Interviewer: Agent Adrienne Palmer
Subject: Gwendolyn Marshall
Date: 22/05/2012
Location of Interview: Hunter's Creek PD Holding Cells
Marshall has been held in Hunter's Creek PD's Holding cells for over twenty-four hours. The only communication she has made during this time is the word 'Lawyer'. Palmer entered the holding cells at 01:32 PM, activating a hidden recording device on her clothing.
Agent Palmer: Good afternoon. It's Wendy, right?
Marshall: For the umpteenth time, give me a lawyer.
Agent Palmer: I'm actually not police. One second.
Palmer retrieves an identification badge for her cover identity.
Agent Palmer: I'm with Suicide and Crisis Prevention. We're a non-profit organization dedicated to helping people in the aftermath of severe traumatic events. Natural disasters, terrorist attacks—
Marshall: School shootings?
Agent Palmer: Exactly.
Marshall: Can I see your badge?
Agent Palmer: Of course.
Palmer places the badge on a portion of the cell meant for depositing meal trays, and pushes it halfway through. Marshall reads it and hands it back.
Marshall: Okay. Are… are you going to record this?
Agent Palmer produces a pen and notepad.
Agent Palmer: I'm just going to take notes. I want to see if I can't recommend a good therapist in the area based off of what you tell me. Now, what can you tell me?
Marshall: All right. Let me just…
Marshall sits in her cell. Palmer pulls up her own chair.
Marshall: Where do you want me to start?
Agent Palmer: Who did you go to prom with?
Marshall: Nobody. I… I just wanted to be there. Be around people.
Agent Palmer: No date? It's a twenty-dollar ticket. Pretty pricey for this part of the state.
Marshall: Movie theater downtown has one screen and can't play anything newer than Jurassic Park. That costs the same, more if you get popcorn.
Agent Palmer: Still. Unusual for someone to go to prom alone.
Marshall: There was… there was someone there I wanted to ask to dance. Never got a chance to because… yeah.
Agent Palmer: Because you were locked in the bathroom for most of the night?
Marshall: Yep.
Palmer's notes indicate that Marshall looked 'displeased, regretful, frustrated'.
Marshall: I… I don't even know what happened.
Agent Palmer: You have ligat— you have handprints around your neck.
Marshall: I do?
Marshall touches her neck at this point. An exclamation of pain is picked up on the microphone.
Agent Palmer: The police believed he tried to strangle you, and didn't…
Marshall: Finish the job?
Agent Palmer: Essentially.
Marshall: Okay, yeah, that… I was trying to find the guy I wanted to dance with. I was about to talk to him, when… when Greg came up to me.
Agent Palmer: Greg being the… individual who caused this event.
Marshall: Yep. I… okay, I gotta be honest? He… everyone knows he's fucked up. We've always known.
Agent Palmer: How so?
Marshall: Ms. Hipp, our fifth-grade teacher. She… when Greg got into her class in August, there were three hamsters in the cage there. One of them went missing in September. Its head was found in… in Mr. Power's desk.1 Ms. Hipp got rid of the hamsters after that. We all knew it was Greg that did it.
Agent Palmer: He harmed animals?
Marshall: And people. He was… he kept on pulling hair, hitting kids… he once nearly broke the arm of another kid. Absalom. He doesn't go here anymore, I think he's in juvie.2
Agent Palmer: So, he was always a bully?
Marshall: Yep. It… I can't say it was his fault. His mom did awful things to him. He kept showing up to school with burns on the back of his hand. She died earlier this year.
Agent Palmer: How?
Marshall: I… think she OD'd.3
Agent Palmer: I see.
Marshall: It… look, it doesn't matter. I… I can't even remember what the hell happened. He came up to me, and I went into the bathroom to get away from him. Next thing I know, I'm waking up halfway in a body bag.
Agent Palmer: Didn't you have anyone to… get away to? Someone you felt safe around?
Marshall: I don't have a lot of friends. I'm kind of a wallflower, honestly.
Agent Palmer makes a note: 'who says 'wallflower' anymore?'
Marshall: I don't mind it. I spend a lot of time reading and watching stuff. Mainly true crime.
Agent Palmer: Sorry, what's true crime?
Marshall: Lizzie Borden, Ed Gein, Ed Kemper… or more modern stuff like the Brockton Bay Binder. Analysis of actual real-life crime stuff. It… I thought it was fun.
Agent Palmer: Does this… hobby of yours include mass-casualty events?
Marshall: Yeah. That's why I don't think it's fun anymore. Because… when I saw one of the bodies, I realized something.
Agent Palmer: What?
Marshall: Do you know who Charles Manson is?
Agent Palmer: Of course. Cult leader whose followers—
Marshall: Do you remember anyone his cult killed? Their names I mean.
Agent Palmer: Sh—
Marshall: Other than Sharon Tate.
Several seconds of silence.
Marshall: Can you remember the names of anyone who died at Columbine? Can you name a single person Rodney Alcala killed? Henry Lee Lucas? Hell, Jodi Arias— she was massive when I was in junior high! And everyone talks about her, but nobody, nobody remembers the name Travis Alexander! All of these horrible, horrible people…
Palmer makes a note: 'subject seems transfixed with the concept of violent individuals'.
Marshall: And nobody remembers the people that they killed. Just that they killed people. That's what's going to happen here.
Agent Palmer: Do you feel… guilty about that?
Marshall: Why would I feel guilty? I'm pissed off. I want to look him in the eyes at his trial and read out the names of everyone he killed.
Agent Palmer: His.. trial?
Marshall: There's evidence all over the place. And I'm a pretty good witness. He's totally going to be executed.
Agent Palmer: You… don't know?
Marshall: What?
Agent Palmer: Gregory Arnoldson is… dead.
Marshall: What?! When? Did he fucking— what did he do?!
Agent Palmer: Ms. Marshall, you killed him. You don't remember?
Marshall: …no. There…
Marshall inspects her prom dress, noting discoloration from exposure to acid. She looks at the hem of her dress, which is slightly carbonized.
Marshall: There's no way. There's… I can't have. No, I… I would remember it. I would… Oh God, is that why I'm here? The— the police won't tell me anything.
Agent Palmer: Killing someone is highly traumatic, Ms. Marshall. But I don't think you have to worry. If anything, you're… you're a hero.
Marshall: Why can't I remember it? What the hell? And… if I killed him… why isn't there any blood on my dress?
Agent Palmer writes a note: 'dress does appear to have minimal blood spatter. anomaly hematokinetic?'
Agent Palmer: I'll put you in contact with a therapist in the area. I'm going to stop at the vending machines before I leave; can I get you anything?
Marshall: Uh. I-I feel… I'm gonna be sick.
Agent Palmer: They have Sprite. I find that settles the stomach.
Marshall: Please.
Agent Palmer: Of course. Be right back.
Agent Palmer exits the room and finds a secluded area to make final notes.
Agent Palmer: Marshall has experienced severe trauma and appears to have either suppressed the memory of the murder, or else entered a 'blackout' state where the memory did not form. Furthermore, due to the fact that Marshall was unconscious and incapable of witnessing the majority of the anomaly's rampage, including any apparent anomalous activity, I am not recommending amnestic treatment at this time, as it would be a… a waste of resources.
Marshall is heard loudly retching in the background.
However, reports of Ms. Marshall's heroism have already been reported in the media, with the New York Post publishing a leaked image from the school's surveillance system showing Marshall terminating the anomaly. It is infeasible to contain the information that she is responsible for resolving a mass casualty event. As such, I am recommending that she be sent to a Foundation counselor operating at a civilian psychiatric practice so she may be monitored further.
End recording.