Free Killing Rachel by Anne Cassidy Page B

years had been Rachel Bliss.
    She walked along the main corridor and was heading for Martha Harewood’s room when she heard footsteps coming up the stairs from behind. She stopped and waited. Amanda Larkin turned on to the corridor and broke into a smile when she saw her.
    ‘Rose! It’s good to see you. Oh! I’ll bet you’ve come back because of Rachel Bliss? Horrible business.’
    Rose nodded. ‘Horrible. She wrote me some letters . . .’
    ‘Did she?’
    ‘I brought them to give to the police.’
    ‘They were here today.’
    ‘Where’s Molly?’
    ‘She’s around somewhere.’
    ‘I was just going to see Martha.’
    ‘I wouldn’t,’ she said. ‘She is in a real state. She looks as though she’s going to burst into tears every time she comes out of her rooms.’
    ‘Oh . . .’
    Amanda put her hand lightly on Rose’s shoulder.
    ‘I’m just getting something from my room, then I’m going to lunch. Come with me. See some of the others. Have something to eat. See Martha later.’
    ‘My bag . . .’ Rose said.
    ‘Put it in my room. And your coat. You can pick them up at the end of lunch.’
    Rose handed over her stuff and allowed herself to be guided down the stairs and out of the building towards the refectory. After saying hello to many girls and after some elbowing and queuing, she found herself sitting at one of the window tables used by the older years. People were looking at her. The girl dressed in black and white among the different shades of green. Since leaving she’d been in touch with some of these girls on Facebook but it had always been general chatter, nothing personal. It was hot and she pushed her sleeve up and the girls closest to her gasped at her deep blue butterfly tattoo. She ignored their looks and concentrated on her plate, tucking into her lasagne and salad. It tasted good and eating it slowly gave her a chance to just sit and listen to the conversation around her. Her presence had sparked off discussions about Rachel Bliss’s death.
    ‘It was terrible, Rose. I was up early and heard this shouting coming from outside. I looked out of my window. My room’s got a good view of the boating lake. I saw the head groundsman running across the grass shouting.’
    ‘He discovered her. That must have been a fright! He was going to check the boathouse and saw her floating on the water by the jetty. Face down!’
    ‘I heard he got into the water and pulled her out.’
    ‘No, no, it wasn’t him it was one of the gardeners. He was going to try and bring her back to life.’
    ‘Mouth to mouth. You know when they breathe into someone’s lungs? Resuscitation?’
    ‘People have lived in water for hours. Oh my God, I’ve seen it. Their body closes down. It was on a TV programme. You could be dead for hours, then they can bring you back to life.’
    ‘Don’t be pathetic!’
    ‘Anyway, he pulled her out and tried to save her life but it didn’t work.’
    ‘Her clothes pulled her down. She was wearing coat, boots, the lot.’
    ‘It was the middle of the night. Freezing cold!’
    ‘I heard they found a bottle of vodka in the water.’
    Rose listened to them. Girls she’d known for three and a half years. They talked in a shocked way but there was also an undertone of excitement. Something dramatic had happened. It was something to talk about, to chew over, to interpret.
    ‘If it turns out that Rachel was drunk it will be bad publicity for the school.’
    ‘Don’t say that! What’s that got to do with anything?’
    ‘I liked Rachel.’
    ‘You were one of the few.’
    ‘That’s not true. She was Rose’s friend for a while.’
    ‘Rose saw through her. Everyone did eventually.’
    ‘Apart from Molly.’
    Rose pushed her plate away and stood up. Rachel was drunk?
    ‘Good to see you, Rose. Great tattoo. I’m having one after my exams . . .’
    Amanda followed her as she walked through the diners towards the exit.
    ‘You’re not upset, are you, Rose?’ Amanda said.
    ‘No.