Monday, February 2, 2004 -- 5:01 PM

The witness, Norman Resol, is a 31-year-old white male and night shift custodian at the Yoknapatawpha County Conference Center. He was interviewed by Yoknapatawpha County Sheriff's Department Detectives Armstrong and Murphy. The interview was recorded on a portable tape recorder with the witness's knowledge and consent. 

SM: For the record, would you please state your name and address?

NR: My name is Norm Resol. I live at 156 Highway 7 South.

TA: Is that the address we have on file?

NR: I didn't do anything. I'm registered. I did the paperwork. I don't know what you have in your files.

TA: Do you have any idea why we might have wanted to talk to you today?

NR: I'd guess the murder.

TA: A terrible thing, murder. Of course, sometimes, it's just a mistake. Something innocent mushrooms into something else and, before you know it, you're looking at a dead body.

NR: I didn't touch her.

SM: How do you feel about talking to us?

NR: Nobody likes talking to cops.

TA: Innocent people don't seem to mind.

NR: I didn't do anything.

SM: When did you come on that night, Norm?

NR: I clocked in at eight.

SM: And you left when?

NR: Six the next morning.

SM: Ten hours?

NR: Mr. Niwachee asked me to put in some extra hours, what with the pageant and all. I have to go everything twice sometimes to make sure its just right.

SM: And that's okay with you?

NR: It's two hours of overtime. I can use the money.

TA: Real good occasion to put in some extra time, don't you think? I bet you get an eyeful.

NR: I work nights. Everything's pretty quiet then. I made my rounds. I didn't do anything.

SM: Were you surprised when Barbara came through the lobby or did you expect to see her when you heard that the YCCC was hosting this pageant?

NR: I didn't see her arrive. I work nights.

SM: Still, it must have come as a shock that she was there. You two go way back.

NR: I met her when I worked at the photography studio.

TA: Why would Mrs. Dubois have complained about you?

NR: That was a long time ago. I don't know why she did that.

SM: Did she think you were a danger to her daughter?

NR: I didn't do anything wrong.

TA: You did to Sheila Maywood.

NR: Sheila lied. We were having fun and she suddenly remembered she's married and changed mind. Then it got outta hand.

SM: Got out of hand so bad you whacked her with a tire iron.

NR: I did my time for that. And she started it. She had a knife.

TA: Which they never found.

NR: Yeah. How convenient for Sheila. But her husband killed her anyway when he caught her in bed with someone else after I went up. My lawyer said it was too late, nobody would believe me.

TA: Your lawyer was right. Did you explain all this to Barbara when you saw her at the conference center?

NR: I didn't say anything to her.

SM: Do you like working at the YCCC?

NR: Mr. Niwachee has been good to me.

TA: Were you there the night of the murder?

NR: Yes.

TA: Did you attack Barbara Dubois?

NR: No.

SM: Maybe you didn't attack her -- maybe she attacked you and you had to defend yourself.

NR: I didn't do anything to her. I didn't even talk to her.

SM: Does your boss know about what happened at the photography studio?

NR: Not if you don't tell him. I could lose my job.

TA: Over a Dubois. Wouldn't be the first time a Dubois cost you your job. How do you feel about that?

NR: It wasn't right then; it wouldn't be right now. I didn't do anything to her.

SM: What did you do that night?

NR: I did my work. I cleaned and restocked the restrooms, cleaned the hallways, and cleaned the pageant and conference center areas. I put fresh towels out at the pool for the next day. I took fresh tablecloths and napkins down to the banquet center. I buffed the floors.

TA: Maybe you saw the Barbara's body in the hallway and got scared and moved it into the closet?

NR: I didn't do that.

TA: What were you doing between, say, 11:00 p.m. and 1:00 a.m.?

NR: I'm not sure exactly. My work, like I told you.

TA: Anybody see you during that time?

NR: I don't think so.

TA: You know how things work, Norm. You need to tell us where you were, what you were doing, and who saw you.

NR: I was working.

TA: Did you see anyone hurt Barbara?

NR: No. I didn't see who killed her.

TA: Did you see anything suspicious?

NR: No.

TA: Did you see anything that now, looking back, strikes you as odd?

NR: I see a lot at this place at night. Nothing is odd to me any more.

SM: Is there anything we should know that you haven't mentioned yet?

NR: I just do my job. I don't want to cause trouble.

TA: You're not causing trouble if you help us by telling the truth. Did you notice anything unusual?

NR: Not that I remember.

SM: You don't have to worry about talking with us. It's like passing gossip. Everybody does it, even if they say they don't.

NR: Mr. Niwachee said I should cooperate.

TA: That's good advice.

NR: My lawyer said I should cooperate too. When I did, I lost some good years of my life.

SM: Those were unusual circumstances. This is completely different.

TA: Mr. Niwachee sounds like a good employer. I'm sure he wants this situation resolved as quickly as possible and would thank you for any assistance you provided. Did you see something while you were doing something you weren't supposed to be doing?

NR: I didn't see nothing.

SM: Norm, if we find out later that you did see something, we're going to wonder why you withheld the information.

TA: Did someone ask you to remain silent? Offer you money? Threaten your job?

NR: I cleaned up after the banquet. Then I did the brasses. That's all I did.

SM: We're doing a very thorough investigation, Norm. We're not going to find your prints, or hair, or anything connecting you to this, are we?

NR: You found her in one of the closets I use.

SM: Did you use it that night?

NR: No.

TA: Who else uses that closet, Norm?

NR: All the staff. And the lock is broken. Has been.

TA: Very convenient.

NR: A bunch of the staff room locks are broken. They use special electronics and they're expensive to repair. I could lock them all, but then the staff would have me running there every time they wanted in. It's easier to leave them open. They're supposed to be under warranty, but the company that makes them won't pay for a serviceman or a replacement, and Mr. Niwachee says the hotel shouldn't have to pay for someone else's negligence, so they're fighting about it and they don't get fixed.

TA: But if they were locked, you could get in, couldn't you?

NR: Sure, but I didn't have to.

SM: You could get in any room if you wanted to, couldn't you?

NR: I have a pass card. I need it to get into places to clean. Sometimes I fix things when Mr. Niwachee doesn't want to pay for a contractor.

TA: Did you get into Barbara Dubois room?

NR: No. Never.

TA: Whose room did you go in?

NR: Nobody. None of the women. I went into Buchanan's room to fix the shower door he broke. That's all.

SM: So you have tools?

NR: Sure, I have tools.

TA: Things to pound with?

NR: I have lots of tools. It's not illegal to have tools. I use them for work.

TA: What about the shoes, Norm?

NR: What about them?

SM: You like women's shoes?

NR: No. Maybe. Kind of. It's not illegal to like shoes.

SM: It's okay; I like shoes too. Take a look at these.  We found them in a linen closet at the YCCC. Very pretty pair.

TA: Where did you get that pair, Norm?

NR: What do you mean? Why would I have women's shoes?

TA: Norm. Come on. You're not new to the criminal justice system. You must know about all the things we can find out from forensics these days. Don't you watch the Discovery Channel? CSI? We know those shoes have been in your hands. Where'd you get them?

NR: You're not going to believe me.

SM: Try us.

NR: I got them out of the dumpster.

TA: You just happened to look in the dumpster and see a pair of women's high heels? You expect us to believe that?

NR: I got them out of the dumpster, I swear. You know I empty the trash around here.

TA: So what if someone reports them as stolen?

NR: Then someone else stole them and threw them in the dumpster, which is where I got them.

SM: You gotta help us here, Norm. Stolen property. A record. Access to the location where we found the body. You can't account for your time.

NR: I did my time. I didn't do anything to Barbara Dubois. You're gonna be just like her mother was and cost me my job and I didn't do anything.

SM: We just want you to cooperate, Norm.

NR: I know about cooperating. I didn't do anything. I'm done cooperating. I don't want to talk to you anymore. I have work to do while I still have a job.

TA: We're not interested in your job.

NR: Yeah, but I am. I'm going to get back to work, unless you're going to arrest me.

SM: No, we're not going to arrest you. But keep yourself where we can find you.

NR: I'm at the place I registered. You can check.

TA: We will. And we'll be talking again.

SM: Norm, here's my card. You can call me. When you think of something that might help the investigation, just pick up the phone and call.

NR: No cop ever gave me a business card before.

SM: I don't give them to just anybody. Call me when you want to talk.

NR: I'll do that.

Interview ends -- 5:58 PM