Virginia Brooks interview #3

Thursday, January 28, 2021 – 2:40 p.m.

Virginia Brooks is the victim's widow.

Detectives Magee and Murphy re-interviewed her at the Yoknapatawpha County Sheriff's Department.

Participants:

• Detective J. Magee
• Detective S. Murphy
• Virginia Brooks

Detective Murphy: Good afternoon, Virginia. Do you know Detective Magee?

Virginia Brooks: Hi, Sam. It's a pleasure, Detective Magee. I know you and your department are working hard on the case, but are you getting anywhere?

Detective Murphy: We need you to state your name and address again, please.

Virginia Brooks: Oh. Sorry. My name is Virginia Brooks, and my home is on Chandler Avenue. Number 439, to be exact.

Detective Murphy: Thank you. Do you recognize the name Christy Arnold?

Virginia Brooks: No, I don't believe so. Why, am I supposed to? Did she kill Spense?

Detective Magee: So, you've never heard of her? Are you sure about that?

Virginia Brooks: Fairly sure. I mean, if I met her in passing, she must not have made much of an impression on me because I don't recall the name. Why are you asking me this?

Detective Magee: Do you know if your husband knew her?

Virginia Brooks: I couldn't possibly know everyone Spense knew.

Detective Magee: So he could've been acquainted with her without your knowing about it?

Virginia Brooks: Of course. Spense had so many contacts through work and politics. I didn't know all of them.

Detective Murphy: Forgive me, Virginia, but is it possible that Spense could have been seeing her?

Virginia Brooks: Anything's possible, Sam. Spense did have his little dalliances, but they never amounted to anything. He was just feeding his ego. But if he was sleeping with some silly little clerk from the courthouse, he was probably trying to get some information on Louis Watson.

Detective Murphy: Did he say something to you about Mr. Watson?

Virginia Brooks: No, not much. I told you he didn't talk much about work, but he did mention that Louis Watson was giving him a hard time over the underage drinking crackdown. Oh, do you think that that man killed Spense? Spense had a lot of enemies because of the work he does—did.

Detective Murphy: What kind of a hard time was Watson giving Spense?

Virginia Brooks: I'm not sure, but I bet Jill Ross fed the flames. She was always quick to help anyone that was against Spense.

Detective Magee: Do you own a gun, Mrs. Brooks?

Virginia Brooks: I know Spense had one to protect himself against the crazies. Why do you ask?

Detective Magee: Do you know what kind of gun he had?

Virginia Brooks: I believe it was a .45 semi-automatic, but I haven't seen it for a while.

Detective Murphy: Did he keep the gun at the house?

Virginia Brooks: Sometimes. Other times he took it with him or left it at the office.

Detective Murphy: Is it at your house now?

Virginia Brooks: No. I looked for it after he— well, I didn't know if someone might be coming after us too, but I couldn't find it. Maybe it's at the office?

Detective Magee: Is that the only firearm you ever had in the house?

Virginia Brooks: Oh, no. There's a rifle and a couple of shotguns that Spense used when he went hunting, but he hadn't done that for a while. He didn't have time.

Detective Magee: Do you or Wesley own any firearms?

Virginia Brooks: Wesley's never really been one for guns. Spense taught him the basics of gun safety, of course, but Wesley never had much interest.

Detective Magee: You don't have to own the gun to use it, though, do you?

Virginia Brooks: Even if he had a thousand guns, Wesley would never do anything to hurt his father. How dare you suggest such a thing! He told me you talked to him again earlier today. Why can't you just leave him alone? Can't you see he's grieving for his father?

Detective Magee: We have to ask questions, Mrs. Brooks, so we can find your husband's killer.

Virginia Brooks: Well, ask them somewhere else because Wesley had nothing to do with it. He's just a boy mourning his father.

Detective Magee: Yes, ma'am, but—

Virginia Brooks: There's such a thing as respect, Detective. You'd do well to remember that.

Detective Murphy: We didn't want to upset you, Virginia, but we do have to follow the investigation where it leads.

Virginia Brooks: So you say. Are we about done here?

Detective Murphy: Just about. Did Spense know that you were aware he was sleeping around? Was it something you talked about?

Virginia Brooks: Oh, no. I never told him that I knew. I thought about it, but then I decided it wasn't all that important. We loved each other very much, and those other trashy women didn't mean anything to him except to stroke his ego. So I turned a blind eye.

Detective Murphy: So, it didn't bother you?

Virginia Brooks: Of course, it bothered me! It hurt. But I just didn't think it was worth the upheaval it would cause, and I certainly didn't want Wesley to know about it, so I let it go.

Detective Murphy: So, Wesley never knew that Spense was unfaithful to you?

Virginia Brooks: No, of course not.

Detective Murphy: Was there ever a time you thought Spense might leave you for one of these women?

Virginia Brooks: Absolutely not. Spense always came home. I loved him then, and I love him now. I will never stop loving him, and I know he will always love me, too. Now, if you're finished prying into my personal life, I'd like to leave.

Detective Murphy: Thank you for your time today, Virginia. We'll be in touch.

Virginia Brooks: Goodbye.

Interview ended – 3:03 p.m.