Silent Scream

Seventy-One

He stepped inside the room and placed a shovel against the wall.

Kim watched as his feet moved closer towards her. She could not crane her neck to look up although she desperately wanted to. She wanted to look straight into the eyes of the evil bastard who had tried to saw a girl in half.

His voice was low and jovial, as though discussing where to dine out that evening. ‘So kind of your colleagues to dig a few holes for me. That last one was very easy to re-dig. I think you’ll be very happy there.’

Kim strained against her ties and tried to spit out the gag.

She felt the tie around her right wrist loosen slightly but not enough.

Victor Wilks laughed out loud. ‘This must be a novelty for you, Detective. You’re normally the one in control, but not anymore.’

Kim felt the frustration grow inside her. One on one she could take him. She’d beat the living shit out of him. His only method of controlling her was to truss her up like a damn turkey.

He knelt down beside her and finally she could see into his eyes. They were warm with triumph.

‘I’ve done a lot of reading about you, Detective. I understand your passion, I understand your drive. I even understand the affinity you might feel towards your young victims.’

His voice was melodic as though conducting a service for the recently deceased. ‘You were one of those girls, weren’t you, my dear ... but unlike them, you made yourself into a decent human being.’

Kim strained against the rope. She wanted so badly to wring Wilks’ neck and pummel the smug expression from his face.

He stepped back a pace and laughed. ‘Oh, Kim. I knew you’d be a fighter. I could sense your spirit the first time I saw you.’

Kim gurgled against the rag.

He tipped his head and read the rage in her eyes. ‘You think I won’t get away with this?’

Kim nodded and gurgled again.

‘Oh, but I will, my dear. You see, this ground will never be touched again. Certainly not in my lifetime.’ He chuckled. ‘And most definitely not in yours.

‘This land is now the original burial site of three murdered teenage girls. No one will be allowed to disturb it again. Now, remind me again who knows you’re here?’

Kim squirmed towards him. The shadow of William Payne standing behind the open door was visible to her. She needed the minister to move around so that he would not notice the anomaly in the light.

The movement only prompted Victor to change the leg he was resting his weight on. He was still side on to the doorway.

‘And you forget one vital detail, my dear. I have done this before. At least three times – so I think you’ll find I’m relatively good at ...’

His words trailed away as the shadow to his left stepped out of the darkness.

Kim groaned as she heard the rush of air. She knew that William had made his move too early. The three steps it had taken him to get to Victor Wilks had offered the minister time to stand and get his footing.

The first strike from William was deflected easily. Although William was younger and taller, Victor Wilks hid pure strength behind his considerable girth.

Victor seized the momentum of William stumbling backwards and was upon him in a second. He raised his fist and struck William to the side of the head. William’s head flew to the side.

Victor then gave him a left hook, sending William’s head travelling in the other direction. The stance of the minister told Kim that she'd been right about his time in the boxing ring. William didn’t stand a chance.

She tried to wriggle further into the middle of the room, hoping to place herself as an obstruction that might cause Victor Wilks to trip and give William the upper hand.

Kim had never felt so damned useless in her life.

‘You should be grateful for what I did, you pathetic little shit,’ Victor said as William slid down the wall. ‘After what those little bitches did to your daughter. You should be bloody thanking me.’

William was halfway down the wall but he lunged forward, aiming for Victor’s genitals with his hand.

The motion caused Victor to step backwards out of reach. His right foot kicked her in the head, causing an explosion at the back of her eyes.

It took a few seconds for Kim to blink away the stars but she watched as Victor grabbed William by the throat and lifted him back to a standing position. Victor pinned him against the wall with his left hand at William’s neck. She watched in horror as William’s eyes rolled in his head.

Victor aimed one last punch at William’s head, then released him.

Kim cried out loud as William Payne clutched his chest and fell to the ground.