‘Do come in and sit down. Would you like some tea?’

‘Why not?’ said Jazz and sat down as Sebastian Frederiks ordered the tea from the telephone on his desk.

‘So, terrible business this, isn’t it? Never lost a boy in all my twenty years of teaching.’ He came to sit down opposite her. ‘How can I help you?’ He spoke loudly, his physical and facial expressions exaggerated, as though he was used to shouting across far distances.

‘You obviously had plenty of contact with Charlie. He’d been in your house for five years. I’d like you to describe him to me as best you can.’

Sebastian leaned forward and rubbed his hands together. ‘When he first came, he was an arrogant little runt, but I think we managed to knock some of that out of him. And of course, he was one of my star rugby players, fly-half for the 1st XV. What the team will do without him, I really don’t know.’ He sighed, an elongated sound. ‘Anyway, there we go.’

‘Would it be possible to tell me who his closest friends were?’

‘Of course. I’ve already made you a list.’ Sebastian picked up an envelope from the coffee table and passed it to her. ‘I presumed you’d want to know that kind of thing. I’ve listed his friends, his classmates and the boys who slept in the sixth-form corridor with him. Oh, and the odd girl he seemed to be friendly with over the past couple of years.’

‘Well, that’s very efficient of you, Mr Frederiks, thank you.’ The tea arrived, brought by one of the boys.

‘I’ll be mother, shall I?’ suggested Sebastian.

Jazz couldn’t pinpoint why this man was irritating her.

‘Thank you.’ She took the proffered cup and sipped her tea. ‘So, in your opinion, was Charlie a popular boy?’

‘He was very much a leader and that generated plenty of respect, but some dislike too. He had his group of acolytes hanging around him, basking in his reflected glory – mostly the rugby types, to be fair. Then there were those who found him a little aggressive, rather full of himself, and they tended to steer clear.’

‘He wasn’t a prefect, I notice? Surely somebody with leadership qualities would be considered for a position such as that?’

Sebastian drained his cup. ‘Perhaps the head didn’t trust him not to abuse it,’ he said carefully.

‘I understand,’ said Jazz, wishing she could become a little fonder of her victim than she was at present. ‘Now, talk me through the night he died. Matron was off that evening. So, I presume you were here?’

Frederiks’s ruddy complexion turned a deeper shade of red. ‘Aaah, well, that’s the thing, you see. As a matter of fact, I wasn’t, no.’

‘Where were you, then?’

‘I was out,’ he nodded. ‘Yes, out.’

‘So, if you were out and Matron was out, who was here in charge of the house that night?’

Frederiks leaned in closer to Jazz, assuming a confidential stance. ‘You see, Inspector Hunter, it’s all really rather embarrassing. The point is, I should have been here. It’s a school rule that two members of staff must always be present in the house. I left our house tutor, Hugh Daneman, in charge alone for a few hours.’ He shrugged. ‘I had an urgent appointment to keep.’