John Livingstone stood and slowly made his way to the kitchen. Detective Gary 'Schoolbags' Samson followed close behind. He grabbed the jug off the bench top, filled it with water and turned it on.
"W-We were at a friends place, Maggie, playing cards. Her new boyfriend, Peter somebody. He was a real prick. So full of himself, Helen, that's my wife, couldn't stand him. Maggie's a bit desperate, but we both thought he was so awful we came home early. Good thing hey?"
Mr. Livingstone was rambling. The adrenaline that had kept him going for the last half hour or so was wearing off and he was coming down. Coming down fast.
He got himself a cup, then reached into the overhead cupboard for a jar of instant coffee. Gary noticed his hands were shaking. Suddenly the coffee jar slipped from his grasp, bounced off the bench top and smashed onto the floor, exploding into a thousand pieces and covering the floor with coffee powder. John began to shake uncontrollably, his breathing rapid and shallow. His legs gave way from under him and he slumped down onto the kitchen floor. His eyes filled then overflowed.
"Oh Jesus", he wailed "Oh Jesus" over and over again. "How could anyone do that to my little girl Mr. Samson? He killed Steffy and then tried to do the same to my Becky, He raped her, cut her throat and left her to die"
John let out a cry like a wounded animal. He hugged his knees to his chest and began to rock back and forth, bashing his head repeatedly against the cupboard door. Trying, perhaps, to distract himself from the unbearable pain he felt in his soul. Then John rolled over onto his side, curling up, covering his head with his arms, trying to block out the terrible thoughts that assaulted him.
"He cut off her finger", he whispered, "raped her, slit her throat and then cut off her finger. Like some sort of trophy."
Gary brushed away the broken glass fragments with his foot and joined the distraught man on the floor. He lifted the man into a sitting position and, leaning against the kitchen cupboard, placed his arm around John's shoulders. "It's alright John" he gently told him "I'm sure Rebecca will pull through, and I promise you, I will get the bastard who did this. I'll get him if it's the last thing I ever do".
Set in the cities and outback of Australia, 'Innocent Until Proven Deadly, tells of Detective Gary 'Schoolbags' Samson and his search for the soldier responsible for the rape and murder of three women.
