‘I don’t think so, Cardilini.’ Robinson held up a sheet of typed paper with the police insignia and headed, ‘Internal Charge Sheet’.

‘What’s the complaint?’ Cardilini asked, not liking the expression on Robinson’s face nor the charge sheet.

‘Have you had any dealings with a student named Mossop?’

‘Yes. He was a boy I interviewed.’

‘Who was with you when you interviewed him?’

‘Umm. We were out on the school quadrangle.’

‘Before you went out onto the school quadrangle?’

‘What’s this about?’

‘The boy went to the principal and said you exposed yourself to him.’

‘What?’

‘You heard,’ Robinson said distastefully.

‘Bullshit. Absolute bullshit.’

‘You’d have to say that wouldn’t you?’

‘What?’ Cardilini swung his head like a stunned boxer.

‘He also alleges that you showed him a picture of a boy with his pants down and you wanted him to do the same.’

‘What?’

‘Did you show him one of those sketches?’

‘It was his sketch. The idiot’s name was on it. And the pants weren’t down,’ Cardilini thundered.

‘You told me you’d given all the sketches to me.’

‘It was different to the others,’ Cardilini offered as an excuse.

‘So now you’re lying to me?’ Robinson thundered back.

‘Yeah, but . . .’

‘And, do you have a completed report on the shooting?’

‘No, but . . .’

‘You’re off the case. There will be a hearing as to what the boy has said.’

‘You know it’s bullshit.’

‘So I ring up Braun and say, “Cardilini said it’s bullshit?” Is that how we’ll deal with it?

‘That’s how they deal with it,’ Cardilini threw back.

‘Were you alone with the boy?’ Robinson demanded.

‘Salt . . .’

‘You sent Salt off to get some keys. I’ve already checked his notebook.’

‘I’m being set up,’ Cardilini said.

‘You’ve made a mess of this. I’ve put Spry and Archer on to finish the report.’ He pointed outside the office. ‘Give them the file. Salt will assist them from now on.’

‘Salt has no idea what’s going on.’

‘And you do, do you? What? What’s going on?’ Robinson’s frustration was evident.

Cardilini considered his options. Just shut up and let the establishment boys have their pound of flesh to save his job . . . or go for broke.

‘There have been three deaths in the last three years, one suicide, high possibility two others were also. Edmund has been there four years. I think his death was a planned execution. Carried out by an executioner. This is an attempt to shut me up.’