“How’s it going?” She asked the man standing in front of her, his head lowered to the ground.

“Sorry madam...we weren’t able to get a hold of him again. He is hiding somewhere very dee-“ and a slap on his cheek interrupted him, making him stumble.

He pulled himself together, stood straight again, and Eva walked over to him, her heels click-clacking on the ground.

“I gave you enough time...” She stood behind him, gritting her teeth.

“How you couldn’t get hold of that moron?!” she yelled.

“And you are all I’ve got?” She scoffed ironically.

“You’re one of my ‘ the best ‘ men and you can’t even find a bastard like Eric Ashley? What the f*ck were you doing during this entire time?”

“Madam.”

“I don’t know how...JUST BRING HIM TO ME!”

“And the next time there won’t be any excuses, just you and your family mourning here. Over your corpse, Understood?” He nodded.

“Now get out!” She ordered, and the man left.

Eva sat back in her chair, panting. Her hands rested on the arms of the chair. Her heart raced inside her chest because of anxiety, stress and restlessness which she’d been feeling all this while since Eric Ashley ran away, betraying her.

Hebrew wasn’t much of help. Even last night she wasn’t able to make him speak.

“You need to be more strong Eva.” She mumbled as she remembered what happened last night.

*******

“Enough of nonsense.” She raised her one palm, elegantly.

She, looking up at her man, added, “Beat him until I ask to stop.”

She walked out of the house with some small steps, her eyes teared up without her will. She knew she was wrong. This wasn’t her will, but her hands were tied. She has to find Eric at any cost. Even if it takes killing Hebrew.

Her feet automatically stopped at the threshold of the house, wailing and coughing of Hebrew rang in her ears.

She wiped out her tears and yelled, “STOP!”

She turned around and looked at Hebrew. His head lowered, and the carpet beneath him soaked in the blood which probably he coughed out.

She walked towards him slowly, scared of looking him in the eyes. She took in a deep breath and gripped his chin to make him look at her.

Bending downward towards him, she looked him in the eyes as they traced his mouth covered with blood and some light bruises over his eye and nose.

blinking out the tears she gave out a smirk, “You...seem quite loyal to your friend, let’s see what expiry date it has.” Pushing his face sideways as she got rid of his chin and fast-paced out towards the stairs.

On her way out she looked at her hand, fingers covered with blood, Hebrew's blood. She sighed.

“Madam.” One of her men offered her a handkerchief.

She shook her head, her eyes stuck on her fingers.

“Let’s go.”

She ordered and sat inside her car...

*******

“Are you alright, Mr Hebrew? We can stop if you don’t feel alright.” Jessica offered.

Hebrew stood straight as he gained his almost lost consciousness.

“N-no... let’s continue. It’s just...strong sun.” He said and walked further on the street.

Jessica followed his back, her brows furrowed, eyes showing worry.

As they passed by unfamiliar houses, small, huge, old, new, all the women denied the fact that this woman existed in this street.

They stopped midway. Hebrew scratched his forehead while Jessica said,

“I think we should stop it here for today.”

And a woman laughed, making them realise where they were standing. The flower vendor was here again, wearing an old but still wearable dress.

Hebrew looked at her with a frustrated sigh. He rubbed his face abruptly while Jessica approached her.

“Miss, do you know about this woman?” She showed her the licence again.

“All I can say is I don’t know if I wish to be in this street and sell my flowers.”

Jessica frowned. “What-what do you mean?”

The woman decorated her cart with the flower she had in two huge bamboo baskets.

“This is the only condition our boss has given us. I. Don’t. Know. Her.” She looked at Jessica, her eyes reflecting the confidence along with her voice.

Jessica sighed and banged her palm on her cart, making the woman flinch.

“Is it really you?!” she yelled, gaining the attention of almost everyone passing by the street, along with Hebrew, who just stared at them.

“That day this vast mouth of yours was taunting men about their personality and all, and yet here you are all hypocritical inside. You people can never be helped and can never be helpful.”

Jessica glared at her while the woman had a monotonous spread all over.

“Ms Lennon, that’s enough of attention for today. I guess we should leave.”

Jessica turned to him, her expressions changed into a normal one and as she looked behind Hebrew, she could see women glaring at them. She gulped.

“Ye-yeah.” She said and looked at the flower vendor one last time before leaving, who gave her a sly smile.

Hebrew held Jessica and turned her away from that woman as they left.

******

“Want a glass more?” Hebrew slurred his way through the words.

“You’d said you won’t drink with me,” Jessica argued, frowning.

“Well...time changes a person.” He replied.

They both were sitting on the wooden chairs beside their glass board.

Hebrew stretched back in his seat while Jessica kept shaking the liquor left in her glass.

She sighed, “Mr Hebrew...why solving a case is so hard?” She mumbled.

“Argh!” Hebrew groaned his eyes darted to the ceiling as he gritted his teeth.

“I, myself do not know.”

“I mean...why do they have to commit crimes when they eventually don’t want to get caught? It just gives us hard time.”

Before any of them could say anything further, a woman barged inside the house.

“Hey! You were supposed to lock it.”

Hebrew scolded Jessica while her eyes wandered over to the woman standing in front of them.

Her skin was brown, which could only be seen by her exposed hands and her face. She was wearing a lot of clothes and a long scarf, as if disguising herself.

“Mr Hebrew...I’m here to give you the information about Martha.” She said with a bit of shiver in her voice.

“Martha? I don’t think...I know anyone named Martha?” He sat back up.

The woman helplessly looked at Jessica. “The one murdered a week ago.”

Jessica stood up, shaking up her tipsiness.

“Her name was Martha?” She asked the woman, and she nodded.

“Tell us everything, we assure you we won’t let your name out.”

The woman looked her in the eyes and nodded with a slight sense of being scared twinkling in them.

Jessica took the notepad and started writing while Hebrew just listened to her while looking at the ceiling.

“Martha had a shortage of money and so she joined us and started working two months ago. That day when I last saw her, she was wearing a coat suit which was quite unusual cause we always wear dresses when working. She was with a man and I saw them sitting in a taxi together.”

Jessica jotted everything she said with unusually awful handwriting.

“Can you...describe the man?” Hebrew insisted, still looking at the ceiling.

The woman nodded, looking at Hebrew.

“Go ahead then.”

“The man looked of an average height. I wasn’t able to see his face cause he was wearing a hat shadowing his entire face, but I clearly remember that he was wearing a black overcoat and black gloves.”

“Aren’t these too common for anyone to wear ‘em?” Jessica mumbled.

“Anything unusual you saw him wearing?” Hebrew asked further.

“Umm..yeah!”

“He was wearing this unusual scarf which I’ve seen no natives of Whitechapel wearing ever. It had a red checkered pattern all over, as Arabians would wear.” She said.

“I see...thanks for helping us out.”

Jessica mumbled as she kept the pen and notepad side.

The woman nodded, stood up from the sofa.

“I’ll go, if they know I’m here they won’t spare me.”

Being drunk, neither Hebrew nor Jessica asked about whom the woman was talking and they rather let her leave.

Jessica let out a small yawn and eventually fell asleep on the sofa she was sitting. While Hebrew who was looking at the ceiling didn’t realise when his eyelids went heavy closing themselves, sending him into a deep sleep.