Death Drop

He paused m the town long enough to buy a packet of cigarettes and find out what the verdict had been. Not surprised by it, he drove straight up to the school The games period was coming to an end now and the boys were strolling over to the mam building. He stood and watched them for a moment, and then he went up the cracked steps to the door of the school house and rang the bell. His anger was cocooned inside him.

Alison, opening to him, saw a corpulent middle-aged man wearing a well-cut grey suit. She had met him once before, but he was one of the parents who rapidly became faceless m retrospect. His wife, loud, lean and enthusiastic, she would have remembered quite clearly, but this man she remembered not at all. She thought he might be the first of the reporters – they always took longer to arrive in time of good news – and she had a speech prepared Her smile was welcoming. "Yes?"

He remembered her. "I should like a word with your husband, Mrs Bra

She knew Malcolm wouldn't handle the interview half as well as she would The Press would sniff out his doubt and pounce on it "He's rather busy at the moment -won't I do?"

"I hardly think so. You don't remember me, do you? I'm Neville Corley's father "

Her smile became tight and frozen before her lips closed. She stood aside and indicated that he should come in.

Bra

He said quietly, "Celebrating'7"

Bra

Corley ignored it. "May I sit down?"

"Please do "

Alison, her voice u

Bra

"I left the receiver off. The lad had a great deal to tell me."

"You brought him back? Where is he now – out in the car?"

"No " Corley picked up an empty champagne glass, studied it and put it down. "Accidental death, wasn't it? A cause for celebration "

Bra

Corley said, "It was the wrong verdict "

Bra

Corley took his time about it, and the words were clipped with controlled anger. "My son and young David Fleming were friends. They were in different Houses, but they met m class They both got keen on learning semaphore – it arose through the maritime project By coincidence Neville's assignment was on the poop deck of the sister ship to the one that David was on They were close enough to see each other. Instead of getting on with their task they played at signalling each other. Your resident psychopath – Durrant – left his post for some reason best known to himself. If young Fleming had needed to be punished for not getting on with the job then it wasn't up to a twisted adolescent to do it He hauled the boy down to the deck where the open hatch was – he tied his hands and blindfolded him. It might have ended there but David goaded him with accusations about a homosexual relationship with I

Bra

He said stiffly, " 'Woolly Bear on D's bed' – not Durrani's bed. Your lad got that bit wrong."

"D's – Durrant's – the implication's the same."

"It may seem so, but it isn't." It must have seemed so to Durrant, he thought, for him to have reacted so violently. "I find it difficult to believe that I

Alison exploded out of her silence. "It's the most appalling lies. Jesus Christ – you're not going to sit there and take it!"

Bra

She answered for herself before Bra

Bra

Poor Alison, he thought. She looked stripped to the bone. He felt very sorry for her.

Corley went on. "My lad as witness to murder was next in line himself." He misinterpreted Bra

Lessing, Bra

"The night my son made off home, Durrant cornered him in the locker room. His language was filthy – how much my son understood I wouldn't care to guess. There might have been violence if the locker room had been more remote. Durrant didn't touch him. He threatened him. The threats were enough. It took Neville a night and most of the next day to get home. He's got the begi

Bra

Corley broke through his thoughts. "I came to you before going to the police. It's up to you now to report it to the police. I advise you to report it without delay."

"The lad is fifteen."

Corley shrugged. "He's a psychopath."

"Then he needs medical help."

"Which your local G.P. can't give him. The rest of the lads here are your responsibility. How many more lads are you pla

Bra

Alison made one last effort. "If what you say is true -• and I can't believe it is – then let Durrant be put away quietly. Send for his parents. Let them see to it. It isn't our affair."

"Oh, but it is," Bra