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

at him. He avoids making eye contact with anyone else.

“Hi Mrs. Flynn,” Blake says, receiving the hug.

“You see what those bastards did to my baby?”

“Yes, it was the first thing I saw driving into town a few days ago.”

“Well, are you and her brother going to do something about it?” Mrs. Flynn says angrily, pointing to Billy standing next to her.

“Yes, Mrs. Flynn. I promise I will find out what happened.”

“You better,” Mrs. Flynn says through tears.

Billy moves his head to the left and motions for Blake to follow him. Before Blake follows him, he asks Mrs. Flynn one more question.

“Mrs. Flynn, have you seen Rose?”

“No, I haven’t seen her since you two left town,” Mrs. Flynn says with a worried look in her eyes.

Blake watches as Billy shakes his head no as well.

“Thanks, Mrs. Flynn.”

Later in the evening, most of the crowd has faded. There is plenty of room in the parlor for them to talk now. Walking off to the side, he and Billy find room to talk. He notices Billy has a bad limp but doesn’t say anything.

“Why were you looking in the coffin?”

“I saw a tattoo. I have been seeing all over town.”

“What was it?”

“A crude outline drawing of a jackal.”

“Oh, Luke’s brand.”

“Who? His what?”

“We can talk about the Jackal brand later.”

He and Billy sit and talk at one of the larger couches. He is surprised at the way Billy looks. His skin is gray, and his hair is long. He is a young man but looks old. He wonders what Billy has been doing since he left town and how long he has been walking with a limp.

“Cindy is gone, Blake,” Billy says from behind tears.

“I know man, what the hell happened?”

“I don’t know. I don’t spend much time here. I live in Lowell, the next town over. I am trying to stay away from drugs and alcohol. I am one-year clean Blake,” Billy says proudly.

“Great, Billy.”

“Thanks, Blake.”

“How are we going to figure out what happened to Cindy?”

Blake slides over on the couch closer to him, and he listens while Billy tells him everything he knows.

“There is a guy who owns most of the property in and around the lake. His name is Luke. He might have something to do with what happened to Cindy. I know a guy from the program, his name is Lester, he is close to Luke. He will be able to tell us more information,” Billy says.

“Come by my new shop tomorrow.”

“New shop?”

“Yes, I have a new shop next to K-9 Academy, Sun Luck, and the Lake view Lounge.”

“Jesus, Blake, Luke owns that building.”

“Good, we will not have far to go,” Blake says without knowing what he is up against.

Some more time passes by, and the workers of the funeral parlor do their best to move people along, and empty the room.

Walking across the parking lot and down Route 38, he and Billy get to his car and jump in. He slowly drives his car to the next town, Lowell, turning right and left on Billy’s commands, until he reaches the destination. He looks at the sign in the parking lot and reads, Lowell House, Addiction Treatment and Recovery Center.

“This it?”

“For now,” Billy says with his head buried.

“Hey, are you doing better today than you were yesterday?”

“Yes.”

“You are doing good, Billy. I’m going to need your help finding out what happened to Cindy.”

“I know, Blake.”

“Alright, let’s toughen up. Come by the shop tomorrow. I have some work for you.”

“Okay, Blake, see you tomorrow.”

Turning the car around and pointing it in the direction of Silver Lake again, he presses on the accelerator. After driving for twenty minutes or so, he sees the Funeral Parlor on his left and the cemetery on his right, up the road a way. Driving down Route 38, he cannot help himself. He wants to turn in to the Silver Lake Cemetery, and he does. He parks his car on the shoulder of Route 38 in front of the main entrance. He exits the car and walks into the cemetery’s main entrance. He walks under the arch with a sign spelling out Silver Lake Cemetery.

As he looks out over the lake water, he can see a few hundred headstones in the foreground. There is a long, winding, hilly dirt walkway throughout the cemetery’s grounds. He walks slowly, taking his time. He thinks about Rose and how badly he wantsto find her. He wonders where she is.

Walking around the small cemetery where a lot of people from his past are buried is making his mind wander. He looks out over the lake. The moon is hanging low, reflecting in the water. The lake is quiet; he can see Little Rock Island, and in the middle of the island, the glowing bonfire must have several people standing around it. He cannot see the people from this distance. There are several old wooden rowboats docked on the island, and more rowboats approaching.

He wonders what the people standing around the bonfire know about what happened to Cindy. Will they talk about it, if they know something? He knows the people who live in Silver Lake are tight-lipped about everything happening in and around the lake. They have no choice; if someone identifies you as a talker, you will not live here for long. But maybe there is someone who hates the person who did this and doesn’t care what happens to them if they talk. Maybe.

Walking towards the center and right of the cemetery, he takes in the view of the lake while keeping a close eye on the headstones. He is a little creeped out but keeps walking. He suddenly stops when he comes across a newly dug grave. He turns the flashlight on his smartphone on, and moves the light over the top of the grave. The grave looks to be about six feet deep. There are a few different fresh piles of dirt around the grave with shovels on top of the dirt. He thinks they must have