Robert Farrah stepped out of Number 23 and turned to wish Nasreen goodbye for the day.
"I don’t understand why you are going into Hope when you’re on half-term," she said.
"There’s always things to be done. It’s easier to work there than at home some times, especially when the kids aren’t there. As for me, I don’t understand why your parents want to pay us a visit at such short notice."
"I suppose they might have thought with you on holiday you’d have more time."
"Teachers never get a holiday. They made it sound so pressingly urgent, though – ‘must see both of you straight away.’ What was all that about?"
"We’ll find out when we see them," she said. "Now get going and come home early."
As Robert carefully backed his Nissan out of the drive, then turned to drive off, Nasreen noticed several trails of what looked like papers in plastic packets trailing on strings from under the back of his car, and wondered what they might be. Some sort of practical joke, she wondered. Then she put the thought out of her mind and went indoors.
Tricia had heard the telephone ring but Jade had answered it first. When she entered the lounge, Jade laughing over the line.
"Oh, here’s Tricia now," she said with a grin, but still didn’t hand the call over straight away. "Perhaps see you soon," she said at last before parting with the receiver.
"Is it Jonathan?"
"Yes," Jade mouthed.
Tricia took the phone and eyed Jade curiously before speaking into the phone. "Are we still on for tonight?"
Jade still stood there watching, till Tricia indicated with irritated shake of the head to Jade that she should leave the room. She listened to Jonathan’s answer before replying. "Good. Don’t be late."
Tricia hung up and found that, now she wanted to ask Jade a question, she had suddenly made herself scarce.
Martha took a deep breath before knocking on Brooke’s bedroom door.
"What!?" came the irritated reply.
Martha went in. Brooke had her head buried in a school-book. "Is everything OK?" said Martha.
"It would be if I didn’t keep on getting interrupted."
"We’ve left you alone, Dad and me," said Martha.
"You should tell that little twerp of a sister to do the same," said Brooke.
"Brooke, I do wish you would try to get on a little better with Celine."
"And I wish I could get on with revising – my resits are just a few days away."
Martha bit her lip. "There was something else I wanted to ask you about."
"Oh for goodness’ sake," said Brooke, bouncing off the bed, snatching up her study things.
"Where are you going?"
"I’m going into school – at least they let you study in the library and I can get some peace and quiet."
Martha wished she had handled that better. There was something she had to talk to Brooke about, resits or no resits.
"Mr Farrah!"
Robert was half way down the corridor to the staff room when he heard a familiar voice call out. "Yes, Mrs Groves."
"Your car appears to be trailing some sort of litter behind it. I would be most grateful if you would go and remove it. Your car looks like you have just been the groom at a wedding." Robert winced at this – soon he was going to be the groom at a wedding, and the thought of what tricks his friends might play on him gave him cause for concern. Mrs Groves, as headmistress of Hope Academy, was all very keen to be one of the gang with other teachers when it suited her. On other occasions, she definitely liked everyone to know she was boss and wanted things run her way.
When Robert got to his car it was almost as if his worst fears had been realised. The streamers dangling from under the car were poly-packets – the sort pupils put their homework in before handing it in to be marked, but the papers inside were anything but homework. They were photographs of a young girl who appeared to be wearing very little clothing. He looked at them appalled, then he felt his blood run cold. This was not just any young girl. They were pictures of one of his pupils. Just as he hurriedly gathered them into his arms, viciously snapping the string that held them to the vehicle, that very girl appeared on the opposite side of the car.
"Hello, Mr Farrah," said Brooke Ames.
"What are you doing her?" he asked, rather abruptly.
She gave him a "d’ur" kind of look, and said, "It’s school. I’ve come to study." Her face became oddly blank and she walked past him into the school. Robert waited till she had gone inside before giving the photos one more look. He screwed them up into a ball, unlocked the back door of the car and stuffed the pictures under the seat. Then he followed Brooke into the building.
"Brooke," he called, catching her up. "You haven’t… been anywhere near my car, have you?"
Brooke looked puzzled. "What do you mean, sir?"
"You haven’t tampered with my car in any way?"
Brooke dropped her voice and was far from deferential when she hissed, "I wouldn’t go near anything of yours. But, if I were you, I’d remember our little deal about my re-sit marks."
"I can’t do anything about the exam scripts – I can’t get near them."
"But you can alter the marks on my assessed modules. Or would you like Mrs Groves or my Dad to find out what you’ve been up to?"
Celine burst into the kitchen where Martha was preparing the evening meal, in floods of tears.
"What’s the matter, darling," said Martha, concerned.
"Look at this text I just got on my phone," she cried.
Robert Farrah was alone in the staff-room when he found Brooke Ames assignment work. It would be the work of a moment to alter the grades.
End Of Episode 24.
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