I followed Sasha out of the room, keen to be away from there when Mike appeared.

Do you want to come to the staffroom and have a coffee? Sasha asked me.

Sure, I replied, having nothing else to do.

We walked back towards the main entrance before turning down a corridor off the entrance hall, opposite the head and deputy head’s offices. We passed the admin office, then went through a door on the left into a high-ceilinged room with several groups of low padded chairs.

The room was empty, so I chose a seat and sat down while Sasha made us drinks. I had never been in a school staffroom before. When I was a child, it was the sort of place that was always mysterious and out of bounds. Now that I saw the room, I was disappointed for my seven-year-old self. The walls were painted cream, and peeling in several places. There were a few anti-bullying posters on the wall, as well as some outdated flyers from the local branch of the National Deaf Children’s Society. A noticeboard on the far wall contained pictures of students with severe allergies or other medical needs, and the other walls were bare. A sheet of A4 was stuck on the back of the door, and on closer inspection it seemed to be a sign-up sheet for the staff Christmas night out.

Sasha brought our drinks over and sat opposite me, and I could tell there was something she wanted to talk about.

How long have you worked for the police?

I’ve been freelance for about a year now, and I circulated my details to the emergency services and hospitals when I stopped doing agency work, but I first worked a proper police investigation in February. I didn’t go into the details of what had happened. It had all been too close to home and I’d spent the last few months trying to forget.

Sasha cocked her head on one side. So, you’re not with an agency?

No.

But you don’t work for the police full time either?

I shook my head. No. I went freelance to try and work short-notice jobs, but it does mean I’m never sure what work is coming from one week to the next.

I could see she was wondering why I would leave the protection of an agency, and I tried to explain.