The Silver Lake Murder by Gregg Matthews (read novel full txt) 📗

THE

SILVER

LAKE

MURDER

A NOVEL

GREGG MATTHEWS

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Printed in the United States of America

First Printing, 2021

ISBN 978-1-63877-536-2

Boston Massachusetts

Copyright © 2021 by Gregg Matthews

This novel takes place in the summertime at Silver Lake, north of Boston, Massachusetts. Silver Lake is a fictional place. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Principal Characters

Blake

Rose

Billy

Cindy

Ray

Kelly

Luke

Pete

Other Characters

Lester

Kevin

Tracy

Shannon

Megan

Shawn

Pierre

Caleb

Dylan

Nola

Contents

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER 10

CHAPTER 11

CHAPTER 12

CHAPTER 13

CHAPTER 14

CHAPTER 15

CHAPTER 16

CHAPTER 17

CHAPTER 18

CHAPTER 19

CHAPTER 20

CHAPTER 21

CHAPTER 22

CHAPTER 23

CHAPTER 24

CHAPTER 25

CHAPTER 26

CHAPTER 27

CHAPTER 28

CHAPTER 1

Silver Lake north of Boston Massachusetts

Blake Rivers has been driving all night and into the next day. The clock on the dashboard says 8:00 a.m. He knows yesterday was July 4th, he saw a lot of bursting fireworks against the dark skies while he was driving last night.

When he looks in the rearview mirror, he can see red lines racing across the whitebase of his eyes. Around the edges are also red. His eyelids close like heavy steel doors, but he catches himself before he dozes off. Taking the small amount of water in the water bottle next to him, he splashes himself in the face. This helps briefly, to shock his system into staying awake.

Knowing he is going to need to stop driving soon. His hands are both on the steering wheel at ten and two o’clock. More like he is hanging on to, than steering a car. His arms are sore and being held in place by his grip on the steering wheel. His mouth is dry and void of any moisture. He looks at several empty water bottles on the floor of the passenger seat. He knows there are some on the back-seat floor as well. His stomach groans. He presses on the accelerator and keeps driving for now.

The big old car has completed the journey. He is surprised the car has held together this long. He can smell exhaust fumes and knows the smell is not good. The fumes have been prevalent for the last few days. He can see a slight wisp of steam coming out over the hood on the front of the car. He looks down at the gauges and is surprised to see there are no warning lights. Most of the gauges are signaling to him everything is OK. One of the gauges has an orange line close to the capital E. A hint of antifreeze is in the air but it’s not the first time he has had that smell, in this car. He looks at the radio but doesn’t have the strength to turn it back on.

The Exit 12 sign is up ahead. He turns his blinker on. Every time the blinker blinks, a slow, dull sound echoes in his mind. He glides the car down to the end of the off-ramp and stops at the stop sign. He can hear some hissing sounds, like a rattlesnake makes before it strikes, and knows it something wet dripping on hot metal in the engine. With his right hand, he lifts the blinker up, signaling he is turning right onto Route 38. Looking at the signs telling him where he is, it still doesn’t register as reality in his mind.

Putting his right hand over the vent, he can feel the warm air blowing out. From the console on the driver’s side door, he opens the window and breathes in the fresh northern air. The air wakes him up a little. The scenery is familiar to him. Tall pine trees are on both sides of the road. Deep rich forest, green is the dominant color in the forefront, with golden sunshine fighting its way through the trees. He remembers when summertime gives way to fall, multiple colors appear on the trees and bushes; and how the colors always attracted people to the area north of Boston, Massachusetts. He has worked hard to forget all the violence he experienced in Silver Lake; another reason he and Rose left a few years ago.

He always preferred the summer himself. The idea of summertime all year long is the main reason he and Rose left Boston and moved to New Orleans several years ago. When he and Rose left Boston, they both swore they never would come back. The weather in New Orleans is warm, and always feels like summer time. He and Rose had Rivers Tattoo shop up and running on Bourbon Street. Getting the tattoo shop established took everything he and Rose had. After a few years, the shop was turning a profit.

Always being passionate about his artwork when he was younger, he turned his passion into tattooing. He found tattooing as a way of making money at an early age. Rose ran the business. Posting videos, texting, advertising, and taking care of the money. He and Rose were living a good life before Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans more than several months ago. All he has is a sweaty wad of cash in his