Cindy Fine interview #2

Saturday, July 19, 2014 – 10:00 a.m.

Cindy Fine was Andy Fine's wife and reported him missing on July 7, 2014.

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

Participants:

• Detective T. Armstrong
• Detective S. Murphy
• Cynthia Fine

Detective Armstrong: Thanks for coming in to talk with us again, Mrs. Fine. Can you state your name and address again for the record?

Cindy Fine: Sure. Cynthia Campbell Fine, 596 Hathorn Road.

Detective Armstrong: Great. Now, Mrs. Fine, we'd like to go over again what happened the night you last saw your husband.

Cindy Fine: Okay. I mean, I want to help and— well, I told you everything I know.

Detective Armstrong: Right. Well then, let's see if we got it right the first time. On July 3rd, you showed up at Duffy's around 7:30, 8:00?

Cindy Fine: Yes. I think so.

Detective Armstrong: And you left around midnight?

Cindy Fine: Yes. I took the car home.

Detective Murphy: Why did you leave without your husband, Mrs. Fine?

Cindy Fine: I— well, I was tired. Real tired.

Detective Murphy: What happened right before you left?

Cindy Fine: Um, nothing. I mean— Carl and Andy were playing pool, and I just got real tired. I… well, I was just being a spoilsport, so I went home.

Detective Armstrong: What about the watch?

Cindy Fine: What?

Detective Armstrong: The watch. A couple of folks said your husband lost his watch.

Cindy Fine: I— you mean Carl? Or…

Detective Armstrong: Just tell us what happened.

Cindy Fine: Oh. Well, I— Andy… he had this watch. It was his favorite. I mean, it was his only watch, of course. We don't have much money for that kind of thing. Anyway, I — he took it off to play pool and put it on the table where I was sitting, and I— well, I must have misplaced it— lost it. He… well, he didn't want to leave until we found it. I don't know what happened. I must've lost it.

Detective Murphy: How could you have lost it? Did you throw it away?

Cindy Fine: No. No, I just mean— well, I guess I wasn't keeping my eye on things. You know… I was busy eating and talking with Eddie and Dudley.

Detective Murphy: But that doesn't mean you lost it.

Cindy Fine: No. It's just— well, I— Andy was kind of upset. I felt really bad.

Detective Murphy: So you were looking for the watch, and that's when you left?

Cindy Fine: Yes. I just got… well… I guess I just got tired.

Detective Armstrong: Eddie and Dudley — you told us before that was Eddie Dooley and Dudley Brinkman, right?

Cindy Fine: Yes, that's right.

Detective Armstrong: How well do you know them?

Cindy Fine: Um, I don't know Eddie too much. He's mostly Andy's friend, you know, from Duffy's.

Detective Armstrong: And what about Dudley? Was he Andy's drinking buddy too?

Cindy Fine: What? Oh— no, no, not at all. Dudley— he's not like that. He definitely wasn't one of Andy's favorite people.

Detective Murphy: Why's that?

Cindy Fine: Oh, he… well, he's more the quiet, reserved type. He hardly ever goes to Duffy's. I don't know exactly why he was there. He— well, I guess you could say we were friends in school.

Detective Murphy: Friends?

Cindy Fine: Yes. I— well, he took piano lessons from my father. And we went on a couple of dates, I guess. It wasn't a big deal. You know… high school. I didn't date anyone real seriously back then. I didn't… well… Andy was the first time I fell in love.

Detective Murphy: Right. So were you and Dudley ever intimate?

Cindy Fine: Gosh, no. Never.

Detective Murphy: And how often have you seen him since then?

Cindy Fine: Since high school? Um… I don't know. Not often. It's a small town. Sometimes I run into him in the store and what have you. See him at church, I guess. I always say hello. He seems like such a lonely person. I always hoped he might find a nice girl to settle down with.

Detective Murphy: And how often did you see him at Duffy's?

Cindy Fine: Well, like I said, I hardly ever saw him. I only went to the bar a few times, and maybe in all those years, once? I don't remember. I'm sorry.

Detective Armstrong: That's okay. And you never saw Mr. Brinkman socially aside from that?

Cindy Fine: Gosh, no. I had my hands full.

Detective Murphy: Okay. So that night at Duffy's, was Dudley still there when you left?

Cindy Fine: No. He must've left, I don't know, sometime earlier. I'm sorry. I didn't notice.

Detective Murphy: And you didn't see him after that, maybe in the parking lot?

Cindy Fine: No. Not at all.

Detective Armstrong: Your husband didn't seem too happy to see Mr. Brinkman.

Cindy Fine: What?

Detective Armstrong: We hear Andy and Dudley almost got in a fight.

Cindy Fine: No, it wasn't like that. I— he was just playing pool, having a good time. Dudley acted so… timid around Andy. And he didn't like that. It— well, sometimes Andy gets carried away. He keeps trying to get a reaction. Sometimes he got into fights.

Detective Armstrong: We heard. So how did it all end up?

Cindy Fine: Well, I— Dudley just got up and left. Andy kept yelling at him, but nothing happened.

Detective Murphy: And then you left.

Cindy Fine: Yes. I mean, it was later. Like I said, it was after midnight. I felt bad about it, but— I— well, I just wasn't helping much. It was so late. I wasn't thinking.

Detective Murphy: How did Andy feel about you leaving?

Cindy Fine: He— I— well, I just left. I mean, he was kind of upset. I— do we have to talk about this? It's private.

Detective Armstrong: Mrs. Fine, more than 10 people told us they saw your husband physically threaten you in the bar.

Cindy Fine: No! No, that's just— no. That's not right. He was just upset about the watch. He… didn't know what he was doing. He had too much to drink. And— well, I was right there the whole time. I mean, he's right. I didn't see what happened to his watch.

Detective Murphy: You mean you deserved to be hit?

Cindy Fine: He didn't hit me. I mean— no. No, he didn't hit me. He wouldn't hit me like that. He— I mean, he was just trying to have a good time. He was upset about the watch.

Detective Murphy: Did your husband hit you often?

Cindy Fine: No. He didn't— I mean, he didn't hit me… never. He never hit me. I— like I said before, I tried to give him his freedom. He needed that. I— he— I just wanted to help him.

Detective Murphy: Did he want your help?

Cindy Fine: No. I mean— I'd rather not answer that. It was our marriage. I… want to keep those memories for my own.

Detective Murphy: Okay. So what happened at the bar? If he didn't hit you, what did he do?

Cindy Fine: He— well, he was pretty upset about the watch. I wasn't keeping an eye on it— and I— he was yelling at me about that, I guess. That's when I got tired. He… well, that's when I went home.

Detective Armstrong: Okay. Now, why didn't you tell us this before?

Cindy Fine: I'm sorry.

Detective Murphy: It's all right. We're just trying to understand.

Cindy Fine: Well, I— you know, I'm so ashamed. I just wanted to help him, and— well— I don't see any reason to gossip about our private life. I was committed to our marriage.

Detective Murphy: What else did you keep quiet about?

Cindy Fine: What do you mean?

Detective Murphy: Was he hitting you?

Cindy Fine: No! No. He— I really don't want to talk about this. I wish you would respect that. I— I'm sorry. This is really hard for me.

Detective Murphy: Mrs. Fine, I don't want to upset you. You can take your time. But plenty of people we talked to had the idea that your husband treated you pretty rough—

Cindy Fine: It's not true!

Detective Murphy: You're not saying anything about it, which is very loyal. But you also didn't say anything about the watch when you came to talk to us last time. So how do we know you're not lying?

Cindy Fine: No! I'm not lying. I can't lie. It's wrong. I… oh gosh, I'm sorry. I don't know what to say.

Detective Murphy: Just tell us the truth. He hit you, didn't he?

Cindy Fine: I can't… I'm sorry. No. I can't. I— can I have a couple of minutes? I need to— I need to think. I need to pray. Please.

Detective Armstrong: All right.

[Interview suspended 10:24 a.m.]

[Interview resumed 10:33 a.m.]

Detective Armstrong: Now then, Mrs. Fine. Whenever you're ready.

Cindy Fine: All right. I'm sorry.

Detective Murphy: That's okay. Just tell us about Andy. Did he ever hit you?

Cindy Fine: Yes.

Detective Murphy: How often?

Cindy Fine: Hardly ever. He— I don't know. Sometimes he would get in these moods. He would be so tired from work, and I was such a stick in the mud. I never wanted to just go out and have fun. He— I think that bothered him. I bothered him. All I wanted to do was help but— I just bothered him all the time.

Detective Murphy: Would you say he hit you every night?

Cindy Fine: No. No— nothing like that.

Detective Murphy: How often would you say it was?

Cindy Fine: I— gosh, I— I don't know. It was usually when he had something to drink, or he was upset about work. I don't know. I'm sorry, I just— well, I tried to just work through it.

Detective Murphy: What would you do when it happened?

Cindy Fine: Usually, nothing happened. I mean, he just fell asleep or left or… I would let him go, and then I would go to bed. In the morning, it was like it never happened. He— it would be like starting over. A clean slate. I— he always apologized. He would just get so fed up with me. I didn't want to burden him.

Detective Armstrong: You never called the police?

Cindy Fine: No. No, I didn't want to betray him. I'm sorry, that's what it feels like. I feel like I'm betraying him.

Detective Armstrong: That's okay, Mrs. Fine. Take your time.

Cindy Fine: No. Go on.

Detective Armstrong: When this happened, you never felt angry? Did you ever hit him back?

Cindy Fine: What? No. Never, I— I could never hurt him.

Detective Armstrong: But that night in the bar, he was threatening you, and you walked out on him. You said he was pretty upset.

Cindy Fine: Yes, but I— well, I just didn't have the patience that night. It was my fault. He needed me to help find the watch, but he never did.

Detective Murphy: He told you that?

Cindy Fine: What?

Detective Murphy: He told you he never found the watch?

Cindy Fine: Yes. He was real mad.

Detective Murphy: Now, when was this exactly? When he came home later on?

Cindy Fine: Well, I came home early in the car, and Andy came home later — and he said that the watch had been stolen and that it was my fault. I told him that I would go back to the bar and look for it some more, and he said it was too late. Eddie Dooley had already stolen it. I just… wasn't watching close enough. He just stole it right out from under me. Andy was pretty mad.

Detective Murphy: What time was this, would you say?

Cindy Fine: Uh, well, maybe 1:30, 2:00?

Detective Murphy: Were you waiting up?

Cindy Fine: No. I went to bed. You know— I felt so tired.

Detective Murphy: Right. But he got home and woke you?

Cindy Fine: Yes. He… well, he was still pretty drunk. He had a bottle of whiskey or something. I think he got it from the cupboard.

Detective Murphy: Mrs. Fine, what happened at that point?

Cindy Fine: Well, he… I… I'm sorry. It's just so hard.

Detective Murphy: That's okay.

Cindy Fine: He hit me pretty bad. I kept saying I was sorry, and he just kept yelling and— he kept swinging at me… I— oh— forgive me. I'm so weak.

Detective Murphy: That's okay. What happened after that?

Cindy Fine: He left.

Detective Armstrong: He took the car?

Cindy Fine: Yes. He got in the car.

Detective Armstrong: And that was the last time you saw him?

Cindy Fine: Yes. I… I was trying to get him to settle down— you know, if he could just pass out. I told him, "Keep hitting me. Just don't leave." I guess I had a bad feeling… I didn't know… it's so horrible. He— I just couldn't get him to stay.

Detective Murphy: You weren't angry about it?

Cindy Fine: No.

Detective Armstrong: Mrs. Fine, you've changed your story quite a bit since the last time we talked. How do we know you didn't hit him back, maybe hit him a little too hard?

Cindy Fine: What?

Detective Armstrong: Did anyone see you that night? Did anyone see him leave?

Cindy Fine: I don't know. I don't think so. I mean… yes— I went to Robyn's. That's where I ended up.

Detective Armstrong: When?

Cindy Fine: After he left. He, um, took the car. He had the car with him. I had to call.

Detective Murphy: Is this something that happened a lot? You calling her in the middle of the night?

Cindy Fine: No. I only did it maybe once or twice before— you know— he would be in such a bad mood, and I wanted to get out of his way, leave him alone. I just went and stayed at Robyn's for the night.

Detective Armstrong: So what time was it when you got there?

Cindy Fine: Oh, gosh, I don't know. Maybe 2:00, 2:30 a.m.? I don't know.

Detective Murphy: What happened when you got there?

Cindy Fine: Oh, um, she just put me to bed in the guest room. It was so late, and I— well, I was kind of upset. She told me we'd talk about it tomorrow. She told me not to worry.

Detective Murphy: She didn't call the police?

Cindy Fine: No. I wouldn't let her.

Detective Armstrong: Okay. So then the next morning, what happened? Did your husband come back?

Cindy Fine: No. No. That part was true — I never saw him again. He never came back. I— if only I knew… He never wanted to hurt anyone. I just don't understand… I'm sorry, this has been so hard for me.

Detective Armstrong: That's all right, Mrs. Fine.

Cindy Fine: Can I go? I— oh gosh, I'm really late for work. I'm sorry.

Detective Murphy: We just need a few more minutes of your time, Mrs. Fine. We've got a technician outside. We need to get samples of your blood and hair.

Cindy Fine: What? Why?

Detective Murphy: We need to compare them to some evidence we've found. You understand. To exclude you from the crime scene.

Cindy Fine: Oh. Well… do you have to? I'm kinda late for work.

Detective Murphy: I understand. It'll only take a few minutes, and then you can be on your way. I want you to know that we do have a warrant to collect those samples, but I don't think we need to use that to get you to stay. I know you want to do anything you can to help us find your husband's killer.

Cindy Fine: Yes! Of course, I do. Right. Do I need to go somewhere?

Detective Armstrong: No, you can just wait right here. The technician will come in.

Cindy Fine: Okay. I'm sorry.

Detective Armstrong: Sorry for what?

Cindy Fine: I— uh, for bothering you with all my questions. I don't know.

Detective Armstrong: It's okay to ask questions, Mrs. Fine. Do you want to ask anything else?

Cindy Fine: No.

Detective Armstrong: All right. Just keep your seat, and the technician will be right in.

Interview ended – 11:08 a.m.