“Good. I just wanted you to know that I believe in the sanctity of life. Of all lives, equally. As I am sure you do too.” He grabbed her hand and shook it, then glanced at his wife, as if expecting her to show Callie out, but she was still sitting, gripping her teacup, white-knuckled.
“Teresa?” he said sharply.
She started at his voice, a small amount of tea spilling down the front of her pristine white shirt.
“Oh, oh dear!” she said and fussed about, putting down her tea and mopping at her shirt with a tissue, as her husband looked on with an expression of surprise. Callie made her way to the door.
“Goodbye, Dr Hughes,” she finally managed to say to Callie’s retreating back and hurried after her to show her out.
Callie wondered what sort of conversation would be going on in the room now she had left and the door had been firmly closed behind her.
Chapter 24
Callie suppressed a faint feeling of nausea as she followed the receptionist down the utilitarian school corridor. Schools still smelled the same as when she had been a student, even if she had been at a small private school rather than the large academy that she was currently visiting. A trip to see the headmistress or principal as they now seemed to like to be called, was still as frightening.
Resisting the urge to pull down her skirt or fidget, Callie waited in the comfortable chair outside the office as instructed. She was pleased not to be kept waiting long as patience had never been one of her strengths. The principal turned out to be a very smartly dressed woman in her forties. Callie could only admire women who managed to have demanding jobs but kept themselves immaculately groomed and somehow managed to do it all in high heels. Perhaps she had a pair of comfy slippers hidden under the desk.
“I’m so pleased you’ve come to see us,” the principal said to her once they were settled in her office. It looked like every headteacher’s office Callie had ever been in: a bookcase laden with suitably serious tomes and a variety of cups and awards displayed, framed certificates hung on the walls along with photographs of the principal with a number of local dignitaries, including both Councillor Claybourne and Ted Savage MP. “The um, coroner’s officer said that you would be in touch.”
“It’s very good of you to respond so quickly.”
“Well, it won’t have escaped your notice that one of our students has died, Dr Hughes.”
“And two others have been near misses.”
“Exactly. So, we’ll take all the help we can get. I absolutely don’t want any more tragedies.”
She seemed genuinely to be concerned for her pupils rather than the school’s reputation, although the two obviously went hand in hand.
“Do you have any idea why this has happened?” Callie asked her.
“I rather thought that was more your area of expertise.”
“I rather hoped you might be able to help.” Callie smiled to remove any sting from her words, she needed this woman onside. “Anything that could help us get an answer to why these young girls are abusing their medication.”
The principal hesitated before answering.
“One of the teachers caught a boy acting suspiciously and when she searched his bag, found, amongst other banned substances, several asthma inhalers. We do not have asthma listed as one of his many problems,” she added, drily.
“He was selling them?”
“That would be the implication. He has been suspended pending review of his case, and past problems we have had with him, and I will be recommending permanent exclusion.”
Callie sat back. An illicit trade in inhalers made little sense to her, but she would research it, find out why it might be and if it was a problem elsewhere.
“Okay, I’ll speak to the asthma consultant who has agreed to come with me to give a talk and confirm the date with your secretary. We might need to change what we say slightly, in light of your information.”
“Yes. That’s very kind of you. I don’t want you to get the impression that we have a big drug problem here, but−”
“Every school has some, I do understand that, but that’s also why it’s important for us to try and nip whatever is going on here in the bud.”
“Exactly.” The principal seemed happy with that.
* * *
Once back at the surgery, Callie asked her colleagues, but none of them had ever heard of asthma inhalers being sold by drug dealers, or could think of any reason why they might be. Even a search online wasn’t very helpful, there was a suggestion that the use of inhalers before taking other drugs might enhance their effect simply by expanding the airways. Apparently, there was a “rush” rather than a “high” from overuse, probably because it made the heart beat faster, but everywhere agreed, there was little real effect, apart from the problem of reducing sensitivity to the drugs that might save an asthmatic who was having an attack.
At a loss to know what on earth was going on at the school, Callie left a message for the consultant to call her and discuss their upcoming visit. She also managed to get hold of Anna’s mother, and asked her to talk to her daughter and see if she could find out why the girl was using so much and why her friends seemed to be doing the same.
That done, she settled down to an uneventful surgery. It wasn’t until she was just finishing off the last few bits of paperwork that either person got back to her.
The consultant wasn’t really able to enlighten her on
