‘Connor didn’t think it was a buzz.’ Zac Henderson spoke up without taking his eyes off his potato. I could already see a difference in Zac. He was quieter. Less strident. All his smartarse talk of human rights had stopped. ‘I was at the other end of the line when Connor got there, and he was shaking. His eyes were popping out. I think he’s really scared of heights but he won’t admit it in case we lay into him like he lays into us.’

Startled, I shot a glance at Warren. He raised his eyebrows.

Who would have expected such insight from Zac?

‘I’m gunna dare him,’ Sam announced gleefully. ‘I’m gunna dare him to climb up on that big old tank out there.’

‘No, you’re not,’ said Warren.

‘He’s a fuckwit, sir.’

‘Oi!’ Warren’s tone sharpened. ‘Language!’

The atmosphere hardened. Silence fell. I switched on both ovens as the boys laboured over their potatoes, brows furrowed, tongues out. Bruno in particular was painfully slow. A blank-faced kid who seemed to trudge through his days, he slipped under the radar most of the time because he rarely reacted to anything. He was the most unresponsive kid I’d ever seen; Shaun and I couldn’t agree on what might be wrong. Depression? Attachment disorder?

He was as quiet as Sam Kollios was noisy.

‘Connor’s such a dick,’ Sam said at last. He couldn’t shut up for long. ‘I hope we go back there. I wanna see him squirm. I’ll say, “Hey, Connor, let’s sneak up the hill tonight. No? Why not? You scared?”’

‘Leave him alone.’ It was Tyler who broke in—skinny little Tyler, with his bony face and white-blond buzz cut. I hadn’t heard Tyler speak before. He was always on the fringes, watching, assessing, never asking or answering questions. His voice was low and hoarse and as rough as steel wool. I remembered what Shaun had said—that Tyler was probably stealing and wagging school to take care of his little sister.

‘If you mess with that fucker, he’ll mess with someone else,’ Tyler said. ‘Like Ali or Dean. Just leave him alone.’

‘Language,’ Warren said half-heartedly, but I could tell he was impressed. Those cops were right about Tyler, I thought. He deserved a second chance.

Then Flynn screamed, ‘Ow! Ah! I peeled myself! I peeled myself!’ Dropping his potato, he jumped to his feet and hopped around the room. The other boys groaned and rolled their eyes.

‘Fucking diva,’ Zac growled.