PHI Interview with Arlene Melton, part 2

November 6, 2002

PHI Case reference - AM1102-769

Background note:

Arlene Melton approached the offices of PHI following her interview with Yoknapatawpha County Sheriff's department about the death of Wenzel Hitzig.

She feels under suspicion and is eager to prove her innocence. She was with Wenzel when he died. He was shot dead, and she was injured, but she feels the Sheriff's department has suspicions she either faked her injury or there was another party involved with her. Arlene Melton has agreed that for the purposes of establishing her innocence, all interviews can and will be recorded and transcribed, and that she will give all assistance possible to PHI investigators.

The following is a transcript of the first interview to take place between Arlene Melton and PHI. Present were Pearl Monroe, Harry Lear and Arlene Melton.

PM = Pearl Monroe

HL = Harry Lear

AM = Arlene Moore

TIME: 7:30 p.m.

PM: Hi again, Arlene. You looked busy sitting there writing all that. I hope your arm didn't hurt too much?

AM: It wasn't so bad. I was resting my elbows on the desk a little, so it wasn't too uncomfortable. Have you read through it all yet?

HL: Yeah, we both have. I know I have some questions about it, and I should think Pearl has too, don't you?

PM: You're not wrong, Harry. He knows me so well!

HL: We probably both want to ask the same questions!

AM: Well shoot then. I'm ready.

PM: Okay, let me see, you mention Wenzel rented a red Dodge Neon but you didn't know where from?

AM: Well I guess it was at the airport, but I don't remember which company.

HL: Dollar.com.

AM: Who?

HL: Dollar.com is a car rental company. They've got an office at Memphis airport. Wenzel had a key ring with Dollar.com on it, didn't he?

AM: Yeah I think you are right, come to think of it. There was a sticker with Dollar.com inside the car... duh, why didn't I think of it before!

PM: I wouldn't worry too much, Arlene. I'm not sure it's important, but I was going to ask if you could confirm for definite that the red Dodge Neon at Avent Park was Wenzel's rental car.

AM: Yes I can.

HL: Do you remember Wenzel paying for most things you did together?

AM: You saying I'm cheap, Harry?

HL: No, no, Arlene. I'm asking a question. I'm going to check into Wenzel's card usage over the few days he was down here and see what I can find out. Did he pay on his card for any of the meals or whatever?

AM: Oh, I see. Yeah I think he did. I paid for some coffees too though.

HL: Did he pay cash for anything?

AM: Maybe one or two smaller items. I'm not sure. I think he paid cash on Monday morning. But the meal we had on Saturday he put on his card. Are you going to be checking everything I said?

HL: Don't think of it as checking, Arlene. We need to verify it as much as possible. His card usage will put him in certain places at a certain time. It's a good start to find out what else he has been doing. We might find out where he was Sunday night.

PM: Arlene, you sound a little nervous about all this. Do you want to change your story in any way?

AM: No, no I don't think so. Everything I told you was true.

PM: Okay, that's fine. You mention someone called JP and a loan. What is that about?

AM: Oh, that. Yeah, sorry I forget sometimes. I think everyone knows the same people I do and I throw stuff in that I just assume you will know about without ever stopping to think. JP is JP Wallace, lives in Oxford, do ya know him?

HL: I'm aware of such a character...

PM: Harry, sometimes you still sound so English!

AM: I think it's cute.

HL: Ladies, please. okay let's just say all of us here know that JP Wallace enjoys a certain reputation.

PM: What was the loan business, Arlene?

AM: Okay, well Wenzel was really struggling last year after Achim died with the Tinag project. I asked him if I could help, but he was like all dismissive and said he didn't think so. He needed money to finish the game and he didn't have it. He'd been turned down for a loan and couldn't see where else to go. He didn't expect me to be able to do anything, but I talked to JP, who I was with at that time, and he thought he could get Wenzel a loan through this guy he knew.

PM: Name?

AM: Vincent something. Spanelleri? No, that's not it. It was Italian, Sponerelli? Spinelli? Yeah, Vincent Spinelli. Loves himself. Met me once and called me doll the whole time. Talked to my chest.

HL: What else do you know about the loan?

AM: Let me think about this. Okay, JP got hold of Vincent Spinelli and I told him Wenzel needed to borrow some money. It was going to be a lot. I'm pretty sure it was $20,000.

HL: Do you know any details about the interest rate or term or anything?

AM: Wenzel said it was going to be over ten years unless he could pay it off quicker. He was paying like 500 bucks a month, which he found pretty hard to do at first, but much better when he worked from home.

PM: This may be an obvious question, but was Wenzel up to date with his payments?

AM: I think so. He missed a payment once and he got a visit. Let's just say he didn't want to miss another payment.

HL: Did they beat him up? Hurt him?

AM: No, they just threatened him. He was looking forward to paying the loan back in full.

PM: And completing the Tinag game would let him do that?

AM: Oh yeah, he definitely thought so. Said he had a distribution deal ready and everything, and even if it fell through he thought he had another idea to fall back on.

HL: Which was?

AM: The treasure.

PM: That just sounds like a lot of hot air to me. Do you think there is a treasure somewhere?

AM: If Wenzel says there is treasure, there is treasure.

PM: Do you know what it is?

AM: No, I don't. He said he couldn't tell anyone because he didn't know whether to include it in the game or not. If he included it in the game, it would be worth millions in publicity he figured. It would mean the game being based on some true life stories and, if he told anyone, it would spoil it. It's not that he didn't trust me; it's just that he couldn't tell anyone. I understood I think. If he didn't include it in the game, it was because he was going to find it for himself.

HL: The game was going to be about a serial killer at famous literary sites wasn't it?

AM: Yeah, that's right, but I think Wenzel had taken it on to a whole new level too. Sometimes when we spoke on the phone he would be in the middle of something and he'd be excited like a big kid at how the work was going.

PM: Go back to the loan again. So as far as you know, Wenzel was up to date with his payments. Do I get the impression JP sometimes bothered you over the loan?

AM: Yeah, he mentioned it sometimes. Said it made him look bad when Wenzel missed his payment. Said I should remind the big guy to be careful, and make sure he kept up to date.

HL: How did he say it? Like a threat?

AM: I didn't think it was a threat. I think he was worried about how it would affect his image with Vincent and around town.

PM: Okay. I take it Vincent operates outside the normal financial sphere?

AM: I'm not sure what he is.

PM: Harry, I want you to look at this Vincent Spinelli character and see what you can find out.

HL: No problem.

PM: I'll talk to Ted Armstrong and see if he knows anything about JP and Vincent Spinelli. Maybe the Sheriff's Department would like to talk to them.

AM: Are they going to want to talk to me again, do you think?

PM: Yes they will, Arlene. Just tell them the truth. Tell them what you have told us.

AM: I don't like cops.

HL: You've just got to be honest, Arlene. No one says you have to like them.

AM: Well, okay. Listen, I feel pretty tired. Is there anything else you wanted to ask?

HL: Yeah. I'll make it quick. A couple of questions.

AM: Go on.

HL: You have no idea where Wenzel was on Sunday afternoon or evening?

AM: He mentioned a name to the girl at the museum. I'm such an idiot, I can't remember anything. I'd know it if I heard it. I wasn't paying enough attention.

PM: You can call us if it comes back to you.

AM: I will, I promise.

HL: Maybe I can follow it up at the museum, find out who was working on Sunday.

PM: I'll do that, Harry. You concentrate on Spinelli.

HL: Yes, ma'am.

PM: How can we find out more about the TINAG game, Arlene? Do you have it on your computer?

AM: No, I don't. Wenzel probably had it on his.

PM: Okay, that's something else we could check.

HL: You also mentioned some emails or something, Arlene. I'd like to have a look at them as soon as I can. When can you get them to us?

AM: I'll do it this evening when I get home. I'll forward them to you. Will they be private?

HL: Sorta.

AM: How sorta?

HL: Well, we might have to share them with our team. What are you worried about?

AM: We used to flirt a bit in emails. Nothing over the top, but I don't know...

HL: Don't worry about it, Arlene. All of us have seen worse than that. We'll not think any worse of you for a bit of harmless flirting.

AM: You mean you already think bad of me?

PM: Don't take this the wrong way, Arlene, but sometimes you are quicker than you pretend to be.

AM: What?

PM: I mean you are sharper, maybe, than you think.

AM: I'm not pretending to be dumb.

HL: You aren't dumb, Arlene. I think Pearl is trying to say exactly that.

AM: Well, okay then. I'll send you those mails when I'm home and I'll call you if I can remember anything more.

HL: Thanks, Arlene. Try not to worry. We'll get to the truth of this somehow.

PM: I'm going to need to ask you more about the guy in the mask next time, Arlene. See if you can remember any details about it, no matter how small, before we meet again, okay? Oh and before we wrap things up, is there nothing more you can tell us about Wenzel going to Spain or his contact in Greece?

AM: I don't even want to think about the guy in the mask. And I don't know if I can remember the Spanish guy. He gave Wenzel something. What was his name? Juan... yeah, Juan something. I never knew the Greek's name, only that Wenzel said he was told a fantastic tale. Can I go now?

PM: Sure. Thanks, Arlene.

Tape stopped at 8:17 p.m.