Shane stood over the metal sheet, scratching the dusty clay away with the toe of his sneaker.  "How long do you think it took him to bury it?"
The "it" he was talking about was a fast pony that had once set fire to the streets and gone under the name of Boss 429 . . .no one knew exactly how long the car had been in the canyon or what had happened to its owner.  From Cage Raiders.

Brian Colter is a bully . . . and a murderer.  At least that's the gossip around town ever since a highly coveted muscle car, its owner and Colter's second wife disappeared.  The car's turned up in the hard-packed clay of the canyon, but murder's hard to prove--until four kids embark on a nighttime cage raid to protect their neighborhood's wildlife and wind up stumbling on evidence that could put Colter away for life.  Now, they're trapped in Colter's shed and wondering if the'll live to tell about it!

Excerpt from Cage Raiders:
Colter smiled at the boys through nicotine-stained teeth that always seemed to chew some never-disintegrating crumb at the tip of his tongue.  It was a thin-lipped smile that resemebled a sneer at its warmest.  His eyes squinted with the effort.  "You boys been down in the canyon."  It wasn't so much a question as an observation.  He set the knife in his hand on the seat beside him and leaned toward the boys. He seemed to sense their unease and let his laughter fill the air.

"What were you doing down there?" A flinty smile touched his rheumy eyes.

Andrew's breath caught.  "Nothing.  Just walking around."

Colter grunted.  All attempts at humor left his face. "You boys need to be careful down there."

"Yes, sir," Andrew nodded, but the words had broken through his fear and he felt anger begin to rise.

"This is a very old town with a long history," Colter explained.  "Lots of connections; good and bad.  And if you go poking around the wrong place, you're going to get yourselves in a lot of trouble."

Manny stood beside Andrew.  He had had enough.  Colter's words had brought color to his cheeks and fire to his eyes.  "Like what?"  he asked.

Colter turned his palms to the sky.  "I wouldn't know, son.  Just giving you some friendly advice.  You read things in the paper sometimes."  He shrugged.  "Wouldn't want to see anything happen to you youngsters is all."