I turned to gaze down at him in surprise. He shrugged. ‘It was a logical conclusion. I made a cursory examination of the statue – cursory because I was unable to approach it as closely as I would have liked thanks to the crime-scene tape and evidence team – and was unable to discern any saw marks or other indications of how the head was severed. There is no possible way bronze can be cut that cleanly without the use of some sort of heavy machinery, but such machinery would never fit through—’

‘Mr Ackerman!’ Sister Ernestine sounded like she meant business. ‘Would you like to be written up?’

David looked irritated. ‘No,’ he said.

‘No, what?’

‘No, Sister.’ He looked back at me, apologetically. ‘I guess I better go. But can we talk more about this tonight at home? I found out some stuff about – well, what you asked me. You know.’ He widened his eyes meaningfully. ‘About the house.’

‘Oh,’ I said. ‘Great. OK.’

‘Mr Ackerman!’

David turned to look at the nun. ‘Hold on a minute, OK, Sister? I’m trying to have a conversation here.’

All of the blood left the middle-aged woman’s face. It was incredible.

She reacted as childishly as if she were the twelve-year-old, and not David.

‘Come with me, young man,’ she said, seizing hold of David’s ear. ‘I can see your new stepsister has put some pretty big city ideas into your head about how a boy speaks to his elders—’

David let out a noise like a wounded animal, but went along with the woman, hunched up like a shrimp, he was in so much pain. I swear I wouldn’t have done anything – anything at all – if I hadn’t suddenly noticed Heather standing just inside the gate, laughing her head off.

‘Oh, God,’ she cried, gasping a little, she was laughing so hard. ‘If you could have seen your face when you heard Bryce was dead! I swear! It was the funniest thing I’ve ever seen!’ She stopped laughing long enough to toss her long hair and say, ‘You know what? I think I’m going to clobber a few more people with stuff today. Maybe I’ll start with that little guy over there—’

I stepped towards her. ‘You lay one hand on my brother, and I’ll stuff you right back into that grave you crawled out of.’

Heather only laughed, but Sister Ernestine, who I realized belatedly thought I was talking to her, let go of David so fast you’d have thought the kid had suddenly caught on fire.

‘What did you say?’

Sister Ernestine was turning sort of purple. Behind her, Heather laughed delightedly. ‘Oh, now you’ve done it. Detention for a week!’

And just like that, she disappeared, leaving behind yet another mess for me to clean up.

As much to my surprise as, I think, her own, Sister Ernestine could only stare at me. David stood there rubbing his ear and looking bewildered. I said as quickly as I could, ‘We’ll go back to our classrooms now. We were only concerned about Father Dominic, and wanted to see him off. Thanks, Sister.’