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Authors: Neil Richards
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right,” she said. “But not in here.”
She walked out of the bedroom and Sarah followed her.
11. Uncovering the Past
Sarah sat at Emily Braithwaite’s kitchen table facing Freya DeLong. The girl was almost impossible to read. When Sarah had told her — as gently as she could — about Emily’s death she’d hardly reacted.
Just shrugged.
Such a tough shell these kids develop, thought Sarah.
Or is it just the icy student?
So Sarah had asked her about her friendship with her House Mistress.
Freya had given her a matter of fact account of the relationship.
Right from the beginning of her first year in Sixth Form, Freya had said, Emily had given her extra tuition, helped her with her university applications, given her personal advice. Yes, they’d been close friends, closer perhaps than was usual between a pupil and a teacher. But so what?
Freya had shared a lot of personal ‘stuff’ with her — and that was why she wanted her letters back. What was the big deal?
“So, what went wrong, Freya?”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“Why did it end — this special friendship? What happened?”
Sarah watched Freya as she sat motionless, her face showing no feelings.
“I don’t know.”
“But it did end — yes?”
Freya shrugged.
“When was that exactly?”
“God! Do we have to talk about this?”
“I’m afraid we do.”
“All right. End of the summer term she started to get distant. Then when I went back home to the States in the summer she didn’t write. And this term — she just blanked me.”
“Talked to Sophie White instead.”
“Ugh, you’ve been talking to that goodie-two-shoes have you? God, poor you, having little miss honeypie chucking up platitudes—”
“You don’t like her?”
“She makes me vomit. Next question.”
“Did you put the rats in the pool?”
Sarah watched the girl carefully.
“No way!”
Sarah knew she had to keep pressing.
“The thing is, Freya, you’ve definitely got a motive — and as far as I can see you’re the only person who has.”
“You are so wrong.”
“What about the other things — the slashed tyres, the food. Was that you?”
“You know what? This is just crazy. You’re crazy. I don’t have to listen to this. I don’t have to put up with the likes of you.”
Freya pushed her chair back and got up. Sarah sat and watched her.
“Why are you so angry, Freya?”
“I am not angry! You do not tell me I am angry!”
And with that she roughly pushed the table back and ran from the room.
Sarah watched her go, then heard the door slam.
Jack’s right, she thought. Sometimes if you push the right buttons people give you what you need.
She took out her phone and texted him.
Things were beginning to fall into place at last.
*
“So you think it’s all a tale of jealousy?” said Jack, winding down the window of the Sprite to let some cool air in and clear the mist.
“Freya was lying, I’m sure of it,” said Sarah. “Too cool for school — you know that expression? And yet, she got dumped, even with her rich father.”“You really think she’s the one behind it all?”
“There’s certainly a motive,” said Sarah. “Emily breaks Freya’s heart by making Sophie her new favourite — she goes straight into retaliation mode against the school.”
Jack looked through the windscreen as the rain swept in dismal waves across the gravel of the visitors’ car park. A stream of hockey players and spectators were making their soggy way from the fields back to the school and the coaches.
He watched them hunched against the weather.
“Okay. I can buy the fire alarm maybe. Even the potato surprise. But rats …” said Jack. “You really see the kid killing the lights and throwing rats in the pool? I mean, how’d she get the rats?”
“Maybe she had help?”
“The other girls in her set? Possible. Still … that likely?”
He looked at Sarah in the seat of the Sprite next to him: she shrugged a ‘don’t
She walked out of the bedroom and Sarah followed her.
11. Uncovering the Past
Sarah sat at Emily Braithwaite’s kitchen table facing Freya DeLong. The girl was almost impossible to read. When Sarah had told her — as gently as she could — about Emily’s death she’d hardly reacted.
Just shrugged.
Such a tough shell these kids develop, thought Sarah.
Or is it just the icy student?
So Sarah had asked her about her friendship with her House Mistress.
Freya had given her a matter of fact account of the relationship.
Right from the beginning of her first year in Sixth Form, Freya had said, Emily had given her extra tuition, helped her with her university applications, given her personal advice. Yes, they’d been close friends, closer perhaps than was usual between a pupil and a teacher. But so what?
Freya had shared a lot of personal ‘stuff’ with her — and that was why she wanted her letters back. What was the big deal?
“So, what went wrong, Freya?”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“Why did it end — this special friendship? What happened?”
Sarah watched Freya as she sat motionless, her face showing no feelings.
“I don’t know.”
“But it did end — yes?”
Freya shrugged.
“When was that exactly?”
“God! Do we have to talk about this?”
“I’m afraid we do.”
“All right. End of the summer term she started to get distant. Then when I went back home to the States in the summer she didn’t write. And this term — she just blanked me.”
“Talked to Sophie White instead.”
“Ugh, you’ve been talking to that goodie-two-shoes have you? God, poor you, having little miss honeypie chucking up platitudes—”
“You don’t like her?”
“She makes me vomit. Next question.”
“Did you put the rats in the pool?”
Sarah watched the girl carefully.
“No way!”
Sarah knew she had to keep pressing.
“The thing is, Freya, you’ve definitely got a motive — and as far as I can see you’re the only person who has.”
“You are so wrong.”
“What about the other things — the slashed tyres, the food. Was that you?”
“You know what? This is just crazy. You’re crazy. I don’t have to listen to this. I don’t have to put up with the likes of you.”
Freya pushed her chair back and got up. Sarah sat and watched her.
“Why are you so angry, Freya?”
“I am not angry! You do not tell me I am angry!”
And with that she roughly pushed the table back and ran from the room.
Sarah watched her go, then heard the door slam.
Jack’s right, she thought. Sometimes if you push the right buttons people give you what you need.
She took out her phone and texted him.
Things were beginning to fall into place at last.
*
“So you think it’s all a tale of jealousy?” said Jack, winding down the window of the Sprite to let some cool air in and clear the mist.
“Freya was lying, I’m sure of it,” said Sarah. “Too cool for school — you know that expression? And yet, she got dumped, even with her rich father.”“You really think she’s the one behind it all?”
“There’s certainly a motive,” said Sarah. “Emily breaks Freya’s heart by making Sophie her new favourite — she goes straight into retaliation mode against the school.”
Jack looked through the windscreen as the rain swept in dismal waves across the gravel of the visitors’ car park. A stream of hockey players and spectators were making their soggy way from the fields back to the school and the coaches.
He watched them hunched against the weather.
“Okay. I can buy the fire alarm maybe. Even the potato surprise. But rats …” said Jack. “You really see the kid killing the lights and throwing rats in the pool? I mean, how’d she get the rats?”
“Maybe she had help?”
“The other girls in her set? Possible. Still … that likely?”
He looked at Sarah in the seat of the Sprite next to him: she shrugged a ‘don’t
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