Wednesday, August 16, 2000 - 1:00 p.m.

Detective Armstrong contacted the witness and transported him to the Yoknapatawpha County Sheriff's Department for an interview. The witness was not in custody, but was advised he is considered a suspect in the Holloway investigation. The witness waived in writing his right to have an attorney present during questioning.

TA = Detective T. Armstrong

PS = Philip Stillwater

TA: Would you state your name and address, please?

PS: You've already talked to me before. You know my name and address.

TA: We still have to do this, just for the record.

PS: Fine. Philip Stillwater, 238 Highway 6 West. Oxford.

TA: Do you have any information concerning the death of Wendy Holloway to tell us?

PS: What's that supposed to mean?

TA: Is there anything that you didn't tell us in our first interview?

PS: No.

TA: Well, then, I'll start. When I spoke to you last, you tried to tell me that your argument at Proud Larry's was just with some hippie. Finally, I got you to admit that you knew Wendy Holloway was having an affair with your father and you wanted her to stop. Then, on August 8th, when we searched your parents' property including their residence and yours, we found a picture of your father with the victim hidden in your quarters. Where did you get the photo?

PS: My mother gave it to me.

TA: Why?

PS: I don't know. She was upset.

TA: Did she want you to confront Wendy? Straighten her out?

PS: No. I went to Proud Larry's that night to face her myself.

TA: You know, Philip, the more people I talk to, the more I hear about your father's affairs. For a mystery writer, he doesn't seem to cover his tracks very well. And you never really seemed to get all that upset before. There was that little incident with that lady in Tupelo, but for the most part you never seemed to care about what Dad was doing. Why now?

PS: Uh, I don't know. You get sick of it, finally, I guess.

TA: I'm sure. How old are you, Philip?

PS: Twenty-three. You know that.

TA: Yeah, that's right. And the victim was twenty-eight.

PS: So what's your point?

TA: I was just wondering if you had ever gone out with Wendy yourself. Being that you two were so much closer in age and all.

PS: That's ridiculous!

TA: So, you never slept with her? Seems she was a pretty friendly girl... maybe Dad moved in on your action and you got mad.

PS: That's the craziest thing I've ever heard!

TA: Okay, calm down. You got a girlfriend, Philip?

PS: No. Why do you ask that?

TA: I was just wondering. Everyone I talk to says that girls get scared off by your spiders and stuff. And that your, uh, what should I call it? "Relationship" with your mother weirds them out. And then I got to thinking. If my old man was hooking up with all these young women my age while I couldn't get any girl, I might get kinda pissed off.

PS: Detective, you're way out of line! You have no right to make such guesses!

TA: Maybe you're right. I guess I'm just baffled as to why this affair seems to bother you so much more than all the other young ladies your father ran around with. Can you explain that to me?

PS: I told you! It's just starts to build up after a while. But I never had any type of relationship with that... woman.

TA: So, back to this picture. Where did your mother get it?

PS: Some PI that she had hired to check up on Dad.

TA: When did she give it to you?

PS: That night. She told me that she knew for sure who Dad was involved with. That our suspicions were right. She had this file that the PI had put together and she gave me the picture. I got the impression that there were plenty other photos, but she wouldn't show them to me.

TA: So, Mom told you all the details and you got mad and went to Proud Larry's to confront her?

PS: Yes. We've been over this before.

TA: Yes, we have. And in your earlier interview, you said that you rode around for a while and then went home after you left the bar. Mom fixed you a snack and then you went to bed. Is that right?

PS: Yes.

TA: And when you went to bed, what did your mother do?

PS: She went to bed too.

TA: How do you know?

PS: What do you mean? She said she was going to bed and that's what she did.

TA: But how do you know for certain that she went to bed. She could have left, couldn't she?

PS: No! Where would she go?

TA: Maybe to Wendy's Holloway's house to confront her in person?

PS: Why would she do that? That's ridiculous!

TA: But you can't say for sure one way or another whether she went to bed at that time or not?

PS: Of course I can. I know my mother. She said she was going to bed, so that's what she did.

TA: But you didn't actually see her go to bed?

PS: Well, no. I'm not in the habit of checking up on my mother. When she tells me she's going to do something, I just take her word for it.

TA: Okay. And what about you? Did you remain at home the rest of the night?

PS: Yes. I slept late, got up around 10:30 or so the next morning.

TA: Can anyone confirm that you didn't leave your cottage?

PS: No. I mean, it's not like anyone was standing guard or anything. But both of my parents are very light sleepers so they would have heard my car if I had left.

TA: I'm sure they would have. Those Porsches aren't the quietest things. Of course, you could have pushed it down the driveway and started it out at the street.

PS: Yes, I guess I could have. I also could have gotten a spaceship to beam me up and transport me wherever I wanted to go. But I didn't do either one of those things.

TA: You own a bicycle, Philip?

PS: No.

TA: You're sure about that?

PS: Of course I'm sure.

TA: How do you get around campus?

PS: I walk like everyone.

TA: Oh. I had just heard that some kids drive to campus, but that they keep a bike or something in one of the racks to ride around on while they were going from class to class.

PS: The campus is hardly that big, Detective. Besides, most of my classes are all in Shoemaker. I just park in the commuter spots at the stadium and walk right over.

TA: So you didn't go over to Wendy Holloway's house that night at any time?

PS: Of course not! Why would I want to go there?

TA: Well, she didn't exactly agree to do what you wanted her to when you argued with her at Proud Larry's. Maybe you wanted to have another go at her. Maybe you wanted to try again to convince her to stop seeing your father.

PS: That's crazy!

TA: Maybe you went over to her house to reason with her, things got out of hand, and she ended up dead.

PS: No way! That's not what happened. I never went to her house. I never saw her again after Proud Larry's. That's the truth and I'm not going to tell you again.

TA: Okay. Well, Philip, I gotta tell you. I think there's more that you're not telling me.

PS: I don't know why you might feel that way.

TA: Well, I do. So, you be sure and stay in town where we can find you if we need to.

PS: Yeah, sure.

End interview 1:17 p.m.