Oddly, none of the others asked us what had happened. It was as if we were contaminated somehow, and no one wanted to catch what we had. All the inmates fell into their usual cliques, but gave Catherine, Peter and me a very wide berth.

We sat around in the dining room, the three of us, waiting for the inevitable. And it came just before midday.

A police car roared up the drive and pulled in at the foot of the steps. Two uniformed officers entered The Dean and were shown into Mr. Anderson’s office. Only about ten minutes had passed before the janitor was sent to find us. He looked at us, concerned. “What have you kids been up to?” he whispered.

Being the oldest, the others looked to me, but I just shrugged. “No idea,” I said.

He marched us along the bottom corridor to Mr. Anderson’s room, and we felt the eyes of all our peers upon us. It was as if time had stopped, standing still, like all the kids gathered in groups to watch the condemned going to meet their maker. Each and every one of them, no doubt, thanking the Lord that it wasn’t them.

Mr. Anderson was standing behind his desk, his face as ashen as his hair. The jacket of his dark suit was all buttoned up, and he had his arms folded across his chest. The two officers, helmets in hand, stood to one side, Matron on the other. The three of us lined up in front of the desk. Mr. Anderson glared at us. “I want one of you to speak for all of you.”

Catherine and Peter both looked at me.

“All right, you, McBride.” It was the first and only time I ever heard him call me by my name. He looked at the others. “If either of you disagree with anything he says, then speak up. Your silence will be taken as agreement.” He drew a deep breath, then placed his fingertips on the desk in front of him, leaning slightly forward to let them take his weight. “You’re here because a boy died last night falling from the Dean Bridge. One Patrick Kelly. You know him?”

I nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“It seems there were some shenanigans on the bridge around midnight. Several boys and a girl involved.” He looked pointedly at Catherine. “And there are reports of two boys and a girl from The Dean being seen in the village shortly beforehand.” He pulled himself up to his full height. “I don’t suppose you would have any idea who that was?”

“No, sir.” I knew there was no way they could prove it, unless they had eyewitnesses to come forward and identify us. And if they had, then surely they would have been there in Mr. Anderson’s office to point their fingers.