If I Wake up Tomorrow, Will You Still Be Here?
Chapter Nine.
"Jack the Ripper's identity was never discovered but it was believed to have been a wealthy cotton merchant by the name of James Maybrick. There are other alternate suspects, but as previously stated, the identity is still unknown. There is a paper coming around now," Zoe stepped forward, handing a wad of papers to a student in the first row, "It has a list of the people believed to have been Jack the Ripper at one time or another. Tonight, I want you all to profile each person and determine who you think is the likely identity of Jack the Ripper. There are no wrong or right answers, I just want you all to get some perspective on the most likely suspects in this case for discussion in tomorrow's tutorials."
The door opened at the far right corner of the class and Zoe's eyes flickered there for a brief moment. She turned back to her awaiting students, finishing off her lecture, "Read page 96 of the text book before tutorials, as we will be discussing Jack the Stripper and Florence Maybrick along with the Ripper. For next weeks lecture, the topic will be the Moors Murderers; Ian Brady and Myra Hindley, in 1963 to 1965. It would be wise to read up on that before the lecture as its more detailed then most homocides."
Zoe looked across at the young adults sitting patiently in front of her. Some looked bored, some enthralled, and a few looked excited. Her eyes once again flickered to the person standing silently in the shadows; his smile widely stretching from ear to ear. She turned back to the class.
"We have five minutes left. Any questions before leave?"
A single hand raised in the back, causing Zoe's eyebrows to raise slightly in response, "Yes?"
The guy in the back row spoke up, "What pages are the Moors Murderers in in our text books?"
"Um, page 116 and it goes right through to page 122. I want you all to have clear concepts of the victims and formulate your own opinions of Brady and Hindley for next week's lecture so I'm not explaining minute details to you all."
The guy laughed and nodded, packing up his books as he went. Zoe nodded, "Class dismissed."
The class began to stand, packing their books and stationary in their bags and moving across the row of seats to the exit door. The shadowy figure lurking near the doorway moved closer to Zoe. She laughed, packing up her notes and slipping them in her shoulder bag.
"I can't get over the fact that your a lecturer." It was a sly comment, made numerous times before.
"Head of the crimonology department as of last week," Zoe smirked, picking her grey jacket up off the podium, and slipping it over her shoulders and her arms into the sleeves.
"Wanna get a coffee or something?" he asked, his face shining.
"Uh yeah sure, there's a cafe on campus." They began to walk together, strolling slowly towards the staircase, "I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to be visiting me."
"I'm pretty sure you're old enough to make your own decisions," he smirked, placing his hand on her lower back and motioning her through the crowd of young adults, coming or going from class.
Walking into the small cafe, they sat down at an outdoor cafe, both lighting up their respective cigarettes. The waitress, a petite blonde, stepped out from inside and walked over. It wasn't clear who Zoe's guest was as he looked inconspicous in black shaded glasses, a blue baseball cap and a thick, black leather jacket. The waitress moved over to the table, flipping her notepad absentmindedly.
"Are you ready to order?" Her voice was shrill and piercing, and she chewed her gum annoyingly.
"Uh I'll have the barramundi with pine nuts, and a Coke please?" Zoe smiled, handing the menu back to the waitress. She hadn't needed to look as she had been to this small cafe copious amounts of time in her three year employment at the University.
Rob however studied the menu before turning to the waitress and speaking, "I'll have the grilled salmon with the walnut and avocado salad and a Coke please." The waitress looked at him suggestively, as if she knew who he was, but turned and made toward the kitchen.
"The head of crimonology huh?" Rob smirked, moving his glasses slightly away from his eyes.
"Yeah," Zoe smiled, "Apparently the population of the crimonology major raised twenty-five percent after my first session."
"I always said you had a way of intriguing people into your sick world of homocide," Rob laughed.
"I don't just speak about homocides and murders and show images like crime scenes to intrigue people. They have to learn how to differentiate respective murderers with their victims and their motives," Zoe stated, definitively.
Rob's smile widened; she was so passionate about her work, her job, her career. "I'm sure half that expansion is males."
Zoe laughed, welcoming the waitress with the plates of food. She took a sip of Coke and laughed again, heartily, "I wear this. Nothing too enticing."
Rob pulled his glasses down the bridge of his nose and stared at her outfit. It was professional no doubt, long grey slacks, a black long-sleeved shirt, and her grey tweed jacket. Her hair was pulled into loose ponytail and her face was radiating with freshness.
"Haven't you ever wanted to fuck your teacher?" He laughed, raising his glasses back to his eyes.
"Only Mr. Candell, but he was a Phys. Ed. teacher and he wore those tight little shorts," Zoe went to continue only to be cut off by Rob's disgust.
"Okay gross. I meant like teacher-looking teachers, like the ones with the glasses and the hair in a bun. Pencil skirts and white buttoned blouses," Rob licked his lips and turned back to Zoe, "I can guarentee that that is why your population has increased. When do you ever get a twenty-three year old, hot professor?"
"Shut up, please?" Zoe whined, "Now I'm pretty sure I was warned about chance encounters with you."
"He treats you like a fucking baby," Rob shook his head, angrily.
"Do you really think, after what he overheard, that he would trust you around me?" Zoe raised an eyebrow, taking a bite of her barramundi.
"I'm not sorry about saying it," Rob announced, "I meant it."
"Are you still with Kristen?" Zoe raised an eyebrow, taking a sip of her Coke.
Rob finished his mouthful of salmon, and started speaking, "Uh yeah, I - I -"
"Don't end things with her, unless your feelings for her are gone, because I'm not hurting Kellan the way you hurt me a year ago."
With that, Zoe picked up her bag and pushed herself away from the table. She moved swiftly, gracefully away from the cafeteria, ignoring Rob's pleading words and rapid footsteps.
The door opened at the far right corner of the class and Zoe's eyes flickered there for a brief moment. She turned back to her awaiting students, finishing off her lecture, "Read page 96 of the text book before tutorials, as we will be discussing Jack the Stripper and Florence Maybrick along with the Ripper. For next weeks lecture, the topic will be the Moors Murderers; Ian Brady and Myra Hindley, in 1963 to 1965. It would be wise to read up on that before the lecture as its more detailed then most homocides."
Zoe looked across at the young adults sitting patiently in front of her. Some looked bored, some enthralled, and a few looked excited. Her eyes once again flickered to the person standing silently in the shadows; his smile widely stretching from ear to ear. She turned back to the class.
"We have five minutes left. Any questions before leave?"
A single hand raised in the back, causing Zoe's eyebrows to raise slightly in response, "Yes?"
The guy in the back row spoke up, "What pages are the Moors Murderers in in our text books?"
"Um, page 116 and it goes right through to page 122. I want you all to have clear concepts of the victims and formulate your own opinions of Brady and Hindley for next week's lecture so I'm not explaining minute details to you all."
The guy laughed and nodded, packing up his books as he went. Zoe nodded, "Class dismissed."
The class began to stand, packing their books and stationary in their bags and moving across the row of seats to the exit door. The shadowy figure lurking near the doorway moved closer to Zoe. She laughed, packing up her notes and slipping them in her shoulder bag.
"I can't get over the fact that your a lecturer." It was a sly comment, made numerous times before.
"Head of the crimonology department as of last week," Zoe smirked, picking her grey jacket up off the podium, and slipping it over her shoulders and her arms into the sleeves.
"Wanna get a coffee or something?" he asked, his face shining.
"Uh yeah sure, there's a cafe on campus." They began to walk together, strolling slowly towards the staircase, "I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to be visiting me."
"I'm pretty sure you're old enough to make your own decisions," he smirked, placing his hand on her lower back and motioning her through the crowd of young adults, coming or going from class.
Walking into the small cafe, they sat down at an outdoor cafe, both lighting up their respective cigarettes. The waitress, a petite blonde, stepped out from inside and walked over. It wasn't clear who Zoe's guest was as he looked inconspicous in black shaded glasses, a blue baseball cap and a thick, black leather jacket. The waitress moved over to the table, flipping her notepad absentmindedly.
"Are you ready to order?" Her voice was shrill and piercing, and she chewed her gum annoyingly.
"Uh I'll have the barramundi with pine nuts, and a Coke please?" Zoe smiled, handing the menu back to the waitress. She hadn't needed to look as she had been to this small cafe copious amounts of time in her three year employment at the University.
Rob however studied the menu before turning to the waitress and speaking, "I'll have the grilled salmon with the walnut and avocado salad and a Coke please." The waitress looked at him suggestively, as if she knew who he was, but turned and made toward the kitchen.
"The head of crimonology huh?" Rob smirked, moving his glasses slightly away from his eyes.
"Yeah," Zoe smiled, "Apparently the population of the crimonology major raised twenty-five percent after my first session."
"I always said you had a way of intriguing people into your sick world of homocide," Rob laughed.
"I don't just speak about homocides and murders and show images like crime scenes to intrigue people. They have to learn how to differentiate respective murderers with their victims and their motives," Zoe stated, definitively.
Rob's smile widened; she was so passionate about her work, her job, her career. "I'm sure half that expansion is males."
Zoe laughed, welcoming the waitress with the plates of food. She took a sip of Coke and laughed again, heartily, "I wear this. Nothing too enticing."
Rob pulled his glasses down the bridge of his nose and stared at her outfit. It was professional no doubt, long grey slacks, a black long-sleeved shirt, and her grey tweed jacket. Her hair was pulled into loose ponytail and her face was radiating with freshness.
"Haven't you ever wanted to fuck your teacher?" He laughed, raising his glasses back to his eyes.
"Only Mr. Candell, but he was a Phys. Ed. teacher and he wore those tight little shorts," Zoe went to continue only to be cut off by Rob's disgust.
"Okay gross. I meant like teacher-looking teachers, like the ones with the glasses and the hair in a bun. Pencil skirts and white buttoned blouses," Rob licked his lips and turned back to Zoe, "I can guarentee that that is why your population has increased. When do you ever get a twenty-three year old, hot professor?"
"Shut up, please?" Zoe whined, "Now I'm pretty sure I was warned about chance encounters with you."
"He treats you like a fucking baby," Rob shook his head, angrily.
"Do you really think, after what he overheard, that he would trust you around me?" Zoe raised an eyebrow, taking a bite of her barramundi.
"I'm not sorry about saying it," Rob announced, "I meant it."
"Are you still with Kristen?" Zoe raised an eyebrow, taking a sip of her Coke.
Rob finished his mouthful of salmon, and started speaking, "Uh yeah, I - I -"
"Don't end things with her, unless your feelings for her are gone, because I'm not hurting Kellan the way you hurt me a year ago."
With that, Zoe picked up her bag and pushed herself away from the table. She moved swiftly, gracefully away from the cafeteria, ignoring Rob's pleading words and rapid footsteps.