Mycroft was not dead. He'd been sent to the local hospital as a precaution and the numerous X-rays and tests had revealed two broken ribs. And a lot of bruises. But he wasn't dead.
Mr Allen was furious. So was matron. Both of them obviously thought the beating was something to do with Greg. They had questioned him for hours about what had happened. He had his suspicions of course, but the first rule of school? Well you didn't rat on anyone. It was called Leathering, mainly because the bar of soap of choice that got used was Imperial Leather. You put the bar into a sock and smashed it down on your intended victim's body.
And Greg was imagining what had happened. When the door of the shower which had been left unlocked was opened. Mycroft would have thought it was him, come to have more of the same. Mycroft had been expecting Greg. Mycroft would have smiled as he turned around and then was met by a hail of socks. And the thing Greg was most worried about was not whether his roommate was hurt. He was worried that Mycroft might have given him away.
When they turned Mycroft over, lifting his head from the bloody, soapy water in the shower tray Greg had seen straight away what they had done to him. A sharp blade. Really sharp to do that. To brand someone with that word. Homo.
Greg had a good idea who it would be. Or at least who the scalpel belonged to. Anderson. Oliver that was, not his younger brother Tim. Tim was a good bloke, just a bit anxious to please. Oliver was a weasel in weasel's clothing. But actually getting physical like that. Cutting someone. That took a whole different style of bully. It wouldn't be Paul. For all his faults he would just walk up to someone and punch them on the nose.
There was only one person at St. Christopher's who was sick enough to do this. One person who might now have a hold over Greg. It would have only needed Mycroft to say something like "Gregory what took you so long?" And while the motives weren't clear, it still made Greg shudder and feel sick.
"Have you any idea who might have done this Gregory?" Mr Allen asked again. Of course the answer was yes. But you didn't say. You never said.
"No Sir, I really have no idea." Greg looked at his feet. Okay so he was a coward. He didn't want the whole world to know he was gay. Was that so bad? But a little voice in his head was telling him it was. Because one day James Moriarty was going to kill someone. And one day it might be him.