‘I mean, Mansell Quinn … well, it was all over and done with fourteen years ago. Why should Quinn care about me? I never did anything wrong. In fact, it was me that was done wrong to. If Quinn comes here, it’ll be to apologize.’
Fry took a deep breath. ‘We’d advise you to take whatever precautions you can, Mr Proctor. Keep your doors and windows locked, don’t open the door to anyone you can’t identify, make sure someone knows where you are at all times, and keep in touch.’
‘I don’t think that’ll be necessary.’
‘We hope not, sir. But it’s better to be safe than sorry. We can give you a number to phone if you’re worried. Of course, it would be even better if you left the area for a while. Perhaps you could take your family on holiday or stay with friends?’
‘You are kidding, aren’t you?’ said Proctor. ‘Have you seen this place? Who do you think runs it? This is our busiest time of the year. If I’m away from the site for a couple of hours, the whole thing starts to grind to a halt.’
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‘?’
sirr
Proctor simply laughed in her face. ‘Are you thinking in terms of razor wire and searchlights? You think I should get a dog? Perhaps a couple of Rottweilers to patrol the garden? Or a few man-traps and CCTV cameras?’ He stared out of the window, and for the first time Fry thought she saw a trace of uncertainty in the man’s eyes. ‘None of them would mean anything to Quinn.’
‘We can’t offer protection, I’m afraid, sir,’ she said.
‘I don’t expect it. Believe me, I don’t. What, some goon of a bobby hanging around my gate? It wouldn’t achieve anything, except to scare my customers off.’
‘We can ask patrols to come by at regular intervals.’
‘Oh, if you like. Now, have you finished?’
Proctor assumed an expression of indifference. It was the sort of expression worn by teenagers who wanted to look cool. Raymond Proctor had obviously practised it to perfection over the years, and had even added a little curl of the lip that hinted at contempt. Fry expected him to shrug and say: ‘Yeah. Whatever.’
Well, what about your family? They could go away somewhere.’
‘Connie and her kids? Chance would be a fine thing.’
‘Just until the situation is resolved.’
‘Until you’ve caught Mansell Quinn, you mean? Well, I’m not holding my breath.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘I’m sorry, Sergeant, but I don’t think it’s very likely that you’ll catch him. I know your lot - you couldn’t catch a cold in winter. In my opinion, if Quinn’s gone walkabout, he won’t be caught until he wants to be.’
Fry hesitated, still concerned that Raymond Proctor hadn’t grasped the seriousness of the situation, or the immediacy of the danger he was in.
‘What sort of security arrangements do you have here,
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Then she lost patience. Before she turned to leave, Fry leaned forward towards Proctor, pointing a finger in his face.
‘Just remember this,’ she said. ‘Every day and every night, somebody could be coming here to kill you.’
Will Thorpe lit another cigarette. He had moved back from the hollow into the trees, where he could look across the rooftops of the houses on the southern edge of Castleton.
‘I don’t suppose you’ve got any fags on you?’ he said.
‘No.’
Mansell Quinn wouldn’t sit down or relax. He stood among the trees, staring down into the gardens of the houses, running his eyes across the back windows, watching anyone who came in view.
‘You must have smoked inside,’ said Thorpe.
Quinn didn’t answer.
‘Suit yourself, then.’
‘My house is just up the road from here,’ said Quinn.
Tindale Road? It was your house.’
Quinn turned quickly and covered the few feet between them in a second. Thorpe flinched and doubled over in a spasm of coughing. But Quinn simply stood over him. He looked up at the keep of the castle, where it hung over the sheer side of Cavedale.
‘See those bits sticking out of the wall of the tower?’ he said.
Thorpe wheezed and tried to control his breathing. He wiped some saliva from his mouth.
‘What are you on about, Mansell?’
‘Can you see them?’
‘Yeah, all right. I can.’
‘They called those oubliettes,’ said Quinn. ‘It’s where they used to tip their shit out of the castle. Those folk down there in the dale would have been wading through it.’
‘Oh, very nice.’
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‘But even then, they knew that you have to get rid of your shit. You can’t have it fouling up your own home. So you offload it on to someone else. Isn’t that right, Will?’
