Page 132 of Silent Scream

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.

Seventy-Two

Having being felledby 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.