Chelsea Smile.

Edward Jonathan Richards. That was his name. He was 23 years old and had already cracked some of the biggest cold cases in all of the U.K. He was a wolverine when it came to murder cases. He would not rest until the murderer was caught and brought to Lady Justice. He was one of the very best. Every country wanted him in on their investigations, but he devoted his expertise to the Scotland Yard. Not only that, but he wasn’t too fond of flying.

“Richards, we’ve got another one for ya,” The chief called out. Edward was at his desk, observing pictures from the Eddie Warkins murder. He looked up at the Chief with his bright blue eyes and nodded. He slipped out of his desk and grabbed his coffee mug. He strode over to conference room where all the police, the Chief, and his partner Tammy were sitting.

“What’ve we got?” He asked, loosening his tie and taking a gulp of coffee. The Chief turned on the T.V. and showed a slide of various pictures. All of them were victims of recent murders that had happened within the last month.

“As you can see here, these are the victims of recent murders that have happened in the general area,” The chief announced, “Anyone notice anything specific about these people?”

Tammy raised her hand first.

“All of these murders were close to each other?” She answered. The chief shook his head. Edward leaned in and placed his elbows on the desk.

“The victims all have some sort of record on them,” He answered. Everyone turned their heads and looked at them. Edward leaned back into his seat and tapped his pencil on the table.

“These murders are connected,” he specified, “18 out of 20 of these guys all have the same sort of marking, a Glasgow grin, or better known as a Chelsea smile. This guy has a sort of fascination in something. He likes seeing the reactions of his victims. He’s not impulsive, but rather observant. He gets off on others pain.”

“So, he’s a masochist?” Tammy asked. Edward shrugged his shoulders.

“Probably,” He answered.

“But what motive could he possibly have on each of these victims?” The Chief asked.

“That’s why we’re here, aren’t we?” Edward asked, taking another gulp.
The Chief snapped his finger and pointed to the young officer.

“You’re on the case Richards,” He announced, “If anyone can crack this case, it’s you. Name how many crew members you need and I’ll have them there with handcuffs and a cup of coffee.”

“Thanks Chief, I’ll do my best,”

The chief adjourned the meeting and everyone pooled out of the conference room. Edward was handed the case file and he got down to work. As he flipped through the pages and pictures, Tammy walked up to him with her hands on her hips.

“Nice work you did in there,” She complimented. Edward looked up at the blonde with smiling eyes.

“Thanks, I hope I can pull this case to a close real soon,”

“Oh you will, I have confidence in you,” She replied.

Edward’s eyes traveled down to Tammy’s long slender legs. She gave a half smile and shook her head, gesturing for him to look up at her face.

“So listen, I was wondering if you wanted to grab a bite to eat after work,” She informed. A small sense of confidence arose within Edward, causing a smirk to appear on his face. He closed the manila folder and smiled.

“Sure thing, we’ll take my car,” He agreed. Tammy nodded and turned to walk back to her cubicle, Edward’s eyes soaking up her backside.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

“Hey, you alright Love?” Oli asked, breaking the long passionate kiss they just shared. Calla looked up at him with sad eyes and brushed some hair out of his face.

“I’m just thinking, that’s all,” She replied with a small sigh. Oli leaned down and kissed her soft, pink lips once more.

“What’re you thinking about?” He asked.

“Where we should go for our little road trip, or if we should go on it all,” She answered.

Oli furrowed a little and sat up on the bed.

“Don’t you want to spend time together?” He asked curiously.

“Well of course I do love, but…”

“…but what?” He asked.

“Well, what if what we’re doing is all in vain?” She asked, “What if we can’t truly slow down the rotting of this world?”

“Love, we can do anything. We’re vigilantes now, saints among sinners,” Oli encouraged, placing a kiss on her cheek, “We’re the only ones answering to calls and cries of the unjustified.”

Calla slowly sat up on the bed as well. She sighed as she looked around the shabby hotel room that they had rented for the day. Oli leaned into her neck and gently kissed the sensitive skin. She closed her eyes and sighed as his kissed became deeper and his hands stroked her legs.

“I love you, did you know that?” He mumbled into her skin. His voice created little vibrations, causing her skin to tickle a little. She giggled lightly and shifted her face to kiss him. His lips never left hers as she wrapped her arms around his neck. She laid down on the bed with him and they continued to kiss, whispering sweet nothings to each other as well.

-x-x-x-x-xx-x—x-x-x-x-x—x-x----- -x-x-x---x—x

“No! Please! Have mer-“

BANG! A gun shot pierced the man’s heart. The man who called himself Thomas fell dead onto the ground. Calla put the gun to her side and took Oli’s hand as they ran away. They quickly jumped into Oli’s car and headed for Rotherham. He sped down the road as Calla looked back with a devious smile. Black and white cars rushed over to the body and men in black suits came out.

“5-O’s are already on the scene, can you believe that?” She asked.

“Fucking pigs, they should be offed too,” Oli hissed while looking in the rearview mirror.

Calla put a hand on his skinny jean clad leg and placed a kiss on his cheek.

“Patience love, they’ll be taught a lesson soon enough,” She replied. Oli smiled lightly and nodded as they continued to drive away.

After a few hours of driving, Oliver and Calla decided to stop at the local park for a pit stop. They set up their lunches by the giant lake and started to talk to each other. They told each other jokes, stories about their past, and doing things that any other couple would do. As their laughter went silent, Oli looked down at his dirty shoes. They were ripped at the tips.

”Calla? Can I ask you a question?”

”Sure love, what is it?” She asked curiously. Oli pursed his lips and swallowed a little.

“Do you…do you think I’m crazy?” He asked out. Calla cocked her head a little as he wiped his mouth and sniffled a little.

“Mum wants me to see a therapist, the pills aren’t working anymore,” He explained, “Tom’s worried about me and thinks I’m drifting away. I’m not trying to drift away from anyone Call. I’m just trying to live. I feel like a small rock being tossed around in the ocean. I don’t know what to think anymore! I’m—“

He was cut off by the touch of Calla’s lips to his own. He closed his eyes briefly as she slowly broke the kiss.

“You’re not crazy,” She answered truthfully, “Despite what society says, you actually are quite clever. What the world sees as insanity is actually pure genius. You see the world through eyes unclouded by hate and greed, Oli. You’re special. You’re absolutely brilliant.”

”Really?” He asked. She nodded lightly with a smile.

“Really,”

Oli’s smile grew brighter and he leaned in to kiss her on the lips. His mouth softly caressed her own as a small smile appeared on her face. His kisses went from her lips to the tip of her nose. She let out a giggle as his lips tickled the skin on her nose.

“You, my love, are an absolute peach,” He replied. Calla smiled lovingly and placed a kiss on his cheek. Just as she did so, a loud scream went off across the lake.

”PLEASE! NO!” A woman screamed out. Oli and Calla broke apart immediately and looked across the lake. A man clad in black was shoving another man’s head in the water. A woman with her baby were standing by, frantically screaming and begging for the man’s life. Another man wearing a hoodie had the woman and her baby at Gunpoint. A sudden sense of hate came over Oli’s body. He clenched his fists and looked over at his girlfriend. She nodded lightly and he quickly turned towards the car. He rushed over to the vehicle and reached under the seat. He pulled out his black 9mm with the silencer attached.

“Oli, he’s gonna shoot! Hurry!” His girlfriend cried out. Oli rushed over and stood next to Calla. He held the gun and pointed towards the forehead of the man clad in black. He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. He pulled the trigger and the man’s body shot back at an instant. The man’s accomplish held the gun and started shooting around in confusion.

”Who’s there?! Show yourself!” He screamed out, firing another shot at the trees. Oli pointed the gun at the man’s leg. He took another slow breath and shot two more bullets. The man let out a loud swear as he dropped the gun and fell to the ground. The woman screamed in horror and started to run as Oli and Calla rushed over to the scene. The man (whom Calla assumed was the woman’s husband) was lying on the ground dead. His body was halfway in the water. The mugger in black was shot square in the head. She started at the man in absolute hatred and spat on him.

”Burn in hell, you sick bastard,” She hissed.

”This one’s still breathing!” Oli called out. Calla turned around and saw Oli jab his foot in the man’s side. The man screamed out in pain, blood coming out of his mouth. Oli pressed the gun into the man’s temple.

”Say you’re sorry!” Oli demanded. The man didn’t respond. He merely whimpered and cried out for mercy. Oli pressed the gun harder into his skull.

“Say you’re fucking SORRY!!” He screamed louder. Once again, there was no answer. Oli was too impatient to wait around for him to respond, so he merely pulled the trigger. The sound of a gunshot mixed with cracking bones rang in the air. Bone fragments mixed with brains and blood splattered all over the grass. Oli wiped his blood splattered face with his shirt.

”Fucking wanker,” Oli hissed. Calla stepped over the dead bodies and held her boyfriend close. She lifted her head and placed a kiss on his lips.

“Thank you,” She replied, “You saved that woman’s life.”

”No problem,” He responded, “I just wish we could’ve saved that poor man.”

”Don’t worry Oli,” Calla assured, “Once we’re strong enough, we’ll be able to save everyone. There won’t be any more pain, for anyone.”