Page 142 of Silent Scream

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.’

Seventy-Five

Cerys lookedfrom her to William and then back again.

Kim covered the ground between them and took the weeds from his hand. ‘William, I have to ask you to leave the area now.’

He looked pained as his eyes rested on the area of ground that held Cerys’s attention. He nodded.

She took his right hand. ‘William, none of this is your fault, you have to know that. No one died because of you. It was just made to look that way by an evil, devious man with no conscience.’

His gaze met hers. It would take time for him to believe it.

‘I’ll leave you to it, Detective.’

She squeezed his hand. ‘My name is Kim and I want to thank you for everything you’ve done.’

William coloured with embarrassment. She let go of his hand. ‘Now get back to your wonderful daughter.’

He smiled widely. ‘Thank you, Det— Kim. I will.’

Kim waited until he'd gone and stepped over to where Cerys had laid down the machine.

Cerys turned to her. ‘Whatever’s down there is not very deep.’

Kim nodded and swallowed.

Cerys passed her the keys to the van. ‘There are shovels in the back. Go and fetch them while I mark it out.’

Kim sprinted to the van, grabbed two shovels and ran back down the hill. The painkillers she'd taken earlier were starting to wear off. The pain pounded across her lower back.

Cerys had marked out the area. Kim saw immediately that it was smaller than the rest.

Cerys took one more look at the readings regurgitated from the magnetometer and pointed. ‘You work that side but don't go too hard.’

Kim threw the shovel into the ground. A pain speared the width of her back but she ignored it and focused on what she needed to do.

The two of them worked without speaking for the next half an hour.

‘Okay, Kim, stop and get out,’ Cerys said, suddenly.

The pit was approximately five feet long but three feet wide, with a depth of no more than a foot.

Family pets were buried deeper.

Cerys walked around the perimeter of the pit twice before she got in. She used the hand tools to remove small mounds of dirt and place it to the side of the pit.