Singh and I hurried after Samira, wondering what had happened. Was one of the students hurt? Sasha was there and she let us in, then she and Samira led us upstairs to Leon’s room. The door was ajar, and when we looked inside the room was in a state. Drawers had been opened and their contents strewn everywhere, the mattress was tipped on its side and the bed had been moved away from the wall.

Samira found Leon’s room like this, Sasha explained.

‘Who has access to the residence during the school day?’ Singh asked.

All the staff, and the students who live here, though strictly speaking they shouldn’t be here between nine and three.

‘Is there any way of knowing who entered the building?’

Sasha frowned. I think there are CCTV cameras. You’d better ask Liz about that.

Singh nodded. ‘I will.’

He went into Leon’s room and started having a look around, leaving me out on the landing.

I haven’t told Miss Marcek, Samira told me, looking flustered. I was coming to tell her when I saw you, so obviously I told you first.

I stuck my head in the door and asked Singh if Samira could go. He came back out and fixed her with a stern look.

‘Why were you here, Samira? You don’t board, so you shouldn’t even be in the residence.’

The girl shrugged and wouldn’t look at him. I wanted to have a look in Leon’s room, see if I could work out where he might have gone. I miss him.

‘How did you get in?’ he asked.

Samira blinked at him then looked down at her feet. The door was open. Whoever left last must not have closed it properly.

Singh didn’t look convinced, but he nodded anyway.

‘You can go and tell Miss Marcek now. We’ll find you if we need to speak to you again.’

Samira glanced at Sasha before she left, but the social worker was busy looking past me into Leon’s room. While I waited for Singh, I wandered over to the window on the landing and looked outside. The back of the residence was next to the sports field, and as I watched I saw a group of students approaching. It must have been break time, unless Kian, Bradley, Courtney and Cassie had all decided to skip classes at the same time.

The four of them stopped a short distance away, but a little too far away for me to pick up everything they were signing.

… Joe? Courtney signed.

I only told them a little bit, Kian replied.

Don’t have a go at him, how was he to know? Bradley interjected.

I couldn’t see Courtney’s reply, and Cassie was just standing and watching the rest of them before getting involved in the conversation.

… tomorrow, she signed. I kicked myself for not being able to catch what she’d said.