Page 18 of Silent Neighbor

Alexis was quiet for a long moment, her internal struggle evident on her face. Finally, she sighed, her shoulders slumping slightly.

"There was someone," she said in a low voice. "An instructor Jake used to work with when he first started climbing seriously a few years ago. Marcus Holbrook."

"Used to work with?" Finn asked.

Alexis nodded, glancing nervously at the door as if afraid someone might overhear. "They had a falling out. A big one. Marcus is... well, he's kind of infamous around here for being a stickler for safety. Which is good, don't get me wrong. But Jake... he liked to push boundaries."

Sheila leaned forward, curious. "What kind of falling out?"

"I don't know all the details," Alexis said. "But I overheard them arguing one day. Marcus was furious, said Jake was going to get himself or someone else killed if he didn't start taking safety seriously. Jake just laughed it off, said Marcus needed to lighten up. After that, they stopped working together. Marcus refused to instruct Jake anymore."

Sheila and Finn exchanged a look. This was the first solid lead they'd had. "Is Marcus working today?" Sheila asked. "We'd like to talk to him."

Alexis shook her head. "No, he called in sick last night. Said he had a bad case of food poisoning or something."

The timing sent up a red flag in Sheila's mind. "Does Marcus call in sick often?"

"Almost never," Alexis said. "He's usually the first one here and the last to leave. That's part of why it was so weird when he called in."

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