Silent Scream: An edge of your seat serial killer thriller (Detective Kim Stone crime thriller series Book 1) (28 page)

‘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.’

K
im darted
across the road and tried the door handle. It was open.

She closed the door behind her and entered the lounge.

‘Oh, hell no,’ Kim exclaimed rushing into the room.

Lucy lay sprawled face-down on the floor in front of her wheelchair.

Kim bent to her and a pain ripped across her lower back.

‘Lucy, it’s okay,’ she said, stroking the girl’s hair.

She stood and quickly assessed the fastest method of gathering up the child.

Kim knelt down again and gently turned Lucy so that she was lying on her back. The young eyes were filled with panic.

‘It’s okay, sweetheart. Can you give me the sign for yes?’

Lucy offered two blinks.

‘I’m going to lift you under the arms, is that okay?’

Two blinks.

Kim leaned forward and placed a hand beneath Lucy’s neck and raised the top half of her body to a supported sitting position. She knew that Lucy’s muscles could not support her own weight so she pulled her closer so that Lucy’s body was leaning into her own to prevent her from falling backwards.

She placed a hand under each of Lucy’s armpits and hauled her to a standing position. The body was limp and offered no resistance. Although not the weight of a normal fifteen-year-old, the strain on Kim’s injured back almost made her cry out loud.

‘Tell you what, for this dance, I’ll lead,’ Kim said, as she turned Lucy around and gently lowered her into the chair.

Kim moved the footstool so that she was sitting in front of Lucy. She took the girl’s right hand and held it.

‘Are you okay? Are you hurt?’

No blinks. Kim quickly realised she’d asked two questions.

‘Sorry, are you okay?’

Two blinks.

‘Were you trying to get to your dad?’

Two blinks.

Kim squeezed the hand tighter. Jesus, this girl had some heart.

‘He’s going to be okay. He got a bang to the head and he’s got to go to hospital to be checked over but he’s fine.’

Relief filled the teenager’s eyes.

Lucy then motioned her head slightly towards Kim.

‘Lucy, I’m sorry, I don’t understand.’

Kim saw the irritation in her face. She repeated the movement, but more forcefully.

‘Oooooooo,’ she managed.

Kim felt the frustration of this poor child’s torment. Her brain worked perfectly but her ability to communicate those thoughts was a prison worse than she could imagine.

She repeated the motion and the sound together and the intensity in the eyes gave Kim the answer.

The emotion thickened her throat. ‘You want to know if I’m okay?’

Two blinks.

Kim looked down at the fragile hand she was holding. Her vision blurred for a second but she coughed it away.

‘I’m fine, Lucy, and that is thanks to your dad.’ Kim thought of those few seconds he’d bought her by grabbing Victor’s ankles. ‘He pretty much saved my life.’

Pride shone from the expressive eyes.

‘Now, I have to go. Is there anyone I can get to look after you?’

Lucy began to blink as the front door opened. A female voice sounded from the hallway.

‘Well, I don’t know what kind of circus is going on over there but ...’ A rotund woman in her late fifties paused in the doorway and crossed her arms. ‘And who might you be?’

‘Detective Inspector Stone.’

‘Hmmm ... lovely.’

She stood in front of Kim so she could get a good view of Lucy. ‘You okay, Luce?’

Lucy must have signalled yes so the woman stood aside, but her eyes were fixed on Kim.

‘Where’s William?’

‘He has to go to the hospital,’ Kim answered quickly.

‘What the devil have you done to him?’ she asked, sternly. ‘Is he okay?’

‘He’s fine but he’ll probably be at the hospital for most of the night.’

‘Well, it’s a good job I came round to check then, isn’t it? Right, I’ll go and get the kettle on and then we’ll have us a nice takeaway, Luce. I’ll order pizza, your favourite.’

The woman took off into the kitchen but her presence could still be heard.

‘I don’t know what on earth you people think you’re doing over there; police, ambulances, machines, tents. I thought it was all done with but no, you had to start it all up again tonight ...’

Kim hid her smile until she looked at Lucy, who rolled her eyes. The laughter exploded from her mouth.

‘I need to go, Lucy, okay?’

Two blinks.

‘Is there anything you need?’

Two blinks.

Kim assessed the situation. The booming voice could still be heard from the kitchen.

Kim got it and placed a hand to her right ear.

Two blinks.

Kim stood and reached for the iPod on the window sill. She placed the earphones into Lucy’s ears and the controller on the arm of the chair near to Lucy’s right hand.

‘Got it?’

Two blinks and a cheeky glint. Kim couldn’t help chuckling.

She pointed to the door. ‘I have to ... ’

Two blinks.

Kim touched her arm lightly and headed for the door.

T
he ambulance was just pulling away
as a second squad car pulled up.

Kim walked across the road, back to the girls’ home. There was a gaping hole, like a missing tooth where the paramedics had crashed through the fence.

‘Guys, in the office at the end of the hallway there’s a cabinet near to the door. On the back of it is a denture. Get it bagged and logged and up to the lab.’

They nodded and headed into the building.

Suddenly the place was silent again. There was nothing to indicate what had just happened. No marker to display that this was where she had very nearly lost her life.

And the reason she hadn't was because of an emergency aid pendant. A simple tool that helped Lucy get through everyday life had been her saviour.

Kim stopped dead as she realised what she'd been missing. A sickness overwhelmed her as every last piece of the puzzle fell into place.

‘Oh, Jesus ...’ she whispered into the darkness.

‘Got the denture, Marm,’ one of the PCs said as they came around the side of the building.

She realised there was more work to do and there was only one person who could help.

‘Constable, would you please be good enough to pass me your phone?’

A
s the bike
purred to a stop on the gravel patch, Kim felt more like herself. She’d showered, changed and polished the Triumph. It sat in her garage, gleaming like a museum piece.

There had been no point trying to close her eyes. Every cell of her being had willed the blackness from the sky so she could get back to the site and finish this case.

She spotted Cerys at the bottom of the field just outside the opening that had been smashed through by the paramedics a few hours earlier.

The sun wasn't up yet but it was on its way.

‘So, you weren't lying when you called me last night. It really is just the two of us?’ Cerys asked.

‘Yep,’ Kim answered. She was about to take action that could very easily cost her dearly. Woody's words rang in her ears. She would not take her team down with her.

‘I saw Dan as I was leaving the hotel. He's sent you a report but he confirmed that the denture you found definitely belonged to Louise Dunston.’

Kim nodded her understanding.

Cerys began pressing buttons on the machine and logging figures into a small notebook.

‘Okay, it’s ready now. Just how sure are you that we're going to find something?’

Kim took a breath, closed her eyes and analysed her gut. ‘More sure than I'd like to be.’

‘You realise that anything we find will never stand up in court?’

Kim nodded. If she was right, it would never get to court.

Kim stepped forward and held out her hands. ‘Give it to me and tell me what to do. I think I've caused you enough trouble this week.’

‘I'm a big girl and I can take care of myself,’ Cerys snapped. ‘And no offence, but this is an expensive piece of equipment that I will not entrust to you.’

Kim sighed with frustration. ‘Cerys, will you just ...’

‘Shut up, Kim. Give me the backpack first.’

Kim reached down, lifted the holdall and held it while Cerys put her arms through the straps.

Cerys fixed the monitor around her waist. Kim reached for the strap and hauled the metal rod onto Cerys’s shoulder.

She stood back. ‘I had you more as a Prada wearer.’

Cerys shook her head. ‘Okay, I’ve had a look around the area and there’s a lot of crap on the ground. It all needs moving.’

‘I’m assuming that’s my job?’

‘See anybody else here?’

‘Okay, where?’

‘I’ll survey the rear of the building first. The front of the building looks right onto the road and houses so if we’re looking for what you think we are, that area would have been too exposed.’

‘Can I help, Detective?’

Kim turned to find that William Payne had walked around the side of the fencing. He looked pale and tired. Kim stepped towards him.

‘How are you feeling?’

He smiled. ‘Sore, but there’s no permanent damage. They sent me home a couple of hours ago.’

‘What about Lucy?’

‘Take a look.’

Kim walked to the edge of the fencing. The curtain had been pulled back and Lucy peered through the window.

Kim waved and then turned her attention back to William. ‘I don’t think you’re in any fit state ...’

‘Detective, I don’t know what you’re doing here today but I know that Lucy and I have somehow become a part of this. I’d really like to help.’

Kim was torn.

‘They were just kids, Detective. Hardened, abandoned, neglected kids. What they did to Lucy was wrong, I know that and so did they. All three of them came back the next day of their own free will and apologised for what they’d done.’

‘And you accepted their apology?’

He shrugged. ‘Doesn’t matter. Lucy did.’

Kim shook her head in wonder. ‘You know that your daughter is a true inspiration?’

‘Oh yes,’ he smiled, proudly. ‘She’s what gets me out of bed every morning.’

Kim tipped her head. ‘And you’re not so bad yourself. Last night, if you hadn’t managed to loosen that rope or grab Victor ...’

‘It wasn't brave at all, Detective. I saw you go into the building and just came to see if you needed any help. Then I saw Victor Wilks digging a hole ...’

His words trailed away as he blushed. Kim understood that he was an accidental hero but he'd saved her life all the same.

‘Even so ...’

‘Enough,’ William said, holding up his hands. ‘Now, please tell me what I can do to help.’

Kim smiled to herself. This was a man who wanted no thanks, no praise and no sympathy.

‘Okay, see that bin by the window. We need to fill it with anything on the ground that might interfere with the machine.’

William started on the left and Kim on the right. They worked their way from the fence perimeter into the middle, picking up anything that got in the way.

‘Folks, the machine works much better if there’s less grass,’ Cerys called from the perimeter.

Kim looked around. In some places the weeds were knee high.

She bent to start pulling when suddenly the machine made a sound.

Kim straightened and focused on Cerys.

She walked back ten feet and moved forward slowly. Again, the machine cried out.

Cerys looked towards Kim. ‘Looks like your gut called it right.’