lungs. ‘Can I keep my inhaler in the dorm for tonight?’
Matron frowned. ‘Well—’ she began.
Freya cut her short. ‘Of course you can, as long as you hand it back to Matron first thing in the morning.’ Inclining her head rather imperiously, she moved on to her study, where the lights already glowed and the windows were open to the balmy night.
Draping her jacket over a coat-hanger behind the door, she asked, ‘What can I offer you, Superintendent?’ The question was riddled with ambiguity.
‘ Nothing, thank you.’
‘ No?’ Her eyebrows arched attractively. ‘Well, then smoke, if you wish. It’s not one of my own vices, but I don’t object.’ As she pushed an ashtray within his reach, the moist red lips parted in another provocative smile.
Matron had condemned Torrance for so rapidly recovering her composure, he reflected, yet here was the school’s role model displaying not only a remarkable self-control, but exhibiting behaviour that was, in the current context, bordering on the bizarre. But it was all very simple, he told himself: authority compromised, she was resorting to the most primitive and compelling power of all.
‘ I noticed the sixth formers have a smokers’ den,’ he said.
She put her elbows on the desk and folded her arms. ‘They do, despite enormous criticism from those staff with a fashionably hostile stance towards smoking.’ The bright-red nails splayed against her pale sleeves looked lethal. ‘As you so correctly discerned, I have to manage a broad spectrum of behaviour and, as some of the girls are nicotine addicts, a total ban would only force them underground and create a serious fire hazard.’
Yielding to one temptation, McKenna lit a cigarette and waited for her to make the next move.
Freya watched him, her face expressionless. ‘Matron,’ she began, ‘tells me Sukie did drown.’
He nodded. ‘As to whether she drowned herself ,’ he told her, ‘we can’t yet say.’
‘ But I’m sure you have an opinion.’
He shrugged.
‘ Please, Superintendent, don’t play cat and mouse with me. I need to know.’
‘ You know as much as we do,’ he said. ‘The available evidence is very sparse and still open to several interpretations. However, as in all such cases, we proceed on the assumption of possible homicide.’
‘ That,’ she commented irritably, ‘has already been made abundantly clear.’
‘ Therefore,’ he went on, ignoring her remark, ‘identifying the possible killer takes priority.’ Shifting in his seat, he put the cigarette in the ashtray. ‘Most homicides are committed by someone close to the victim, often a member of the family. While Sukie had blood relatives, we would regard that “family” as being here.’ He paused. ‘An act of homicide is always preceded by detectable antecedents. There would be warning signals, in her relationship with the killer but, more pertinently, in the killer’s own conduct. That’s something we shall begin to investigate tomorrow.’
With a small frown she stopped him. ‘Have you abandoned the idea that the killer, if such exists, could be a total stranger? An intruder, perhaps? Even a kidnapper?’
‘ Indeed not.’ He retrieved the cigarette, watching her. ‘All the signs indicate that she left the building voluntarily, so there might also be a boyfriend in the picture. On the other hand she could have been deliberately lured out to her death.’
Freya clenched her hands. When she spoke, her voice was tremulous. ‘I cannot believe one of my girls could be a murderess.’ After a moment, she added, ‘Nor one of my staff.’ She stared at him. ‘But I’ll have to put aside my own feelings, won’t I?’
‘ It would be wiser, and certainly safer, to keep an open mind for the time being,’ he agreed. Stubbing out another half-smoked cigarette, he added, ‘And to accept that the present disruption is unavoidable. What you described to Constable Evans as our “unseemly occupation” is
Matron frowned. ‘Well—’ she began.
Freya cut her short. ‘Of course you can, as long as you hand it back to Matron first thing in the morning.’ Inclining her head rather imperiously, she moved on to her study, where the lights already glowed and the windows were open to the balmy night.
Draping her jacket over a coat-hanger behind the door, she asked, ‘What can I offer you, Superintendent?’ The question was riddled with ambiguity.
‘ Nothing, thank you.’
‘ No?’ Her eyebrows arched attractively. ‘Well, then smoke, if you wish. It’s not one of my own vices, but I don’t object.’ As she pushed an ashtray within his reach, the moist red lips parted in another provocative smile.
Matron had condemned Torrance for so rapidly recovering her composure, he reflected, yet here was the school’s role model displaying not only a remarkable self-control, but exhibiting behaviour that was, in the current context, bordering on the bizarre. But it was all very simple, he told himself: authority compromised, she was resorting to the most primitive and compelling power of all.
‘ I noticed the sixth formers have a smokers’ den,’ he said.
She put her elbows on the desk and folded her arms. ‘They do, despite enormous criticism from those staff with a fashionably hostile stance towards smoking.’ The bright-red nails splayed against her pale sleeves looked lethal. ‘As you so correctly discerned, I have to manage a broad spectrum of behaviour and, as some of the girls are nicotine addicts, a total ban would only force them underground and create a serious fire hazard.’
Yielding to one temptation, McKenna lit a cigarette and waited for her to make the next move.
Freya watched him, her face expressionless. ‘Matron,’ she began, ‘tells me Sukie did drown.’
He nodded. ‘As to whether she drowned herself ,’ he told her, ‘we can’t yet say.’
‘ But I’m sure you have an opinion.’
He shrugged.
‘ Please, Superintendent, don’t play cat and mouse with me. I need to know.’
‘ You know as much as we do,’ he said. ‘The available evidence is very sparse and still open to several interpretations. However, as in all such cases, we proceed on the assumption of possible homicide.’
‘ That,’ she commented irritably, ‘has already been made abundantly clear.’
‘ Therefore,’ he went on, ignoring her remark, ‘identifying the possible killer takes priority.’ Shifting in his seat, he put the cigarette in the ashtray. ‘Most homicides are committed by someone close to the victim, often a member of the family. While Sukie had blood relatives, we would regard that “family” as being here.’ He paused. ‘An act of homicide is always preceded by detectable antecedents. There would be warning signals, in her relationship with the killer but, more pertinently, in the killer’s own conduct. That’s something we shall begin to investigate tomorrow.’
With a small frown she stopped him. ‘Have you abandoned the idea that the killer, if such exists, could be a total stranger? An intruder, perhaps? Even a kidnapper?’
‘ Indeed not.’ He retrieved the cigarette, watching her. ‘All the signs indicate that she left the building voluntarily, so there might also be a boyfriend in the picture. On the other hand she could have been deliberately lured out to her death.’
Freya clenched her hands. When she spoke, her voice was tremulous. ‘I cannot believe one of my girls could be a murderess.’ After a moment, she added, ‘Nor one of my staff.’ She stared at him. ‘But I’ll have to put aside my own feelings, won’t I?’
‘ It would be wiser, and certainly safer, to keep an open mind for the time being,’ he agreed. Stubbing out another half-smoked cigarette, he added, ‘And to accept that the present disruption is unavoidable. What you described to Constable Evans as our “unseemly occupation” is
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