She smiled without a trace of good humour. ‘Although I’ve always considered it ironic. You know, that a child my father mentored to become an actress should use the talent he helped her develop to end his career. Because that’s the thing,’ she said. ‘My father wished nothing but the best for her. Before Melissa Haynes accused him of sexual assault, he always used to say she had a gift.’

And there it was. There’d been no names mentioned in any of the newspaper reports Fleet had discovered when he’d been searching the internet in his car, but it had been clear that immediately prior to Hewitt’s departure, there’d been some form of scandal at the school. The timing had fitted perfectly – Melissa and the others would have been fourteen, in their second year at Beaconsfield – and in line with Callum Richardson’s insinuations, it seemed precisely the type of scheme a group of disaffected teenagers might have come up with. A teacher disgraced, parents panicked about the welfare of their kids … it wouldn’t have been out of the question that Beaconsfield would end up closing. Its reputation, at the very least, would be in ruins. And all the while the accuser herself would remain insulated from blame.

And yet the school had survived. Hewitt had ended up losing his job, but the stories had come to nothing and Beaconsfield had ridden out the waves.

‘What happened exactly?’ said Fleet, as they resumed walking. ‘An accusation was levelled against your father—’

‘A false accusation.’

‘A false accusation,’ Fleet amended. ‘And he ended up losing his job. But he never faced any criminal charges, did he?’

‘It would have been better if he had,’ said Hewitt’s daughter. ‘At least then he would have had a chance to present his side of the story. To expose that lying bitch for what she was.’ She flushed, and Fleet couldn’t tell if it was anger or embarrassment. ‘Sorry, I … I just get so mad when I think about it. Even after all this time. I mean, I was eight years old when it happened, and most of the details I only heard about when I got older, but my entire family has been dealing with the consequences ever since.’

‘But if the allegation was never proved, why did your father end up losing his job?’

‘A compromise was reached,’ Angela said, making it sound like a dirty word. ‘Another member of staff came forward and basically refuted Melissa Haynes’s story. And from what my mother told me, Melissa’s parents knew she was lying – but of course they couldn’t back down. So they agreed not to press charges on the condition my father lost his job.’

‘Who was the member of staff who came forward?’

‘I’ve no idea. All I know is he or she was the only person who did, and that it ultimately made no difference anyway. Not to Dad.’