Fleet took a moment to think. Father Steiner was right: he wasn’t a psychoanalyst. And even assuming he was spot on about the nature of Melissa’s relationship with Richardson, it didn’t alter the point Fleet had set out to make.

‘But you were able to put a stop to Melissa’s allegations against your friend, weren’t you? Would that be going too far, would you say? To describe Richard Hewitt as your friend?’

The chaplain raised his chin. ‘I admired Richard, both professionally and personally. I would consider it an honour to describe myself as his friend.’

‘So you came forward yourself,’ said Fleet. ‘Even though, as you pointed out, you didn’t have any evidence to contradict Melissa’s claims, nor to verify Richardson’s involvement. So what did you do? Did you lie? Make something up to get Richard Hewitt off the hook? Is that why you were so cagey with us before?’

The chaplain reddened. ‘I didn’t lie. I just … I told the board what actually happened. Melissa claimed Richard cornered her backstage one evening after drama rehearsals and attempted to force himself upon her. The way Richard told it, she came on to him, to try to coax him into doing something she could hold against him. I just … I verified his version of events, that’s all.’

‘Meaning you presented yourself as a witness? When in fact you didn’t witness anything?’

Father Steiner’s flush deepened to the colour of shame.

Fleet didn’t wait for him to answer. ‘The point is, you got in Melissa’s way. In Callum Richardson’s way. Because I tend to agree with you. I think Richardson was probably behind the whole thing. It’s my belief Richardson and the others were trying to engineer a scandal that would have forced Beaconsfield to close. Or at the very least destroyed the school’s reputation. And I think, when their first plan failed, they decided to try again. With a different scheme, this time. A different victim.’ He looked at Father Steiner meaningfully.

The chaplain gave the impression that he was struggling to catch up. And then he appeared to grasp the implications of what Fleet was saying.

‘You mean … me? But … why? How?’

‘We’ve just established why. As for how, it would be my guess they would have tried something similar to what they’d attempted before.’ Although, even as Fleet said it, he was aware it didn’t sound quite right. If their plan hadn’t worked the first time, it was unlikely they would have tried the exact same thing again. There was Ben, of course, and the role he played – but was that the only thing that had been different?

‘You said Ben used to hang around the chapel, that you suspected he was never really interested in religion,’ Fleet went on. ‘Even Adrian Harris seemed to think that the two of you had become close.’