All The Little Moments (42 page)

As soon as she was sworn in, the State’s attorney started. “Mrs Larsen, you’ve petitioned the court for guardianship, is
this correct?”

“Yes.”

“Was this before or after you lodged your concerns with
the department?”

“Before.”

“What drove you to lodge for guardianship, considering the parents’ wishes had been for guardianship to go to
Doctor Foster?”

“My concerns were always present.” Cathy glared at Anna. “She has no children of her own, she can’t know anything about raising two young children. She has always appeared focused on her career and relationships, never on having a family. I visited one day, and was appalled to find out Toby was in day care during the week when he should be home, and she was working
full time.”

“Understood. And you were concerned enough to lodge
a complaint?”

Cathy shifted uncomfortably in her chair. “I was concerned she was not doing well by the children, and then, not only this, but Toby was with his other grandmother that day, a Friday, while Anna had clearly slept late and was entertaining her—” she clearly struggled with the word, “
girlfriend
in
the house.”

“Is this when you lodged
the complaint?”

“Yes, and started the process of petitioning to challenge the will. I could see the children were not getting the attention they deserved, and Anna was clearly still focused on her career and conquests, rather than the kids. It’s obvious I can provide a much
healthier atmosphere.”

Anna stiffened at the harsh words. Scott whispered out the side of his mouth, “Breathe.”

She tried.

“So what led to you to lodge the second
neglect complaint?”

Blinking rapidly, Anna turned to Scott in confusion, but he simply watched what unfolded with a smile playing at his lips. The second complaint had been anonymous. Surely the State lawyer wasn’t actually trying to trip
Cathy up?

Eyes back on the pair, Anna actually
felt hopeful.

Cathy pursed her lips. “I kept an eye on them,
after that.”

It was as if Cathy had forgotten it had been anonymous. She didn’t even
deny it.

“There were
 
two
 
separate women I saw coming out of the house at various times of the evening and early hours of the morning, which is no way to influence a child. Not only this, but Anna was working full time, when Sally had been home with the kids previously. Some nights, Anna got home later than others. I went by one evening to drop off a present for the kids and no one answered the door. I was concerned. Where would someone with a toddler and a six-year-old be at eight in the evening? Giving her the benefit of the doubt, I stayed to see if they would get in so I could give them the present. I gave up after midnight. It was then that I realised I needed to get these children out of this destructive environment and with my husband and myself, to somewhere
more stable.”

“Okay. Thank you.” The State’s attorney sat down, an odd look on
his face.

Scott stood up, and Anna sat up straighter. There was no way to know how this was going to play out—what would Scott do with the information she had
given him?

“Mrs Larsen.” He smiled at her, and she frowned at him. “Were you ever concerned Ella or Toby were not being fed? Clothed? Housed? Sent
to school?”

Cathy’s lips pressed together in a tight, white line, and it surprised Anna how she could go from looking like Sally to looking like a completely different person.
“No. But—”

“Did you ever think they were being
starved? Abused?”

“They are being abused! That woman lives in sin, and she is perpetrating to
 
my
 
grandchildren that it is okay and
 
normal
 
to live
that lifestyle.”

“It’s not illegal to be gay in Australia, Mrs Larsen. Nor does it mean you can’t parent. I’ll ask in a different manner. Did you ever think they were being hit? Yelled
at? Blackmailed?”

Nostrils flaring, she glared at
him. “No.”

“Yet you deemed it fit to make three complaints, one ‘anonymously’ to make it seem as if others
had concerns.”

“I never said I made the
anonymous complaint.”

Spreading his arms wide, Scott smiled. “You all but admitted it to the other counsellor.”

The flush that spread over Cathy’s cheeks gave Anna a warm feeling in her chest.

The judge was watching Cathy with a dark expression on his face. He cleared his throat. “One moment, Counsellor.” And then he was looking at Anna. “Doctor Foster, if you don’t mind me asking: this evening Mrs Larsen was at the house and neither you nor the kids were home, where were
the children?”

“Uh…” Anna was taken off guard. “Having a sleepover with my mother. Ella had specifically asked if they could. It was something they used to do regularly when my brother
was alive.”

“And the other day she came over, when Toby was at
his grandmother’s?”

“That was the one night I’d had to work late, until three a.m. My mother took
the kids.”

“And in two entire months, it was the only time you agreed to
work late?”

“Yes. A truck had hit a school bus and, being a senior on staff, I felt obligated to stay. Half the staff on shift that afternoon
stayed late.”

“I saw that on the news, a tragedy. Though I also heard your hospital didn’t lose a
single patient.”

“They’re all
doing well.”

The judge eyed her for a second, then said, “Thank you
for answering.”

Cathy piped up. “And where were you, afterwards? Using the advantage to instantly be with a woman? And the other night you were out, was it even one of the two you’re already stringing
along, then?”

The vehemence in Cathy’s voice made Anna’s eyes widen and her stomach roll over. Never in her life had someone looked at her like Cathy was looking at
her now.

Everyone looked to the judge as he cleared his throat. “You will stick to answering questions, thank you. If the children were safe and looked after that evening, I have no concerns about what Doctor Foster was doing with her
free time.”

A lemon could never be as bitter as Cathy looked in that moment. “Those children deserve to be raised by God-fearing, Christian parents. My daughter had already gone so wrong, and now here we are, an opportunity to raise them as they should be, not in
sin, but—”

“Please stick to the questions,
Mrs Larsen.”

Anna had a slight, awkward crush on
the judge.

With a benign expression, Scott said, “No
further questions.”

He sat
back down.

Staring at the judge, Cathy was apparently unable to contain herself. “You are a Christian man, I can tell,” she said. “How can you want to put these children back into her care? The
law needs—”

“The law is as I see fit in my courtroom, Mrs Larsen.” The judge had clearly had enough. “Please step down and refrain from speaking to me about Christianity. I would like you to remain in the courtroom for the rest of the hearing, since it is mainly on the basis of your complaints we are here today. Take
a seat.”

The anger radiating off Cathy as she took a seat behind the lawyers’ tables
was palpable.

The judge looked back at the lawyers.
“Continue, please.”

The second case manager was called. Refusing to look anywhere near Anna, George Coleman took the
witness seat.

The State’s lawyer stood, cleared his throat and said, “Please let us know when you first became aware of the
Foster children.”

“I first became aware when the first neglect complaint was lodged. I’m the senior caseworker in my department, and these things usually come across my desk. Sometimes they are handed straight off to the caseworker in charge of the case and others I take a personal
interest in.”

“And you took an interest in
this one?”

“It was a known case. The car accident was on the news, the kids were spoken about in office meetings. The call of neglect in these circumstances
concerned me.”

“And when you went to the home visit, what caused you to lodge
a complaint?”

“The form I lodged was not a complaint, nor an official statement of neglect. It’s like a ‘red flag’ warning, a form we fill out to let people know the caseworker had
some concerns.”

Rising from his chair, Scott interrupted. “May I ask
a question?”

Momentarily taken aback, the State’s attorney gave a nod and
sat down.

As if asking about the weather, Scott continued, “But what were your concerns?”

Barely noticeably, George shifted in his seat. “The children were strangely quiet. They appeared withdrawn.
Miss Fost—”

“Doctor
Foster, actually.”

George grimaced. “Yes, ah, Doctor Foster did not seem very interested in the kids or talking to me. I had a feeling with this, so I simply put the paperwork in that there were some concerns; that
was all.”

Completely relaxed, Scott nodded. “Okay. And how long have you known
Cathy Larsen?”

George tried to hide the fact that his mouth had dropped open in surprise. “What makes you think I know
Mrs Larsen?”

Scott
smiled easily.

Anna pursed her lips and tried to quell her
rising excitement.

“Please just answer the
question, sir.”

“I, ah, don’t know
her well.”

“The question was how long have you
known her.”

“We go to the same church. I suppose I’ve known her six or so years, but
not well.”

“Well enough to have
coffee yesterday?”

George’s face paled, and his eyes finally flitted to Anna, who looked back at him, expression stony. He obviously thought he had gotten away without being spotted. “I did have coffee with
her, yes.”

“Was this the first time the two of you have had
a meeting?”

George
was silent.

“Answer the question, Mr Coleman.” Anna had thought that Kym gave a good stink eye, but that was before she met
this judge.

“I have met with her several times over the last
four weeks.”

“And were you, by any chance, advising her on how she could work the system to ensure the children could be removed and assuring her you could lodge certain paperwork and give the right nudges to ensure that would happen?”
Scott asked.

The silence was thick. “Answer the question, please,” Judge Gordon said “You are under oath.”

“I gave her advice, yes. She had many, legitimate concerns about her grandchildren.”

“And you helped her manipulate the system to lead to their removal from the custody of Anna Foster and, you hoped, to lead to the placement of them in the care of Cathy Larsen and
her husband?”

“I
never lied.”

“Do you really think it was surprising that the children were reserved around you, a stranger? Especially considering the death of their parents only two
months previously?”

Visibly sweating, George seemed to realise he would have to
answer. “No.”

The glimmer of hope that Lane had ignited in the hallway flickered brighter in
Anna’s chest.

“During your investigation, did you see any sign that the children were being neglected or abused in
any way?”

“…No.”

Anna couldn’t tear her eyes away from the scene unfolding between the now profusely sweating man in the chair and the calm,
collected lawyer.

“And where do you think these children will be
better off?”

“Cathy Larsen.”

Anna was sure that Scott almost rolled his
eyes. “Why?”

“Because I spend my entire job fighting against a system that doesn’t always do what it should do. Because I return children to homes they should never be returned to and take children from homes they should stay in. And here, well, here is the easy option of putting children in a God-fearing, stable environment and thereby removing them from an unstable environment with no religion and, it appears, no morals. The choice is logical!” George Coleman was red in the face, straightening as if his beliefs gave
him strength.

Scott let a meaningful beat of silence fall around them before saying coldly, “No other questions.” He
sat down.

The judge turned to George. “Please take your seat,
Mr Coleman.”

Breathing heavily, the man walked over and sat next to Lorna, who was staring steadfastly ahead with a very
red face.

The judge looked down at the papers in front of him for a minute. Anna stared at him, waiting for him
to speak.

After what felt like an eternity, he looked around the room and opened
his mouth.

“Mr Coleman speaks only the truth.” The indignant voice of Cathy Larsen rang out, cutting off whatever the judge had been about to say. “If you have any belief in God at all, you’ll put those children in a home that will teach them true
family values.”

Glaring, the judge spoke in a level tone. “Sit down, or you will be removed from
this room.”

Anna didn’t even turn around to watch as she heard Cathy slowly take
her seat.