Page 17 of Dying Truth

He caught Bryant’s gaze as it rested on the two busts either side of him.

‘Lord and Lady Burdoch,’ he said, turning to look at the sculptures. ‘The founders of Heathcrest,’ he said, proudly. Without prompting from either of them he continued. ‘Elizabeth Burdoch inherited the estate from her parents whose only son died in the First World War. By the beginning of the Second World War, Elizabeth and her husband Charles were in their late forties and childless. They opened their home to children from the cities being bombed.’

‘How did that develop into this?’ Dawson asked.

‘As the war continued Elizabeth became aware that the education of the children was suffering and began bringing teachers here. At first it was the basics, but once she saw the positive effect of learning in such an environment, she went on to employ science teachers, physical education teachers and eventually covered the whole curriculum.’

‘Go on,’ Dawson urged.

‘The end of the war came but parents wanted their children to continue their education here. Unfortunately, the money was beginning to run out and Elizabeth could no longer afford to provide free education.’

‘So, what happened?’ asked Kim.

‘Some children stayed, and some didn’t.’

‘The ones that couldn’t pay were sent home?’ Kim clarified.

‘Yes,’ he confirmed. ‘Except for two. One girl and one boy were chosen each year to receive a scholarship to Heathcrest worth approximately thirty-five thousand pounds per year.’

‘That’s generous,’ Kim said, before she could stop herself.

‘Based on what, exactly?’ Bryant asked.

‘Normally some kind of exceptional sporting achievement or musical ability,’ he answered.

Both very public careers that would reflect favourably on the school, she noted silently.

‘So, who owns Heathcrest now?’ Bryant asked, as two teenage boys crossed the hall giving Kim her first visual evidence of the purpose of the building.

‘A board of trustees,’ Thorpe answered, watching the boys’ progress. Their chatter had stopped as they’d entered the great hall but began again once through the door on the other side.

‘Before Elizabeth died she appointed five staff members as overseers, people she felt had been particularly loyal and invested to safeguard the running and reputation of the school. It’s a lifelong commitment, and when a trustee dies the remaining four decide on a new trustee.’

‘Couldn’t they all just sell it?’ Kim asked.

He shook his head. ‘There is a no-sale clause in the trustee agreement. Although each trustee receives a dividend.’

‘How much?’ Kim asked out of interest.

‘It’s two hundred thousand pounds a year.’

Nice, Kim thought.

‘Well, thank you for that, Mr Thorpe, but if you could direct us to the room we spoke about,’ she said pointing at herself and Bryant. ‘And Dawson will head off to have a closer look at Sadie’s room.’

Kim saw the tightening of the jaw as he stepped out of salesman mode and remembered the reason for their presence.

‘You will find the female dorm rooms in the East wing second level. Room thirty-six.’

Dawson thanked him and headed out of the grand hall.

‘And I’ll take you to the room we’ve made available,’ Thorpe added.

She had asked Stacey to call ahead requesting space and an opportunity to speak to people who knew Sadie.

‘May we?’ he asked, touching her elbow and guiding her away from Bryant. She moved her arm away from his touch as Bryant fell into step behind them.

‘Is this really normal practice for a teenage suicide?’ he asked.