“Drives high-dollar cars, lives in a nice crib. Hard to believe he makes that much from his bookstore.”
“He doesn’t make that much,” Wesley said. “According to what he filed last year, he cleared less than thirty thousand dollars. But he’s got assets of over half a million, a money market account, waterfront real estate, stocks.”
“Jeez.” Marino shook his head.
“Any dependents?” I asked.
“No,” Wesley said. “Never married, both parents dead. His father was very successful in real estate in the Northern Neck. He died when Steven was in his early twenties. I suspect this is where the money comes from.”
“What about his mother?” I asked.
“She died about a year after the father did. Cancer. Steven came along late in life. His mother had him when she was forty-two. The only other sibling is a brother named Gordon. He lives in Texas, is fifteen years older than Steven, married, with four kids.”
Skimming his notes again, Wesley brought forth more information. Spurrier was born in Gloucester, attended the University of Virginia, where he received a bachelor’s degree in English. Afterward he joined the navy, where he lasted less than four months. The next eleven months were spent working at a printing press, where his primary responsibility was to maintain the machinery.
“I’d like to know more about his months in the navy,” Marino said.
“There’s not much to know,” Wesley answered. “After enlisting, he was sent to boot camp in the Great Lakes area. He chose journalism as his specialty and was assigned to the Defense Information School at Fort Benjamin Harrison in Indianapolis. Later he was assigned his duty station, working for the Commander-in-Chief of the Atlantic Fleet in Norfolk.”
He looked up from his notes. “About a month later his father died, and Steven received a hardship discharge so he could return too Gloucester to take care of his mother, who was already ill with cancer.”
“What about the brother?” Marino asked.
“Apparently he couldn’t get away from his job and family responsibilities in Texas.”
He paused, glancing at us. “Maybe there are other reasons. Obviously, Steven’s relationship with his family is of interest to me, but I’m not going to know a whole lot more about it for a while.”
“Why not?” I asked.
“It’s too risky for me to confront the brother directly at this point. I don’t want him calling Steven, tipping my hand. It’s unlikely Gordon would cooperate, anyway. Family members tend to stick together in matters like this, even if they don’t get along.”
“Well, you’ve been talking to someone,” Marino said.
“A couple of people from the navy, UVA, his former employer at the printing press.”
“What else did they have to say about this squirrel?”
“A loner,” Wesley said. “Not much of a journalist. Was more interested in reading than interviewing anyone or writing stories. Apparently, the printing press suited him rather well. He stayed in the back, had his nose in a book when things were slow. His boss said Steven loved to tinker with the presses, various machines, and kept them spotless. Sometimes he would go for days without talking to anyone. His boss described Steven as peculiar.”
“His boss offer any examples?”
“Several things,” Wesley said. “A woman employed by the press took off her fingertip with a paper cutter one morning. Steven got angry because she bled all over a piece of equipment he had just cleaned. His response to his mother’s death was abnormal as well. Steven was reading during a lunch break when the call came from the hospital. He showed no emotion, just returned to his chair and resumed reading his book.”
“A real warmhearted guy,” Marino said.
“No one has described him as warmhearted.”
“What happened after his mother died?” I asked.
“Then, I would assume, Steven got his inheritance. He moved to Williamsburg, leased the space at Merchant’s Square, and opened The Dealer’s Room. This was nine years ago.”
“A year before Jill Harrington and Elizabeth Mott were murdered,” I said.
Wesley nodded. “He was in the area, then. He’s been in the area during all of these murders. He’s been working in his bookstore since it opened, except for a period of about five months back, uh, seven years ago. The store was closed during that time. We don’t know why or know where Spurrier was.”