All The Little Moments (41 page)

“Does she prioritise the kids over
your relationship?”

Anna flinched.

Without hesitating, Lane stated, “Of course she did. She still does. She prioritises the kids over anything. Anna has always thought of the kids first in everything
she does.”

“And you
support that?”

“I don’t think I could feel the way I do about her if she didn’t. It’s amazing, the bond the three of
them have.”

“Thank you, Miss Bishop, that will
be all.”

The State’s attorney stood up. “How often were you seeing
Doctor Foster?”

“Almost every day. We
work together.”

“Outside
of work?”

“It would depend on my hours, or hers, but anything from twice to four times a week. She liked to spend one-on-one time with
the kids.”

“And you hadn’t spoken about the nature of your relationship with
the kids?”

“No. We were talking about doing that, but hadn’t gotten
there yet.”

“And Ella never guessed? You weren’t overtly affectionate in front
of her?”

“Not overtly, no. From what I know, though, Ella’s parents had explained that Anna dates women to her already, as Anna had a long-term partner the kids had met before. I think Ella’s at an age where she doesn’t think in terms of things like that, she just likes to hang out and watch movies and play games with
us all.”

“Thank you.”

Shakily, Lane stood and caught Anna’s eye, mouthing something she couldn’t get. Anna looked at her, confused, but Lane was being
ushered out.

The questions with Anna’s mother passed in a blur, and she raved for so long about how good Anna was with the kids that Scott had to
interrupt her.

Her mother would always fight
for her.

And then, her father was
called up.

A nervous pull in her stomach distracted her from wondering what Lane had tried to mime
to her.

“How much do you see Anna and
the kids?”

Andrew looked down before answering. “Not very often. The kids have the odd sleepover with us. It’s something they’ve always done, since Ella was a baby, and I see
them then.”

“Were you surprised when Doctor Foster
got guardianship?”

“My son had spoken to us about
it previously.”

“Do you think she’s suited
to it?”

Her father hesitated.
“I didn’t.”

Anna looked
up sharply.

He was still looking down towards
the ground.

The judge had his eyes on him. Anna reminded herself
to breathe.

Andrew cleared his throat. “This may sound like a strange statement, but I didn’t think I’d raise a lesbian daughter. Yet I did.” He gave a self-conscious shrug. “But I learnt quickly that who she was dating had nothing to do with anything. Both my children were good people.” He paused, and Anna just wished he’d look at her. “Being the girl she is, she was career driven, brilliant at her job. She and her brother were fiercely close and incredibly loyal to each other. Jake was the family man, and Anna was ambitious. She adores her job.” He paused, clearing his throat. “Then Jake…and Sally…Well, I dropped off the face of the earth. Anna, she looks so much like him. And Toby, he does, too.” Voice cracking, her father cleared his throat. “Losing a child so young, it takes a part of a man away. Everything that reminds you of him just hurts. I, uh, I disappeared on my family.” He looked up, and, for the first time since Jake died, looked Anna in
the eye.

They held each other’s gaze, and she felt her heart break for the grief she saw in
his eyes.

“I disappeared.” He pressed his lips together. “But she didn’t.” He turned and spoke to the judge directly. “Anna stepped up. I don’t think she planned on having kids, but my son, her brother, asked it of her, and here she is, fighting tooth and nail for them. Losing their parents could have destroyed those two kids. I’m sure it’s altered them, of course. But destroyed? Anna’s held them together. She’s held my wife together when I all but left her to her grief. And through it all, she’s held herself together for those two kids. She’s the best thing to happen not only to my grandchildren but to this
entire family.”

Silence rang around the courtroom until finally Scott
broke it.

“Uh—thank you, Mr Foster. That will
be all.”

The State’s attorney shook his head when the judge looked
at him.

There was a lump in Anna’s throat she could barely swallow past, and she watched helplessly as her father started to walk awkwardly out of the room. As he walked past her, Anna couldn’t help herself. She stood up and walked towards him, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face in his chest. Only for a moment, he hesitated. Anna was fairly certain the last time he had hugged her had been when she was small, but she didn’t care. His arms wrapped around her, tight over her
shoulder blades.

Anna pulled back and stared into eyes the same shade her brother’s had been. Her father’s hands rested on her shoulders for a moment. With an uncertain look, he nodded to her. Anna quickly slipped back to
her seat.

The glare Scott gave her didn’t have much effect
behind it.

Looking down at his papers, the judge acted like he hadn’t noticed someone standing up in the middle of court proceedings. “Right. I think we’ll take a ten-minute recess
before resuming.”

They stood as he walked out, and Anna turned to Scott. “How are
we going?”

“Good. We just have to see what Cathy and the caseworkers have
to say.”

“George is speaking? He was only
there once.”

Scott frowned. “I know.
We’ll see.”

“This judge? Is he a
good one?”

“He’s a religious man, but he has a lot of respect for the law. We could have done a
lot worse.”

Religion made her nervous. “Can I talk to
the others?”

“They’ve all been called, so yes. Just be back here in five minutes. We won’t be calling you unless the judge has specific questions
for you.”

Mind already out the door, Anna nodded. She walked out and was quickly hit with the rocket that was her mother, whose arms wrapped tight around her. “Did I do okay? Oh, I was so nervous, I don’t even remember it now; it’s
a blur.”

Anna pressed her face into her mother’s neck. “You did great, Mum, thank you.” She looked around.
“Where’s Dad?”

“He left for home, said he
had business.”

Of course
he did.

Anna nodded,
resigned. “Kym?”

“She said she mentioned it the other night, that she had to get in to work when she was finished testifying. She said you have to message her as soon as you know.”

Lane stood behind Sandra, fidgeting with her bag, appearing even more anxious than she had in the courtroom. Untangling herself from her mother, Anna gave Lane a searching look. “Are
you okay?”

“Anna, that man in there, at the table with
your caseworker.”

“George Coleman?”

“He was at the café with
Cathy yesterday.”

Freezing, Anna stared at her. The memory of the scene in the café, the man who had seemed vaguely familiar, washed over her. “Oh, my God.
You’re right.”

“Do
you think—”

“Who’s George?” Sandra cut in, but they
ignored her.

“Everyone has been saying this reaction was extreme. Lorna wouldn’t speak more about it.” Thoughts whirring, Anna didn’t take her eyes
off Lane’s.

Lane nodded vigorously. “Do you think he was the one that pushed
for this?”

“They said there was an issue from someone at the office. I never really thought it could be George. Why would he be talking
to Cathy?”

“Anna, you have to
tell Scott.”

“I’ll
go now.”

Shrilly, Sandra cut in again. “What? Who’s George? What is
going on?”

Anna whipped her head around. “Lane will explain, I have to run, Mum.” Heart pounding, she turned on her heel and rushed back in. Everything began making more sense. She sat down next to Scott and grabbed his arm, turning him
towards her.

His eyes widened when he saw the look on her
face. “What?”

“Scott,” she said, trying to keep her voice to a whisper, “George was at a café with Cathy yesterday. We saw him there. Lane just recognized him. He only came to my house once, and Lorna did
not
express any concerns about the kids. He appeared
after
Cathy first came over and
got scary.”

Processing this information, Scott stared at her for a second. Excitement gleamed in his eyes.
“Got it.”

“This is
good, yes?”

“That is all far too much of
a coincidence.”

When the bailiff stood straight and said his piece, Anna didn’t even hear what was said. There was a ringing in her ears. Everybody stood
up again.

Scott winked at her. “Leave this
to me.”

“Okay.” Her mouth was dry. Half-elated and half-nauseous, Anna felt helpless, but finally one step closer to getting the
kids back.

Lorna was called to the
stand first.

The State’s attorney rose and started questioning. “Lorna, you’ve worked for the department of child services for
how long?”

“Eight years.”

“And you’ve been on the Foster case from
the start?”

“Yes.”

“Have you yourself had any concerns in
this matter?”

“No. None.”

“So why are we
here today?”

“An order came from above me, and I had to follow
the protocol.”

“And you saw nothing that had you concerned all
that time?”

“No.”

The lawyer nodded. “That will
be all.”

Anna glanced at George, who was trying to hide his glare
at Lorna.

Scott rose. “So you had no
concerns, Lorna?”

“Not really, no. It was very straightforward. A guardian had been allocated. Doctor Foster accepted taking in the kids. It was mostly paperwork and routine follow-up visits. I went on two and a colleague
on another.”

“A different colleague—isn’t
that unusual?”

“It is a little unusual, but not unheard of. The senior caseworker in my office, George Coleman, had the initial neglect complaint cross his desk. He took over
from there.”

“Ah, I see. So he did the third visit, the visit post the first neglect complaint you received from the
maternal grandmother?”

“Yes. I wanted to do it, but he insisted a higher-up wanted a second pair of eyes on it. It’s not completely
unheard of.”

“Okay, let’s go back to the beginning. Did you have any concerns raised at any of
your visits?”

“No. I was there twice in that short time, and the kids were adjusting as well as could be expected. Doctor Foster seemed to be juggling them and work. After moving states and starting a new job, she seemed fairly settled. I spoke to the school counsellor about Ella, and no red flags
were raised.”

“Ella broke her
arm, yes?”

“Yes, early on, at the park. There were witnesses; there were no concerns
about this.”

“So when the complaint was officially lodged, it had nothing to do with the
broken arm?”

“No. That wasn’t even mentioned; in fact, I’m not even sure if the grandmother had been aware
of it.”

“So what were the concerns
put forth?”

“Neglect. She said that the kids were being ‘dumped’ with many different people. She went so far as to hint that the children had been left at home alone. The second complaint, an anonymous one, claimed that many different women were in and out of the house at all times and that the children were being left alone, or in other places, as Anna was frequently at home
without them.”

“And this triggered the unscheduled home visit and checks on the school and
day care?”

“Yes.”

“And you still
weren’t concerned?”

“I wasn’t at all. The kids appeared on the way to healing, as well as they could be expected to be, and, again, I saw no red flags when I made the visits and calls to the school and
family members.”

“So what led to the kids being removed from
the home?”

“My colleague raised red flags after his home visit. The complaint crossed his desk after my second visit. That was when he decided to go. He raised concerns, and that, coupled with a new complaint from the maternal grandmother, led to it going over my head and the kids
being removed.”

“I see. One last question, Lorna. What would your recommendation to the
court be?”

“I believe these kids need to be back in their home, in a stable environment. I think Doctor Foster is the best person to be
providing that.”

“Thank you.”

Lorna went back to
her seat.

The State’s attorney called Cathy, and Anna felt every hair on her arms
stand up.

Accompanied by a bailiff, Cathy walked down the aisle. Anna gripped her knee tightly. Cathy was dressed like a president’s wife, wearing a day suit with pearls at her throat that had a silver cross hanging from
the centre.