Hello, my name is Sam Mason. For reasons I will not yet divulge, I have been asked to conduct, and record, an interview with a woman by the name of Karen Smith. The focus of this interview will principally concern Ms Smith's acquaintanceship with a Miss Sarah Dunlop.
It is worth noting at this time, that I have not met with, nor had any communication with, either Ms Smith or Miss Dunlop prior to the interview. I have, however, been provided with a few ancillary details, including a photograph of Ms Smith, and I will describe her now for the benefit of the log.
She appears to be mid, perhaps verging towards late, thirties. She has pale skin and dark red hair, which she wears at shoulder length. Her eyes are a greeny-blue. She is reasonably attractive, stands approximately 5'3" tall, and is marginally overweight.
The interview follows.
*
Sam Mason: Hi Karen. My name is Sam.
Karen Smith: Nice to meet you.
SM: Do you understand why I'm here today?
KS: Not exactly, no.
SM: I've been asked to interview you about your relationship with Sarah Dunlop.
KS: Yes, I'm aware of that much, but nobody has actually told me why.
SM: I'm not able to go into that I'm afraid.
KS: I'd prefer to know why we're doing this before we proceed.
SM: Sorry, but I have been explicitly instructed not to give you any detail regarding the purpose of the interview. If you don't want to continue, you can leave now.
Karen remained silent for several seconds.
SM: Do you wish to leave?
KS: No.
SM: You're sure?
KS: Yes.
SM: If you're sure, I need to ask that you provide open, honest and comprehensive answers to all my questions. You understand?
KS: Yes.
SM: Good, let's get started. First, I want to find out a bit about you.
KS: Okay.
SM: How old are you Karen?
KS: I'm 37 next month.
SM: Are you married?
KS: Divorced.
SM: When did you split with your husband?
KS: It was about three years ago. No, nearly four actually.
SM: And for how long were you married?
KS: Eight years.
SM: Any children?
KS: Yes, we've got two girls.
SM: Why did you and your husband divorce?
KS: There were many reasons - I guess we grew apart.
SM: So it was amicable?
KS: Oh no. Far from it.
SM: I see. What do you do for a living Karen?
KS: I work part-time in a call centre.
SM: Of course, and I understand this is where you met Sarah, is that correct?
KS: Yes.
SM: Tell me about your first meeting.
KS: Okay. Well I've worked at the call centre for six years, the last three of which I've been covering the grave-yard shift.
SM: What hours does that entail?
KS: 10pm through to 6am.
SM: So I guess it is quite quiet at that time?
KS: Yes, very quiet. I usually take one or two calls an hour. It's nice - I like it that way.
SM: How many nights a week do you work?
KS: Just three.
SM: And Sarah does the same hours?
KS: Yes, she joined the night shift about a year ago.
SM: Did you welcome her arrival?
KS: Yes, but she was very quiet, kept to herself.
SM: How many of you work over night?
KS: Back then, there were three. Me, Sarah and a lady called Maggie.
SM: Were you friendly with Maggie?
KS: Yes, very friendly we used to natter away for hours. She's a very nice lady.
SM: Did you and her make an effort to include Sarah?
KS: Yes, we both did - daily - but we were lucky if we got more than a one word answer from her.
SM: Did you find her arrogant?
KS: To be honest, I couldn't decide whether it was arrogance or she was just shy.
SM: Can you describe Sarah for me?
KS: Her appearance?
SM: Yes.
KS: She is beautiful. Voluptuous curvy figure, deep blue eyes, long dark hair. Every man's dream girl, I guess.
SM: And how old is Sarah?
KS: 28.
SM: Okay, so how long did this dynamic remain?
KS: How do you mean?
SM: Sarah being so...elusive.
KS: Three or four months.
SM: What changed?
KS: Maggie was involved in a car accident.
SM: Was she okay?
KS: She is now, but it was quite serious at the time. She hasn't ever returned to work.
SM: Was she replaced?
KS: No.
SM: So it was just you and Sarah in the office. That must have been a little awkward?
KS: You could say that.
SM: Was she still as quiet and self-contained?
KS: At first.
SM: Then what happened?
KS: A week or so after Maggie's accident, I arrived five minutes late. Sarah was already at her desk and was talking, loudly, on her phone. Her mobile that is, not her work phone. It wasn't the Sarah I knew. She sounded energetic, bubbly.
SM: Do you know who she was talking to?
KS: A friend I guess, they were discussing a rather adventurous night out.
SM: Go on.
KS: As I was sitting down at my desk, I caught her eye, smiled and mouthed a friendly 'hello'. Then - out of nowhere - she just cut me this look.
SM: What sort of look?
KS: It was a contemptuous icy glare. As if to say 'don't you dare look at me'.
SM: How did you react?
KS: I turned away, quickly.
SM: Did you challenge her about it later?
KS: No - I avoided her for the rest of the evening.
SM: And she didn't make any attempt to apologise or explain?
KS: No.
SM: So what happened at your next shift?
KS: It was a couple of days later, so I'd had plenty of time to dwell on it, and convinced myself that I was probably just being hyper-sensitive. When she arrived at the office I greeted her as if nothing had happened and asked how she was.
SM: And?
KS: She ignored me.
SM: Completely?
KS: Yes, she didn't so much as glance in my direction.
SM: What did you do?
KS: Nothing. I shrugged it off and carried on reading a book I had just started.
SM: So there was no contact again that evening?
KS: No. There was contact.
SM: Explain.
KS: I popped to the toilet around 2am. When I returned she was on her mobile - the way she was talking, it sounded like the same person as before.
SM: What were they discussing?
KS: I didn't hear all that much. As soon as I got back to my desk, she looked across at me and told the caller she had to go, because 'the fat bitch is back'.
SM: She called you a fat bitch?
KS: Yes.
SM: Did she say it quietly?
