When he’d opened the door of his cottage this evening, he hadn’t been ready for her strength. Christ, she’d kicked him so bloody hard. He had to let her go as he fell to the ground, and she’d bolted with Mr Do-Gooder.
He’d moved across the field, peering into the empty graves. It had taken hours to dig the pits, now Mr Do-Gooder had spoiled the fun.
He thought back to how he had caught the lecturer. Henry had followed him on Friday evening, while the lecturer had pursued the hit-and-run passenger – he’d discovered he was called Gareth – out of the car park. He’d kept behind both vehicles, driving discreetly so neither saw him. Henry was disgusted at what he’d seen the lecturer doing with the young woman.
Eventually, after he’d lost Gareth, he decided to follow the lecturer. Pursuing the jeep took him to a particular street, where the lecturer stopped and banged on a door.
Another young woman answered. She was shocked but seemed pleased to see him at her front door. She looked over the lecturer’s shoulder to make sure they were alone, but Henry made sure she didn’t see him waiting, watching in his car. She kissed the old man hard on the lips, then closed the front door.
Henry had got out of the car, and spied on them through the living room window. He waited patiently, seeing the filthy act, hands everywhere. The lecturer then dressed, and left. All over in minutes. Henry followed him, wondering if there would be any more stops to visit young women.
The lecturer pulled up outside a detached house on a remote road. The place was perfect – electronic gates, but no security cameras or outside lights. And anyone could just walk up the path to the front door. Henry would have little concern about anyone seeing him return for the lecturer.
Once Henry knew where the lecturer lived, he had returned home, satisfied.
Now, he recalled when he’d used the stun gun on Stephen and Gareth. He’d placed cloth hoods over their heads, tied them up and dumped them behind the bushes on the house’s front lawn. It had taken a matter of minutes.
Then he’d dealt with Lydia and Jack. They were still standing, frozen with horror in their front room, staring at the woman’s bashed-in head and at the gore-covered brass figure.
He knocked on the open front door, waiting for an answer. He remembered the fear on Jack’s face as he stood in the hallway, asking what Henry had wanted.
Once he’d used the stun gun on Jack and Lydia, he pulled Stephen and Gareth into the house. Henry tied Lydia and Jack the same way, with hoods over their heads. He ripped small holes so they could breathe and tied them all securely to radiator pipes with strong rope. Their hands and legs were also secured together with rope so they couldn’t move.
He left, taking the house keys with him and returned later when it was dark with his shotgun, in case anyone disobeyed orders. He knew it was a risk being seen, so he had to be quick. He laid Jack and Lydia in the back seat of his car and put Stephen and Gareth in the large boot.
Then he drove them to his house, placing the four of them on the coach which was parked on the drive.
Phase one of his plan was now dealt with. The added excitement of the murdering couple was a real bonus. Henry had walked into the garden, he’d seen the earth disturbed. So they’ve killed that woman and plan to bury her out the back.
Henry revelled in the anticipation and couldn’t wait to tell Evelyn what he’d done. What a birthday present, a gift. She would be so very pleased.
Henry woke early Sunday morning and went out to the coach. The smell, as he stood in the aisle, was rank. The passengers (that’s how Henry saw them), had desecrated the seats with the fear they’d felt overnight. Henry knew it could happen, but it didn’t stem his rage. He walked along the coach, removing the hoods, finding Stephen, and hit him in the face with the butt of his gun. Then he swung the barrel, catching Jack in the side of the face. He gave them water and fed them small pieces of fruit.
Then he moved the car onto the road and got into the driver’s seat of the coach. Once he’d pulled off the drive, he moved the car back.
He couldn’t get it out of his mind, what he’d seen, how the lecturer had behaved in the car park.
As he pulled up to the gates, he saw the jeep. There was another car in the drive, parked alongside it. Henry grabbed the gun and calmly walked up the path. He didn’t worry about the coach, the passengers tied to the seats. He’d driven for years, motorways, towns, villages, desolate roads. He’d never been stopped by the police. Not once.
Edward and Mary answered the door together. As Henry pointed the gun at Edward’s forehead, the old man reached out, trying to grapple the end with his hands and steer it away from his face. Henry turned the sawn-off shotgun to his wife, ramming the barrel into her mouth, and promised to pull the trigger if he tried anything.
He quickly marched them out the front door, telling them he’d kill them if they didn’t get on the coach. As he led them out, he whispered in Edward’s ear that he had the photos so Edward knew he had to do precisely as Henry had ordered.
Henry placed Edward and Mary on the coach and tied them to the seats, Nigel came running out with a pan, ready to defend his parents. Abigail was standing at the door, frantically shouting for help. Henry had seen her before, the other night, up against the wall with the lecturer. Edward was a despicable human being.
Henry calmly stepped off the coach, pointing the gun towards Nigel’s chest. A couple of minutes later, they’d joined the others on the coach.
He’d waited so long for this evening to happen. He’d planned everything perfectly.
The ball had to start rolling on Evelyn’s birthday. It was only right. Now, he’d take matters into his own hands. It was personal. These people were going to pay. It made the bitter pill easier to swallow, what had happened to Evelyn, how their lives had been destroyed that evening in Bourne Woods. People were going to pay.
Now, Henry stood for a moment letting the frustration rise through his body. It charged out of his mouth like a possessed soul, a cloud of deviance, a scream that rose into the night air.
Ben was good. He’d tricked Henry, getting Abigail to go to the front door while he untied the others. A very smart move. He’d followed them, looking in the long grass and scrub, listening for their movement. Henry knew they’d make their way back to the coach.
He ran back to the cottage, making sure no one had got inside. Gareth was in the basement, tied to a railing. But the others were more important now. He’d return later and deal with him.
Henry went upstairs, opening the door and seeing his wife. He knelt beside her, pulling the wooden board towards him, tilting it slightly. ‘Are you comfortable, my love? It won’t be long now. I’ll get them. You wait. I have to be quick. I’m going to the coach. I can’t let any of them leave. You understand that, right? We agreed, Evelyn. We came to the same conclusion. All of them must pay. You understand that, don’t you? It’s why I brought you here so you can watch. Once, it’s done, we’ll go back to the house, and you can rest in your bedroom. You’ll like that, won’t you, my love? You’ve been resting so much lately. I don’t mind though, that’s what you like to do. All I ever want is for you to be happy. That’s the only thing that matters, my love.’
He glanced at the remains of her face. She seemed to smile as if giving Henry her blessing.