Thursday, February 5, 2004 -- 10:30 AM

The witness, who was a finalist in the Yoknapatawpha County Literature Festival Pageant, was interviewed by the Yoknapatawpha County Sheriff's Department. The interview was conducted by Detectives Armstrong and Murphy and was recorded on a portable tape recorder with the witness' knowledge and consent.

TA: Miss Freeman, could you please state your name and address for the record.

IF: I'd be happy to. My name is Ingrid Kristianne Freeman, and I live at 208 Sisk Ave, right here in Oxford.

TA: Do you know why we want to speak with you today, Miss Freeman?

IF: I assume you want to ask me about Barbara's murder. I feel horrible about it. Just horrible.

TA: You knew her quite well, didn't you?

IF: We were very, very good friends.

SM: We heard you hated Barbara.

IF: Not true. A vicious rumor. I didn't hate her at all. I like winning. But Barbara won the pageants. Barbara won the trophies. The trophies I wanted. But no, it was always Barbara. The beautiful and talented Barbara Dubois -- so good and beautiful as if no harm could ever come to her.

SM: But harm did come to her.

IF: Yes, it did. The beautiful and talented Barbara, who always won. I'm just as beautiful and talented. But Barbara always won. Never Ingrid, always Barbara.

TA: OK, so let's start with your activity on the night of the murder, Miss Freeman. What were you doing on that night?

IF: Same as the other contestants. Went to the gala dinner, then back to my room.

TA: What did you do in your room?

IF: Just primping, you know. Did my nails and hair.

SM: Were you in your room all night?

IF: Yep, right in my room.

SM: All alone?

IF: Part of the night.

SM: And the rest of the night?

IF: Denny, er, um, I mean, Mr. Buchanan was here for a while.

SM: What time was Mr. Buchanan here?

IF: I don't know exactly. He came over sometime after the dinner.

SM: How long did Mr. Buchanan stay?

IF: The whole night.

SM: Would you say this was business or pleasure, Miss Freeman?

IF: Business. Definitely.

SM: What kind of business were you discussing with Mr. Buchanan?

IF: You might have heard, I'm planning to open a salon and I need a financial backer. Denny was quite interested in providing the capital for the start-up.

SM: You and Mr. Buchanan knew each other as teenagers, isn't that correct?

IF: Yes. He went to Jackson Prep, but he was around enough that we had spent plenty of time together when we were kids. I knew Denny quite well as a good friend back then -- along with other friends he had at that time, too.

SM: But this was before he met Barbara Dubois?

IF: Yes. After that, everything changed.

TA: What changed?

IF: Denny fell real hard for Barbara. Barbara won again. Trophies and Denny, too.

TA: You've known Mr. Buchanan a long time. Would you say you've got a good idea of what Mr. Buchanan's personality is like?

IF: You bet. I've seen him sober, drunk, angry, happy. Just about every mood.

TA: How would you describe his mood the night of the murder?

IF: That night Denny was really weird. I've never, ever seen him like that. Completely out of control. He was almost smashing stuff in my room. It was all I could do to prevent him.

TA: Did you talk about your business plan with him, much?

IF: Some, but not as much as I needed. I gave him some more Scotch to calm him down so we could talk.

TA: And you talked?

IF: Yeah, we talked. At first he was angry with Barbara. He can't take no for an answer. It's like he never got over her refusal. He said it was mutual, but everybody knows she turned him down.

SM: So you talked. And then?

IF: You're getting real personal here, Detective. Like you think I'm actually going to tell you what happened between Denny and me all night? No way.

SM: He was in your room the whole night and you're not going to say what happened?

IF: Exactly.

SM: Did you have alcohol to drink, also, Miss Freeman?

IF: Some, but I need my beauty sleep. Mostly I wanted Denny for his financial backing. Our friendship in high school was fun, but it was a long time ago.

TA: You know Scarlett Webb, don't you?

IF: Yes, of course. She's been on the same circuit with Barbara and I, for years.

TA: Would you say you and Scarlett were good friends?

IF: Can we get on with this? With all due respect, I don't plan to stay here all day speaking with you.

SM: We understand, Miss Freeman. You seem to have a lot of information that could help us. That is why we need to speak with you.

TA: Miss Freeman, we've got an important question: Where is your money coming from these days?

IF: I don't know what you're talking about.

TA: You've had conversations with Miss Webb about money, haven't you?

IF: I have no idea what you're saying. You're wasting my time.

TA: What would you say if we told you we have evidence you are taking money from Miss Webb?

IF: I wouldn't know what to say, Detectives.

TA: Okay, Miss Freeman. We'll play it your way. Let's say we have reliable sources who say you are accepting money from her. Specifically, let's speculate our sources have told us you are accepting money from Miss Webb's mother.

IF: Scarlett's mother? I thought Scarlett was giving me the money directly.

SM: So you were blackmailing Scarlett Webb?

IF: I wouldn't call it that.

SM: What would you call it?

IF: Scarlett was giving me money out of friendship. To help back my salon.

SM: But she had privileged information about someone.

IF: I've never heard that, Detective.

SM: And you had privileged information about her, didn't you, Miss Freeman?

IF: You about done here, Detectives?

TA: Not yet. What information did you have about Miss Webb that would cause her to give you money?

IF: I don't know what you're talking about.

TA: Murph, why don't we go back to the timeline?

SM: Good idea. Miss Freeman, what time did Mr. Buchanan leave your room that night?

IF: You're getting personal again. I don't know exactly. Before breakfast.

TA: What were you doing around breakfast time?

IF: Went on a walk around the hotel. Just my regular morning routine.

TA: You were seen walking toward Bill Lamar's room.

IF: I had been looking for him the night before.

TA: Did you find Mr. Lamar?

IF: No I didn't. I wanted to see Bill -- I mean, Mr. Lamar -- because he has the European expertise I need for my salon and he's got the money to help me financially, too. As a business partner.

SM: Why go into the salon business? You've been in the beauty pageant business your whole life.

IF: I've got one more year, max. I've never won the big money, the limelight, the celebrity status. Much as I hate to say it, this was my last chance, or almost my last chance to try for Miss America. I'm gone. And I would have done anything to prevent that from happening. I'll tell you that straight up. I'll do anything to prevent anyone from getting in my way.

SM: Would you go so far as to kill another contestant if you thought she was in your way?

IF: If you're asking me if I killed Barbara, I didn't. Even if I did, I wouldn't admit to it.

TA: Did you want to kill her?

IF: No. When I said I would do anything to prevent anyone from getting in my way, I meant - well, I don't resort to violence. I'm cold-hearted, but I've thought of other ways to get what I want.

TA: Such as blackmailing Scarlett Webb?

IF: I never said I was. Another vicious rumor. You want a suspect? Look at Scarlett very closely, or look at her mother, or look at them both. That girl would kill to get a ticket out of Oxford and her mother would kill to get her precious daughter to the Miss America pageant.

TA: But you took money from her mother. We'd like to find out more about that.

IF: If Erma Webb wants to contribute to the success of my business ventures, that's her business. Maybe she thought she could buy me off.

SM: Miss Freeman, are you familiar with ipecac?

IF: Sure. Used it many times, as a kid, when I ate something icky. It'll make you sick, but it won't really hurt you, unless you have a lot of it.

SM: Miss Freeman, do you like chocolate?

IF: I love chocolate, but I'm deathly allergic. Can't take even a nibble.

TA: Getting back to your plan for a financial backer. Why do you need a financial backer? Can't you use the backers you have for the pageant business?

IF: You kidding? I wouldn't touch any of these creeps for my salon business. My mother knew these guys very well. This business can be mighty crooked. I would know.

SM: So you want to change to a new business after the pageant business and you want new money. Is that all you want from Mr. Lamar?

IF: Pretty much. Haven't seen him since he went to Europe.

SM: Sources tell us you and Mr. Lamar were pretty close at one time.

IF: We sort of grew up together. My mother worked for his family before I was born.

SM: Did you and Mr. Lamar continue your friendship throughout school?

IF: Sort of. Bill was a real popular guy. And for good reason, too. Handsome, fun, athletic, friendly.

SM: What happened in high school?

IF: Before he left? He and Barbara were steady.

TA: Did you have contact with him after he moved overseas?

IF: I wrote lots of letters. He didn't answer.

SM: Are you still romantically linked to him?

IF: No. He loved Barbara. They were true loves. I'm certain of it. Just looking at them when they gazed into each other's eyes--

SM: Are your eyes misting, Miss Freeman?

IF: The ice princess never cries, Detective. Bill and I were good friends and I like him, but I respect his wishes. It is his legendary skill with business I'm interested in.

SM: So you did not have any kind of a liaison with Mr. Lamar that night?

IF: Well, uh, no, we didn't.

SM: Miss Freeman, we apologize for having to keep asking you questions, but you are a lead witness in this case.

TA: You were seen near Barbara Dubois' room early that morning. Could you please tell us what you were doing there?

IF: I was on my morning walk. I walked around the hotel a bit.

TA: Did you see anyone?

IF: I ran into Mr. Margold. He saw me in the hallway and stopped to speak with me.

TA: What did he want?

IF: Well, he was making some nice compliments on my appearance and how well-positioned I might be for future modeling.

TA: Anything else?

IF: That he had a studio and that he might want to meet with me sometime.

TA: You told Mr. Margold that Barbara Dubois was dead.

IF: Yes, I did.

TA: How did you know she was dead?

IF: I heard from someone else-- someone else told me.

SM: Who would that be?

IF: Look, Detectives. I really don't remember. Maybe it was Scarlett or Erma. Yes, that's it. Scarlett told me, and her mother was with her.

IF: Am I a suspect, Ms. Murphy?

SM: Detective Murphy. We haven't ruled anyone in or out.

IF: Well, you've wasted my time enough today. I'm done. It's time for my facial. This interview is over.

SM: Very cute shoes, Miss Freeman.

IF: Thank you. You really think so?

SM: They show off your feet very well.

IF: I work hard to keep my feet pretty.

TA: Are those size fives? We're looking for someone with size fives.

IF: Heavens no! My feet aren't that big! These are a perfect size four.

TA: Shows how much I know about women's shoes. We might want to speak with you later.

IF: You know where to find me.

TA: Yes, we do. And we will.

Interview ends -- 11:27 AM