‘Jesus,’ Kim said, as the external gates of Heathcrest came into view.

The image of the press pack reminded her of the old migrant jungle in Calais. Two police officers and four private security guards, all in high visibility coats, stood in front of cones that blocked the entrance.

Bryant was forced to slow and show his identification.

A familiar face appeared right next to her window.

Bloody Frost.

Kim wound down her window.

‘Care to comment on the double murder of—’

‘What do you think?’ Kim asked. ‘And nice trick you pulled the other day, Frost. You should be proud of yourself,’ she said, as the car crawled past.

Kim hadn’t forgotten the woman’s attempts to claim all the attention at Woody’s press conference, probably still hoping to be noticed by the national press.

The reporter’s initial surprise was quickly covered by a rueful look. ‘Even now, that’s what you think,’ she said, stepping back into the crowd.

‘Bloody woman,’ Bryant said. ‘Could be a decent reporter if she’d just stop trying to grab headlines.’

‘Yeah,’ Kim agreed, although the expression on Frost’s face stayed with her until Bryant parked the car at the front of the school.

Another two security guards flanked the entrance.

Again, Bryant showed his identification.

‘You might want to staple that to your forehead,’ Kim said, wondering if they were going to have to do this all day.

She entered the building and turned left.

‘Heading for the English teacher’s classroom again, guv?’ Bryant asked.

‘Spotted anyone else speaking to us quite so openly, Bryant?’ she snapped.

‘Nope, she seems very open to you, I mean us, guv.’

She cast him a look.

‘Amenable,’ he said. ‘That’s the word I was looking for.’

Kim knew Bryant was being deliberately smart to ease the tension that had been building since they’d left the morgue. Bad enough that Keats’s findings had marked indelibly on their brains a graphic picture of the young boy’s terrifying, horrific death but add in the obstacle of investigating two murders around a functioning school and their day so far had not been a positive one.

They arrived at Joanna’s classroom as the bell signalled the end of the second lesson.

The two of them stood aside as a stream of younger children filed out, chatting and laughing.

Joanna’s eyes lit up when she saw them.

‘Inspector, nice to see you again,’ she smiled.

Kim nodded her acknowledgment.

‘You taught Shaun Coffee-Todd?’

She nodded as a shadow fell across her face and her eyes instantly reddened. ‘Of course,’ she said, wiping away the words on a blackboard.

‘Can you tell us what he was like?’ Kim asked, gently, giving Joanna a moment to collect herself.

‘Very pleasant lad. Well-mannered. Keen to learn. Not that keen to be called upon. He was intelligent and—’

‘Did he have any enemies that you know of?’ Kim asked, feeling ridiculous that she was asking that about a fourteen-year-old boy.

Joanna shook her head as she turned towards them. ‘Not that I know of. I never saw any particular issue with anyone, and why would you even ask that?’

‘We have to,’ Kim said, realising that word of his murder had not yet reached her.

‘What I’m surprised about is that he didn’t have his pen. Shaun was well aware of his condition, as were we all, and he managed it excellently, only ever eating the foods prepared for him or sent in by his parents and checked—’

‘Joanna, it wasn’t an accident,’ Kim said.

‘Wh-what?’ she asked, dropping to the chair.

‘It was deliberate. We know that it wasn’t accidental.’

‘You’re sure?’ she asked, clearly praying for some kind of mistake.

Kim decided to spare Joanna the details of the nuts being forced into his system.

‘We’re sure,’ she said and left it at that.

Joanna shook her head as though unable to accept the facts.

‘First Sadie and now Shaun. It’s just not—’

‘Was there any tie to Sadie at all?’ Kim asked.

Joanna shook her head. ‘Not that I know of.’

‘What do you know about these secret clubs, the cards?’ Kim asked.

After Anthony Coffee-Todd’s admission that his son had been a Spade she had to consider there was some kind of link, even though Sadie’s only tie to the groups was her sister. A quick call to Dawson had confirmed that he was following that lead right now.

‘I know that Thorpe, sorry, Principal Thorpe hates them and has tried his best to stamp them out but…’

‘You don’t agree with him?’ Kim asked, surprised. ‘You approve of these clubs?’

‘Not even for a minute,’ she replied, quickly. ‘But trying to ban them has just sent them underground. It was once a badge of pride, worn by everyone involved, and so you knew who they were, kids, teachers, parents but now they have to hide.’

‘Shaun was a member,’ Kim said.

Joanna smiled sadly. ‘Exactly my point. I would never have known.’

‘So, was he a sociable kid?’ Kim asked, recalling how withdrawn Sadie had been.

Joanna frowned. ‘Not so much one of the popular crowd. He was one of those kids that existed somewhere in the middle. Not with the cool kids but not unpopular either.’

‘One of the invisibles?’ Bryant asked.

‘Probably,’ Joanna agreed. ‘He got a bit of good-natured ribbing about being late to lessons but he—’

‘Late to your lessons?’ Kim asked.

‘Sometimes,’ she said, with a fond smile. ‘My understanding is that he used to hang back in the showers until most of the other boys were done.’

Kim frowned. ‘He comes to you after gym on…’

‘Monday morning and Wednesday afternoon.’

‘And was he late yesterday?’ Kim asked.

Joanna nodded.

‘So, what did you do?’

‘Sent Christian off to get him.’

Kim felt a seed of dread form in her stomach.

‘You sent one of the other children to hurry him up?’

Joanna nodded and frowned. ‘Of course, bloody hell, I’ve already been through this once with Thorpe and Steele,’ she said, exasperated at having to repeat herself.

‘And what did—’

‘Christian Fellows,’ Joanna offered.

‘What did Christian say when he returned?’

Joanna thought for a moment and then tipped her head. ‘He didn’t return. Not before all the noise sounded in the corridor when Shaun had been discovered.’

Kim felt the dread turn into a wave. ‘So, we don’t know if Christian actually saw something when he went to chivvy up Shaun?’

Joanna shook her head. ‘I certainly haven’t asked him. To my knowledge Shaun had accidentally ingested a nut product.’

Kim glanced at Bryant. The alarm was reflected on his face as they both realised what they’d just learned.

Christian and Shaun had been out of the classroom at the same time. There were two possibilities. Either Christian had murdered Shaun or, if not, he might have seen who had.

Whichever scenario was accurate they needed to speak to the boy right now.