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W
ill didn’t want to leave the farm, or more importantly, he didn’t want to leave Beth, but people would get suspicious if he didn’t return home. He assumed the police would want to interview her friends, and the fact that he had put an order in on the day she went missing made him nervous. He couldn’t have any lose ends leading them to him. He had intentionally switched his cell phone off, so he wouldn’t have to answer to the police.
Pulling in his driveway, he glanced across at the pick-up outside Beth’s. What did she see in that man? Will had been too kind letting them all live this long. Once they were gone, Beth would see he was the one for her. If there were nothing left here, then she would be able to stay with him, in her new home. She would have nothing to worry about. He would feed her, and look after her, so she would want for nothing. Pressing the message button on his home phone, there were four from the police. He decided he would phone them and get it over and done with.
How many times would this stupid policeman ask him the same question?
Stay calm, the voice said in his head. He didn’t need her interrupting him. She said she wouldn’t let go until Greg died, so he accepted he was stuck with her for now.
“So who were the flowers for, again?”
“Wendy, my financial advisor. She’s been helpful with some investments I made. Beth must have taken them to the wrong place. I definitely said number 160, not 60.”
“We will be in touch with you, Mr. Kearns. Also, if you could make sure your cell phone is on and you are contactable, it would make things easier.”
Walking out of the police station, he realized he knew how to rid himself of the problem of Greg. He needed the old car he kept up at Gawler. It would be a good excuse to go back and see Beth. He didn’t want to drug her this time. He didn’t want to fight her either, but if it made her see sense, then he would.
Will shook his head in annoyance at the lack of her appreciation. Beth sat huddled on the bed with her arms folded around her knees. The table leg she had tried to hit him with lay on the far side of the room. He took weeks to set this place up for her and she had tried to hurt him. He hadn’t meant to hit her so hard, and could see her cheek was swelling. There was fear in her eyes as she glanced his way. It made no sense that she couldn’t see what he was doing for her.
It feels good, doesn’t it, to see the fear in their eyes.
I’ve always liked to watch, and being in your mind is better than when I was alive.
Will sat in front of Beth and attempted to touch her face. She pushed his hand away. It made him want her more. He grabbed her chin and made her look straight at him. Her hand came up and slapped his face. The stinging spurred him on. He had never experienced such rage, and found it exhilarating as his heart beat so fast it thundered in his ears. He kept kicking and punching, and she just lay there like a rag doll. He needed to stop. He couldn’t risk killing her.
Now she would need him even more to look after her. He picked Beth up and placed her on the bed. Her eyebrow was bleeding and the blood streamed down her face. He got a tissue and wiped it away. She whimpered.
“It’s all right, I’m here for you. I’ve always been here for you. The others blinded you to my love.”
Will held her while she cried. It was good for her to let out pain. She had held it in for too long. He should have done something sooner. He didn’t want to leave her, but had to get back. There were things to be done so they could finally be together forever. He would sort out Greg so he could get into Beth’s house and get rid of the kids as well. It was too risky with Greg there.
The car from his aunts was just what he needed, old but with enough guts to last a little longer. By the time Will reached Blackhill, it was dark. Joggers often ventured along by the national park and he was sure he would be able to find someone. He wasn’t disappointed. Within half an hour, a woman came jogging along. He turned the engine on and headed towards her. He expected the thud to be more pronounced as he hit. It felt like nothing more than a bump. He pulled up and walked back to the form on the ground, to discover she was still breathing.
Back the car up and finish her.
The voice was becoming more insistent, and he would need to drink heavily just to silence her. He didn’t think the woman on the ground would last long. This would be enough. He cut off a piece of the tracksuit and placed it in a plastic bag.
He drove to a backstreet near the shopping precinct. The flames rose from the car and made him sigh with contentment that everything was going as planned. As he pulled his bike from the side of the road and cycled, he could already hear the fire brigade sirens.
