Finally, the day came for Sean to return to work; it was almost like he was starting a new job such was his feeling of trepidation.  Laura told him not to worry, that he wasn’t the first Garda to go off the rails and he would be warmly welcomed back.  Sean, however, had his doubts but proceeded nonetheless.   

Of course, there was a part of him – albeit quite small – that wanted to return.  There was little to stimulate his intellect during the day, daytime tv just didn’t cut it and there was very little else for him to do.  At least, his drinking had filled the day if nothing else. 

Nobody at the Station knew of their relationship and they had agreed that was the way it would stay for now.  In fact, they decided they would stay apart as much as possible so there wouldn’t even be a suspicion, although Sean was quietly worried that might mean there was nobody, he would be able to have a friendly chat with.  In truth, her new post meant that she wouldn’t be around much anyway.   

So, they kissed each other goodbye and Sean headed to the Station, while she headed towards the next drug bust in Finglas.  The traffic was light, the kids were on their summer holidays.  It was to be an icy, cool day. 

Sean arrived early as he had planned, he wanted to at least start off on the right foot and made his way around the back of the station as usual.  He was able to get to his desk with barely having to glance at another officer.  His desk was clear as he would have expected, so he turned on his computer to read his emails; being anxious to create a decent first impression after having been off for so long. 

Over the morning different Gardai came in to welcome him back and to say how happy they were that he was doing better; some of the conversations lasted just a few minutes but others were longer, with one almost going on for a half-hour.  The atmosphere in the place was much better than he had remembered it. 

The Superintendent visited him just before eleven.  Like the others, he told him that he was happy to see him back but the topic of the conversation quickly turned to operational matters.  Sean was informed that he would be doing the same role as before.  In fact, it was only realized what a truly valuable job he was doing when he was gone. 

But he would be eased back into it and for the first two weeks he was to do his routine administration and avoid “The Ripper Case” altogether, there was to be no late hours or bringing work home.  Quite a lot had changed since he had been out sick; the force had realized things had to change.  Sean wasn’t the only one that had suffered psychologically from the gang warfare and then “The Ripper”.  Many Gardai had counseling, the take-home message was that they could only do their best, this was a marathon, not a sprint.  

Then the Super left his office and Sean readied himself for a tea-break.  Unexpectedly, Jack put his head in the door; they hadn’t seen each other for months and gave each other a warm smile.  He had made an effort to come in especially on Sean’s first day back, which was much appreciated. 

The canteen seemed much busier than he had remembered it and he asked Jack if his mind was playing tricks on him causing a startled look.  It was not his imagination, more Gardai had indeed been recruited.  “The Ripper” had caused such consternation among the public that the police went to the number one priority for the Government. 

Sean quickly changed the subject to keep the mood upbeat.  Instead, they talked about Jack’s new girlfriend.  She was a nurse and over ten years younger than him, which caused both of them to laugh.  For some reason, Sean had always envisioned him with an older woman, although he was never quite sure why. 

All too soon, the break was over and it was time for them to part, with Sean heading back to his desk.  He followed the advice he had been given and took it easy for the rest of the day.  He would be taking it one day at a time but knew eventually he would have to face his demons.  Later that night, Laura was full of questions about how his day had gone.  She was so happy to see back at work but secretly, she had some reservations and wondered if she was right to encourage him to do so.  It had taken so much to return him to his old self. 

Over the next few days though Sean showed her that there was little to worry about as he went from strength to strength.  He even had new colleagues to meet during his breaks.  Then one night as she gazed into his eyes, she asked about “The Ripper”.  It was the first time that she had mentioned him since they had got together.  To her, this was a real acid test to whether he was back to himself fully as it was something he used to talk profusely about. 

“Funny, you should ask,” he replied almost excitedly.  He then explained that it had been no ordinary day, he had received a phone call out of the blue from the state pathologist just before he left for the day.  It was about the latest victims of “The Ripper”; in particular the adult woman.  Hair from her vagina had been removed. 

Laura didn’t need to ask anymore to know its significance.  It hinted that there may indeed be a link to the Reading Rapist and justice could be a step closer to finding him. 

“What are ya going to do now?” Laura asked instinctively, her mind now more in a work default setting. 

Sean then explained that he would ring the Super first thing in the morning to try and get permission to contact England.  Hopefully, they might have got some lead on the Reading Rapist in the meantime.  They both found it hard to sleep with their hearts racing and a myriad of different thoughts swirling through their minds all involving the hunt for the killer. 

The next morning Sean rose early in an upbeat mood anxious to get to the Station as fast as possible.  He could never remember such enthusiasm going to work before as he imagined that just maybe they were on the verge of a major breakthrough.  Of course, he had suspicions about the link for months but at least now he had evidence that he could actually use to back it up. 

He rang immediately on reaching his office.  Alas, it went straight through to voicemail so he left a message to contact him urgently.  The wait was excruciating but fortunately, he was a patient man.  The return call came just before lunchtime, but unexpectedly, it was just before lunch and in person rather than over the telephone. 

This time the Superintendent was very interested in what he had to say and listened attentively.  DeRossi had since been moved on and he had now been given full authority over the team.  Sean told him about the signature both of them had in common, in at least some of the instances and more general information about the Reading Rapist.  When Sean mentioned that the Rapist enjoyed further humiliating his victims by ringing them months after the attack and breathing heavily down the phone line, the Superintendent opened his mouth in astonishment, he had received that some of the relatives of victims of The Ripper were getting similar calls.  He had heard enough and gave Sean the authority to contact England and notify Interpol; Sean was now to take a much more central role in the hunt for The Ripper. 

Finally, Sean felt things were starting to go in the right direction and perhaps finally there could be some justice.  Sean had sworn to himself that morning that he would never return to his old corrupt ways; the fate of those children forever changed him.  There was no doubt about who would be the first person in England he would contact. 

“Ah Sean, how are you my Irish friend?” 

Jim was always so welcoming on the phone and for a quick second, Sean wondered was he like that with everyone.  It’s amazing how quickly the human mind can sometimes drift, but he refocused after exchanging pleasantries. 

“I think I know where your rapist is gone,” Sean said emphatically. 

With that, he updated Jim updated on the latest developments, especially about how The Ripper was now displaying the same twisted behavior of taunting his victims and the same signature of removing hair from the vagina of at least his latest victim. 

“So, that’s where the bugger has gone, we were wondering what had happened to him.  It was like the attacks just stopped one day and we never knew why.  We were just jolly happy that they did,” Jim said in exasperation when Sean had finished and further promised to do everything he could to help.   

However, much to Sean’s disappointment, no progress had been made in establishing who the Rapist was in the intervening period, not even a hunch.  Nevertheless, they decided to share everything they had with each other even though it heightened the risk of a leak to the press.  Sean made sure to get a copy of everything so that he could look at it at home too if need be. 

Any other girlfriend would be repulsed by the gruesome and macabre photos left on the kitchen table, but she was no ordinary girlfriend and relished the opportunity to pore over the evidence; although even she could not bear to look at the children’s slit throats; everybody has their limits.  

She then called out for Sean who was busy studying various documents.  Once he saw that she had arrived, he wasted no time giving her an update about the day’s events.  She was enthused for him, but also a tad jealous that he had managed to become so central to an important investigation, while she was dealing with minor drug dealers. 

That night was a passionate one.  Sean was reinvigorated by the thought of being that bit closer to nabbing The Ripper and it heightened his sexual desire; Laura was only too happy to reap the benefits. 

But it was a false dawn, The Ripper would not be felled so easily.  Days turned into weeks and then months, but the hoped-for breakthrough never came.  All that seemed to happen was an increase in the number of victims, infuriating Sean as he once more gradually began to feel impotent and beholden to The Ripper’s next move.  If only there had been a scrap of DNA evidence or the like or indeed anything at all. 

The next development in the hunt came from a potential victim of the Ripper that narrowly avoided a horrific fate for her and her family.  She was gardening when she discovered his toolkit and a ski mask.  Petrified, she rang the shocked local Gardai immediately who were at the house within ten minutes.  The house was then searched and an item to tie people up was found; he had already been inside. 

The location in the foothills of Kerry was a vast distance away from his last attack although the rural location was somewhat similar; there was a wooded area close to the house but it was beside a very steep hill rather than a lake.  It was likely that he had intended to carry out a further attack imminently. 

Surely, he must have left some vital piece of evidence behind but no, there was nothing.  All the Gardai could do was to put out an alert to the general public that they should regularly check their homes and gardens for anything suspicious. 

But the public’s patience was now wearing very thin as the palpable anger grew to breaking point over the failure to catch the killer.  A protest was held on O’Connell Street and each day angry people phoned in to the radio stations as if to vent before an explosion occurred.  Sean had a feeling that The Ripper would be loving all of this, being the center of the nation’s attention.   Some tried to point this out in the midst of the frenzy but they would be quickly shouted down.  Every time a murder would occur, he was the first thought on everybody’s mind and the first suspect to be ruled in or out.