‘Who?’ No one answered, but I asked again. ‘Who?’ Mentally I was scanning the crowd. Where was Mike? And I hated that my first thought was of him, but it was, with a sick inevitability. I stood on my tiptoes and scanned for him, a strange sort of passion erupting in me when I saw him and Callum in a tight knot by the railings, whispering to each other. ‘Mike!’ My voice was loud and I knew Bill had turned to look but I couldn’t stop, I went on barrelling through the crowd. ‘Mike! What’s happening?’

Jodi, I remembered too late. I should have thought to check. What if . . . but she was there too, standing a little away from Callum, her head bowed and her arms wrapped over her pashmina, hugging it to herself. All of us were fine. But all the same I knew something terrible had happened, and I knew it had something to do with us as a group, as sure as the ground I stood on.

Mike’s eyes were wide, and I realised he was scared. That was something I’d never seen before. Usually it was me vibrating with anxiety, knowing how few minutes I’d be allowed of his attention, doing my best with them like someone on a variety TV show, just waiting to be shouted off stage. ‘Ali,’ he hissed. ‘You have to help. Shit, this is a disaster.’

‘What’s going on?’

‘They know I talked to her and now she’s . . . shit. You see how it’ll look.’ He said this last to Callum, who nodded silently. Sneaking a look at Jodi. Then Mike moved close to me, so I could feel his panicked breath on my neck, and he started talking very fast. How he’d been with her, just chatting, she’d been really pissed and they’d never talked much and she was sad, so he just cheered her up. That was all, honest, he got her some drinks and they chatted and then she wanted some quiet, she wasn’t feeling well, so he walked her to a bench in the garden, and then, swear to God, he left her there. Didn’t he, Cal? Yes, he left her there and maybe he should have put her to bed or something but she seemed OK, just a bit pissed, and he thought she wanted some time alone and no one was meant to be able to get in there, were they, the whole ball was meant to be private, those security staff must have fucked off early and he hoped the police were going to look at them not the students.

My head swivelled back and forwards, but all the same I was aware of another feeling building in me. Power. I had power here. ‘Who are you talking about?’

It was Jodi who answered, arms still folded, in a tight bitchy voice. ‘Martha. Martha Rasby. Mike was with her.’