Dead Unlucky by Andrew Derham

I would have to admit that he was not at the very top of his classes but, of course, our academic standards are so exceedingly high. Have you visited the school’s website?’
    ‘No, not yet,’ replied Hart, doing his best to maintain a neutral tone.
    ‘You really should. You would see that our examination results are most impressive, comparable with all the top private schools in the country, of which we are most definitely one, of course. There is also a list of alumni, detailing the universities they gained admission to and their subsequent employment and achievements. Our graduates have gone on to make highly significant –’
    ‘Mrs Hargreaves, I would prefer us to focus on Sebastian, if you don’t mind.’
    She did mind. She minded a great deal, and her eyes shot a harsh glance all the way down her lengthy nose to tell him so.
    ‘Sebastian was a fine student, Mr Hart. There’s really very little else to say.’
    ‘Do you have any idea why he was in Lockingham yesterday evening? I mean, surely he boards at the school.’
    ‘Some of our students are day students, of course, although Sebastian himself was a boarder. Our older students do, however, have the option of signing out if they wish to spend the night elsewhere, as long as we know where they are going and that their destination is, how shall one say, appropriate. We prepare our students well for the freedoms of university and beyond, encourage them to make suitable lifestyle choices. I happen to know that Sebastian frequently went to stay with his parents as his journey home is relatively short and he does own a car.’
    ‘Thank you, Mrs Hargreaves. I’ll need to chat with you again but, for now, if you could let me know where Sergeant Redpath and myself will be working, I would be most grateful.’
    ‘I’ll make one of the deputy head’s offices available for any time you may wish to use the phone or computer, and you can have a couple of classrooms for your exclusive use for all of the time you are here.’
    ‘That’s very kind. And a list of all of the pupils with their contact details would be appreciated. And the teachers’ timetables and addresses, of course.’
    ‘We do have an excellent administrative system on the computer network, it’s the very best. We only had it installed over the summer and are rather proud of it. You’ll be able to gather all the information you need from there. It requires very little skill to use it.’
    ‘I’d prefer to have hard copies, if that’s all right.’
    ‘The secretaries are very busy, Mr Hart, I’m sure you’ll quickly get the hang of using the computer yourself.’
    ‘Mrs Hargreaves, we are all going to be very busy for the next few days. I would like those timetables because then I won’t need to take teachers out of lessons, with all the disruption that would cause, I can see them during their free periods instead. However, I’m not too fussed about that either way.’
    ‘If you’ll excuse me, Chief Inspector, I have to prepare for the arrival of the staff and for the assembly. The students are going to be devastated by the news.’
     
    *****
     
    However the income from the school fees at Highdean was distributed, not much of it made its way into the staffroom. Of course, the key employees would need to be well compensated to make sure they didn’t move to somewhere more attractive; Mrs Hargreaves and one or two of the senior educators, for example. The bursar and the extensive but vital non-teaching management team were also entitled to receive a just reward commensurate with their efforts and abilities. And the facilities for the students had to be top notch or there wouldn’t be a horde of prospective income jostling at the gate each September. So, by the time the owners had taken their share of what remained, there wasn’t much left to squander on regions of the school which were out of sight of the public.
    A young woman wearing a burgundy PE skirt stood before the staff