Chapter 37: Cora - The Foster Child

By Karen King

Mrs Stirling and all the teachers and pupils wear a variety of festive jumpers too and there’s a happy, jolly atmosphere in the school. I pass Tilly in a red jumper with a white polar bear on the front.

‘Snap!’ I say and she laughs. I’m so relieved that things are back to normal, in school anyway.

Elliot comes home with the padlock and fixes it on the gate right away, which makes me feel a bit safer. He’s quiet, lost in thought, most of the evening, probably worried about that wreath. It was such a sick thing to do. I can’t help thinking about his bruised knuckles and if he really did fall or if it was something else. I wonder if he caught someone doing something at the cottage and there was a scuffle but he doesn’t want to tell me about it. He’s restless at night, and often gets up for a glass of water, which isn’t like him. Normally he’s asleep as soon as his head touches the pillow. But then I’m not sleeping well either. We’re both living on our nerves.

The next day it’s the Nativity play. Rea and Gabby come together and Rea takes the children home, so Gabby and I walk home together.

‘Fancy coming in for a cuppa? We can have a catch-up without the men around?’ Gabby asks.

‘I’d love to.’

Gabby’s house is warm and welcoming as always. The Rayburn is on, warming the kitchen, and there’s a delicious smell coming from the slow cooker on the worktop.

‘That smells amazing,’ I tell her.

‘Thanks, it’s my nan’s secret recipe, but she passed it on to me. I prepared it last night and left it cooking on low while I was at work today.’ She takes off the lid and gives it a stir. ‘I don’t like to leave it cooking in the Rayburn unsupervised. It’s a bit temperamental.’

‘I used to do that a lot when Lori was small, it’s nice to come home to a hot meal.’ I stand in front of the Rayburn and warm my hands. ‘I don’t like to leave food cooking in the Aga if I’m out either so I’m glad I brought my slow cooker with me because Elliot hasn’t got one. Well, at least if he has, I haven’t come across it yet.’

‘You two really were a whirlwind romance, weren’t you?’ Gabby says with a smile. ‘Not like me and Scott, we dated for quite a while before we married. We’ll be married thirty years this year.’

‘Wow! That is a long time. Has Scott always worked in security?’

‘Goodness, no. He was a police officer for years, he retired from the force a couple of years ago and started working in security then.’ She takes two mugs out of the cupboard. ‘We treated ourselves to a new coffee machine at the weekend.’ She points to a gleaming silver coffee maker. ‘Fancy trying it out? I’ve got cappuccino, latte, cortado, macchiatos or espresso?’

‘That looks fab. I’ll have a latte, please.’

‘Coming up! Take a pew!’

‘Did you meet Scott before he became a policeman?’ I ask, pulling out a chair.

‘We were at the same school but he was a couple of years older than me. Then I bumped into him again when he’d just joined the force. You know what they say about men in uniform.’

‘It must be a dangerous job though. I bet you were relieved when he eventually retired.’

Gabby comes over with two steaming mugs and places one on the table in front of me, then sits down opposite me, holding her mug. ‘I was. It can be a bit dangerous being a security guard, but nothing like the stuff he came across as a policeman. He rose to superintendent, you know. He was very well respected.’

‘I’m sure he was.’ I blow on my drink to cool it down. ‘What about you, have you always worked in a pharmacy?’

‘Not always in a pharmacy but in retail, yes.’ Gabby gets up and goes over to the cupboard, taking out a shortbread biscuit tin, lifting off the lid and putting it on the table to reveal an assortment of plain and cream biscuits. ‘Help yourself.’ She takes one out and bites into it. ‘Have you always worked as a school secretary?’

‘Thanks.’ I take a ginger nut out of the tin. ‘From when Lori was about eight, yes. I worked in admin in an insurance office before then. Being a school secretary fitted in better with Lori’s school hours and the holidays.’

‘Of course. So how did you meet Elliot? Was he your dentist?’

I laugh. ‘I pranged his Merc.’ I relate the story of how we met and she laughs too.

‘Goodness, you know how to make an impression. How long ago was that?’

‘Just over six months.’ I bite into my shortbread. It’s hard to believe that we’ve only been together such a short time. I can’t imagine life without Elliot now.

Just then the door opens and Scott comes in. He’s wearing a thick dark coat and has a scarf over his mouth.

‘Hiya, love. You’re home early,’ Gabby says. ‘Want a cuppa?’

He shakes his head. ‘I need to get to a dentist. I’m in agony with this tooth.’

‘Oh no!’ Gabby turns to me. ‘His tooth has been playing up for a few days and our usual dental practice closed a couple of months ago, we haven’t got around to registering with a new one yet.’

I pause. ‘I wonder if Elliot would be able to fit him in. I can ask him if you want? He’s still at work for another hour or so.’

‘Would you?’ Scott looks so relieved. ‘I’d be really grateful.’

‘I’ll give him a ring but he won’t be able to answer my calls if he’s seeing to a patient though.’

Luckily Elliot does answer and when I explain he says that he’s had a cancellation for a five o’clock appointment so to send Scott straight over. I relay the message to Scott.

‘Thanks. I owe you both big time. What’s the name of the surgery?’

‘Brookes and Harley Dentalcare,’ I tell him. ‘Elliot is the Brookes and his partner, Katrina, is the Harley.’

‘Elliot Brookes?’ Scott repeats. He looks surprised.

‘Yes, that’s right. Why?’

‘Just checking I heard you right. What’s the address?’

I tell him the address and he goes off.

‘Poor Scott, he looks in a lot of pain,’ I say to Gabby.

‘He is, it’s been grumbling for days and must be pretty bad for him to leave work. I’m glad you could come back with me for a coffee, we probably wouldn’t have thought to ask Elliot.’

‘Glad to help,’ I tell her.

But I can’t stop thinking about the look on Scott’s face when I told him Elliot’s name.