‘No, I didn’t. But surely, Matron, if Mr Frederiks knew this had happened and knew Charlie was the perpetrator, he should have been dealt with accordingly?’

‘As I said, Mr Frederiks is a good housemaster, but with that particular boy . . . his antics went unnoticed. As for the headmaster . . .’ Matron bit her lip. ‘Incompetent isn’t the word.’

‘So Charlie picked on Rory specifically?’

‘Oh yes. He was an easy target. Most of these bullies, they’re nothing but cowards underneath. They pick their prey carefully.’

Jazz sighed. ‘Poor Rory. But it seems to be a problem in most schools.’

‘It wouldn’t be if these boys were rooted out and got rid of before they could do further damage. But it’s all a numbers game. The head would prefer his sixty thousand for Charlie’s attendance here, not to mention his uncle being a governor, than to help countless other pupils lead a safe and happy school life.’

‘You’re not suggesting Charlie endangered lives, are you?’

‘Inspector Hunter, I’m not just talking about the physical effects of serial bullying. It’s the mental and emotional scars that this behaviour can leave. Believe me, I know.’

‘Were you bullied at school?’

‘Me?’ Matron smiled for the first time. ‘No. I gave as good as I got.’

I can imagine, thought Jazz.

‘I’m sure everything I’m saying is against “company” policy. If the head, and Frederiks, won’t give you the truth, that’s too bad, but I’m not going to lie to you about Cavendish and his aggressive behaviour.’

‘Well, thank you for being honest. Tell me, how long have you been at St Stephen’s?’

‘I worked here very briefly earlier in my career, and began this stint at the start of the school year last September. My home is in Australia, but I was visiting relatives here in Norfolk – after a spell in the US – when this temporary job came up.’ Matron shrugged. ‘There was nothing particular to go back to Perth for, so I thought I’d extend my trip and work here in England.’

Jazz could now place the woman’s accent as Antipodean.

‘Mr Frederiks told me that the two of you have access to the drugs cupboard. You have a key each.’

‘Yes, that’s right.’ She put a hand to her neck and drew out a chain with a small key on it. ‘This is mine and I never take it off.’

‘You didn’t lend it to anyone on the night Charlie died?’

‘Of course not! I know what boys are like these days. They’ll use anything to give them a high.’

‘We’ve received the results of the post-mortem. Charlie Cavendish died of anaphylactic shock, caused by swallowing aspirin, not an epileptic fit.’

Matron raised her eyebrows. ‘The paramedics said, when they examined Charlie, that he had passed away from a fit. I agreed with them. I am a fully qualified and experienced nurse, you know.’

‘I’m sure the symptoms were similar, but the PM was exhaustive. I now have to discover how Charlie came to swallow those two aspirin tablets. I’d like to see a copy of the drug sheet for that night, please.’