From Hell Read Online Free PDF

as I came up behind him,
not even realizing I was there until my arm was in his face. The
man growled and reached for my hand but it was too late. My forearm
slipped beneath his wobbly chins, and I dug my feet into the
asphalt.
    There was a sudden,
blubbery impact and a muffled squawk and the runner was in the
air, feet flailing out in front of him. His eyes were wide as his
lower body swung upward like a pendulum. Then he hit. His back
slammed into the street and blasted the remaining breath from his
lungs. I heard the melon thump of his head striking the
cobblestones, and then his feet followed, meaty slaps ringing out
one after another. He rolled to his side, cradling his
head.
    “ Going somewhere?” I
asked.
    The man groaned and tried to peer up
at me through his forearms. His eyes wobbled in their sockets as he
tried to focus. I patted him down quickly, just to be sure, but he
wasn’t carrying anything more than a small blackjack stuffed into
an inner pocket. Not worth my effort, I left it there and rolled
tubby onto his back.
    “ Who are you?”
    “ Wait!” George shouted at
me from the corner. He caught up to us and shuffled to a stop.
Deep, heavy breaths spilled from his mouth. Tangy wafts of his
brandy breakfast filled my nose. “Wait,” he repeated, hands on his
thighs as his chest heaved.
    “ For?” I asked, keeping an
eye on the downed man. Red faced and cheeks puffed out like a rabid
squirrel, he didn’t look dangerous but you can never be
sure.
    “ He’s one of us; part of
the Vigilance Committee.” George dropped down beside the man and
helped him to a seated position, both grunting with the effort.
“This is Hans Keller.
    I sighed. “Then why did he run?” My
gaze drifted to Hans, turning the question to him.
    He looked back and forth between
George and me until his eyes settled and he caught some of his
breath. A sneer pulled his upper lip back. Yellowed teeth stared
out at me like a weathered picket fence. “He shouldn’t be here,
Lusk,” he said with a distinctly German accent, ignoring my
question completely. Though still winded, there was a haughty
sharpness to his tone that wormed uncomfortably into my
ears.
    “ That’s a matter of
opinion.” George helped the man to his feet. I stood back and
watched as they battled gravity, just barely managing to win
out.
    Hans pulled free of George and brushed
at his coat once they were up. His eyes locked on mine. “We don’t
need you.”
    I looked to George. “What’s this all
about?” Hans’ attitude had me wanting to knock him down
again.
    George stepped away as if trying to
distance himself from the man while stuffing his hands into his
pockets. “We’re of two minds, certain members of the committee and
I.”
    “ Damn right,” Hans huffed.
“We don’t need any outsiders stepping in and making a mess of
things.”
    “ Four confirmed victims
over several months’ time? That sounds pretty damn messy to
me.”
    George waved me off. “We all want to
bring an end to the Ripper’s bloodbath, but Hans here, and more so
his sponsor, Charles Braun, would prefer it be the Vigilance
Committee that claimed all the glory.”
    “ It isn’t about glory,
Lusk. It’s about opportunity.” Hans straightened his collar and
glared at George. “Should the committee stop this killer then our
charter would continue and—”
    “ And the money will flow,”
George finished. “Yes, yes, I know all about Charles’ grand plans
for the committee, Hans, but our priority must be stopping the
Ripper. Nothing else matters.”
    “ But it does. You’re just
too blind to see it. Were Charles to—”
    I gave a wet, throat clearing
harrumph, drawing their eyes to me. “Gentlemen, not to intrude, but
I really don’t give a rat’s furry ass about the politics of who
does what. I’m here to do a job. You two can hash the rest out
after I’m done.”
    “ You will not interfere in
our business.” Hans puffed out his massive chest and stepped