Juan Arrabal was the Spanish consul in Manchester. Annie Walker visited him, concerned about the lack of news about Emily Nugent who had gone there to find out why Ernest Bishop had been imprisoned on a charge of offending public morality and Annie had failed to hear from her. Annie had decided that, with her extensive knowledge of the country (gained from a couple of short holidays there), that she would be charmed by the man and following his courtesy and the offer of a glass of sherry, she even went so far as to smoke a rare cigarette in his presence. Senor Arrabal thought her visit was to complain about a hotel or a holiday and when he found out the real reason he didn't want to get involved but when Annie found out that all visitors to Spain have to register there, she pushed him into making enquiries with the London embassy. He did so and found out, with some admiration, that Ernie was being visited in prison by three different women. One of them, Karen Spencer, was one of the models who Ernie had gone with there with to photograph for a travel calendar for Willie Piggott and she herself had now been put in jail. Initially unable to trace Emily, Senor Arrabal later heard that she was staying in the country and wasn't leaving. He passed this information onto Annie.