Patrick:I just don’t know why he’s not answering his phone.

Marlow:Mr Carter, please. Would you answer some questions for me and then I’ll see if there is anything I can find out.

Patrick:Fine. Okay.

Marlow:Could you confirm your position at Morris & Wood?

Patrick:I’m a Senior Account Director. I sit on the board. I’ve been there since the start. Since long before Harry came to Lymington and set up an arm of the agency here. I worked with him in London.

Marlow:Can you tell me what your role entails?

Patrick:I manage some of our most important accounts. I’m responsible for five of them – the ones with the larger marketing budgets.

Marlow:You’re pretty high up there then, is that what you’re saying?

Patrick:I’m a director. Yes, of course. I’m Harry’s deputy.

Marlow:Officially?

Patrick:Not in a contract, if that’s what you mean, but Harry involves me in all the decisions. When he’s not around, I pick things up.

Marlow:Were you involved in the decision to keep Mia Anderson at the firm?

Patrick:(pause) No.

Marlow:So Harry didn’t run that past you?

Patrick:Not that decision. What’s your point? Aren’t I supposed to be here because of the fact the entire office has burned down? What does it matter whether I was any part of a decision to recruit someone?

Marlow:I’m just trying to get some facts. That’s all. You are helping, Patrick, and I appreciate you probably have many things you need to be sorting out right now, but your assistance is crucial in helping us build a picture of what happened last night.

Patrick:Fine. Fine. (pause) No, I wasn’t involved in Mia Anderson remaining in the job. That was one Harry took on by himself. I suppose he thought she was doing a good job. I don’t know, I didn’t really get involved in her accounts.

Marlow:Did the decision upset anyone in the office?

Patrick:Like I said, it was nothing to do with my job – it was Laura Denning she’d taken over from.

Marlow:And how did it go down with Laura?

Patrick:(laughs) How do you expect? She was pretty pissed. Sorry, excuse my French. She was annoyed.

Marlow:Thank you, but you don’t have to excuse your language for me. How she was annoyed?

Patrick:Well, she thought she’d been replaced, I guess. I suppose she had been. To tell you the truth, I thought Harry was treading muddy water. I’m pretty certain that legally he shouldn’t have done what he did.

Marlow:How do you mean?

Patrick:Well, he took Laura off her job. Gave the biggest client to someone else who’d only been doing it five minutes.

Marlow:You don’t agree with the decision?