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

to let him beat her to death. She was ready to run. She tried to run out of the side room, but with his left arm, he stopped her. She tried again, and this time she slipped past him and ran for the door. As she ran across the room, she saw me, Tracy, Shannon, and Megan, all looking at her in horror. Shawn, Caleb, and Dylan all looked shocked at the sight of Cindy.

“Pierre, what the hell is going on?” Luke said.

“Stop her,” Pierre groans in pain.

Cindy was out of The Devil’s Den, running down the stairs across the empty barroom floor towards the front door of the Lakeview Lounge. She remembers all the patrons of the Lakeview Lounge were at the fireworks display down by the water’s edge.

The small fire Billy and Lester built smolders. Kelly explains, this is as far as she can go. She doesn’t have any more detail for them.

“Cindy was out the door so fast no one knew what was going on,” Kelly says.

“Right,” Blake says.

“Luke and Pierre were in the Lakeview Lounge pickup truck chasing after her. They were close, right behind her.”

“I understand,” Blake says with the thought of Luke and Pierre hitting and chasing Cindy makes his eyes roll back into his head like a shark. His temper flares.

“The person who can finish the story of what happened to Cindy is Pete.”

Kelly explains Pete is Cindy Flynn’s neighbor. Pete is an older construction worker with gray hair and a gray beard. He drives an old beat-up brown pickup truck.

“Pete is a regular at the Worthen House Cafe in Lowell, MA,” Kelly says.

“Right, I know the place,” Blake says.

“I brought you to July 4th at midnight Blake, that’s all I know,” Kelly says through tears.

“It's okay, thanks for everything,” Blake says, giving Kelly a strong hug.

Blakelooks out over the lake water and sees the sun has begun to rise. Looking at his smartphone, he can see it is 6:00 a.m. The water is smooth and calm. The long night on Little Rock Island with Kelly telling him, Billy, and Lester the true story of what happened to their friend and sister Cindy Flynn was long and emotionally draining for allof them. Hearing the details of what happened was painful but necessary.

CHAPTER 13

Hearing the rest of the story from the one person who was there when Cindy’s life was taken will help bring closure to Cindy’s death. Finding Pete is Blake's next task.

Being closer to identifying and confirming Luke was responsible for the murder of Cindy Flynn reassures him he is moving in the right direction. He now knows what he, Billy, and Lester have to do.

Luke has a stranglehold on the people, the drugs, and money in Silver Lake. Most of the waitresses who live in Silver Lake are lucky to have their job waitressing at the Lakeview Lounge. There are not many other opportunities to make decent money anywhere in the area. But the debt the waitresses accrue from the drugs and alcohol they consume null and voids making good money to begin with. It doesn’t make sense.

He swears to himself he is going to change things for the better for the people who live here in Silver Lake.

“We need to fix this, Billy.”

“I know Blake,” Billy says to the ground.

“Are you in, Lester?”

“I am all in Blake. Tell me what you need me to do.”

“One minute.”

Walking away from Billy, and Lester, up to Kelly. She is staring out at the lake water, he puts his arm around her, startling her a little.

“You okay, Kelly?”

“Yes, I’m okay, Blake.”

“I know telling the story of what happened to Cindy was not easy. But it was necessary, right?”

“Right, Blake.”

“I am going to take care of things now. I need to deliver some Silver Lake justice,” Blake says with a sly smile.

“I hope you do,” Kelly says.

Blake pour’s the water from the cooler onto the fire from last night. The black, sooty smoke rises up to the sky. Looking around, he sees one other small rowboat in the cove. It must be Kelly’s. There are no other small rowboats around the island. The locals from last night are gone. He is sure everyone from last night knows Kelly has told them what happened to Cindy.

“Be careful, Blake. Luke is dangerous.”

“Thanks, Kelly, you did the right thing by telling us what happened.”

“Thanks, Blake.”

“What are you going to do now, Kelly?”

“Don’t worry about me. I have been saving my money and have a place up north, far away from here.”

“Great, Kelly, all the best.”

Kelly needs to move away from Silver Lake for good. Helping Kelly get into her small wooden rowboat. He gives her boat a good shove, sending her away from Little Rock Island back to the shore. He waves to Kelly as she begins to dip the oars into the water for her journey back home. Kelly slowly fades from his view.

The three men get into their rowboat and start their journey back to shore with Blake rowing again. After twenty minutes his arms and back are tired from rowing, he takes a break. The boat glides smoothly across the top of the water. The boat is in the deepest part of the lake. He, Billy, and Lester all look over the side of the boat and can see the water is clean and clear. The fish below the surface are swimming and jumping at the insects on top of the water.

“Look, a turtle,” Billy says.

“There he is,” Lester says, pointing at the turtle.

Stretching his back, Blake leans over the boat and looks at the water. Looking at the water, the fish, turtle’s, and wildlife. He can hear the fish splashing in the water. A turtle occasionally rises to the top of the water, making a splash before diving back down for food. There are crickets chirping and birds singing. He is taking in the sounds from the lake they all make first thing in the morning. The sun is rising off in the