The Silver Lake Murder by Gregg Matthews (different ereaders txt) 📕

Billy turn and look to see a man stepping out of a small building the size of a shed. He has a newspaper in his hands and is pulling up the zipper on his pants. He sees Blake and Billy looking at him, he struggles to latch the belt holding his pants up. Quickly he turns to say something to Billy, but Billy is not there. Blake grabs a shovel and runs straight at the man buckling his pants. He raises the shovel preparing to strike.

The man drops to his knees before he can swing the shovel at him. Standing behind the man is Billy with a shovel already swung.

“Nice job, Billy.”

“Thanks, Blake,” Billy says proudly.

“Let’s get back to work.”

“Okay.”

Swinging the sledgehammer at the main support beam a couple of times lets him know the doghouse is well built. Two sledgehammers are swinging at the same time. He and Billy are both working up a sweat. After fifteen minutes the doghouse starts to give way, so the sledgehammer swinging stops. From the outside of the doghouse, he pushes as hard as he can, with Billy jumping in, pushing in the same direction. The doghouse falls over to the ground. He and Billy quickly remove as much material as they can, so a good part of the floor is showing. They start to work on removing the floor of the doghouse to get to the money they think is underneath it. Sledgehammers and axes are swung over and over at the floor until the material gives way.

Pulling up the flooring as fast as he can, handing Billy pieces of wood is creating a large pile next to the doghouse. The shovel meets the dirt and he digs around the area under the doghouse as fast as he can.

“Nothing,” Blake shouts up to Billy.

“Nothing?” Billy says to the ground.

Extended his right hand, Billy pulls him up.

“Thanks Billy.”

“Okay, Blake.”

Watching as Billy turns his head sideways in an awkward position, he wonders what is going on. He sees Billy is focused to a point in the opposite direction.

“Blake!” Billy shouts.

“What?” Blake shouts back.

“Look over there—another doghouse.”

“What?” Blake says, maneuvering his head in the same position.

“See it?” Billy says, pointing to the back of the trailer park.

“I see it now,” Blake says, walking straight at the second doghouse with a sledgehammer over one shoulder and an axe over the other shoulder.

Marching over to the second doghouse as fast as he can, realizing this is taking longer than he anticipated. This doghouse is half the size but is much more solid. The construction is new. Walking around the doghouse a couple of times, he sizes up what he is up against. He takes the sledgehammer and begins to swing it at one of the corners. He takes roughly ten swings and motions for Billy to take a turn. This continues for a while until the structure of the doghouse starts to give way. When it does, the sledgehammer swinging stops.

From the outside of the doghouse, he pushes as hard as he can, with Billy jumping in again, pushing in the same direction. The doghouse falls over to the ground. He and Billy quickly remove as much material as they can, so a good part of the floor is showing. They start to work on removing the floor of the doghouse to get to the money underneath. Sledgehammers and axes are swung over and over at the floor until the material gives way.

Blake starts pulling up the flooring as fast as he can, handing Billy pieces of wood is creating a large pile next to the doghouse. The shovel meets the dirt and he digs around the area under the doghouse as fast as he can.

“There is a locked metal container!” Blake shouts up to Billy.

“Open it,” Billy says, handing Blake a pair of bolt cutters.

Crack, the sound of the bolt cutters cutting into the lock on the metal container. Opening the lid, he is taken aback. The container is full of cash bills, reaching in he

moves the money aside, getting to the bottom of the container. He pulls out a fist full of gold coins. Showing it to Billy makes him smile for the first time in a long time.

“Throw me the two backpacks.”

“Okay, Blake,” Billy says, running back to the first doghouse, quickly retrieving them.

Reaching up, he catches the two backpacks one at a time as Billy tosses them to him. Using his right hand, he reaches into the container and pulls out the gold coins first. The backpacks have an equal amount of coins in them; he estimates twenty percent of each backpack is filled with gold coins. He looks for the larger bills first, one-hundred-dollar bills and fifty and twenties fill the rest of the two backpacks.

“Blake, problem,” Billy says.

Stepping out from under the second doghouse Blake looks to the main entrance to the Park. He can see a couple of cars with their headlights, driving in their direction.

“Let’s move, Billy,” Blake shouts.

“Okay.”

Putting the backpacks on and strapping them to their backs properly will help them move faster than having the backpack over one shoulder. He estimates each backpack to weigh fifteen to twenty pounds. They take a minute to check each other’s backpacks are properly secured. He and Billy move away from the second doghouse and across the open field of the park. He looks back at the hole in the ground with a trail of money and gold coins coming out of it. Watching as the two sets of car headlights enter the trailer park make them both move faster.

“Get to the hole in the fence Billy,” Blake says.

“Okay, Blake.”

The sound of two cars’ carburetors opening up taking more fuel in makes him move faster. Looking back, he can see the two cars are at the trailers. A few men quickly get out, noticing someone has been here. He and Billy step back through the hole in the fence. Quickly walking through the woods is more difficult with the weight of