Neal Caine interview #4

Sunday, October 31, 2021 – 1:30 p.m.

Neal Caine is a member of the Yoknapatawpha Players board.

Detectives Beckwith and Magee talked to him again at the Yoknapatawpha County Sheriff's Department.

Participants

• Detective P. Beckwith
• Detective J. Magee
• Neal Caine

Detective Magee: You've got me pondering, Mr. Caine.

Neal Caine: I don't follow.

Detective Magee: It seems that every time I leave an interview where you deny being backstage the day that Scott was killed, a witness pops up saying that you were back there. 

Neal Caine: They're wrong … or liars.

Detective Magee: Well, they're right here in the station, so if you have some details you'd like to add about where specifically you were during the last half of the show, we can quickly ask them to confirm your story. 

Neal Caine: C'mon, we've been through this. When I left the mobile lab, I hid behind a humvee. No one was with me at the time, so no one would be able to confirm a thing. 

Detective Beckwith: Unless you're the one who's lying, and you were backstage.

Neal Caine: Okay, who's telling you what? Because maybe I can "confirm" some stuff about them. Is Martin your big eyewitness? Because if he is, you know that he's the obvious suspect here. I'm sure he's telling everyone who'll listen that the whole troupe and board were backstage taking turns dropping walls on Scott's body.

Detective Beckwith: Martin's not the only one who—

Neal Caine: Okay, who then?

Detective Magee: Heath says—

Neal Caine: Heath? Seriously? Did you make sure he took a piss test before you listened to him? 

Detective Beckwith: So you still deny you were backstage?

Neal Caine: I'm telling you, I was not back there.

Detective Magee: And do you still think Martin had something to do with Scott's death?

Neal Caine: He's the one I know everyone actually saw go backstage.

Detective Beckwith: Janet had mentioned he was backstage longer than he had been in previous rehearsals.

Neal Caine: See? There you go. 

Detective Magee: Did you specifically see Martin leave the battlefield during the big zombie fight?

Neal Caine: Yes.

Detective Beckwith: Where were you at when you saw him leave?

Neal Caine: Like I said, behind the humvee.

Detective Magee: Did you specifically see Martin return?

Neal Caine: Yes.

Detective Beckwith: Where were you then?

Neal Caine: Still by the humvee.

Detective Magee: Describe Martin fully on his return.

Neal Caine: Ah, he came back carrying this big bloody club in both of his hands.

Detective Magee: You could see that it was bloody from where you were?

Neal Caine: Yes. He was really winded. Like he ran a marathon or something.

Detective Beckwith: What did he do next?

Neal Caine: He attacked one of the zombies with the club. I saw that as an opening to run to the maze entrance where Birdsall was.

Detective Magee: Did you see Janet at that time?

Neal Caine: Janet? No, I was looking for Anna.

Detective Beckwith: Why?

Neal Caine: She's the director, right? If you're trapped in a zombie apocalypse play, you better stay close to the director, right?

Detective Magee: Did you find Anna?

Neal Caine: No. I think she was grabbed by a zombie beforehand.

Detective Beckwith: Did you find Janet?

Neal Caine: No, pay attention. I said I wasn't interested in Janet. Why do y'all think I was looking for Janet?

Detective Beckwith: She was part of your medical team, right?

Neal Caine: Sure, I guess. As soon as everyone got split up at the mobile lab, though, we weren't really in teams anymore, so I forgot about Janet.

Detective Magee: All right, shifting gears, let's talk about Scott.

Neal Caine: What about him?

Detective Magee: How would you characterize your relationship with Scott outside of the theater?

Neal Caine: Nonexistent.

Detective Beckwith: Denis Goodman said that the two of you were friends.

Neal Caine: How would he know? He was never around when Scott was. I was under the impression that the two of them hated each other.

Detective Magee: Why?

Neal Caine: Girl troubles. Denis has a problem with keeping his hands to himself.

Detective Beckwith: Explain that.

Neal Caine: I don't think I've ever seen Denis with his own girl. But if you bring your girl to the club, and he's there drinking, he's all over her, drooling like a hound late to breakfast.

Detective Magee: Did you see that occur between Denis and Scott's girlfriend?

Neal Caine: Not firsthand, but through scuttlebutt.

Detective Beckwith: Scuttlebutt among the troupe?

Neal Caine: Yeah.

Detective Magee: So are you saying you and Scott weren't friends?

Neal Caine: I'm saying we weren't anything. He worked at the theater. I knew him from there. That's it.

Detective Beckwith: And Denis? Are you friends with him?

Neal Caine: No, Beckwith. We ain't friends.

Detective Magee: Okay, Neal, we'll be back shortly.

Neal Caine: Wait, you're still holding me?

Detective Magee: Relax, we'll be back in a minute.

Interview ended – 1:53 p.m.