"You know that building on the corner of 55th and Gardens?"

"Yeah. Ikeda predicted there would be an incident there."

"Well, there definitely was one. Very late last night."

"What happened?"

"One of my cop friends said there was a fire on the fourth floor... coming from that office. The doctor's office."

"Great. What are we sitting around here for? Let's go check it out."

"There's nothing to check. The building collapsed."

"What?"

"Aequitas. They're clever. Real clever. Why do you think we haven't been able to identify them yet? We still don't even know if it's a man or a woman."

"How did the building collapse?"

"Well, the temperature came down to around -12C last night. The firefighters came and started hosing the building down. With the water and all, the whole building turned into one giant popsicle which made it unstable. The structure couldn't even hold out till morning."

"You think Aequitas killed the doctor and set the place on fire?"

"There aren't any indication to prove otherwise."

"Then... Ikeda knows Aquitas' movements. She always had a gift for putting herself in their shoes."

"Not only that... I think she knows Aequitas' identity."

"Aequitas must have killed her because she knew."

"Most likely."

"How about the doctor? You think he knows Aequitas' identity or is he a usual victim?"

"The usual victim. He's the Headhunter we've been looking for."

"So Davis and Weir went to check already?"

"Yeah, they went to the addresses scribbled on Ikeda's notepad in her office."

"How many were there?"

"Nine."

"Geezus christ. That's all of them."

"Yeah and guess what? All the heads had a hole through their skull. Right on the forehead between the eyes."

"Seriously though, Kato... sometimes I find myself cheering for Aequitas."

"Aequitas is a serial killer."

"But they target other serial killers."

"That doesn't make it okay. They think they're above the law... taking it into their own hands. It could be a god complex."

"Wait, Kato. I just remembered something. Something that doesn't quite fit. Let's say Aequitas killed Ikeda... but the trademark left at the crime scene is that of the fairy tale homicides. Aequitas can't be the same person as the fairy tale killer... can they?"

"Up until now, there was no involvement between the two cases."

"I can't seem to figure it out."

• • • • • • •

"Aequitas is a man. Just the strength needed to hold down his third victim shows he's a man."

"All the other murders could have been done by a woman. There are no indications that Aequitas is a man. The third victim could have already been held down by something else."

"There was nothing else at the scene. They were the only two people there. The victim was not sedated or—"

"The victim didn't need to be sedated, he was already—"

"Enough, you two." The chief silenced them. "I want to hear what Ikeda thinks about Aequitas. She hadn't said one word since entering the building. Well, Ikeda..."

Xinling Ikeda had her head down on the desk. The files laid unopened underneath her crossed arms.

"Ikeda!"

Her head perked up and she squinted from the blinding lights.

"Did you have a nice little nap, princess?"

"If only..." She groaned and wiped the saliva at the corner of .

"Ikeda. Give me Aequitas."

"Can't. Aequitas' not here."

The chief closed his old eyes and rubbed his wrinkling forehead. "Your thoughts, Ikeda. Your thoughts on Aequitas."

The man sitting next to her stood up and raised his hand. "Sir, I don't think she has anything prepared yet. We should just—"

Ikeda's hand shot out, grabbed the man's raised arm, and slammed it down so hard, it shook the whole room.

"Who said I didn't prepare anything, Ito? Please, just sit back down like a good boy and shut the up. Thank you."

"Kato and Weir, sitting opposite of Ikeda, cleared their throats, a successful attempt to keep hysterical laughter at bay.

"You may proceed."

Ikeda picked up her girly pencil, the one with the cushion, and twirled it in her hair before sticking it downward to secure the messy bun. She swiped the file and rolled it up in her hand before standing up to take a stroll around the room.

"Killing other killers is like an enterprise to Aequitas. It's nothing personal to him. No emotional link, no selfishness... he's just doing what's best for society. People looking in don't understand him. They think it's psychotic outbursts or paranoia but everything he does is rational. To him. It all makes perfect sense. 'This is what they deserve and this is what I will give them.' It's all about what's fair. Justice. He has a very strong, black and white, sense of justice. He knows the law but he thinks it's all bull. The system is flawed... not binding enough... a failure." She smacked the side of Ito's head with the rolled up file as she passed by.

"And you know what? 'It is my duty to clean up these little messes out there. Do I wish others to do the same? Of course.' And that is his reasoning. He lives by a strict code. Kill no 'real people.' And to him, cops and criminals are not 'real people.' He's not a 'real person' either and he knows it. When he is caught, he will confess to all the murders, and will accept his punishment... to the most extreme."

She whacked Ito's head again before sitting back down.

"So you think Aequitas is a man."

Ikeda leans back in her chair. "No. When did I say that?"

"You referred to Aequitas as a he."

"Oh... it just feels more... flowy if I used 'he' instead."

"And how did you come to this elaborate conclusion?"

"My intuitive feeling."

"Meaning you just pulled all that out of your arse."

"Come on, chief. You know I'm right."

"Yeah. When you're not wrong."

• • • • • • •

She flails a little in his arms. Not because her mind is resisting him. It is only her body that wants to fight back.

"Is it bothering you, baby? Do you want me to take it out. Should I take it out?"

She shakes her head slowly from side to side but he yanks the bloody pencil out anyway and lifts her up. He steps onto the tile floor and carries her to the sofa. They sit side by side in each other's arms like two lovers watching a romantic movie late at night. Her head rests on his arm. He pulls her even closer to him. His hand presses firmly against the deep wound at her side.

"Jae..."

"Hmm?"

"Are we there yet?"

"Yeah. At your fairy tale ending."

A minute passes.

"Xinling... Xinling baby... can you still hear me?" He shakes her. "Don't be selfish, baby. You can't fall asleep now. You have the rest of eternity to sleep. I only have this moment so let me have it."

Her eyes flutter open. "Of course, baby. I'm awake."

He smiles. "You always knew I was Aequitas... from the very beginning."

"Mmhm."

"That's why you approached me at the bar, right? Do you remember that night... the night I first met you?"

• • • • • • •

Jaejoong Kim sat at the bar with his back straight and his clothes neatly pressed. There was not a single strand of hair out of place. He glanced at his white-gold watch before flipping the empty glass in front of him.

He called out to the bartender, "Henry. Another one. Make it double... no... triple."

"You got it, boss."

Jaejoong smiled at the bottom of the glass. Today wasn't the best of days. He thought he had him. He thought he had that head hunting criminal by the balls.

He didn't.

"Here you are." The drink slid towards him and he slowed it down with the back of his hand.

"Thanks." Jaejoong held up the glass and admired its clarity. He took a sip. Bitter. Just the way he liked it. He took another. This time, it was oddly sweet. That smell... it was messing with his taste buds. He turned to his left and found a woman dressed in red, sitting beside him on the next stool. Luscious black hair, porcelain white skin, red ruby lips. She had her legs crossed, her hand under her chin, head facing forward, eyes gazing at the bottles of liquor with obvious disinterest. He studied the side of her face as he took another sip. Long fake lashes, prominent nose, soft unblemished chin, ear... not as ugly as an ear should be. No jewellery. Not even a thin ring on her finger. Was she working?

She turned to look at him suddenly. Maybe she caught him observing. "So, I heard you were the best." She spoke.

"Best? At what? Drinking?" He raised his glass and took another sip.

"Is that what you're best at?"

"Yep. But enough about me. What about you, baby? How much does it cost these days?"

"Excuse me?"

"A night. Or do you charge by the hour?"

"What are you implying..."

"You, sweetie, are a classic e."

She laughed. It was dorkie but very complex. The ups and downs of what the laughter conveyed.

Dorkie but complex.

"You think you know me, don't you..."

"I can try."

"Give it your best shot." She took out a cigarette case from her purse and he offered her his lighter.

"Okay, well... let's see... first of all, the strong smell of cheap perfume... the worn heels... the red lipstick... the fake lashes. Oh, there's a tear in your stocking, did you know that?"

"Mmmm... you're right." Her eyes seemed to say she was happy. "You're absolutely right." She snatched her bag and stood up to leave. "That's exactly what I was going for."

Something deep inside of him said her eyes were lying. Were they supposed to look disappointed? He grabbed her wrist and held her back. He realized it then. Her eyes were capable of faking every shade of emotion.

"It doesn't suit you and you know it. You feel like you're going to lose yourself in it, don't you... and that's why you wear a different shade underneath that thick red lipstick. It's a reminder that your—"

She turned back, leaned in, and kissed him at the corner of his mouth. "Let's meet again, sometime... Mr. Kim."

She left but something stayed. The red lips at the corner of his mouth.