117
Instead of seeming relieved, the man looked at him even more sourly.
‘I am,’ he said.
‘Sorry? You’re what?’
‘A Jehovah’s Witness.’
‘Oh.’
For once, Murfin was lost for words. Fry grimaced and tried to edge him aside.
‘Mr Proctor? We’re police - Detective Sergeant Fry and Detective Constable Murfin.’
‘Bloody hell.’
‘You are Mr Raymond Proctor?’
‘Of course I am. What do you want? Is it one of my guests?’
‘Who?’
‘The guests. My customers. The buggers staying in my caravans. There’s that bunch from Glasgow in one of the cabins. Two youths, and two girls with them - that’s always a recipe for trouble. I wouldn’t have let them rent a cabin if I’d realized how old they were.’
‘It isn’t about any of your customers,’ said Fry. ‘It’s about an old friend of yours: Mansell Quinn. Can we come in?’
Proctor’s face changed, but Fry wasn’t sure if he was surprised or not.
‘I suppose so,’ he said.
They followed him down a passage into an extension at the side of the house, where a room had been equipped as an office, with filing cabinets, a phone and a wooden desk on which stood a PC with a blank screen. Three oak cupboards were lined up against the back wall, and dozens of keys hung on orderly rows of hooks, neatly tagged and labelled. Despite its business use, the place had a general air of untidiness, making the neatness of the keys look out of place.
‘Are you really a Jehovah’s Witness?’ said Murfin as he passed Proctor in the doorway.
118
‘Am I buggery. I said that so you’d go away.’
‘It didn’t work.’
‘More’s the pity.’
‘Mr Proctor, are you aware that Mansell Quinn is out of prison?’
‘No. Is he? Well, I suppose it had to be around this time. I haven’t been keeping track exactly.’
‘Did you know when he was moved to an open prison?’
‘No. Why should I?’
‘You have the right to information like that under the Victim’s Charter. A probation officer should have contacted you to let you know what your rights arc.’
‘Oh, 1 recollect that someone came to see me a couple of months after Quinn was sent down. Perhaps that was a probation officer. He asked if I wanted to know about Quinn’s progress. He mentioned parole boards, and all that stuff. But why would I want to know? I’d rather forget about him.’
‘A lot of people would have wanted to know when he was due for release. It can come as a shock to see someone walking down the street when you thought they were safely inside. That’s the whole purpose of the Victim’s Charter.’
Proctor shrugged. ‘I didn’t want to know. I’m married again now, got a new family. What happened is all in the past, as far as I’m concerned. And Quinn wouldn’t come back here, anyway. Would he?’
‘Actually, we think there may be a threat to your safety, sir,’ said Fry.
‘What?’
‘Mansell Quinn was released from prison on Monday morning, but has since gone missing. We have reason to believe he may be in this area.’
‘No kidding?’
‘Also, we think he might already have attacked one person. We don’t know what his intentions are, but we’re very concerned.’
119
‘Attacked one person? Who?’
‘Well, it’ll soon be in the news. His former wife was murdered last night.’
Proctor stared at her, almost glassy-eyed. ‘Rebecca? So what has that to do with me? Why are you here instead of out there looking for Quinn?’
‘If he’s planning more violent attacks, it’s possible he might have you in mind as a potential victim, sir.’
‘What a load of rubbish,’ said Proctor. ‘Somebody’s overreacting here, aren’t they? What did you say your name was?’
‘Fry. Detective Sergeant Fry.’
‘Is this all your idea?’
Fry began to get rankled. He seemed to be suggesting she was some kind of neurotic female, worrying about nothing.
‘No, sir. There’s concern at senior level. We’ve come to advise you ‘
