I had better introduce you, the deputy head said. Cassie here is the oldest of our students, she’s seventeen. She indicated the girl I’d spoken to yesterday when we were at Normanby Hall, the one I’d thought wanted to say something about Leon. And this is Courtney, she’s fifteen. The other girl looked at us with large eyes, expertly made-up. She was sitting with her slim legs stretched out in front of her as if to emphasise their length.

The other two students were Bradley and Kian, brothers who were fifteen and thirteen respectively. They sat close together, Bradley slightly further forward than his younger brother. I noticed that Bradley and Courtney were holding hands, but they pulled apart when Liz glared at them.

These two detectives are DI Forest and DS Singh, Liz told the students. They’re going to ask you some questions, and Paige is going to interpret for them. She looked around, her gaze resting on each of them before she continued. Remember what I told you. It’s very important you answer their questions and tell the truth.

‘Thank you, Miss Marcek,’ Forest replied. ‘Where would be the best place for us to talk to Sasha for a moment?’

Liz showed the detectives into a small room next door to the communal area, which contained a couple of bookshelves and two computers. Mike hovered as if hoping to be invited in too, but Liz asked Sasha to join us before excusing herself and steering him away.

‘Can you tell us a little about each of the students?’ Forest asked Sasha, before they started on the interviews.

Sasha nodded and thought for a moment. Kian suffers with anxiety, and when he’s in a stressful situation he tends to run. The last time he got in trouble he ran off and we found him hiding under a table in the art room, his hands over his head. Bradley keeps him grounded most of the time, and we’re doing a lot of work with him on how to control his emotions, but I think he’ll struggle with it well into adulthood, even with the support we’re putting in place.

‘What about Bradley?’ Singh asked.

He will protect his younger brother to the ends of the earth and further if necessary, Sasha replied. But he knows that this school is the safest place for him to be, and he trusts the staff to take care of him and Kian. This will have shaken him more than he’ll let on.