Ursula Raines interview
Wednesday, March 2, 2022 – 10:32 a.m.
Ursula Raines is the girlfriend of the victim's best friend, Gretchen Doyle.
Detectives Armstrong and Murphy interviewed her at the Yoknapatawpha County Sheriff's Department.
Participants:
- Detective T. Armstrong
- Detective S. Murphy
- Ursula Raines
Detective Murphy: Thank you for coming in to talk with us today.
Ursula Raines: Certainly. Anything I can do to help.
Detective Murphy: Please state your name and address.
Ursula Raines: Ursula Raines. I live at 1458 Molly Barr.
Detective Murphy: Please tell us about your relationship to Andrea Stover.
Ursula Raines: I didn't really have a relationship with her. I know her through my girlfriend. I'm sure you guys already know all that.
Detective Armstrong: Yes, well, for the record, please state your girlfriend's name.
Ursula Raines: Gretchen Doyle.
Detective Murphy: You didn't have any relationship with Andrea whatsoever?
Ursula Raines: Not really. She and Gretchen were very good friends, so I met her a few times. But I don't have much to do with the theatre group or anything, so I don't really run in the same circles.
Detective Murphy: Gretchen seems pretty upset about Andrea's death.
Ursula Raines: Yes, she is. They were very close.
Detective Murphy: How close?
Ursula Raines: Almost like sisters, I guess.
Detective Armstrong: They were very close, almost like sisters, yet you never spent any time around Andrea?
Ursula Raines: I didn't want to. I value the time spent alone with my girlfriend. We're both extremely busy with work and other stuff, so when I have some free time, I don't really want to spend it with a big group of people. I prefer to concentrate on just Gretchen. She goes out and hangs out with her friends, but I choose to do other things during that time.
Detective Armstrong: Therefore, you don't really know many of the people in Oxtales?
Ursula Raines: Not really to speak of.
Detective Murphy: Okay, when did you first meet Andrea?
Ursula Raines: When she first got out of jail. Of course, I had known of her the entire time she was in prison. There was always talk of this Andrea and all the things she and Gretchen had done together. I remember Gretchen even mentioned her on the first night we met.
Detective Armstrong: When did the two of you meet?
Ursula Raines: Me and Gretchen? We met at a fundraiser about a year ago.
Detective Murphy: So you actually met Andrea for the first time after she got out of prison. Do you remember that first meeting?
Ursula Raines: It was early December, just after she was released. She got out and went to her parents' house and unpacked. Then she came over to Gretchen's place, and I was there. Gretchen was thrilled to have her home.
Detective Murphy: How did you feel about that?
Ursula Raines: What do you mean?
Detective Murphy: It's always hard to see someone else have a close relationship with your lover.
Ursula Raines: I can assure you, Officer, I trust Gretchen.
Detective Armstrong: When was the last time you saw Andrea Stover?
Ursula Raines: I guess it was about a week or so before her death. Gretchen was at my house, and Andrea came and picked her up. She came in for a little bit, and then they left.
Detective Armstrong: Without you?
Ursula Raines: They were going out because Andrea needed to blow off some steam. She was mad at the protesters and stuff. We all sat around the kitchen table talking about COP and all the other right-wing nuts for a while, and that was enough of that for me.
Detective Murphy: What's your opinion on all that?
Ursula Raines: The controversy? I think it's pretty stupid. I'm not terribly artistic myself, so I can't speak about it as passionately as Andrea did. But it's very simple to me. If people don't like her plays, then they don't have to go. Why get in an uproar about it? Just don't go.
Detective Armstrong: So you basically disagree with COP and the other critics?
Ursula Raines: They're all crazy and on a witchhunt. As a lesbian, I've had my share of experiences with intolerance, so I can certainly sympathize with Andrea in that regard.
Detective Murphy: Where were you on Sunday night?
Ursula Raines: I was at Gretchen's watching TV. Andrea called and was upset about something, of course, so they had to go talk.
Detective Armstrong: What do you mean by that?
Ursula Raines: I don't know. I guess I shouldn't speak ill of her, but I always thought Andrea was too much of a drama queen. No pun intended. She just always had some catastrophe that only Gretchen could solve.
Detective Murphy: Then what happened?
Ursula Raines: Gretchen said they were going to meet at The Roadhouse. I guess she left around 10:00 or 10:15 p.m. or so.
Detective Murphy: Did you spend the night at Gretchen's?
Ursula Raines: No, I watched a little more TV and left around 11:30 p.m. and went home.
Detective Armstrong: Why didn't you spend the night?
Ursula Raines: I had to get up early for work. Plus, I guess I was a little mad about our evening being ruined, so I just went home to relax instead of sitting around brooding.
Detective Murphy: When did you hear about Andrea's death?
Ursula Raines: I was at work for a couple of hours, and some people came in and started talking about it. Around 10:30 or 11:00 that morning.
Detective Armstrong: When did you talk to Gretchen?
Ursula Raines: I called her after I heard the news. She had been trying to call my cell phone, but I hadn't charged the battery. She was pretty upset. I took the rest of the day off to go be with her.
Detective Murphy: Can you think of anyone who might want to murder Andrea?
Ursula Raines: Lord, no. I can't imagine that. Unless …
Detective Armstrong: Unless what?
Ursula Raines: Well, those protesters are cruel, and some of them are probably even crazy, but you don't think one of them would go that far to stop her, do you?
Detective Armstrong: Do you think so?
Ursula Raines: I honestly don't know. Like I said, I don't run in those circles.
Detective Murphy: Okay, that's about all for now, but we may need to talk to you again later. Thanks for your time.
Interview ended – 11:05 a.m.
