[CW- Graphic imagry, death, and a look inside the mind of a serial killer.]

He'd done it again... He'd snuffed the life out of the pretty little chit who had disobeyed him. The whores were all afraid of him and for good reason. Ever since Sonia had gone into hiding, he had been going through the brothel on a rampage, interrogating his girls... And none of them flinched, not even the limp one beneath him. Fuck, he had done it again. He felt both triumphant and sick at the same time.

This time was his undoing. He grabbed the lifeless form to him and gave a cry, "Who did this? I'll see them hang!"

Screams could be heard from some of the other girls as he lay the dead courtesan on the floor of the main entry.

Hidden well within the shadows of the secret passageway that Marcus had found, she stood with that very man. She felt him slap his hand over her mouth when she gave a sharp intake of breath. She knew it! Knew that he had murdered, and now she saw for herself. Her very own brother... It was worse than she thought. When had he become the monster?

"Don't make a sound, Miss." he whispered into her ear ever so softly. When he felt her nod, he pulled his hand from her mouth and peeked out the eye hole. Indeed, that poor woman had no chance. "Now, I am going to need you to take this and get out of here. Hurry. Go find the constable..." He shoved the gun at her that Mr. Scott had given to her, and she took off...

Earlier that day:

"Where is she, madam?" he asked dangerously to the woman who ran his property.

"I 'aven't seen her in months, I swears it, master," said the older woman, her eyes big and round. The cosmetics that were caked on her face made her appear older than she really was. It was a shame, she had been a beauty once. Nine years ago when he first met her, she had shown him into a world of vice. He blamed her for his carnal cravings.

"I suggest you find her. She had better be alive. I don't care so much about the bastard, but she must live."

"I've 'ad me best guards lookin' fer her!" said the woman.

"They aren't good enough!" he shouted and pounced on her, slamming her to the floor and smacking the plank right beside her head. "If you don't find her, I'll do to you what I did to the others... now do you want that, Camille?"

"N-no, m-master," she stuttered and nearly pissed herself, knowing he meant what he said. She knew exactly what happened to the missing courtesans... she had made the arrangements for some of the nosier girls to... disappear. She knew that Magnus Carrington IV was responsible for the disappearances of at least three young women in the last three months time.

"Find her, you old hag!" he yelled and jarred her, pulling her roughly to her feet. He knew he was cruel, for she loved him and would do anything for him. But he didn't love her, he hated her. It was her fault. All her fault.

The woman took off with a stumble, sobbing in fear and hurt for the words that had cut deep. He'd called her an old hag... he had never called her names before...

She had looked for the private investigator and found him at the fairgrounds, lurking in the shadows. It didn't take her long to lure the man out, she always paid him well and money talked.

"I need your help... now. Here is the money in advance," she handed the hefty purse to him. He didn't bother counting, he knew she was good for the money. She watched him take the bag and he took no notice that she was carrying a gun in her reticule. She looked at the elastic faced man, and continued, "He needs to be stopped. I need proof of his crimes, Mister Tillman."

The man seemed to just stare off as he puffed on a rolled cigarette in front of her, not caring that it wasn't polite to do so. Pearl wrinkled her nose.

"Someone told me you were looking for answers for yourself too," she said quietly.

He blinked. The little witch, he thought... snooping around too. He supposed he couldn't blame her, for her brother needed to be taken down off his high horse. He wanted to know where Cora was. Ahh, his beautiful Cora. She had freely given of herself to him. She had been on his mind for months, the only woman who ever saw him as a human being. Where was she? They were supposed to have run off together, but she never showed.

He looked at Pearl incredulously as she moved to hand him a piece of paper with instructions. He dropped his cigarette on the ground and ground it out with the heel of his boot. "Fine, fine, I'll do it. But ye'd better prepare yerself fer the worst." He moved out of the shadows, "And try ta stay out of me way, yeah?" At the rolling of her eyes and eventual nod, he scribbled the address of the brothel on the bottom of the paper she had handed to him, ripped it off, and said, "Meet me there at midnight."

He felt himself smile as he watched the girl leave. He now had the funds he needed to grease some palms.

The first place he went was the nearby tavern to hear some gossip. Somehow, luck was on his side when he found a man who worked at the brothel. He slipped a few shillings his way... "She got away," said the man when asked about Cora. "But it was at a great price... She said she was the last of Master Magnus' concern. There were other girls disappearing and she wanted to let everyone think she was one of them. I swear on my mother's grave, I showed her to the passage I did..."

Joe had stopped by Pearl Carrington’s lodgings intending to ask her if she would consider accompanying him to a football match, to continue her walk on the wilder side of Whitby. Instead, he had been met by a frantic Tilly who had blathered rapidly that the prettiest Carrington had gone alone in search of a murderer. In Joe’s opinion, Pearl was taking a walk a little too far into the wild. He couldn’t let her face that sort of thing alone. Joe started with the public houses asking publicans and barmaids if they had seen someone fitting her description. No. The pubs got fewer, and worse. Still nothing.

The streets of Whitby were dark at night with narrow passages and plenty of shadows to hide in. With crushed cap, shoulders hunched slightly, and hands thrust deep into his pockets, Joe wanted to look like a nobody to be ignored or a threat to be avoided.

Where could she be? He wondered, frustrated that she could do something so dangerous. His steps quickened, because it mattered.

She sent a boy with quickly written letter to Gareth:

126 Fairway - You wanted proof. Midnight. -PC

When she was through, she paid the boy well and sent him off to the man's address.

Little did she know, Tilly would have told on her to Joe and the man was frantically looking for her. He would get a hit by that same little boy after he delivered the message. "Aye, I seen 'er. She gave me two shillin's ta deliver a message. I think it was about that place where all the pretty women are."

He was shaking with anger. He'd searched high and low for Sonia. Ahh, his Sonia, the only woman he ever grew to love. But she was a bitch for taking off, for hiding from him. Didn't she know he would never hurt her? He didn't care about the brat so much, but he cared about her. Why had she left him?

Hours were spent with him on a rampage, tearing to brothel apart, searching high and low for the woman he wanted for his wife. He would kill for her... HAD killed for her.

Marcus had found the secret passageways. He was lurking in the shadows, peering out the various eyeholes. It took hours but he finally was able to focus on Marcus. The man was a raving lunatic, he thought as he watched the guy pacing like some caged animal. The hour was quickly approaching where Miss Carrington needed to show up. If she didn't hurry up, he would be the one to have to turn Magnus in to the constabulary.