Page 64 of Ride the Lightning
Jonah smiled. “Sure.”
“What can I tell you about Earl?” Jerry asked, getting them back on track.
“I really wanted to ask you about Earl’s father and brother.”
“Thomas and Dennis?” Jerry asked. “You can’t seriously think Thomas would’ve killed his own boy.”
Jonah tipped his head to the side. “How supportive was he when Earl came out as gay?” he asked instead of answering Jerry.
Jerry puffed out his cheeks as he released a big breath. “Thomas was furious. He kicked Earl out and told him to never come around. Later, Thomas told Earl that he hoped he died of AIDS.” Jerry shook his head sadly. “I cannot fathom a single circumstance which would make me turn my kids away.” He swallowed hard. “From an investigator’s standpoint, I know it makes Thomas a top suspect, but I just can’t see it.”
“Why? Because he was a Christian?” Jonah asked.
Jerry scoffed. “No. I’m saying Thomas would’ve had to care about Earl to kill him, but Earl was already dead to his family. Earl was also much taller and stronger than his father and could’ve fought him off.”
“Logic and reason go out the window when someone you love turns their rage on you. Someone knocked Earl unconscious before strangling him. It doesn’t take brute strength to catch someone by surprise,” Jonah said. “What about his brother, Dennis?”
“I don’t think Dennis felt the same way as his parents but was too cowardly to speak up. Earl told me Dennis frequently checked up on him to make sure he was doing okay. He’d given him money for food and even helped Earl cover his rent for a few months. I cannot see Dennis turning on Earl in such a brutal way.”
“You seem to know Earl’s personal business pretty well for someone who only worked for you for a few weeks,” Jonah remarked.
Jerry looked out over the golf course for a few moments before locking gazes with Jonah again. “We both know there was more to my relationship with Earl, or you wouldn’t be here.”
He was wrong. Jonah wanted to know about the people who had worked with Earl, either directly or indirectly. Finding out Jerry was the secret boyfriend was just a bonus. “I suspected.”Not until I saw your reaction, but why split hairs?“Did you ever come forward and speak to the police?”
He shook his head. “To the best of my recollection, they only interviewed the guys who’d discovered Earl’s body. My crew had already moved on to another project by then.”
“Did Earl work at the location he was killed?” Jonah asked.
Jerry furrowed his brow. “I honestly can’t say off the top of my head. We were so busy that summer. Believe it or not, I’ve kept all my records. I could dig through them and find out which projects Earl worked on and the other people on his crew.”
“Oh, wow,” Jonah said. “That would be very helpful.”
“My wife thinks I’m nuts for holding on to all that old stuff, but I loved running my own company. I was proud to take the business over from my father. But between Earl dying and my business going bankrupt…” Jerry sighed.
“I needed a brand-new start somewhere else. I moved to Florida and attended community college for a few years before transferring to a university, where I earned a bachelor’s in business and met my wife. Later, I got my master’s degree and worked my way up to a CEO position for a telecommunications company, which paid well and kept my brain engaged.”
“Did Earl ever tell you about having issues with anyone on the crew?”
“Not that I recall, but he probably wouldn’t have told me anyway. Earl wouldn’t have wanted to get someone fired or draw attention to our relationship for my sake.”
“You weren’t out as gay?” Jonah asked.
“Bisexual,” Jerry corrected. “No. I didn’t come out until much later. I told Sheila when we started dating, but no one else until my children were old enough to date. I wanted them to know I’d love whoever they did.”
“Did your closeted status cause a lot of problems between you and Earl?”
Jerry narrowed his eyes. “Should I have an attorney present?”
Jonah chuckled. “You can call a lawyer if you wish, but I’m not trying to trip you up and get you to confess to killing Earl.”
“I probably shouldn’t take your word for it, but I will,” Jerry said. “Earl and I had broken up before he died, but it wasn’t because I was in the closet.”
“Did it have to do with his performances?” Jonah inquired.
“No,” Jerry said, shaking his head. “I was surprised to find out Earl had decided to develop and nurture a drag persona, but I wasn’t mad or turned off by it.” Jerry shifted his attention to the golf course again, and Jonah waited patiently for him to speak. When their gazes met again, Jerry’s eyes shimmered with tears, but he wore a beautiful smile. “I was his first audience. I couldn’t believe how graceful Earl was in those high heels. I teased him and asked why he couldn’t have been that dexterous while working on my crew. He laughed and told me it was because I wouldn’t let him wear heels.” Jerry chuckled. “I loved Earl. All I ever wanted was for him to be happy. I even bought him a necklace as a good-luck charm to wear for his first performance.”
The same missing necklace Earl wore every day? “A silver heart-shaped pendant?” Jonah asked.