‘No.’

‘If Captain Edmund discovered the armoury broken into and a rifle missing, the same night the canteen was broken into, how do you think he would proceed?’

‘The canteen break-in was weeks ago. It was local louts. And it’s not the first time. He would have reported it straightaway. He would take that sort of thing personally. But it wasn’t broken into so there wasn’t a rifle missing.’

‘How do you know that?’

‘They have cadets just about every day of the week, they march with their rifles.’

‘Each boy has a rifle?’

‘I don’t know, but it would be obvious if one was missing.’

‘Would it?’

‘Yes, with the competitions, the shooting competitions. A number of years running our boys won the Schoolboys’ State Marksman Awards.’

‘How about that?’ Cardilini mused observing Abbott, ‘Any other questions we had for Mr Abbott, Salt?’

‘The keys to the armoury,’ Salt said.

‘I’ve told Dr Braun this already. Captain Edmund didn’t keep the keys to the armoury in his room. It’s possible some of the senior cadets might know where they are.’

‘Got that, Salt?’

‘Yes, sir.’

‘Great. Thank you, Mr Abbott,’ Cardilini said, standing.

‘I’ve been instructed to get Carmody when I leave. May I ask why you chose Carmody?’

‘Random selection.’

Abbott stood and glanced again at Salt. Cardilini walked with Abbott to the door, shook his hand and returned to his chair.

‘Can I ask what you are thinking, sir?’ Salt asked.

‘I’m thinking speculation is not necessarily good police work. No more speculation, Salt. Let’s just follow facts.’

‘Yes, sir.’

‘You haven’t changed your style of note taking, I hope.’

‘No, sir.’

*

Carmody entered the room and stood for a moment, scrutinising Salt with expressionless brown eyes. He then walked to the front and sat on a desk.

‘Carmody,’ he announced.

Cardilini smiled broadly, taking in the handsome, even features and dark hair. ‘Thank you. I chose names at random just so I could get a sense of what boarders recalled of the evening.’

‘I would have thought I was randomly selected because I had a falling out with Captain Edmund,’ Carmody replied coolly.

‘Really?’ Cardilini said with a look to Salt, ‘That sounds like a good reason, too.’

Carmody gave a brief glance to Salt before saying, ‘Let me save you some time. It was an accidental shooting, from across the river.’

‘You heard the shooting?’

‘We all heard it.’

‘One shot in particular?’

‘One shot in particular at about eleven p.m. sounded close, but then they do at times,’ Carmody said.

‘The inversion layer?’

‘That’s right, sound bounces off a heavy layer of moist air.’

‘So. No doubt?’ Cardilini asked.

‘No doubt.’

‘Do you think it’s possible that if someone knew this, they could disguise their own rifle fire?’ Cardilini asked.

‘No. We’re all farmers’ sons, a shot this side of the river, if you’re suggesting that, would be too obvious,’ Carmody replied with steady eyes on Cardilini.

‘And the falling out with Captain Edmund, what was that about?’