One Deadly Lesson by Jay Nadal

Author:Jay Nadal [Nadal, Jay]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-12-04T00:00:00+00:00

28

Scott left the room in the derelict part of the school in the hands of SOCO after their arrival. None of the pupils had noticed the activity, and school life carried on around them. That in itself worried Scott, that illegal activities could be happening there without anyone’s knowledge.

There was a sense of suspended reality to this place. The school carried on as if nothing bad had happened. Teachers delivered classes, pupils appeared unfazed, and the atmosphere had a controlled and clinical feel to it. It certainly wasn’t what Scott had expected, but then again, this wasn’t a normal school.

When Scott arrived at the head’s office, Collier was seated in his red leather wingback chair. He sat facing the large leaded window overlooking the front of the school. For a man in charge of a school embroiled in a series of murder investigations, he seemed unfazed by it. That should have surprised Scott, but having witnessed the man’s demeanour on several occasions and the general atmosphere around the school and staff, nothing surprised him now.

“Mr Collier, you and I need a chat,” Scott said firmly as he walked in.

Collier replied with nothing more than a nod.

Scott placed himself between Collier and the window and crossed his arms. “I’ve just come from the old music room, and it appears that despite it being out of bounds, it was accessed recently. I need answers, Mr Collier, and I need them now.”

Scott’s firm tone left Collier with little doubt as to the gravity of the situation the school faced.

Collier had his elbows resting on the armrests, his fingers joined in a steeple that supported his chin. His eyes were fixed in a vacant stare that ignored Scott and looked out at the gardens. He looked weary. The events of the past week had clearly taken their toll on him.

With a heavy sigh, Collier’s shoulders dropped, and he lifted his gaze to meet with Scott’s. Pulling himself up straight, he stood up, resignation etched into the creases on his forehead and around his eyes.

“Walk with me, Inspector?” he asked as he trudged towards the door.

An eerie silence followed the pair as they made their way back out through reception past Mrs Hilary, who watched open-mouthed, unsure as to what was happening. She’d already locked horns with Scott earlier as he’d breezed past her, ignoring her demands that he wait.

Stepping out into the sunshine, Scott squinted. The heavy mood didn’t change as they walked slowly around the grounds of the school, their footsteps muffled by the closely cropped lawns.

“So much has changed since I was a pupil here from age eleven until I joined the army at eighteen.” Melancholy tinged Collier’s voice. “It was a good school, the best. It’s why I came back here after my twenty-two years of military service to begin my teaching career. It was in my blood, you see. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. I taught for two years before progressing to housemaster, deputy head and finally becoming the head at the age of fifty-six.

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