‘She did. Our techs have been looking at the school network and we asked them to keep an eye out for anything similar. They haven’t found anything untoward so far.’

She grunted. ‘Well, I suppose it was too much to hope they hadn’t covered their tracks. No, I believe these incidents are connected, and I think only an adult could have orchestrated all of this.’

‘What about Mike Lowther?’ I asked impulsively, and Jane’s eyes flashed.

‘He would seem to be an obvious culprit, wouldn’t he? With his gambling problem, and his little habit of making off with other people’s possessions. Oh yes, he was always busy trying to get money out of people he knew, particularly his girlfriends, and I was fairly sure he was responsible for a spate of thefts from the residence. If he found out what Steve Wilkinson was up to he might have blackmailed him. Mike wouldn’t pass up a money-making opportunity. And I absolutely believe Mike would kill if he was backed into a corner and felt it was his only option.’

Neither of us responded to this for a moment. I felt as if a huge force had been aimed at my chest, and I put my head down onto my knees as a wave of dizziness overtook me. I’d trusted him. I’d believed him when he tried to apologise to me, even though last night’s behaviour had proved he hadn’t meant it. Could he really be a murderer? How could I have been so stupid to be taken in by him? I’d desperately wanted to believe he’d changed, because if he could change then maybe I could change too. I could forget about what he did to me and move on with my life.

I remembered Mike’s posturing about how Jane had seen his potential and offered him extra training. It sounded like she hadn’t thought that much of him after all. Of course he’d been lying, making empty boasts to try and impress … who? Me, or the police? Was he covering his tracks, trying to make himself look above suspicion?

‘You think he’d blackmail someone who was grooming students, rather than going to the police?’ Singh asked, unable to keep the incredulity from his voice.

I nodded in response to this question and Jane raised an eyebrow.

‘I see you already know the levels of his scruples,’ she said to me, and I felt my face flush.

‘I agree with you,’ I said quietly. ‘If he saw a chance to get a large amount of money out of someone, that would be his priority.’ My own words made me shudder, but it was true.

There was a long, heavy silence. Both Singh and Jane were watching me carefully.