Jenny Sadlier interview

Wednesday, April 27, 2022 – 9:57 a.m.

Detective Murphy contacted Wendy Holloway's friend and co-worker, Jenny Sadlier, at her Seattle residence and interviewed her by phone.

Participants:

• Detective S. Murphy
• Jenny Sadlier

Detective Murphy: For the record, would you please state your name and address?

Jenny Sadlier: Jennifer Lynn Sadlier, 303 E. Pike Street, Seattle, Washington.

Detective Murphy: Thanks. You're a hard lady to get ahold of.

Jenny Sadlier: Sorry, Detective. But things have been pretty difficult for me the last few days. I went out to Pittsburgh as soon as Wendy's mom called, and then I had to come right back here the next day. I wasn't trying to avoid you guys.

Detective Murphy: I understand. Any particular reason you had to return to Seattle so soon?

Jenny Sadlier: Work obligations. I have a couple of projects with some pretty stiff deadlines.

Detective Murphy: Okay. Ms. Holloway was a close friend of yours?

Jenny Sadlier: Probably the closest friend I ever had.

Detective Murphy: How long did you know her?

Jenny Sadlier: Not that long really, maybe a year and a half, but we were instant friends like we'd known each other our whole lives, you know?

Detective Murphy: So, she probably confided in you?

Jenny Sadlier: Yes, I think she did.

Detective Murphy: You think?

Jenny Sadlier: I don't think Wendy ever told anybody everything, not even her mom. Some things she just didn't talk about.

Detective Murphy: Like what?

Jenny Sadlier: Personal feelings. Things that hurt her. Though, when she was hurt, it was written all over her face, but she'd just say she had a bad day or something and shrug it off.

Detective Murphy: Did she discuss any of her relationships?

Jenny Sadlier: What kind? Business or personal?

Detective Murphy: Either. Let's start with personal.

Jenny Sadlier: Well… she and her mom were always close. More like girlfriends than daughter and mother. They'd talk on the phone for hours.

Detective Murphy: What about her brother?

Jenny Sadlier: Her brother? I think they didn't get along well when they were kids. But since she moved to Oxford, she told me that they had gotten in touch, and it was great. He'd really made her proud.

Detective Murphy: How's that?

Jenny Sadlier: Well, he has his own business and a nice girlfriend and a house, and he was just doing really well. It made her happy.

Detective Murphy: What about romantic relationships?

Jenny Sadlier: Oh, you mean Blake? Yes, she told me about him.

Detective Murphy: What did she tell you?

Jenny Sadlier: She was madly, wildly in love, she said for the first time. She thought they were soulmates. I was happy for her.

Detective Murphy: Isn't he married?

Jenny Sadlier: Wendy said he was going to leave the Airhead. That's what she called his wife. Anyway, it seemed like he was pretty crazy about her too. Bought her jewelry, treated her like a princess. Couldn't keep his hands off of her, either. At least, from the way Wendy described it.

Detective Murphy: Do you think she was exaggerating?

Jenny Sadlier: No. Wendy didn't say things like that unless she meant them. She never ever mentioned any man until she met Blake. Then it was just love at first sight, and that was that.

Detective Murphy: She never even talked about her ex-husband?

Jenny Sadlier: No, not really. That was all ancient history to her.

Detective Murphy: How did you meet Ms. Holloway?

Jenny Sadlier: Here in Seattle. We were both on the same government project, but you can't ask me about that because we signed non-disclosure agreements and were bonded. Very hush-hush, you know?

Detective Murphy: What about after that project?

Jenny Sadlier: Well, we found we worked real well together, like we could read each other's minds. I could see she was just brilliant, and I thought if I could learn even one thing from her, I'd be damn lucky. And I told her so. She was so sweet about it. Blushed even. We just were friends from then on. Next thing I know, she suggests we room together.

Detective Murphy: Was this her apartment?

Jenny Sadlier: Yes. Well, it's a condo. Anyway, we moved me in, and then we were just sort of the dynamic duo from then on.

Detective Murphy: Are you still residing there? At the condo?

Jenny Sadlier: Yes, I am. I guess I should start looking for another place. I'm not sure what her mom is going to want to do about the condo.

Detective Murphy: Has Mrs. Pane asked you to move out?

Jenny Sadlier: Oh no, nothing like that, but with all that's happened, I imagine she'll want to sell it or something. You know, Wendy left it to her. Anyway, all I meant was that I didn't want to add to her mom's troubles, you know?

Detective Murphy: That's very understanding of you. Did you do any other subsequent projects with Ms. Holloway?

Jenny Sadlier: Oh yes. She said she was glad I showed up when I did because she had more work than she could handle. We worked on several projects together. Recently, she was developing this new encryption software, and she needed an independent tester on the prototype.

Detective Murphy: What does her software do?

Jenny Sadlier: It's designed to protect your email, so no one—not hackers here or overseas, not government agencies, not anybody—can intercept it and read it. To put it simply.

Detective Murphy: That kind of stuff is in the news a lot these days.

Jenny Sadlier: No doubt. People need to protect their privileged communications. There's a huge demand for her software … or I think there would have been if we'd managed to get it ready and on the market. Now, we'll never know.

Detective Murphy: Ms. Holloway's mother the heir to that as well?

Jenny Sadlier: I don't know. Probably.

Detective Murphy: She never finished it? The software?

Jenny Sadlier: Well, we were in the final testing stages, but we never completed it.

Detective Murphy: Do you know where this software is?

Jenny Sadlier: You mean the code and everything? It must be with Wendy's things. I mean, it's not here. The last test I did was about three weeks ago. I sent her the test results on the beta-3 version and the flash drive I had by Fed Ex and never got another version from her.

Detective Murphy: The beta-3 version?

Jenny Sadlier: Yes. While software is in development, it goes through lots of versions. She'd finished the alpha stage, and we were into the beta. Usually, when you get to the beta versions, you start using outside testers, people who aren't involved in writing the software. That's what I was doing.

Detective Murphy: Did you always send information back and forth by FedEx?

Jenny Sadlier: Yes, anything that involved the actual source code or test results.

Detective Murphy: It would've been faster to send it online, wouldn't it?

Jenny Sadlier: Wendy didn't want to do it that way for this project. She believed sending it by FedEx was safer.

Detective Murphy: Was it safer?

Jenny Sadlier: In some ways, yes. In others, maybe not. But that was how she wanted to do it, so that's what we did.

Detective Murphy: Was her brother involved in this new software project?

Jenny Sadlier: Her brother? Can't really say. I was only involved in the testing aspect. The technical end, you know? I know he wasn't doing any testing on it because I was the only one doing that. Wendy handled the rest of it.

Detective Murphy: So if her brother were involved, you wouldn't have known about it?

Jenny Sadlier: Right.

Detective Murphy: When was the last time you spoke to Ms. Holloway?

Jenny Sadlier: You mean on the phone?

Detective Murphy: Is there another way you would have spoken to her?

Jenny Sadlier: Well, we emailed a lot. I guess you could call that talking.

Detective Murphy: Okay, when was the last time you had communication with or from Ms. Holloway?

Jenny Sadlier: I guess a few days before she… died. She sent me an email saying she'd gotten the test results, and she was excited. She thought we were really close.

Detective Murphy: To what?

Jenny Sadlier: To being done. You know, with the testing? Being ready to release the software.

Detective Murphy: Got it. Was there anything personal in the message? Or was it just business?

Jenny Sadlier: Oh, I think she said she was so happy about being around Blake, and she said he was about to go out of town for a few weeks, which she wasn't too happy about. And she said she was pretty tired. Pulled some all-nighters, I guess. But mostly, it was about the software.

Detective Murphy: When was the last time you spoke to her on the phone?

Jenny Sadlier: The day I sent the FedEx. Pretty short conversation, though. Again, it was mostly about the software. She did say she really liked Oxford.

Detective Murphy: Did she plan to stay in Oxford long-term?

Jenny Sadlier: I don't know. She never said. Though I suppose if she did marry Blake, she could have.

Detective Murphy: Did that worry you?

Jenny Sadlier: Worry me? Why would it?

Detective Murphy: If she moved here permanently, would you be out of a place to live?

Jenny Sadlier: Oh. I see. Well, I make a pretty decent income on my own. I didn't move in with Wendy because I couldn't afford to live on my own. I moved in because I thought it would be fun. And as I said already, her mom owns it now, and I'm ready to move whenever she wants me to.

Detective Murphy: What about all the work she threw your way? Would that have stopped if she didn't move back to Seattle?

Jenny Sadlier: I don't know. Maybe. But again, I have my own connections and my own work, so it wouldn't have been a crushing event in my life. Besides, even if Wendy had decided to stay in Oxford, she probably would have commuted back and forth.

Detective Murphy: Why's that?

Jenny Sadlier: Well, like me, a lot of her connections are here in Seattle. Many of her clients live here. She would have made sure she maintained those contacts.

Detective Murphy: If she married Mr. Stillwater, she wouldn't have needed to work.

Jenny Sadlier: Well, if you knew Wendy, you wouldn't say that. She couldn't stop working any more than she could have stopped eating or stopped … breathing. It just wasn't in her to be a housewife and have no career.

Detective Murphy: Were you surprised by Ms. Holloway's death?

Jenny Sadlier: Excuse me? What kind of question is that? Of course. Does anyone expect their best friend to end up dead? At 28? I don't think so!

Detective Murphy: You seem to be taking it pretty calmly.

Jenny Sadlier: Appearances are deceiving, Detective. You don't know what's in my mind or my heart. I am sad beyond words about her death. I can't believe you're even asking me these questions.

Detective Murphy: My job requires me to ask certain questions. It comes with the territory. I'm sure you understand.

Jenny Sadlier: Look, Wendy is irreplaceable. No one like her will ever come along again. I will miss her for the rest of my life. But she'd be the first one to say, "Gotta get on with it, Jenny."

Detective Murphy: That's a very … stoic attitude.

Jenny Sadlier: I'm a woman trying to make it in a man's world. You know what that's like. You have to grow a thick skin. Is there anything else I can tell you, Detective?

Detective Murphy: No, I think that'll be all for now. Please contact my office should you have occasion to leave Seattle.

Jenny Sadlier: Why?

Detective Murphy: We may have further questions and need to get in touch with you. Is that a problem?

Jenny Sadlier: No, of course not.

Detective Murphy: Thank you for your time.

Jenny Sadlier: Sure. You're welcome.

Interview ended – 10:16 a.m.