Outside, the sheriff found a shovel and looked around. A large green-barked, Palo Verde tree stood alone near the windmill. A crate where Mrs. Whittaker would sit with her shotgun, waiting for errant rabbits to pass by, sat in the shade. There, Buddy dug a large opening, building up a good sweat. After digging the hole, Buddy returned to the house and dragged Mrs. Whittaker outside with the wrapped blanket, feet first. As he cleared the porch area, her head bounced off the bottom step and tragically fell off. Buddy was half way to the grave hole and horrified when he spotted the severed head lying in the dirt.
Panicking, Buddy ran into the house and grabbed a towel. Bending down, he wrapped the head in the towel and rush over to the grave, quickly dumping the head into the hole. He then dragged the body to the grave and rolled it into the opening. Without gazing at Mrs. Whittaker's body, Buddy hurriedly shoveled dirt into the grave covering her corpse as fast as possible. When he finished, Buddy removed his hat and hung his head in silence. Not being a religious man, Buddy had no idea what to do at this point. Realizing he had forgotten an important element, Buddy hastily gathered some large stones and made a makeshift headstone monument. Finding a single stick with a small slingshot top, Buddy piled the rocks around the stick. He looked down at the grave once more.
"Rest in peace Mrs. Whittaker," Buddy mumbled.
When Buddy finished his simple homily, he went back to Mrs. Whittaker's house and stood inside the room. Looking around, he tried to imagine an elderly woman living alone in this humble environment. He saw a double-barrel shotgun propped against the fireplace. When Buddy opened the chamber, two new shells were loaded into each barrel. On the floor sat a wooden crate with several boxes of fresh shells. The sheriff picked up the crate, set it on the dining table, and then laid the shotgun inside.
With voyeuristic intentions, Buddy then walked around the room violating Mrs. Whittaker's personal belongings by shamelessly searching drawers and boxes throughout her house. When he arrived in the cooking area, he noticed a dusty ceramic vessel buried behind canning jars. Looking into the jar, he found various coins, a thick wad of currency bills tightly bound with twine, and several gold nuggets. Buddy took one of the gold rocks and bit into it with his molars. He smiled when he saw teeth marks impressed into the soft metal.
Nervously looking up, as if he were being watched, Buddy looked around to ensure he was alone. Satisfied, he shoved the entire contents of the jar into his pockets. The sheriff looked out the window at the fresh grave where Mrs. Whittaker was buried. I don't suppose you'll be missing these will you? Buddy smiled to himself and greedily grasped the treasures in his pocket. Walking outside, the sheriff nervously surveyed the property. What in God's name possessed you to move out here anyways? It's dangerous.