Read The Other Teddy Roosevelts for Free Online Page B

women!”
    “I never said you did,” said Roosevelt.
    “Then why all the questions?”
    “Because the one night you didn’t make the rounds with me, the Ripper claimed two more victims. I think I should at least inquire after your whereabouts.”
    “Where was you ?” shot back Shrank.
    “I was in bed when Elizabeth Stride was murdered, but I was in Captain Hughes’ company when Catherine Eddowes was killed,” replied Roosevelt.
    “So are you saying I done it or not?” said Shrank belligerently, his hands balled into massive fists.
    Roosevelt stared long and hard at the man, then sighed. “No, I’m not.”
    “Good!” said Shrank. “And just to show there’s no hard feelings, I’ll let you buy me a pint of ale.”
    Roosevelt nodded to the bartender. “And I’ll take a cup of coffee.”
    “Ain’t got no coffee, Mr. Roosevelt,” said the bartender. “How about a cup of tea?”
    “That’ll do,” said Roosevelt, walking over to a table and sitting down.
    “Now we’re friends again, what made you decide I ain’t the Ripper?” asked Shrank.
    “Your education.”
    “What education?” laughed Shrank. “I ain’t never been to school in my life!”
    “ That education,” said Roosevelt. “If you killed someone, could you find the spleen?”
    “What’s a spleen?”
    “How about the pancreas?”
    “Never heard of them.”
    “Point to where you think my lungs are.”
    Shrank pointed.
    “There’s your answer,” said Roosevelt. “The Ripper knows where those organs are.”
    “How do you know I’m not lying?” said Shrank.
    “Where would you have learned?”
    “Maybe I read it in a book.”
    “Can you read?”
    Suddenly Shrank laughed aloud. “Not a word!”
    Roosevelt smiled. “One more reason why you’re not the Ripper.”
    “One more ?” repeated Shrank. “What was the first?”
    “I’ve seen you get winded walking three blocks. The Ripper ran for at least half a mile last night and eluded some very fit pursuers.”
    “Then why’d you come in asking questions like that?”
    “I’m just being thorough.”
    “I thunk we was friends—mates, you might say,” said Shrank.
    “We are. But if you were the Ripper, that wouldn’t stop me from putting you away.”
    “At least you give a damn. I can’t say as much for the rest of ‘em.”
    “You mean the police?” responded Roosevelt. “You misjudge them. They’ve got hundreds of men working on the case.”
    “Only because the press keeps goading ‘em,” said Shrank. “But they don’t care about us or Whitechapel. They’ll catch the Ripper and then cross us off the map again.”
    “What do you think would make them do something about Whitechapel?” asked Roosevelt.
    “It’ll sound balmy—but as long as Saucy Jack’s around, they pay attention to us. Maybe having him ain’t such a bad thing after all.” Shrank laughed bitterly. “He slices up another 40 or 50 women, they might clean this place up and turn it into Hyde Park.”
    “No,” said the bartender with a smile. “Mayfair.”
    “You really think so?” asked Roosevelt.
    “Nobody paid no attention to us before the Ripper, Mr. Roosevelt, and that’s a fact,” said the bartender.
    “That’s a very interesting outlook,” said Roosevelt. “But I’ll keep trying to catch him anyway.”
    “Maybe old Jack is really your pal Hughes,” offered Shrank. “Y’know, he’s always the first one at the body.”
    Roosevelt shook his head. “I was with him when the second woman was killed last night.”
    “It’s a puzzle, all right.”
    “There are a lot of puzzles in this case,” said Roosevelt.
    “You mean, besides who is he?” said Shrank.
    “Yes,” said Roosevelt. He frowned again. For example, he thought, why would he have walked off with Catherine Eddowes ’ kidney?
    ***
    It took 16 days for Roosevelt to get his answer. Then Hughes summoned him and showed him a crudely scrawled message that had been sent to George Lusk, the head of the