“I’ll help if I can, of course. What is his name?”
“Stringer,” Sam said.
“John Stringer?” Thomas asked.
“Yes,” Sam confirmed. “I was hoping you could tell me something about him.”
“John Stringer,” Thomas mused. “Yes, I remember John. I understand he died a while ago.” It was an observation rather than a question.
“Yes he did,” Sam said.
“John’s was a sad story. What would you like to know?”
“How long was he here?”
“Just a few months, as I recall. I would have to check our records to tell you exactly how long. He came here directly from prison. He lost his family home, of course, and it was a condition of his parole that he reside here on his release. Are you familiar with his background?”
“Yes,” Sam nodded. “I was with the police when he was arrested for killing his family.”
“Wha
