other girls?’
He shrugged. ‘I don’t mean she told them what to do. She was like a celebrity to them. Someone to emulate. If Kira did something unusual, then it was an OK thing to do.’
‘Why do you think the girls got pregnant?’
‘You mean was it accident or design? I have no idea, I’ve been asking myself the same question ever since Kira sprung her news.’
‘She told you first?’
‘I suspect I knew before her parents, but not before her friends.’
‘Was she upset?’
‘Not in the least. She was pleased. I was the one who was upset. I knew she could go far in Maths.’
‘And a baby would stop her doing that?’
‘Mathematicians do their best work early in their career. She knew that. In fact, she told me she was thinking of switching to Medicine instead.’
‘That must have disappointed you.’
He gave a rueful smile. ‘All teachers live through their protégés in some way. Yes, I admit I was disappointed.’
‘You said you had three tutees?’
‘Sandie’s the only one still here.’
‘Did she know Kira?’
‘Yes. In fact, she was with her the night she died.’
An Alexandra Stewart-Smith had been on the list of friends with Kira that night. Sandie, David Murdoch and another boy, Owen Hegarty. He’d glanced over their statements but hadn’t yet met any of them. David he would speak to later today, but if Sandie was here, he could chat to her now.
‘I’d like to meet with Sandie if she’s in school today.’
‘She was in Maths first thing.’ Dr Delaney rose.
Bill was struck again by his height. His presence dominated even a room as large as this. An ideal requirement for a teacher, although Bill’s own maths teacher had been a tiny, bird-like woman they’d christened the Hen because of her rotund shape and stick-thin legs. The Hen may not have been tall, but she had scared the living daylights out of him and everyone else in the class.
Dr Delaney asked him to wait while he relayed his request to the Principal, and Bill was happy to do so. He spent the time at the magnificent windows observing west end Glasgow going about its business. If they could have afforded to live near the centre, this was the area he would have chosen. The home of Glasgow University, the Botanic Gardens, close to a variety of independent shops, and a short underground trip to the city centre.
Most people thought of Glasgow as the murder capital of Scotland, all street gangs, knives and booze. But there was another side to the city and this area typified it for him. It was vibrant, peopled by a mix of families, students, the average earner and the well-to-do. Morvern wasn’t the only independent school in the neighbourhood, although it was the only single sex establishment.
An anachronism really, a single sex school, particularly in this day and age. After all, life was made up of two sexes and kids had to live in the real world. Yet a lot of what had been said about Morvern was true. A higher proportion of girls from here entered the more male-dominated professions. On paper it looked as though single sex education worked – for girls, at least.
When Diane Porter returned, she was accompanied by a nervous-looking girl dressed in a school uniform of kilted skirt and dark green sweater over an open necked white shirt. Gone were the days of the school tie, apparently, even in the independent establishments.
‘Sandie, this is Detective Inspector Wilson.’
‘Hi, Sandie.’ He gave her an encouraging smile. ‘I know you talked to my colleague, DI Slater, and I read your statement. Thank you for that. I’m taking over from DI Slater on Kira’s case. When I realised you were in school today, I just wanted to introduce myself and have a little chat.’ He hoped that sounded friendly enough.
It seemed to work. She sat down opposite him, the wary look gone from her face.
‘Would you like me to stay with you, Sandie?’
Sandie looked to the Principal and then to Bill. Her reply surprised
He shrugged. ‘I don’t mean she told them what to do. She was like a celebrity to them. Someone to emulate. If Kira did something unusual, then it was an OK thing to do.’
‘Why do you think the girls got pregnant?’
‘You mean was it accident or design? I have no idea, I’ve been asking myself the same question ever since Kira sprung her news.’
‘She told you first?’
‘I suspect I knew before her parents, but not before her friends.’
‘Was she upset?’
‘Not in the least. She was pleased. I was the one who was upset. I knew she could go far in Maths.’
‘And a baby would stop her doing that?’
‘Mathematicians do their best work early in their career. She knew that. In fact, she told me she was thinking of switching to Medicine instead.’
‘That must have disappointed you.’
He gave a rueful smile. ‘All teachers live through their protégés in some way. Yes, I admit I was disappointed.’
‘You said you had three tutees?’
‘Sandie’s the only one still here.’
‘Did she know Kira?’
‘Yes. In fact, she was with her the night she died.’
An Alexandra Stewart-Smith had been on the list of friends with Kira that night. Sandie, David Murdoch and another boy, Owen Hegarty. He’d glanced over their statements but hadn’t yet met any of them. David he would speak to later today, but if Sandie was here, he could chat to her now.
‘I’d like to meet with Sandie if she’s in school today.’
‘She was in Maths first thing.’ Dr Delaney rose.
Bill was struck again by his height. His presence dominated even a room as large as this. An ideal requirement for a teacher, although Bill’s own maths teacher had been a tiny, bird-like woman they’d christened the Hen because of her rotund shape and stick-thin legs. The Hen may not have been tall, but she had scared the living daylights out of him and everyone else in the class.
Dr Delaney asked him to wait while he relayed his request to the Principal, and Bill was happy to do so. He spent the time at the magnificent windows observing west end Glasgow going about its business. If they could have afforded to live near the centre, this was the area he would have chosen. The home of Glasgow University, the Botanic Gardens, close to a variety of independent shops, and a short underground trip to the city centre.
Most people thought of Glasgow as the murder capital of Scotland, all street gangs, knives and booze. But there was another side to the city and this area typified it for him. It was vibrant, peopled by a mix of families, students, the average earner and the well-to-do. Morvern wasn’t the only independent school in the neighbourhood, although it was the only single sex establishment.
An anachronism really, a single sex school, particularly in this day and age. After all, life was made up of two sexes and kids had to live in the real world. Yet a lot of what had been said about Morvern was true. A higher proportion of girls from here entered the more male-dominated professions. On paper it looked as though single sex education worked – for girls, at least.
When Diane Porter returned, she was accompanied by a nervous-looking girl dressed in a school uniform of kilted skirt and dark green sweater over an open necked white shirt. Gone were the days of the school tie, apparently, even in the independent establishments.
‘Sandie, this is Detective Inspector Wilson.’
‘Hi, Sandie.’ He gave her an encouraging smile. ‘I know you talked to my colleague, DI Slater, and I read your statement. Thank you for that. I’m taking over from DI Slater on Kira’s case. When I realised you were in school today, I just wanted to introduce myself and have a little chat.’ He hoped that sounded friendly enough.
It seemed to work. She sat down opposite him, the wary look gone from her face.
‘Would you like me to stay with you, Sandie?’
Sandie looked to the Principal and then to Bill. Her reply surprised
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