Silent Scream

Seventy-Two

Having being felled by Wilks’ punch, William’s face rested inches from her own. Kim quickly looked for signs of life but in the limited light she was unable to tell.

Victor Wilks leaned down between them, then dragged William’s inert form away from her as though he was a sack of potatoes.

She watched as he put two fingers to William’s neck. ‘He’s alive. For now.’

Kim breathed a sigh of relief.

Victor came and knelt beside her. He took a knife from his pocket and rested the blade against her throat.

‘I’m sure your last wish is to talk to me, Detective – and I’ll grant that wish, but if you scream, I’ll cut his throat. Are we clear?’

Kim made no movement but continued to stare into the soulless eyes. He was no longer the affable pastor speaking softly to a congregation of mourners, eager for comfort. The smug triumph had disappeared, leaving in its place the blackened heart of a killer.

Wilks pulled the gag from her mouth. It fell and rested around her neck.

‘You’re gonna pay for what you did, you bastard,’ she spat. The words rasped from her throat. The gag had dried the inside of her throat to sandpaper.

She swallowed three times to add moisture to her dry mouth.

He knelt beside the body of William, the blade resting above his carotid artery.

‘Oh, I think not, my dear. There is only you that would get close to suspecting me. I saw it in your face the other day. Even if you didn’t know it yourself. I knew it wouldn’t be long until you put it together.’

‘You murdered three innocent girls?’

‘I’d hardly call them innocent.’

Kim knew she would have to delay him for as long as possible. No one knew where she was. He was right that no one was coming to help her. Her one chance for escape lay unconscious, six feet away.

But she had to keep him talking. While he was talking, she was breathing.

Kim cursed herself for not putting it together quicker. Something Nicola had said had not rung true. Tracy Morgan would not have said she was going to get money from the father of the child. She would have used the term ‘baby’s dad’ or the man’s name. She had meant she was going to get money from The Father.

‘Tracy’s child was yours?’

‘Of course it was mine. The stupid little bitch thought she could blackmail me. She even wanted to keep the child and make a new life for herself.’

‘Did you rape her?’

‘Let’s just say she played hard to get.’

Every cell of her being ached to take that knife and drive it deep between his eyes.

‘You evil bastard. How the hell could you do that?’

‘Because she was a nothing, Detective. Like many of the others, she had no one. There was no purpose to her life.’

‘Why didn’t she report you?’

Kim already knew the reason before the sentence was out of her mouth.

‘Because it’s what she felt she deserved. Deep down inside herself she also knew she was a nothing. Her life ‒ or lack of it ‒ affected no one. Her presence affected nothing. No one cried, no one grieved. She was worthless.’

Kim’s own rage began to build. She understood that feeling. Knowing that the only people in your life were being paid to be there ate away at you. The feeling of worthlessness, once absorbed, never went away. Daily, events would occur to reinforce that belief.

‘So, Tracy was first?’ Kim asked. She had to keep him on track while she worked out how to get herself free.

‘Yes, Tracy was first. Her little cronies would have been fine if they hadn’t been so persistent. They would keep insisting that Tracy had not run away.’

‘But you buried her alive,’ Kim said, incredulously.

Wilks shrugged, but Kim saw something pass through his eyes.

‘You couldn't kill her yourself?’ she asked, with surprise. ‘It wasn't intentional to bury her alive. You were going to kill her but you couldn't do it. Oh my God, you actually felt something for that girl.’

‘Don't be ridiculous,’ he barked. ‘I felt nothing for her. I simply gave her vodka so she’d be easier to handle. I had already decided on my course of action.’

Kim felt the bile rise in her throat. A vision swam before her eyes of Tracy Morgan; intoxicated, pliable. It would have proven too tempting for the evil bastard to resist.

‘You raped her again, didn’t you?’

She saw his smile. ‘See, Detective. I knew I was right about you. You certainly know how to use that head of yours.’

‘But you’re a man of God?’

‘And He knows me better than anyone and yet He has afforded me these opportunities. If He felt I was wrong in any way He would have stopped me.

‘The other two didn’t believe she’d run away. Everyone else did. The rumour was out there that she was pregnant so everyone just felt she’d either run away with the father of the child or gone somewhere to get it taken care of.’

‘But not her friends?’

‘No, they were persistent little sluts who just wouldn’t leave it alone.’

‘Did you deliberately frame William Payne?’

‘Not with Tracy. I just wanted her gone. But I eventually realised that the same three girls that were a problem for me had done something despicable to his daughter so I decided to take out a little insurance.’

Kim understood. From that point on he had cleverly decided to visit on William’s night shifts and offer the caretaker some extra time with his daughter. If the permanent staff knew about it, they turned a blind eye because of Lucy’s illness. Victor knew that by doing so the first finger of blame would be pointed at William Payne.

‘Who found the denture?’ Kim asked.

‘Teresa Wyatt. She knew that Louise would not have gone anywhere voluntarily without that denture. She only ever took it out to sleep. So, she put two and two together and got the exact number I’d intended. She checked the night rosters and found that all three girls had gone missing on William’s watch. Of course, they all knew about the incident with Lucy. It wasn’t much of a leap to believe that he had committed the crimes.’

‘So, they covered it up?’

Victor chuckled. ‘Oh yes, Detective, they certainly did that.’

‘To protect William?’

‘Not even for a minute. Oh, on the face of it they all felt for him. His life was unenviable. He watched his child decay more every day and there’s nothing he could do about it. Without him, Lucy will have no one. But they did it for themselves.’

Kim didn’t like how he was now referring to William in the past tense. She wondered if the grave had been dug wide enough for two.

‘I'm sure you already know their secrets. Any kind of official enquiry would have destroyed them all. Richard's embezzling would have been uncovered. Teresa would have faced charges of assault and sexual assault from Melanie. Tom would have been exposed for sleeping with Louise and who would have believed that it was consensual? And Arthur hated all three of them with a passion. They made his life a misery. And the girls were already dead, so there was nothing to gain.’

Kim heard a siren in the distance but knew it could not be for her. Her mind wondered if she could find a way to use it to keep herself alive. She forced herself back on track.

‘Who was the ring leader?’

‘They jointly made the decision that there was nothing to be gained by going to the police. The remaining girls had to be separated as quickly as possible and incriminating records destroyed.’

‘The fire?’

‘Yes, the chaos and disbursement of girls would create an administrative nightmare.’

‘Did no one speak to William?’

‘They didn’t need to. A few words from me about his state of mind and rage towards the girls sealed the deal.’

‘So, the fire was set?’

‘Yes, but the girls were never in danger. The fire was started at the furthest point from the rooms. The alarms kicked in immediately and Arthur Connop was ready and waiting to get the girls out of the building.’

‘So, three girls lost their lives. William lost his job and some of the staff members pretty much lost their minds. And you walked away with nothing?’

‘Like I said, I have Him on my side.’

‘And was He on your side in Manchester, Bristol and wherever the hell else you've been?’

‘He is with me always,’ Victor said with a smile.

‘Are you sure about that?’ Kim asked.

She saw doubt cross Victor’s face as the siren grew louder. She knew she would not get another opportunity to live. Very shortly he was going to turn that knife on her and bury her in the old grave of one of his victims.

She had to panic him into doing something stupid.

The siren grew louder and Kim had an idea.

‘But there is one major thing you forgot, Victor.’ She smiled widely. ‘And it will be your undoing.’

As Victor leaned in towards her to hear over the siren, William groaned and rolled onto his back.

She saw Lucy’s emergency pendant hanging around his neck. It hadn’t been his chest he’d been clutching after all.

The siren grew ever louder. Her hands and feet were bound to each other.

‘What exactly did I forget, Detective?’

His face was beside her own. He was sure that the siren was not for them and wanted to know what tracks he had left to cover.

Even trussed up, Kim now knew she had the upper hand.

‘You already said that I know how to use my head.’

Kim craned her head backwards, then launched it forward, hard. Her forehead met with the bridge of his nose. The fireworks shot through her head and for a second she wasn’t sure if the sound of cracked bone was from her or from him.

The wail of pain that came from Wilks’ mouth told her it was most definitely him.

His hands reached instinctively for his face, while the knife dropped half a foot from her bound hands. He staggered to his feet and she wriggled her body towards the knife.

‘You fucking bitch,’ he cried, staggering around the room.

As her bound hands clutched the knife handle, Victor seemed to realise he no longer had possession of it.

Still holding his face, he headed for the shovel in the doorway.

Breaking his nose had bought her a minute but in her bound state one swing of that shovel around her head and she was gone.

The sound of the siren was now deafening.

She turned the knife towards her and hacked at the piece of rope that William had managed to loosen. It cut through but didn’t free any of her limbs, although it did offer her another inch or two of movement.

Kim’s hand worked quickly. Two more steps and he’d be upon her.

William’s right hand shot out and grabbed Victor’s ankle. He stumbled and fell but quickly regained his footing.

Kim used her middle finger to pull one of the twines tighter. It tightened around all of her limbs. It was the connecting twine that held her hands to her feet.

She worked harder. Her breath now came in short, sharp bursts as she put every ounce of energy she had into cutting that one connection of rope.

Victor stood above her. Rage burned in his eyes as blood dripped from his nose. In the light of the street lamp the blood had formed a moustache and beard on his face.

He lifted the shovel high into the air, then swung it down. She rolled to the left. The shovel landed on the ground an inch from her head. The sound exploded in her ear.

She could feel the tightness of the rope loosening against the blade. In her mind’s eye she could picture the rope fraying under the pressure of the blade.

But it was not fraying quickly enough.

Again, the shovel was raised high above his head. The rage in Wilks’ eyes was murderous.

She knew that the next strike would not miss.

The siren had stopped and the sudden silence was ominous.

Victor readjusted the grip of the shovel in his hand, a triumphant gleam in his eyes.

Kim saw the head of the shovel coming down towards her head.

She was out of time. She dropped the knife and put every ounce of strength into pulling her hands apart, praying she’d weakened the correct strand.

Her hands and legs exploded apart and she lunged for his knees, but the downward motion of the shovel could not be stopped. The tool hit the lower part of her back, hard.

She cried out in pain as she swept his legs from beneath him. He toppled backwards to the ground. His right elbow crashed against the wall as he fell.

Kim ignored the pain in her back. She knew she had to make the most of this opportunity. The injuries she'd inflicted would not keep him subdued for long.

She pounced on his legs and climbed up his body. He tried to lift himself up from the waist but Kim was too quick. She pulled herself up and sat astride him. He rolled and writhed beneath her but her knees were locked into his ribs.

Kim heard activity in the kitchen as feet crunched on top of broken glass.

‘In here,’ she shouted.

Kim looked into eyes that showed only fear for himself. She smiled down at him. ‘Looks like He has had enough of your crimes as well.’

Again, Wilks tried to turn his body weight to throw her off.

She balled her fist and punched him square on the nose in the exact spot she’d headbutted him.

He squealed out in pain.

‘They were just kids, you bastard.’

She hit him again. ‘And that one's from Cerys.’

The glare of a torch landed right on her. A male paramedic shone the light around the room.

‘Umm ... Police are en route,’ he said, not moving forward, obviously unsure of what had taken place.

‘Thank God for that,’ she said, reaching for her warrant card.

He glanced at it. ‘Okay, what the hell ...’

She pointed to William, who lay groaning beside her. ‘See to him first. Head injuries, both sides.’

‘Do you need ...’

‘I’m fine. See to him.’

Victor wriggled beneath her. ‘Oh, keep still,’ she said, digging her right knee into his ribs. The second paramedic came storming into the room.

‘Police are coming,’ he said, looking at her quizzically.

Why were they both so quick to label her the bad guy?

‘She is the police, Mick,’ said the first paramedic, with just a hint of disbelief.

Mick shrugged, then kneeled on the floor on the opposite side of William’s head. She recognised the second medic from Lucy's recent episode. She couldn't help but wonder just how many times they'd been called out to the poor child.

‘Lucy,’ William managed to utter.

‘She’s fine. She managed to communicate where you were,’ Mick said.

What a girl, Kim thought.

‘You’ll ... never ... prove ...’ Victor started to mutter.

‘Shut up,’ Kim said, using her knee again.

Kim heard more sirens in the distance. They were travelling quickly.

The sirens stopped and within seconds footsteps thundered along the corridor.

Bryant and Dawson burst into the room. And stopped dead.

She smiled. ‘Evening, boys. Thanks for coming, but ten minutes sooner would have been good.’

Bryant held out his hand to help her up while Dawson placed Victor’s arms above his head.

She ignored the outstretched hand and pushed herself to her feet. She couldn’t identify a part of her body that wasn’t sending pain messages to her brain but the agony in her back possibly trumped it all. She grimaced as she straightened.

‘How did you know?’ she asked.

‘Stacey got an email from a Minister in Bristol. I'll give you the details later but Guv, there's gonna be more. Burying them wasn't his normal M.O. Before that, he cooked them.’

Kim was not surprised. She closed her eyes and sent a silent prayer for the ones that would never be found.

She took a deep breath. ‘Get him up, Kev.’

Dawson and Bryant each grabbed an arm and lifted.

The animosity in Victor’s stare burned into her skin. If he thought that would frighten her he needed to think again. He’d clearly never seen Woody in a really bad mood. Now that was something else.

‘Victor Wilks, I’m arresting you for the murder of Tracy Morgan and her unborn child, Melanie Harris and Louise Dunston. You do not have to say anything but anything you do say may be given in evidence, you evil murdering bastard.’

She enjoyed how he looked at her, utter hatred in his eyes. ‘Get him out of my sight, guys.’

Bryant hesitated. 'Guv ...'

She held up her hand. 'I'm fine. Just get him safely to the station. I won't be far behind.'

She could see the concern in her colleague's eyes. If she let him hang around for too long he'd be frogmarching her to the hospital. And right now she just didn't have the time.

Kim grimaced as she leaned down beside William.

The paramedic closest to her turned his head. ‘Miss, you need some attention ...’

Kim ignored him and nodded towards William. ‘How is he?’

‘Severe concussion. Thinks I’m holding up eight fingers on one hand so he needs to go to hospital.’

‘Lucy,’ William said again.

Kim touched his hand lightly. ‘I’ll make sure she’s okay.’

She thanked the paramedics and headed out of the building. Every bone in her body screamed at her. She exited just in time to see Victor Wilks being driven away.

Kim wondered how many lives he had claimed. How many other vulnerable, damaged girls had he abused – and how would they ever know.

‘But no more, Victor,’ she said as the car disappeared. ‘You'll get no more.’