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

“This tattoo is a mistake; I was young and trying to fit in with my group of work friends.”

“Right, what design do you want to cover it?”

“Four Leaf Clover,” Christine says, pointing to the picture of the clover on the wall.

“OK, let’s get started.”

The buzzing noise from the tattoo needle begins. Some light conversation takes place and the tattoo work is quickly finished.

“Thanks, Blake. I love it!” Christine says.

“Cool. I will give you a minute and meet you at the register, OK?”

“Okay.”

Taking his time processing the last customer of the day, he is happy to have the shop up and running but misses Rose desperately. In his mind, he can see her behind the counter greeting customers with a smile. He can picture them taking a lunch break, walking down to the water to re-live some of their old memories.

He wonders if he will ever see her again. He thinks about going back to New Orleans to look for her again. His mind drifts off while he is making polite conversation with the last customer of the day, when he hears something pulling him back to the present time and makes him panic.

“Good luck tonight, Blake,” the young woman says, exiting the shop quickly. Jesus, no turning back now.

Walking to the back of the shop with a bottle of water. He steps out the back door into the alley. Looking down the alley and up towards the Lakeview Lounge and The Devil’s Den he can see Luke standing on the deck. Luke is looking down at him. He and Luke are too far away to exchange words. Blake has made up his mind he is going to take Luke down tonight.

Blake points his right index finger at Luke, and Luke does the same thing. You are going down, Luke. He steps back inside the shop and wonders where the hell Lester is. He notices there is a young man standing at the counter. Looking up at the clock, he reads 7:00 p.m. He decides he cannot afford to turn the money away from one more tattoo today. The buzzing noise from the tattoo needle stops. Blake is finishing a tattoo. Looking up at the clock on the wall, he can see it is 9:00 p.m. He quickly processes the final customer of the day and locks the front door to the shop.

He and Billy gather up all of the supplies they are going to need tonight. Billy moves the supplies to the back alley and he moves some of the supplies to the trunk of his car in front of the shop. The job they have been preparing for must be done tonight. Looking up he sees Lester walk in the back door of the shop.

“Kevin is going to meet us at Cripple Cove,” Blake says with intensity.

“Lester, stay with Billy and me,” Blake says.

“OK, Blake,” Lester says.

Motioning for Billy to go out the back door, he is surprised at how well everyone is following directions. He looks out the front window of his tattoo shop and sees small groups of people walking across the parking lot from the Lakeview Lounge. The small groups of people walk to the water and get in small rowboats at the dock. They are all pointing in the direction of Little Rock Island. Each group of people loads their cooler of beer and whiskey into the small boats and begins their journey to Little Rock Island.

He, Billy, and Lester walk towards the back door of the shop. He grabs two thirty-two-ounce Slugger baseball bats as he is walking and steps into the alley. He looks up from the back alley and sees Luke’s shadow pacing around The Devil's Den.

“Lester, wait fifteen minutes, back my car in behind the Lakeview Lounge. I know it's dark out but do not put the lights on, okay?” Blake says, handing him the keys.

“Okay, Blake,” Lester says, walking around the building to the parking lot in front.

“Billy, if all goes well, you are going to hear some noise. Luke will come flying out the back-door, into the alley. Don’t catch him. Let him land and fall. Hopefully, he will hit something hard. I need you to swing the baseball bat as hard and as fast as you can. Hit Luke with the baseball bat. He is the one responsible for killing your sister,” Blake says angrily, handing Billy one of the two baseball bats.

“Yes, Blake,” Billy says, dropping the bat awkwardly.

Watching as Billy picks up the bat and grips it tightly, not looking Blake in the eyes. He takes a couple of awkward practice swings. The practice swings take him back to when he and Billy were kids on the Pirates little league baseball team.

“No bench-warming tonight, Billy,” Blake says.

“Right,” Billy says, taking a couple of more swings with the bat.

He and Billy, creep quietly down the alley. Blake walks into the back door of the Lakeview Lounge. He looks back into the alley and sees Billy taking a couple of more practice swings. He thinks about how he is going to trick Luke into coming down thestairs. He looks around the empty bar area.

He is surprised at how different the bar looks with no one in it. He walks around the bar, unplugging and turning off every neon light he can find. The bar is dark, and he is in position at the bottom of the stairs with a baseball bat, gripping it tightly. He takes a couple of practice swings too. He knows Billy is ten feet behind him on the other side of the back door, in the alley.

A small beam of light is coming in through the open back-door. Moisture is collecting on his forehead and upper lip. He is resting on one knee. His T-shirt is soaked with sweat. He puts the baseball bat down and wipes the palms of his hands on his jeans, hoping this will help his grip. He takes a baseball from his right front pocket. He throws the