Edward shivered as he sat at his desk at the station and held today's issue of The Heart of the Country. "The Deserter General Goes Free," the title said, in letters so big and provocative that he almost felt as if they were mocking him. They claim he was released on a technicality… not only did Dillard orchestrate this entire case, but he also had the nerve to not give the people of this country the reason why their only hope of justice was just taken away from them. Edward felt furious, and yet the thought that he couldn’t do anything about it infuriated him further. His situation was so dire and hopeless that it felt like it would be appropriate to simply take life as a ridiculous joke from now on.
He went on to read the article in full, summarizing its highlights in his head. "Blackburn was charged with the murder of Serik Sanders, a member of the Justicars… the Chief of Police, Jonah Dillard, had expressed his sincere regrets that the sentence turned out the way it did. However, he refused to give away any information about what actually happened to result in the exoneration, as well as make any further comments on the case…" the page crumpled under Edward's tight grip. "…However, Blackburn did not waste any time making his own kind of comment on the case. The day after the exoneration, the bodies of Nigel Hicken, Tom Broker and Vernes Price, the judge, state attorney and lead investigator, respectively, who worked on the case, were thrown on the curve, right outside the APD station in Morth City, Fallhalt…" Edward has yet recovered from the sight. He didn’t even like Vernes, and he didn’t know the other two, but their fate was truly undeserved. None of them even chose to take part in this case. They were all assigned to it without even asking. Dillard gave Vernes this case against his will, and the judge and state attorney were appointed by the state. Charles Blackburn truly is a merciless bastard.
Just when he thought he was done being shocked and horrified, when he thought that it was finally his time to catch a break from all the endless chaos that he knew in Morth City, he read the next segment of the article and learned that he was wrong, for there could be none of that in Alataria.
"…with the death of Officer Vernes Price, who led the investigation case of the serial killer known as the Tri-Surgeon up until his death, Officer Edward Elwin, who was also appointed to the case, was forced to lead it in his stead…." Edward received the notice that he was assigned as the lead investigator in the Tri-Surgeon case shortly after Vernes's death. As far as Edward understood, Dillard was the one who gave that order. At first, Edward was slightly baffled as to why that was mentioned in an article about Blackburn, but only when he read further did he realize that the purpose was to introduce Edward into the article. "…Officer Elwin also led great efforts in the Blackburn case, as he took over for Officer Price as the lead investigator during the trial period. APD thanked Officer Elwin for his commitment on the case and has acknowledged his hard work to try to put Blackburn behind bars."
Edward continued to stare at the words for a while longer, trying to wrap his mind around the meaning behind them. Confusion and a sense of surrealism took over him. All surrounding noise was dimmed, and only the sound of his thoughts was clear. This… this is all a lie. No one ever thanked or acknowledged me. Why would they write this? Who told them to write this? Edward read the words again and again. The way it's written… "His commitment on the case… his hard work to try to put Blackburn behind bars." It's almost as if someone wanted to turn me into a hero… at that point, he figured it out. Or a target. His heart dropped. This is Dillard's doing. He has power over the press. He must have made sure they'd write this. He's… trying to turn Blackburn against me. He's attempting to make him aware of me so that he'll kill me. Dillard must not be willing to risk himself in case Derlick told me the truth about Blackburn's case. His heart raced as cold sweat began building in his forehead. The newspaper fell on his desk as he stared into a void. Blackburn's going to go after me now. I'm as good as dead. He remembered his last encounter with the soldiers of Code Sanguinary, at Roycen's house in Maecor, Rockbury. Blackburn's men were trained killers. They were all ex-military soldiers, and they all possessed weapons and skills that Edward was no match for.
At that moment, it seemed like there was no one more hopeless and lonely than Edward Elwin in all of Alataria. A part of him thought that he might as well accept his impending doom, and take it as one final strike that life has thrown at him. For a minute, after thinking about the way he lost his best friend and the most important case he has yet to work on, Edward felt almost ready to give up. He felt like that so much that he wanted to simply go out on the streets and hope that Blackburn's men will find and kill him just so he can get it over with. The Tri-Surgeon case… he realized something as that notion crossed his mind. When Vernes led the case, he had an entire team working on the case with him, but when I got the same position, all of a sudden, all members of that team got reassigned to various different cases. I was only left with a single partner. This also had to be Dillard's doing. There would be no reason for Dillard to take away my entire team and make me lead investigator if he wants me dead… unless it serves that purpose. By having me lead the case with only one person beside me, he basically made sure that every time a body would be found, or some kind of evidence will be discovered on a crime scene related to the case, I'll have to be there. He wants me to be out in the open as much as possible to make me an even easier target for Code Sanguinary. Dammit… that cunning fucker…
Edward couldn’t come up with any way out of the situation. His mind went into a spiral of despair and stress. There was no one he could turn to. Nothing that could help him. All he had was the voice of his father in his head, telling him not to give up. His father always believed in fighting on against all odds. He was a seeker of justice too, perhaps a lonely one in his wishes, just like Edward, and he was the sole source of inspiration and pride that Edward always had. His father was the very reason why he became a cop, the very reason why he refused to go with the current of corruption and greed. After giving it some thought for several minutes, his father also became the very reason why he decided to fight no matter what happens, no matter who chases him, whether if its Blackburn or Dillard. If I die, then I'll die, but I'll be damned if I don’t put up a decent fight at the very least. He threw the newspaper in the trash, feeling determined as ever.
He walked away from his desk, leaving his thoughts on the matter behind, and headed towards the desk of Officer Trisslin Long. Trisslin was Edward's new partner in the Tri-Surgeon case. She was also his only teammate in the pursuit. He found her sitting at her desk, facing her computer screen.
Trisslin had long, black hair and a slim body figure. Her skin was in the shade of caramel and her wide, lush lips were painted with crimson-shaded lipstick.
"Hi," he greeted her. Their eyes met. "I'm Edward Elwin, your new partner." He smiled, politely.
Trisslin seemed neither surprised nor impressed. The two only knew each other by face and name, as they never had to work together, yet he was sure she knew who he was. Edward had recently become the talk of the station due to the recent events he was involved in.
"I'm Trisslin," she finally broke a smile, even though it seemed like a forced one. He had seen such a fake smile before. Whenever others at the station had to be partnered with Edward, he would be faced with such fakeness. No one wanted to be forced to work with a man who was considered to be the black sheep of the station. Still, Edward didn’t care about being labeled as such. His values, which differed him from the rest of the officers, made him feel unique and worthy of his badge. "I've heard some things about you," she said.
"Well, some were not, but… I've also heard about how you got up to Dillard's office and took Blackburn's case upon yourself. That takes some balls."
"It takes a will to see bastards like him behind bars."
Edward had actually read about Trisslin before meeting her, wanting to know who he will be dealing with. Trisslin was 30 years old, only a year younger than Edward. She began working in APD only two years ago, but she was already carrying an extensive record. She took part in many successful cases, though she never led one herself.
"Anyway, did you get a chance to take a look at what we have so far on this case?"
"Yeah, I did. 7 victims spread over the districts of Canstow, Basilham, and Exumber."
"Right. All of those victims had their eyes, heart, and arms removed by the killer. The evidence suggests that the killer did these mutilations before killing them. I wonder how many of those poor fellows had to live through such a horrible ritual."
"You mean, the blood loss didn’t kill them?"
"Not always. I'm guessing most of them didn’t have the luxury of dying before he finished his twisted methods. The killer uses a homebrewed drug that paralyzes his victims, leaving them conscious but unable to move or talk. It's a mixture of Sorelium along with several medications."
Edward rarely ever had to deal with Sorelium in his years as an officer. The nerve-enhancing drug was one of the more expensive drugs out there, and not many people used it. Many were scared of using it, knowing that overdriving the human nervous system could be very dangerous. Its primary usage was usually for sex, making that act several times more intense and exciting, a fact which made sure that its users would get addicted to it.
"Is there any connection between the victims?" Edward asked.
"Not that we know of."
"And the crime scenes?"
"Also have no seeming connection."
"I see. Get me the files on all the victims and the locations where their bodies were found. Sent them all to me. I'll review them later." Trisslin started chuckling, covering her mouth in embarrassment. "What's so funny?" Edward seemed agitated by her reaction.
"Oh, nothing, it's just… your seriousness… it's funny." She kept giggling as if Edward was there to entertain her. He became even more agitated.
"What's wrong with being serious?" his forehead shrunk with anger.
"It’s just that… Vernes went over those files so many times, and he never got anywhere with it. We've asked everyone who knew the victims, and tried going through every crime scene as thoroughly as possible in the search for evidence."
"So, you're saying you don't think this case is going to get resolved?"
"Look, Vernes had an entire team behind him. You only got me as a single partner, so excuse me if I'm doubtful." She chuckled once again.
As if a spotlight was suddenly lit above Trisslin's head, Edward felt that he was starting to see her true character. "You're an officer, dammit!" he slammed his hand on her desk, making her startle and jump. Her expression suddenly turned serious. "You're supposed to hunt down monsters like this one with every breath you've got, not dismiss them!"
"There it is," a hint of contempt was in her voice. Through his eyes, a dark aura started enveloping her figure. "There's the righteous justice seeker everyone in the station is talking about. I've heard a lot about your ideals and visions. Face it, Officer Elwin, you're not about to change anything around here." At that moment, Edward realized who his partner was. She was no different than any other cop he ever met. Even Derlick seemed friendly and easygoing at first, but in the end, he showed his true colors, the ones that have given up on any hope for change.
"Just… send me… those files." Every word was uttered from his mouth with every inch of hate he had in him. He walked away from Trisslin, his back facing her the same way he faced his back on any other cop who thought the same as she did.
Later that day, a ceremony was held in honor of Officer Vernes Price. It took place in the conference hall of the station. Edward was present there, as well as most of the station's manpower. A few dozen cops crowded in the relatively small room, staring at a small stage, where 5 people stood: Vernes's wife and her two children, a boy and a girl, each no older than 12, the Vice Chief of Police, Archell Sherwood and the Chief of Police, Jonah Dillard. The latter stood beside Vernes's wife and kids, in the right corner of the stage, standing tall and proud, while Sherwood was standing in the center of the stage, in front of the podium.
Archell Sherwood was 45 years old. He had short brown hair, bright eyes, and a very menacing appearance. His wrinkly face, snub nose, and constant frown gave him an aggressive look. Everyone in the force knew Sherwood. Many said that his achievements in the force combined with his sharp mind helped him pave his way to the position of Vice Chief. Others said that it was his natural ways of manipulations and a great understanding of politics and law-bending that allowed him to get to such a high rank in such a relatively young age while officers who were older and more experienced were left behind in his trail. Edward didn’t care much for rumors, and in his heart, he could already guess which of the two was more correct. Anyone who gets so close to Dillard must be a lot like him.
Sherwood read a speech about how valuable Vernes was to the force. He mentioned several cases that Vernes led in the past, most of which Edward wasn’t even aware of. On and on the Vice Chief bragged and pictured Vernes as the role model for every APD officer. All the while, Edward was rolling his eyes, remembering how much of an old slacker Vernes really was. Some officers in the crowd were whispering how much bullshit Sherwood's words were while others looked at the poor lady on the stage and felt sorry for her. With every mention of Vernes's name, with every sentence that appeared touching and humble, Vernes's wife wept. Dillard stood next to her, his face as cold as ice and his eyes looking straight forward. What is it, Dillard? Can't you even look at the poor woman? Have you suddenly grown a conscience? You ARE responsible for the death of her husband, vicariously, after all…
At that moment, when every hateful bone in Edward's body lit up, Dillard shifted his gaze, and as if he could hear Edward's thoughts, he found him in the crowd. Dillard's gaze hung on Edward like a tiger eyeing a gazelle. Edward could have sworn that he noticed Dillard's lips curve as if he was holding himself from smiling. The Chief of Police was taunting Edward with his eyes alone, mocking and ridiculing him without even having to do anything. Edward looked back with a spiteful expression on his face. He found no reason why he should hide his hatred for the man. The look exchange was charged with animosity, as both men knew that each of them wanted the other one dead.
The ceremony went on for another 20 minutes. At some point, Sherwood moved on from talking about Vernes to talking about Blackburn and Code Sanguinary. "These kinds of organizations are killing our country. They plant fear in the hearts of citizens and bring misery on poor, helpless souls." He turned to look at Vernes's family upon saying that. A spark to light the fire of revenge among the officers, mixed with a touch of sympathy. Edward was not impressed by the sentimentality. They go against those criminals in words only. Edward had learned by now not to trust promises of hope and justice, especially from such high-ranked people.
Once the ceremony was over, the crowd scattered, and Edward left the station to go home. Under a shroud of darkness, he walked towards his car in the station's parking lot. He felt uncomfortable, as the nightly atmosphere reminded him of the night that he had to shoot his best friend. It was as if that feeling of betrayal, that shock and refusal to accept reality that he felt that night kept haunting his mind every time he found himself walking around in the streets of Morth City at night. That night truly left a mark on him, one that wouldn’t go away easily.
Everything was quiet all around him. Nothing but the sound of crickets and his footsteps. He could see his car, only a few feet away from him, when he heard a noise from behind him. He turned around within an instant, with his hand already holding his gun. Panic ran through his body as much as blood did. He looked around, trying to examine his surroundings. His heart raced so hard that he could almost hear it beating, as everything around was still completely quiet. Just when he was about to turn back to his car, he saw a shadowed figure running away in the corner of his eye. He couldn’t see where it came from or where it went, but he was sure that he saw it. His hand remained tight around his gun while he stepped slowly to his car, keeping his eyes peeled in all directions.
If Blackburn wants me, he can come and try, he thought. Once he reached his car, Edward let go of his gun and left it in its chest holster. He walked to his car and drove home that night, knowing that he had eyes watching him, waiting for him to let his guard down.
