I don’t know how long went by, it could have been thirty minutes, it could have been two hours, when I heard the manhole cover grinding back steel against steel and I went cold with fear all over. I kicked out my leg and the light flashed on and above the ladder it was dark, and I heard voices, but man or woman I couldn’t tell. And then a black leather shoe appeared on the first black rung, and then a black trousered leg, and then the other. I twisted and thrashed and desperately tried to break free as he came down with his back to me, the blades and muscles of his wide shoulders pronounced through his tight white shirt, then a thick neck, and black hair heavily gelled.
He stepped down onto the ground and turned. A whimper of fear came out from somewhere within me as his sly face broke into a sinister grin. The flat nose, the well-groomed appearance, the chiselled cheeks, the gel holding up the front of his dark fringe, The inspector. It was clear as I had saw him the day he’d walked through the hospital car park, wafting his collar as he got into his Mercedes, after being with Sanders in that room. My eyes did a double-take of the red brick sandstone walls- I was back at the hospital, somewhere on the grounds.
His malicious grin grew wider, baring his big, shining white teeth. His cold, calculating, brown reptilian eyes crawled up and down my body and sent a shiver up my spine. He slowly came closer, his big chest in his white shirt going in and out. Then he stopped about five yards away. He stood at first with his hands on his sides, then brought them behind his back. The eyes roamed slowly down my cuffed hands to my arms, to my face, lingered on my chest as he licked his lips, then wandered down my legs to my feet and jumped back to my face.
“Well, well, well. What have we got here?”
Chapter 70
M y life is over, I thought. All those times with dad, that I had been dealing with, came racing back to the front of my mind. The inspector watched me squirm, watched me cry, listened to my broken and desperate sobbing, and his greedy eyes devoured me all the while. His grin pinched into a tight, satisfied smirk. “Thought you could escape from me, huh?” His deep bass voice toyed mockingly.
The chain rattled above me. The metal clattered against the pipe. “That was a question. Look at me, Aisha. You thought you could escape?” He grinned victoriously. “We always find you. You can’t escape.” He laughed loud and jaunty, the echo sang back of the walls and earth.
He stood there waiting patiently in my suspense. The whiteness of the starched shirt and the gleaming brightness of his teeth were emphasized by his smooth black trousers and black shoes and the black earth and the dimness of the room. Where is Sanders? Where is Kev? Did they set this up? Are they coming too? I shuddered as his eyes glanced at the portable light then turned back to me. His smile reached out, savoring every moment. “Aw! Look at you. All wrapped up just for me. What did I do to deserve this, eh? I bet you’re a tight fit.” He paused to let the words sink in, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet, watching my reaction with great pleasure. “Hahaha! Oh, yes! Squirm! Squirm, little petal! You can’t escape. Hahaha! Yes, that’s it! Scream! Scream! I love it when you all scream! Here, I’ll help you! AAAH! SOMEBODY HELP!”
The manhole cover above the ladder was still open, but I could see nothing but black from my angle of it. I kept screaming and he kept laughing. His arms came out from behind him and he wiped his forehead with one hand and dabbed the top of his fringe with the other. I screamed so hard I had a coughing fit. Blood filled my mouth again. I knew those screams were useless, but it was all I could do.
“Mmm, look at those legs. Yeah, you’ll be a tight fit. Not as tight as I’d have liked, but your daddy broke you in. Didn’t he, Aisha? Huh? Yeah, that’s right. I know. I know. Yes, you have a cry.” Still he remained five yards in front of me, savouring every moment and delighting in his power. I felt weak, crushed, feeble, powerless, and his eyes were drinking more and more strength with every few seconds as he seemed to get bigger and I seemed to get smaller. “Good girl. Keep crying. I knew your daddy. Me and him were good pals. Uh-huh! That’s right.
But… you killed him. You killed my friend.” He took a step closer. “He used to boast to me about you.” the inspector drawled slowly, “Did you know that? You were always his favorite. Out of all the boys and girls, you were always his favorite. Well, let’s see what all the fuss was about, shall we? Don’t worry, I’m not going to kill you. Not physically anyway. But I am going to enjoy you. A lot.”
His big hands unbuckled his belt. His trousers dropped to the black earth. I was overcome with nausea. Oh, God. Where is God now?! All the cruelty, rapes, tortures, murders, and it’s all supposed to happen for some fucking reason? Happens for a reason so we can all fucking grow?! “Where are you, God? Help me, please! PLEASE!”
“Yes. Keep whimpering.” The inspector took another step. “Wrote that little letter, did you? Think you could get us all in trouble? Get me in
