Page 107 of Killing Mind

Travis: And you raped her?

Drake: Not with my cock. She’s a prossie. Could have had anything. Nah, I shoved a beer bottle up—

Travis: And then what?

Drake: I took out my knife and started cutting her. Small ones at first, just enough to see the top layer of skin separate and then harder, deeper. The more she cried out the harder I cut. Slicing and dicing like I was cooking a fucking Sunday dinner. She was a bleeder all right. She started losing consciousness, going in and out so I proper opened her up.

Travis: Can you describe…

Drake: You know. You’ve seen her. You know what I like to do. I took the blade and sliced her right open from the inside of her thigh right down to her ankle, on both sides.

Travis: And then what?

Drake: I watched her die. My second favourite part.

Travis: And then?

Drake: I walked away and left her like the piece of shit that she was.

Another ten seconds of silence before Travis turned to the camera and suspended the interview.

Bryant unclenched his fists and removed the headphones, fully aware that the horror of the scene described by Drake would play over in his head for weeks to come.

Travis was right, the sick bastard had confessed and Bryant had what he wanted, but after listening to what he’d done to that girl the victory didn’t feel like a victory at all.

Eighty-Five

Kim stepped out of the station and headed towards the Ninja parked at the end of the row of squad cars.

Her heart jumped as a figure stepped from the darkness to block her path.

‘Bloody hell,’ she exclaimed, looking into the red-rimmed eyes of Kate Brown. Tendrils of blonde hair peeked out from beneath the woollen hat she was wearing and curled onto the lapel of her heavy long coat. It was a chilly night but temperatures hadn’t plummeted far enough to warrant this mid-winter precaution.

‘I’m sorry, Inspector. I j… just needed a word alone. I’ve been here for a while,’ she said, looking towards the station doors.

‘Do you want to come inside?’ Kim asked, confused.

She shook her head and looked around. ‘No, no, it’ll just take a minute.’

The woman appeared terrified despite being in the car park of a police station. There were few safer places she could be.

The penny dropped. ‘Does Myles know you’re here?’

She hesitated. ‘No, he’s a stubborn man and still feels we should leave Sophie’s safety in the hands of Kane.’

‘And you don’t?’ Kim asked, moving her to the side as two constables headed out of the station doors. It appeared that the heavy, long coat and hat were an attempt at some kind of disguise.

She tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. ‘Every hour that passes makes me more nervous. I can’t help feeling that something is going to go wrong.’

‘Has Kane confirmed he has her?’ Kim asked.

‘No, he won’t give us a straight answer and it’s getting harder to get in touch with him. Every minute without her is driving me insane. I keep getting the feeling that I’m running out of time. That I’m never going to see Sophie again.’ Her eyes filled with tears. ‘Please help me, Inspector, I cannot lose another child.’

Up until now she had been unable to spend time proactively looking for Sophie Brown. With no missing person’s report and no instruction from the parents she’d had no remit to interfere in the case of a grown adult not wishing to come home.

‘Mrs Brown, are you formally asking me to search for your missing daughter?’

Kate didn’t hesitate. ‘Inspector, please bring my daughter home.’