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Je
Je
She wanted to meet him. He was in her mind all the time. She wasn't entitled to any time off, but Mollie would cover for her for an hour. In the last few days Mollie had become pathetically keen to seem as efficient as possible. She told her she was going out – but not for long. "The infirmary is empty. If Neville shows up and I'm needed you can get me at The Lantern."
Mollie asked dryly, "Booze or Fleming?"
"So the grape-vine flourishes."
"In this hot-house atmosphere, dear, what do you expect? And the lesser of two evils is booze."
Je
Di
Thirza said quietly, "There's a girl with red hair and murder in her eyes willing me dead. She's standing in the doorway."
Fleming glanced over his shoulder and then, forgetting to apologise to Thirza, got up quickly and went over to her.
His delight in seeing her halted her exit. "Je
She didn't believe him.
"Your school phone was in continuous use. When I did get through you weren't to be found."
"I was there." Her underlip was thrust out sulkily like a child's.
"And you're here now. We've only just started di
"Dressed like this – and join who?"
"Thirza Crayshaw- an old family friend, the solicitor who's representing me at the inquest.", Thirza, watching, thought, so that's the one, and was surprised. The hurt and the pain had rolled off him like a cloud melting in the sun as he saw her and spoke to her. The only thing she obviously had in her favour was youth – and that wasn't always an asset. Her uniform dress was ridiculous, it" even had cuffs. There were belt slots, but no belt. She had the freckles that went with red hair and hadn't bothered to disguise them. She didn't bother to disguise her feelings either. She had the look of a betrayed lover who was being gradually coaxed to a state of faith.
She wasn't sure of him.
Nor he of her.
So they hadn't known each other long.
The affair was at the delicate perimeter of what could be a deep and healing permanency – or just transient. Whichever way it went his response at this moment was good to see.
I lay no claim, she told Je
Je
It was over coffee that the first reference to Corley was made.
Fleming asked abruptly, "Why did he go?"
Je
"No – Corley. The lad from the school."
"Neville Corley, If he had a brother he would be Corley Minor. If he were one of three then I don't know what he'd be – perhaps Corley subminor." She was talking nonsense and knew it. Thirza had badly upset her, just by being there and looking as she did.
Thirza observed u
"I don't approve of depersonalising children."
Thirza tried to draw her out. "Speaking generally, it can't be a bad system. Of course there are pockets of disaster -
the Grange is probably one of them. The fault is usually at the top – what's the head like?"
Je
Once spoken she considered it and believed it to be true. Within his personal limitations, Bra
Thirza pursued it. "Then -weak?"
Je
She looked at Fleming to see how he had taken her defence of Bra
"Strength and brutality," he pointed out, "are two different things. If you captain a ship, you give the orders and the crew obeys them. If there's unrest you look into it and act. You say Bra
Je
"Mollie Robbins is standing in for me."
"You mean she's sitting in her room with her headphones on like a female Nero while the school burns." He opened the car door for her.
She got in and rolled down the window. "Have you ever thought what would happen to her if Bra
"No. But I'll think about it now. Frankly, I don't give a damn and neither should Bra
She said curtly, "You'd make a splendid headmaster."
He was surprised into laughter. She was being moody and cantankerous and he knew the reason why. He lifted her hand off the wheel and held it in both of his. "I'm sorry Thirza spoilt our meal. I'm sorry you ate hardly any of it. She's decorative, and pleasant, and kind. Ruth was fond of her and so am I. Tomorrow at the inquest she'll do all she can. Tonight we'll sleep in our separate beds." He kissed her fingers gently and replaced her hand on the wheel. It occurred to him that this would be their last meeting before the inquest, but didn't mention it. Her attitude to the school was ambivalent and that was to be expected.
Je
She went up to the treatment room where she had left Mollie and found her putting wads of blood-soaked cotton wool into the waste-bin.
"For God's sake – what happened?"
Mollie, sweating slightly, managed a smile. "Young Carson tripped and banged his nose on the edge of his bed. I coped. He's all right." She added u
"So I see. Did you let him stay in the infirmary."
"No – he's back in the dormitory."
"It's as well to keep an eye on him – at least for a while. By the look of that it's recent."
"Not that recent – I just didn't get around to clearing up." Her fat cheeks broke into a sudden smile giving her face an unexpected look of genuine pleasure "Corley's home and dry."