known for watching behind him.

She glanced at another passing officer, the stare in his eyes sending a chill down her spine. Even if she didn't want to work with Ezra, she would have preferred to do anything else. Leah couldn't deny that it might have been a good idea. If anything, they would be able to get the officers off the street. Leah wanted to be able to walk the streets with Emma and not have to look out for the officers on the corner.

If the police were there to make them feel safer, they were doing a terrible job of it. Leah had never felt more unsafe than she had walking the streets with Emma that cold winter morning.

That, and she knew it would be the only way to get Ezra off her back.

She sighed. "Fine, I shall help. I'm not doing it for you, mind."

"I didn't expect you to, Miss Manston. Shall we start now? I have some theories I wish to discuss with you."

"If we must."

~~~

First Published - February 4th, 2023