‘Is she all right?’
‘Who?’
‘Your nan?’
‘Well, the IRA dropped me off here and then took me nan off somewhere.’
‘Took her somewhere?’ Hell, should she be reporting this to Mason and then the police?
‘To me Aunty Sheila’s, I think. I’m going to join the IRA when I leave school, Miss. They’re just like on the telly. You know the orange hand?’
‘Not the red one then? The Red Right Hand?’ Robyn paused. Wasn’t that something to do with Ulster? Or was it just the theme tune toPeaky Blinders?
Maddie Woodhead had her hand up. ‘Miss Allen, I think he means the RAC.’
‘Yeah, duh, that’s what I said, MadHead.’ Stanley sniffed and walked to his place.
Thankful she wasn’t in the middle of some political uprising, Robyn started handing out exercise books to their respective owners with an accompanying word of praise or encouragement. ‘Riley? Homework?’
‘What about it, Miss?’
‘Where is it, Riley?’
‘Handed it in, Miss, like you said.’
‘Not here, Riley.’
‘Must have got lost. You know, lost in the post.’
‘He didn’t, Miss.’ Leon Barker smirked, deftly dodging the elbow aimed at him. ‘Told me he hadn’t done it.’
‘Eff off, Barker.’ Riley gave a few experimental dog noises in the other kid’s direction, baring his teeth in the manner of a demented Jack Russell, and the class joined in, laughing and barking at Leon.
‘Oi, any more of that and you’re in isolation, Riley. And the rest of you, stop that right now. OK, I’ll ask you one more time, Riley, where’s your homework?’
‘Dog ate me homework, Miss.’
‘What, Leon did?’ another of the kid’s cronies asked, laughing.
‘Straight up!’
Did he think he was on some TV police procedural drama?
‘You ask me dad, Miss.’
‘I will,’ Robyn said calmly. ‘I have his number.’
‘It were me dad who telled me to tell you that,’ the boy now said sulkily.
‘I’ll see you after class, Riley. I’m not spending any more of this lesson on you now…’ Robyn deliberately stopped speaking, staring at the window while, to all appearances, in a state of shock. ‘What onearthwas that?’
Twenty-two eleven- and twelve-year-olds turned as one. ‘What, Miss?’
‘You didn’t see it?’ Robyn affected terror, seemingly rooted to the spot. ‘Oh, it was horrible, really,reallyhorrible.’
Chairs scraped back, children stood, rushing over to the third-floor picture window.
‘No, don’t! For heaven’s sake donotlook it in the eye. Sit down before it sees you.’
