Exercise part one: The Voice

The Trial of James Sparrow

“Would you say Mrs. Walters that leading up to the night in question there was anything suspicious going on with your neighbor?”
“Well…its like I was telling you before Mr. Mason, that Wednesday I was going down to catch a bus to go to the farmers market on 97th, th- the one that they have every Wednesday, and as I was going past Jenny’s er, Ms. Sparrow’s, door I heard her arguing with someone.”
“What did they sound like Mrs. Walters?”
“Angry.”
“Were they a man, a woman…?”
“Oh! oh, yes they sounded like a man he wasn’t yelling, but he was angry about something and I could hear them in the hall.”
“Could you hear what they were talking about Mrs. Walters.”
“Well I, I mean, you know you feel like you should look after your neighbors and well you aught to just check?”
“So you heard what they were talking about through the door?”
“Yes but, but only a little bit mind you, and I wasn’t snooping—I Was just making sure she were all right.”
“The conversation Mrs Walters.”
“Well he kept going on about some suitcase or something, and I could hear poor Jenny crying, it sounded like he wanted to know where her brother, oh that’s James, he was such a nice boy always used to carry my bags up for me…where he had put this bag, oh he sounded bad Mr. Mason made you skin crawl just hearing it.”
“You mentioned Mr. Sparrow was he in the apartment too?”
“I hadn’t seen James cense he left on his ‘grand adventure’ five, six years ago.”
“So you did not hear him in the apartment?”
“No, just Jenny and that man.”
“And you’re sure it wasn’t James in the apartment.”
“No, erm yes? … It wasn’t James Mr. Mason, that voice was much older than James’s.”
“Did you hear anything else in the hallway that day Mrs. Walters.”
“No, I had to go or I would miss my bus to the farmers market, they only come once every hour you see.”
“Yes, that’s fine now lets skip ahead to the night after that.”
“Friday night?”
“Yes.”
“Well I was sitting down with my dinner to listen to my radio programs, I like to listen to the dramas while I eat my dinner, well I was just setting up my tray and waiting for the radio to warm up when I heard a door slam next door, that would be Jenny… Ms. Sparrow’s apartment, so I went into the kitchen to, to get a glass of water, and I could hear another argument going on.”
“Was it the same man as before?”
“Yes, he was there again.”
“So it was just this man and Jenny Mrs. Walters?”
“Um.”
“… Mrs. Walters was there anybody else?”
“Yes, I could hear James too.”
“Are you sure it was Mr. Sparrow’s voice?”
“Oh yes it was James alright, he grew up next door, I knew him when he was just a little boy running around in that ridiculous hat.”
“Alright, could you hear what the argument was about Mrs. Walters?”
“It was harder to hear though the wall, but I got down near the vent and…well you see I had dropped…um”
“Its alright Mrs. Walters, what did you hear.”
“James and this man were having a very heated conversation, I have never heard James Sparrow sound like that in my life, he sounded so scared the poor dear, and Jenny was crying again, oh those poor children such a hard life after there parents, after there parents, oh those poor dears.”
“Its alright Mrs. Walters continue when you can.”
“Oh I’m sorry, it’s just well you get close to people you know?”
“What were they talking about?”
“That man was still going on about that suitcase, apparently James was supposed to have it, and I guess he didn’t, and he was threatening James and calling him a rat, oh he was such a cur OH! oh dear excuse me!”
“Its alright Mrs. Walters this is a very emotional subject.”
“Thank you Mr. Mason, where was I? Yes he was saying James had broken a deal with somebody, and that somebody wasn’t very happy, only he used such vile language, and that James had better return the suitcase, than he said he was going to take some collateral, that made James mad, I couldn’t hear what he was yelling they must have gone into a different room, I could still hear Jenny sobbing that poor girl, well James and this fellow had it out and a minuet or so later there was another door slam and the man had left, I tried to get to the hall to have a look but I don’t very fast anymore, when I went back to the kitchen James and Jenny were talking, but it was too quiet to understand, and my diner was getting cold and didn’t want to waste a meal.”
“What time of the evening was this Mrs. Walters?
“Well it was just before 8, that’s when my program comes on you see.”
“Good, now lets talk about the day in question... It’s allright Mrs. Walters, we can take a short break before we continue if you like.”