Page 61 of Red Snow
HOMEGROWN CONSTRUCTION HASits main office in Eagle River, so that’s where Marcus and I drive to meet with Terry Weaver, Jeffrey’s boss. After a phone call and an explanation for what we were looking for, he agreed to meet with us as long we came to him. So, Marcus and I gassed up the cruiser and made the annoying, nearly half an hour drive across the Glenn. On our way, I explained everything I’d found in Beverly Chapman’s records to Marcus, and even gave him my theory on why Jeffrey ended up the way he did. Marcus ate up everything I was saying, and by the time I was finished, he was dying to get to Eagle River. When we pulled into the parking lot of the company, Big Terry met us outside and shook both of our hands before inviting us to discuss Jeffrey in his office.
“So, is Jeffrey in some kind of trouble?” Terry asks as soon as he sits down behind his wooden desk, and my partner and I sit in the blue, plastic chairs in front of it.
“We can’t discuss the details of the investigation,” Marcus spits out, as he always does when someone asks questions like that. “We just need some info about him that’s important to us. Is he here today, by the way?”
Terry rubs his scruffy beard like it itches—it looks like it really does—as he thinks, looking up at the ceiling. “Nah, he didn’t come in today. In fact, now that you mention it, he didn’t even call to say he wasn’t going to make it in.”
Marcus and I exchange a look before refocusing on Terry, who’s so big and wide that he looks like a giant behind his desk.
“Is that something he does often?” Marcus asks, treading lightly so he doesn’t give away the fact that Jeffrey is our number one suspect.
“What, not show up?” Terry asks.
“Yeah.”
“No, he hardly ever takes time off, actually. Come to think of it, I don’t know if I can remember a time that Jeffrey took a day off unexpectedly, and I don’t think he’s ever been late. At least, not that I can recall. You sure Jeffrey’s not in some kind of trouble?”
“We really can’t discuss the details of our investigation, Terry,” Marcus replies before moving right into the next question. “Were you aware that Jeffrey’s mother passed away recently?”
“Yeah, he told me,” Terry says, nodding his head with pinched lips.
“So did he take time off afterwards?”
“No.”
“Not even for the funeral?” Marcus marches on, jotting down Terry’s answers.
“Nope. He skipped the morning so he could go, but then he came back right after lunch.”
Marcus writes in a frenzy trying to get all the information down.
“So the day of his mother’s funeral, Jeffrey skipped the morning so he could attend, but he came back to work in the afternoon?” Marcus double checks before writing the answer down.
“Yep,” Terry replies with a prideful nod of his head. “Jeffrey has always been a really hard worker. Right from the beginning, the guy always worked like he was on autopilot. Put this guy on a job site, and he won’t say much to the rest of the guys, but he’ll hang drywall like nobody’s business. I’ve seen this guy hang a double layered room in half a day. He’s my go-to guy when it comes to hanging sheetrock.”
Marcus takes a second to write everything down before moving on to his next question. I don’t bother chiming in, because Marcus always knows exactly what to ask to get us the information we need.
“Great, so how much do you know about Jeffrey? Had you ever met his mother?” Marcus asks, tapping his pen on his notepad while he waits for the answer.
“Well, Jeffrey has worked here for ten years, so I’d say I know him pretty darn well, but I’d never met his mother,” Terry admits as he rubs his big potbelly.
“Did you know anything about his relationship with her?”
“Umm, not much, I guess. I knew he never really liked talking about her much. I got the impression they didn’t have the best relationship.”
“I see,” Marcus replies, sounding like a lawyer. “And is Jeffrey usually a happy guy when he gets to work?”
“I guess. You gotta understand, Jeffrey is a pretty quiet guy. He doesn’t say much, he just works his ass off. I need more guys like him.”
I start to feel a tingle of annoyance at Terry’s need to compliment Jeffrey’s work ethic. It’s the same work ethic he used to saw two women’s heads off their bodies. If this guy could take his head out of Jeffrey’s ass, maybe he could see we’re obviously not here on the side of his golden boy.
“Well, you said you feel like you know him pretty well, but I’m wondering how that’s true if he didn’t say much. Did the two of you hang out after work?”
“No.”
“No? Never?”
“Nah.”
