Silent Scream

Fifty-Nine

The roar of the Ninja died as Kim pulled onto the dirt track. She removed the helmet and placed it over the right handlebar.

She surveyed the site from the top of the hill. Site one and two had been handed back to the landscape and the utility tent had been removed. The heras fencing no longer lined the property and the press had left the area. The police guard was gone and a few bits of equipment were gathered in the top corner of the site. Once again, it was a piece of spare council land where the travelling fair rested annually to entertain the estate.

Only a few teddy bears and weather-beaten flowers left at the foot of the hill offered any hints to the events of the last few days.

This part of the investigation was over. The clues from the dead had been uncovered and now it was up to her and her team to fit it all together.

One day the names of these three girls would be plastered across a Wikipedia page. It would be a link from the main article depicting Black Country history. The triple murder would forever be a blemish on their heritage.

Readers would skate past the article describing the achievements of the Netherton chain makers who had forged the anchors and chains for the Titanic and the twenty Shire horses that had pulled the one hundred tonne load through the town.

The metalworking trade that dated back to the sixteenth century would be forgotten in the face of such a sensational headline.

It would not be a record of the area’s finer moments.

‘Thought that might be you, Guv,’ Dawson said, exiting the tent.

His eyes were being propped up by dark circles. His jeans were dirty and his jumper creased but his hours on site and the commitment to the case had earned him the right to look a little worn.

Kim wanted to compliment him on a job well done but somehow the words stuck in her throat. Normally the day after she gave him a pat on the back he found some new way to piss her off again.

‘Dawson, I’ve gotta say, you frustrate the bloody life out of me. You’re a damn good detective but sometimes you act like a three-year-old.’ She stopped. This wasn’t coming out quite how she’d intended. ‘Look, I know this week has been difficult for you but in spite of that you’ve been a bloody star.’

Dawson threw back his head and laughed. ‘Thanks, Guv. Coming from you, that means a lot.’

‘I mean it, Kev.’

Their eyes met. He knew it.

‘Listen, take tomorrow off. We’ve all worked eight days straight. Saturday morning we’ll spend a few hours over coffee and muffins, Bryant’s shout, analysing what we have, and make an action plan for next week.’

‘It’s been a week, Guv. You still framing me for it?’

She shook her head. ‘Nah, I’m thinking Bryant’s a better fit.’

She entered the last remaining tent to find Cerys alone at the fold-up table beside the grave.

‘Lost all your friends, Cerys?’ Kim asked.

Cerys turned and smiled. ‘My staff are at the hotel packing up to hit the road. It’s been a full-on week.’

Kim nodded her agreement. ‘And you?’

Cerys sighed deeply. ‘Not quite. This grave will be completed in a couple of hours. I don’t think there’s anything left to find. Our third victim was not buried as deep as the others but I like to be thorough.’

‘So, you’ll be leaving later?’ Kim asked.

Cerys shook her head. ‘No. I’ll be here completing the paperwork until quite late.’ She reached for a small Tupperware tub. ‘Beads again, but of course you already knew that. There were remnants of clothing attached to the body but Daniel has those back at the lab. The garment was too delicate to remove on site.’

‘Anything else?’

Cerys pointed to a corner of the grave about one foot square. Her face was drawn and weary. ‘Unless there is something of interest just there then I’m afraid not.’

‘Did you find a denture?’

Cerys frowned. ‘No. Should I have done?’

‘It’s the final form of identification I was looking for.’

‘It certainly hadn’t come free from the body, if it was in there at all.’

Damn, without that final piece she couldn’t be sure of the accuracy of Nicola’s identification.

Kim nodded her understanding and stepped out of the tent. She paused and stepped back in.

‘Cerys, are you okay?’

Cerys turned, either surprised by the question or the person asking. She smiled but it was forced and without warmth.

‘You know what, Kim, I honestly don't know. My body is filled with a rage that I just can't shake. See, I don't care what these girls did or didn't do. I only know that they were treated as less than human. They were tortured and put into the ground and left to rot and they were only fucking kids. I want to be there when you catch the bastard that did this. I want to do the exact same things to him and what's worrying is that I feel capable of inflicting the same cruelty.’

Kim watched as her body deflated. She sometimes forgot that Cerys had not worked many crime scenes and one as harrowing as this was one hell of an initiation.

The woman looked at her and shook her head. ‘How do you do it, Kim? How do you wake up to this every day without going out of your mind?’

Kim considered the question. ‘I build stuff. I take a heap of rust and dirt and I build it into something beautiful. I create something that balances the ugliness of what we do. It helps. But do you know what really makes a difference?’

‘What?’

‘The knowledge that I'll catch him.’

‘Do you think so?’

Kim smiled. ‘Oh yes, because my passion to do so far exceeds the energy he'll need to avoid me. I won't stop until he's punished for what he did. And, everything you've done here, every clue you've uncovered, every bone you've removed will help me do that. It's bloody hard, Cerys, but it's worth it.’

Cerys nodded and smiled. ‘I know and I believe you. You'll get him.’

‘Oh, I will. And when I do, I'll give him your regards.’

Silence settled between them. Kim had nothing more to ask of the woman who had worked tirelessly for days at great cost, both physically and emotionally.

Kim moved closer and offered her hand. Although the skin was rough in places the grip was gentle and warm.

‘Thank you for everything, Cerys, and have a safe journey home. I hope we meet again.’

Cerys smiled. ‘Same here, Detective.’

Kim nodded and left the tent.

She had a denture to find.