‘Come on Cardilini, give yourself a break. The word is, the kid who’s accusing you doesn’t know if he’s coming or going. Apparently the principal warned you.’

‘Yeah. He did.’

‘You should go home. Bishop wouldn’t care.’

‘Yeah, thanks, Spry.’

‘No worries. When you’ve got your act together, come out with Archer and me.’

‘I don’t need my act together to go out with you two,’ Cardilini said.

Spry smiled, giving Cardilini a thumbs up as he walked away.

*

‘I might call it a day,’ Cardilini said to Bishop five minutes later.

‘I wondered what you were doing here. When is . . .?’

‘Friday morning.’

‘Good luck with that. It sounds like you pissed off the wrong kid.’

‘Yeah.’

‘They’re just going through the motions, Cardilini. A kid’s word against a cop’s word. It’s not going to fly.’

‘Yeah. I know,’ Cardilini said. And he did know, the whole thing would be dismissed, there was nothing to back the boy up.

‘It will turn out like the other one,’ Bishop said.

‘Which one?’

‘Didn’t you have some kid dobbing on a teacher, and even his mates said he was lying?’ Bishop said, returning to his work.

‘Where did you hear that?’ Cardilini asked.

‘Weren’t you talking about it?’ Bishop looked up.

‘No. No. I didn’t tell anyone.’

‘It was your case. Maybe Salt was telling someone. Salt and Robinson? I don’t know, it was after work when we were having a drink.’

‘Salt and Robinson? Doesn’t make sense.’ Cardilini knew he hadn’t told Salt; only Carmody, Burnside, Mrs Lockheed and Paul knew of it.

‘St Nicholas old boys,’ Bishop said as explanation.

‘Who?’ Cardilini asked sharply.

‘Robinson and Salt.’

‘Salt?’ Cardilini said shocked.

‘Yeah. Thick as thieves. But I thought you knew that.’

‘No. I’ve been . . .’ Cardilini didn’t finish, he didn’t know what or where he had been; asleep, in a fog, stupid?

‘We thought you did and that’s why you were keeping Salt at a distance.’

‘No. So when was Salt at St Nicholas?’

‘He went back to the farm at the end of form four. Salt’s old man and Robinson were at school together.’

‘How long ago was Salt at St Nicholas?’ Cardilini asked.

‘Would have left, what, four years ago.’

‘Bloody hell, Bishop, you didn’t think to tell me?’

‘Not really. You’d have given the kid a hard time if I did.’

‘Of course I bloody wouldn’t,’ Cardilini said but thought, of course I bloody would have.

‘So how would Salt know about Lockheed unless Carmody or Burnside told him?’ Cardilini asked himself more than Bishop.

‘You’ve lost me. Anyway, all done and dusted. When the hearing is over and if you’re still sober I’ll give you something decent. I’ll give you a real murder.’