The police station had been completely airless and in the heat Jasmine had found it hard to concentrate. When they finally did get home, she had gone upstairs to bed and lain listening to music until she drifted off. This morning she wished she had taken the time to shower before she went to sleep; she felt positively grubby.

Jasmine grabbed a towel and jumped in the shower, momentarily relieved. She twisted the tap, taking short, sharp breaths as the water got cooler, revelling in the feeling as it ran down her body, before she quickly washed her hair and got out again. Shivering, she dried herself, but the feeling only lasted a few seconds before the temperature of the room warmed her again. She pulled on a clean cotton night shirt and headed downstairs.

As she approached the kitchen, she heard her parents talking to someone. It became clear as she entered the room they were talking to a police officer, a different one to the ones she had spoken to yesterday.

‘Jasmine. There you are,’ Frank said, a look of deep concern on his face.

Jasmine flashed an angry look at her mother for not warning her, suddenly self-conscious about the nightshirt she was wearing, which had a cartoon panda on it. She tugged at the hem a little. At least the police officer was female.

‘What’s going on?’ Jasmine asked. Surely they couldn’t have any more questions about what had happened at the fair. Was she going to have to go into counselling again? The look on her parents’ face told her it was about Mr Morrell. They had worn that look for most of last year.

‘Hello, Jasmine, I need to speak to you about your former teacher, Mr Morrell.’

‘What about him?’ she said, glancing outside towards the guest house involuntarily. She felt like she was in a three against one situation.

‘There’s no easy way to say this.’ The police officer, who hadn’t even introduced herself, looked at her with a disturbing amount of concern. Jasmine wanted her to just say what she was there for. The suspense was unbearable. It was way too early for this.

‘No easy way to say what?’

‘Mr Morrell has taken his own life. Because of the restraining order and the notes on his file, I have been instructed to notify you.’

‘What? When?’

Jasmine thought back to the fair. He’d seemed distressed when she’d seen him but it seemed completely out of character, not that Jasmine was sure she ever really knew what his character was. She felt as if he’d had more he needed to say to her.

‘We found his body on the east side of the beach. It appears that after he was questioned yesterday he got drunk and jumped from the top.’

‘He jumped? Is that high enough?’

‘Apparently so.’