The two of us couldn't have stood so still as were right at that moment. So many thoughts were running through my head - what was happening? What was I seeing? Where was James? Who was James?

I wished that there was something I could say to calm my own nerves as well as James. Anything. There was nothing to say...I was scared and so was she; neither of us knew what to do or say about anything that we had just discovered. Was James the hangman? No surely not. Not my own brother. Before I could find anything to say I found myself searching the rest of the room for something - I knew not what I was looking for but I was looking all the same. I found the flattened pile of newspapers and scanned their headlines:

"The Hangman Strikes Again" No...

"Victim Number Six" Surely not...

"Red Coated Murderer" Please no...

"Experienced Killer" Oh James...

Then I saw the noose, the coat, the dissembled body parts...

It was too much. I grabbed a hold of Jane's trembling hand and half dragged her up the stairs away from the office of my brother. No...not my brother. This monster was not...could not be...my big brother...my inspiration growing up...no...

Standing before Elizabeth's front door I knocked desperately hoping that Harry was there or even Carolina. I turned to Jane and saw that a light sweat had broken on her forehead and that there was a sick pasty colour to her skin; before I could ask her if she was alright she fainted into my arms just as Harry opened the door. Sweeping her up so that I cradled her in my arms Harry led me up the stairs to her bedroom so that I could lay her down to rest; once she was safely in her bed I began to explain to Harry what we had discovered and he too possessed the look of utter horror that had broken my own calm countenance. As I hurried back to Jane's side I heard Harry reciting the day's events to Elizabeth who hobbled over to Jane's room with the baby resting peacefully in her arms; taking a moment to admire the child I grew protective of the small babe and hoped that she would never be tainted by such a cruel world like this one had become. 

As Elizabeth stroked her dear sister's hair away from her feverish cheeks Harry and I headed down stairs to talk over what we should do to protect the sister's from my blood thirsty brother...