Emily gave Sasha a long look. ‘I think we’re talking at cross purposes, Mrs Dawson. Tilly isn’t at fault here.’

‘I know you have to be even-handed, but if you don’t mind me saying, I think you’re being too tolerant of Tilly’s behaviour. Angel told me what’s happened.’

Emily frowned. ‘I don’t know what Angel has told you, but that’s not our understanding of the situation. Angel and a number of other girls have unfortunately been sending Tilly abusive messages and photos and memes, and intimidating her in the school grounds.’

Sasha stared. ‘Excuse me?’

‘Angel and her friends have been bullying Tilly,’ repeated Emily Mirpuri, ‘and sending her abusive messages. Last week they followed her all the way home, shouting threats and insults. She only just managed to get in the door, and was very shaken by what happened. She genuinely believed she was in danger of being physically attacked.’

‘That’s not possible.’ Sasha bristled at the suggestion. There was some kind of miscommunication occurring. ‘She would never… Angel isn’t the kind of girl who would instigate something like… like…’

She remembered from her own school days how difficult it was to keep up to date with who had fallen out with whom. Solid friendships hit the rocks and new ones formed very quickly. It was a period of turbulence and change, feelings were hurt easily and emotions ran high. But Sasha had never bullied anyone in her life, she could hardly bring herself to raise her voice at work, and found the whole idea of it repugnant. The idea that her daughter could be a bully was alarming and shameful.

‘It can’t be. I mean, I’m a police officer! You need to look again at what’s been happening.’

‘Mrs Dawson, Angel sent Tilly quite a few messages, many by Snapchat, which were intended to disappear as soon as they were viewed. However, Tilly had the presence of mind to screenshot them.’

Opening a folder in the same way Sasha had done many times herself in the interview room, Emily placed before her printouts of the texts, in which her daughter accused Tilly of being a slut, a bitch, a whore, and other delightful things. Sasha couldn’t believe that Angel would do such a thing.

‘Angel has also been showing Tilly a lot of relational aggression.’

‘What does that mean?’

Sasha tried to keep the irritation out of her voice, worried that the teacher would think Angel was a chip off the old block, but she was absolutely seething. With herself, with Kev – and with her daughter. No wonder Tilly’s mum had given her the cold shoulder on the street the other morning.

‘She’s excluded Tilly from certain social groups at school by spreading hurtful gossip about her.’

‘Gossip?’

‘Lies,’ said Emily. ‘And sabotaging her friendships.’

‘I don’t know what to say.’

‘We’re not talking about exclusion yet.’

‘Exclusion?’