‘I’m on it from time to time, yes. Not that often.’

He nodded.

‘Biggest social network in the world, you know. More than 1.2 billion users, which equates to every fifth person on the planet. Amazing stat, isn’t it? Have you looked at it recently?’

‘Yesterday morning I had a quick look, I think.’

The stuff Ben had posted on my Facebook account was too cryptic, too obscure, to mean much to anyone else. Draper couldn’t be referring to that. Could he?

‘Have you been on Facebook this morning?’

‘Don’t really have time to look at it in the mornings.’

‘Last night?’

‘No.’

‘Because, as I said, the head is a big believer in the power of reputation, of leading by example. The importance of staff setting the very highest example for our young people to follow.’

‘Of course.’

‘Which is why I wanted to see you this morning.’

‘I’m sorry, Carl, I’m not sure what you’re talking about.’

He had two widescreen monitors side by side on his desk, and he turned one towards me.

‘I’m talking about this, Joe.’

He indicated the screen.

‘Recognise anyone?’

Facebook. A picture of me.

A picture of me being escorted into a police station by two detectives.

Chapter 37

37

The picture showed me walking into Kilburn Police Station on Salisbury Road, flanked by Naylor and Redford. My face was etched with worry. DS Redford had one hand touching my elbow and was indicating the way with her other hand. I didn’t even remember her doing it at the time, but now, looking at the picture, it added a whole new perspective: as if I was being escorted into the station against my will.

Something was not right with the picture.

There. It was subtle. You had to look twice to be sure.

Handcuffs.

Leaning forward, I squinted at the screen.

I was handcuffed to DS Redford. My left wrist, her right.

Someone had Photoshopped the image to add handcuffs where there had been none in reality. They had done a good job of it, too. They even looked real to me, and I knew they were fake. It was skilful, subtle work. And damning.

Jesus Christ.

Next to it, a picture of me standing outside the station after the interview, on the pavement, looking shell-shocked, stunned, as if I didn’t know where I was or what day it was. The pictures looked like they had been taken from across the street. Each picture had a date and time stamp on the bottom right-hand corner, showing they had been taken an hour and ten minutes apart, yesterday morning.

I looked at the text.

Ollie Fulton shared David Bramley’s photo – 13 hours ago

Gotcha! Look who’s been arrested Joe Lynch! Looks like a few months/years/decades off work might be needed from Haddon Park Academy Lol #IFoughtTheLaw ;-)

It had eighty-nine likes and forty-one comments.