‘And did you ask her where she went after the concert?’

‘Of course. She went into town and had supper alone at the Three Swans Hotel. I’ve confirmed that with the staff of the hotel, obviously. Then she says she walked back to school, arriving at Fleat House about half past ten. She went upstairs to her flat, located on the top floor. She said she heard nothing. Not that she would, her flat is at the opposite end of the corridor to his bedsit. But she was the one who found Charlie dead in his study the next morning and raised the alarm.’

‘Thank you. Oh, and just before you go, can you give me directions as to how I find this road?’ Jazz handed him a scrap of paper with an address on it.

‘Of course, Ma’am. It’s very close.’ Roland scribbled the instructions down.

‘Thanks. We’ll see you here tomorrow at eight.’

‘Goodnight, Ma’am.’ Roland nodded at Miles and left the room.

‘I’ve had enough, too.’ Jazz sighed. ‘What say you we have something to eat in town at the hotel you’re staying in and chat through the facts?’

‘Sounds good to me,’ Miles nodded, closing his laptop and following Jazz out of the room. She locked it and put the key in her coat pocket.

‘You know the big problem here? If I’m right and those aspirin were substituted for the Epilim, any number of people could have walked into Fleat House in those four hours and done the dirty deed. There’s a security lock but the number is hardly a well-kept secret, what with eighty boys coming and going all day, not to mention staff. I checked earlier and there is a back entrance. Anyone could have got inside that way, too.’

‘Like I said, needle in a haystack,’ Miles commented as they headed towards the car.

‘Sebastian Frederiks, the housemaster, says that he placed Charlie’s tablets by his bed about seven fifteen, whilst Charlie was still in the room. We need to discover exactly what time Charlie left to meet his friends at the pub, but for now, let’s assume sometime between seven thirty and eight. We know Charlie took the pills between eleven fifteen and eleven thirty. That leaves almost four hours during which the switch could have been made.’

Miles opened the passenger door for her and Jazz climbed inside.

‘You seem pretty set on the idea that’s how Charlie died.’ He started the engine. ‘Another thought: what if Charlie had bought some illegal substance, such as Es, at the pub that night? And the pusher had duped him by selling plain old aspirin instead?’ Miles began to back the car out of the space.

‘I find it very hard to believe there might be hard drugs being sold in a town such as this.’

‘Who’s being City-ist now, Ma’am? Drugs are everywhere. And especially in establishments where the kids have the money to pay for ’em.’

‘Point taken,’ Jazz acknowledged. ‘But the way his mother had obviously drummed into Charlie that any unknown drugs could be fatal, never mind the fact that an epileptic shouldn’t touch mind-altering substances, makes me doubt he’d take the risk.’