The Secret Place

Ms. McKenna’s secretary provides the detectives with a list of girls who had access to the board on the day the postcard was placed. Stephen and Antoinette are unsurprised to learn that all the girls in Joanne’s and Holly’s cliques are on the list. They secure the room where the board is located and then interview each girl individually. They strategically begin with Orla in order to put Joanne on edge, knowing that as the leader of her pack, she will expect to be chosen first. Additionally, because Stephen knows that Orla lives in Joanne’s shadow and therefore craves attention and acceptance, he does his best to charm her. He learns that Joanne’s group had access to the board while they were working on a project and that each of them stepped out of the room to use either the bathroom or the phone.

Next, they interview Gemma, who is more intelligent than Orla and tries to flirt with Stephen. She does become cagey a few times, but both detectives agree that she did not see who placed the postcard; they judge that she probably isn’t hiding much from them.