The interview was long and painful to listen to. Even the agents, who had probably heard a lot of horrible fates, were horrified at what they heard. Audrey showed them different parts of her body that still had signs of abuse, like her back that was full of marks from the whip and her ankles that had marks from the shackles. The way she talked about her situation, with that almost detached voice was jarring, though Nora suspected it was also a survival mechanism, to be able to get through it all without breaking down. But hearing her talk so calmly about the fates of others was so strange. The only time she showed emotions at all was when she described what had happened to Rita. Or Kaneez, as she called her, when she forgot herself. And when she explained what she had done to be allowed outside without the bit, how she had snitched on the thief. It was clear that that still bothered her. Nora hoped she wouldn't continue to blame herself for it but didn't know what to say.
At least there wasn't a question as to Audrey's identity. Which was good, since no one other than Nora had known her well enough to report her missing. The FBI would have to get long lists of missing persons in the area the others might have come from. It was going to be a nightmare. Nora didn't envy them that job.
As they got closer to the events that Nora also had a part in, she also contributed with some comments. Especially when it came to what they had done in the room, both before and after Audrey had recovered her memories. The FBI promised that they would get a medical doctor to assess all of them that day as well.
"Whatever treatment the woman you call the scop gave you, only made the amnesia worse. I suspect that was the point, though I am surprised it lasted that long."
"I suspect it was confirmation bias. When everyone around me confirmed the same story, I was able to make myself believe that it was like that, and the few details that didn't add up could be dismissed."
"Yes. I am not a psychologist, but I think that's fairly accurate."
Here, Audrey hesitated, before asking a question Nora had not expected.
"About that castle, how much did you search through the grounds yesterday?"
"Not very thoroughly, but that is a work in progress. We focused on getting the people out of there, but a team of crime scene investigators are searching through every inch of the castle as we speak. If it is the animals you're worried about, they are fine. We contacted the nearest animal rescue group and they were there only a few hours after we left. They will take care of the animals and find new homes for them."
"Good. But I wonder…" Audrey's voice faltered for the first time since the interview started. "Have you found the mass grave on the north side of the castle yet?"
From the way the agent reacted, it seemed like they had not. Audrey sighed. "I don't know how many are buried there, or if that is even possible to figure out. Most of the bodies are only the bones. We…" here she took another pause. "I fed most of the meat to the pigs. They called it recycling, not to waste fodder. I truly didn't see the fault in that logic, I just blindly did what they said. But you said you wanted to know our parts in all the things that happened, and that was one of my jobs. I cared for all the animals, but I also fed human corpses to the pigs. Most of which we ate at a later date. I suspect that is illegal." Nora tightened her grip on Audrey's hand as she said that. It almost sounded like she wanted the FBI to punish her for that. The agent seemed to be at a loss for words.
"I suspect you are going to be hearing several stories just like this, when you start interviewing the others," Nora said, to break the silence. "You need to be prepared for what to say."
"Yes. I'm sorry that you had to do that. And while you're right, that it is illegal, I doubt anyone is going to place the blame on that on you. You didn't kill any of them, and you had no recollection of the laws and ethics of other places at the time. But I thank you for informing us about it. We will bring in a forensic anthropologist to see what can be done about identifying the remains in the mass grave. And at the least give them a more fitting burial ground."
Audrey just nodded. It was clear that she wanted this to be done. The agent saw that too.
"Is there anything else you want to add, or shall we wrap this up for now?"
"Can you tell me, what are the chances of Ka… Rita to recover?"
"We don't know yet. But we have the best psychologists in the country working on her as we speak."
"Can you tell me, if she's ever fit for visitors? I want to apologize to her. I feel that I used her to get myself ahead. I know it might not help her anything, but it would mean a lot to me."
"I will keep you informed. Her husband has also mentioned a desire to meet you personally, maybe that will work for now?"
"Why does he want to see me?"
"He didn't say, but it is one of the few requests he's made, apart from the things involving his wife specifically."
Nora suspected Bryan wanted to thank her, but Audrey looked like she was afraid he would be angry with her.
"It's not going to happen within the next few days anyway," the agent said. "Mr. Coote has left to be closer to the facility where his wife is."
Nora hadn't expected that, but she didn't blame him. Of course he wanted to be closer to his wife. That was his first priority. She hadn't thought that would be so far away from where the rest of them were though. She was surprised to think that she would miss him. But what the agent said next made her forget about the Cootes.
"As for you, Miss Brock, we must thank you. It is unlikely that we would have found the base without your help. That goes for you as well, Miss Keene. Without your aid, I doubt this operation would have been so successful. I suspect that once this is all over, there will be a reward for the both of you. And Mr. Coote as well, of course."
Neither of them had expected that. Nora didn't know how to respond, but the agents didn't seem to expect one.
"I also suspect that most of you will get a redress, either from whatever values your perpetrators still possess, or from the state. I cannot begin to think about how much that would be, but it probably means that you won't have to worry about money again for quite some time."
Audrey just gaped. She hadn't even begun to think about things like that. Neither had Nora, but it made sense. They had all suffered a horrible situation, many of them for years. Of course they would be entitled to a redress.
"I can't even begin to think about that right now," Audrey said. "Can we finish this, please."
"Certainly. I'm sorry if that was overwhelming, but I also didn't want you to start worrying about the future."
"How solid is the evidence against the Lady and the others? And have you found out any of their names?"
"No names, other than Philip Olsen, as you have already heard. From what you've described, I doubt we will find their names registered anywhere. But they don't need to have established identities to be judged. Don't worry, none of them will ever see the light of day again. The "Lady" as you call her is also quite ill, so chances are, she won't make it to a trial."
"Yes, I suspected that. She had looked ill ever since we finished our last tour. I have heard Philip call her Elfgifu once, can that help?"
"It will at least give us something to call her. Thank you. I will let you go and rest now."
"Just, one last thing," Audrey said, after what Nora thought was a short inner debate. "The woman called Ædven… I don't think she knows anything about the real world. If her story is true, which I think it is, she has been in that castle since she was 5 years old. Her whole world is that small castle, or the burh on location. Please keep that in mind as you interrogate her. I don't think she did anything maliciously." The agent shook his head in bewilderment.
"You are incredible. You feel sympathy towards those that were part of keeping you in such an environment."
"Only her. I have no pity to spare on any of the others, but I feel that she has been deceived just as I was."
"We will take that under consideration," the agent said. "Again, thank you for your detailed story. That will be very helpful if some of the others struggle to remember things. I must also ask, are you willing to testify if there is ever a trial?"
Audrey looked horrified at the very idea, and the agent quickly backtracked.
"You don't have to make that decision now. Just think about it. It will be quite some time before that needs to be decided."