The Case of the Philandering Husband

As Kate sheltered in the entranceway to the hallowed halls of Sulgrave Heath Independent School, shaking free the loose drops of rain from her umbrella, she peered through the grim greyness towards the buildings that fronted the school, their bricks streaked with age and their stoic walls forming a protective garrison around the lives held within, the wisdom and knowledge of the masters and the exuberance and enthusiasm of the youth, all there for the serious business of learning. Its dignity and sense of importance gave Kate a new and more profound understanding of her partner, the Head Teacher of this prestigious institution. She realised the imposing amount of power and influence that must come with such a prominent position, a position only deserved by a person held in high esteem and for whom there must be a great deal of respect but also a position where an inordinate amount of responsibility rests on that one person's shoulders. It suddenly struck Kate just how much Caroline had to lose if her name wasn't cleared and the real culprit caught and how much responsibility now rested on her own shoulders to do exactly that.
Although she had begun to feel somewhat daunted by the magnitude of the task which was magnified by the personal stake she had in the outcome, Kate decided that there was nothing for it other than to simply get on with the job. She collapsed her umbrella down to its more convenient size, tossed it in her bag and turned to follow the signage along a short hallway and up the staircase to the administration section of the building.
At the top of the staircase was a large reception area that was obviously dedicated to greeting the public as well as the day to day running of the school. A large, sliding glass window opened to a counter which separated those that belonged from those just visiting. Kate stood and waited there patiently, instinctively using her time to run an observant eye over all that was within. She could see three females and one lone male all of whom were busily engaged at photocopiers, answering phones or tapping away on keyboards in front of a computer screen, taking care of the more mundane side of running such a vital establishment.
"Can I help you?" a polite female voice asked, startling Kate from her reconnaissance.
"Ah…yes… I'm Kate McKenzie. I'm doing some temp work here for Mr Pemberton while his usual assistant is on maternity leave.
The woman gave Kate a friendly smile.
"Hello….Mr Pemberton did mention to expect you this morning…You're here for some training, is that right?"
Kate gave a smile also and nodded.
"Maree, Miss McKenzie is here to see you," the woman called to her co-worker and then turned to Kate again. "If you come around the side to the door I'll let you in and we'll introduce you to everyone."
It was when Kate entered the door that she was able to see the distended belly of the young woman sitting at her desk, a large pair of glasses perched on her nose, busily concentrating on her computer screen until the woman at the desk had called her.
On hearing her name, she looked up, the concentration on her face relaxed into a smile also. She rolled back her chair and with great effort heaved herself to her feet, her hands helping to support her load.
"Twins," she said as she waddled her heavily-encumbered form the short distance to greet Kate, obviously pre-empting a much-asked question. "Hello, Miss McKenzie."
"Kate."
"Hello, Kate….If you like, I'll show you where you can put your things and then, while I'm on my feet, I'll take you for a bit of a guided tour to a few of the more important places, including Mr Pemberton's office."
Maree introduced Kate to the other office staff and as she had correctly second-guessed, the forty-something woman working at the photocopier was indeed Ms Margaret Atwood, a plain, nervy woman with short, dark hair heavily streaked with grey, blue eyes but not the deep blue of Caroline's Kate noted, these were a wash of pale blue. Her every movement seemed tentative and twitchy.
With the formalities done, Maree led Kate out of their niche and through two large sets of swinging doors towards a long, airy hallway with tall, glass windows on one side while the other side was lined with framed photographs capturing the school's various victories and the purveyors of those victories. At regular intervals there were a number of sturdy, wooden doors.
As they approached the first door they were forced to stop as they almost collided with a woman, distinct in navy blue coveralls and wearing latex gloves. In her arms she carried a computer hard drive. When the door swung shut the sign on the front told Kate that it was Caroline's office.
Maree gave a puzzled shrug of her shoulders.
"I don't know what that's about."
Kate knew. The tech guys and forensic accountants would be sifting through Caroline's hard drive with a fine tooth comb.
The pair continued on past a second door that had the name 'Mr Harrison' on it.
"That's Mr Harrison's office, he'll be taking Dr Elliot's place while she's taking some leave," Maree explained, clearly oblivious to the exact nature of Caroline's absence.
A short distance further along the hallway they came to the third door which had the name "Edward Pemberton" embossed on it.
"This is Mr Pemberton's office," Maree pointed out, "but we won't go in at the moment….he and Mr Harrison are having an urgent meeting with some other…gentlemen…I'll introduce you later. Apart from some general office work, you'll be mostly at Mr Pemberton's beck and call. He's not so bad….he takes his tea at 10am ….white and one."
Kate managed to stop a giant eye roll just in the nick of time.
After showing her where the nearest staff room was if she needed to find a teacher as well as locating the ladies bathroom, Kate could see that Maree was getting weary and suggested that they return to the office, a suggestion Maree gratefully accepted.
The rest of the morning was spent being shown how specific tasks were carried out and the ins and outs of the computer system which Kate paid careful attention to. She also kept a close eye on Ms Margaret Atwood, who, for some reason, aroused Kate's suspicions. Perhaps it was the way she kept very much to herself, speaking to others only when absolutely necessary or her jumpiness whenever somebody so much as glanced at her sideways. Kate also noted the way her confidence picked up once she was at a computer, navigating competently through various screens, her fingers flitting nimbly over the keys.
A little after twelve, Kate saw Ms Atwood close her computer screen and head towards their lunch room. Kate decided to join her although she sensed that her presence probably wouldn't be welcome or appreciated. As she rose from her desk her eye was caught by the sight of two male figures, one in a tired, crumpled, grey suit and the other much more smartly attired in a dark charcoal suit, heading down the staircase. Detectives, Kate thought, if ever she had seen one.
As Kate walked into the lunch room she could almost feel the other woman cringe and draw into herself like a crab into its shell, pulling her lunch and mug of tea closer to her, hunching her shoulders hoping to become invisible or a the very least, unnoticeable.
"Would this seemingly meek woman even be capable of committing a crime?" Kate wondered, "Am I totally barking up the wrong tree?"
Blithely ignoring all the tell-tale signals of a person wanting to be left alone, Kate carried her mug of tea to the table and, wearing her friendliest smile, sat down opposite the woman who huddled up tighter in her seat.
After fifteen excruciating minutes of trying to create small talk but with only monosyllabic answers forthcoming, Kate gave up. While she washed her mug she tried to decide whether the woman was just painfully shy or if she was actually hiding something as her behaviour suggested. Kate could come to no firm conclusion.
As she was only 'training' and it was voluntary, Kate decided to call it a day. She would make her excuses to Maree with the promise of coming back tomorrow and then visit Caroline to see how she was coping. Unfortunately, at this stage, Kate had little information to help lift her partner's spirits.
oooOooo
When Kate turned up at Sulgrave Heath on Tuesday morning the tension in the air was palpable. Eyes looked straight ahead or down at the ground, faces all around were anxious and worried and greetings were subdued.
"What's happening?" Kate asked Maree in a voice scarcely above a whisper.
Maree signalled for Kate to join her in the lunchroom where she automatically began making two mugs of tea then, still in a hushed tone, explained what was happening.
"There's two detectives carrying out interviews and asking questions in Dr Elliot's office. We haven't been told what it's to do with or who they're particularly wanting to speak to but we've been advised to give our full co-operation….Geoff's already been in but he's not saying anything and Margaret is in there now…has been for almost twenty minutes."
Barely able to disguise her curiosity, Kate made herself stay and talk with Maree for a politely acceptable amount of time, gulped down the remainder of her tea, washed her mug and then, under the pretext of having to use the bathroom, dashed towards Caroline's office, unsure of exactly what it was she expected to see or find.
As she pushed on the first of the swinging doors Kate spied Margaret Atwood. Her face was pale and she was wringing her hands in anxious agitation as she retreated from Caroline's office but instead of heading back towards reception she made a bee-line in the other direction. Initially Kate thought she may have been going to the bathroom but instead the woman turned into the staffroom. Kate made the instantaneous decision to follow her, partly out of inquisitiveness and partly out of concern as the woman looked quite wretched.
Just as Kate was about to press open the door she halted abruptly at the sound of voices on the other side, one of them was distinctly male and was being raised in temper. Without appearing too obvious and with a quick check that there was no one else around, Kate crept closer and attempted to listen in but the solidness of the door made it difficult to decipher exactly what was being said. The only words she was able to make out for certain were "Dr Elliot" and "police". Her skin prickled. Was she onto something at last?
Suddenly the voices stopped and the only audible sound became the distinct pattern of angry footsteps heading towards the door. Kate quickly hustled away just in time to prevent it from opening in her face. It was one of the male teachers, a young fellow in his early thirties perhaps. His handsome face was flushed an angry red and his mind was clearly pre-occupied as he hardly noticed Kate as he turned and walked purposefully down the hallway towards the classrooms. For a moment she followed his progress with her eyes taking in his fashionable suit, expensive shoes and carefully coiffed hair as well as the finicky way he adjusted his tie and his cuffs as he strode off.
When Ms Atwood didn't appear, Kate took it upon herself to see if the woman was alright. She entered the staffroom to find it empty apart from Ms Atwood who was standing at the end of the furthest table, her face hidden in her hands, her shoulders slouched forward.
Kate moved to stand beside her, running a comforting hand across the woman's shoulders. There was a slight flinch but she didn't move away.
"Are you alright?" Kate asked with genuine concern, "Would you like me to get you something…a cup of tea?"
At Kate's kind gesture, Ms Atwood slumped into a nearby chair and, still with her head in her hands, she muttered, "I've done something…"
Just as the private investigator in Kate sensed that the scales were being tipped in her favour, Margaret Atwood dug deep and found the strength to compose herself. Lifting her head and staring at a blank space on the opposite wall rather than at Kate, she took a deep breath and said, "I'll be fine, thank you."
"Do you mind if I ask who that man was…..the one you were arguing with?" Kate inquired hurriedly, afraid that all too soon the woman would clam up completely and leave.
Ms Atwood's cheeks became flushed with embarrassment. She hadn't intended for anyone to overhear what had gone on.
"We weren't arguing as such," she replied defensively, "we just had a slight disagreement…that's all it was. His name's Dobson….Michael Dobson."
Kate remained silent in the hope that Ms Atwood would fill the void and be forthcoming with more information.
"He's one of my son's teachers….we….."
Kate could almost see the lines of communication being shut down like the curtain being dropped after a final encore as the woman realised that she had probably said too much. Clearly resolving not to say another word, she got to her feet and beat a not too hasty retreat for the door and back towards the safety of her work cubicle.
For the remainder of the day Kate had Maree familiarise her with the computer systems and the filing system used while Ms Atwood steadfastly avoided any further eye contact or close proximity to Kate if at all possible.
Late in the afternoon chance afforded Kate the opportunity to do some serious detective work and put her new-found knowledge to the test when she found herself alone in the office. Everyone else had been called away on various tasks and Kate had been left to her own devices.
Instantly she logged onto a computer and wended her way through the commands and passwords until she had access to the personnel files. It was the one on Margaret Atwood that she was particularly interested in and then, if she had time, she wanted to check out this Michael Dobson character as well. If nothing stood out she was going to have to widen her search to other staff.
As the page opened, Kate rapidly scanned the information which, on the surface, seemed innocuous enough….. a 42 year old single parent with one son, Jordan, who was in year 9 and attending Sulgrave Heath on a full bursary scholarship…..they lived in Harrogate….
It wasn't until Kate almost reached the end of the file that things became interesting. There was a full copy of her résumé which revealed that the woman had extensive experience with an accountancy firm as well as several qualifications in technology….an IT specialist, in fact, if all were true.
The cheery sound of Maree's voice telling Kate it was time to go home jolted her back to the realisation that she was venturing where she shouldn't be. Quickly she closed the file and the screen then shut down the computer completely for the day.
As Kate gathered her things together ready to head for her car she took a quick glance out of the window to see that heavy rain was again falling. She scrummaged in her bag to find her umbrella and then joined the awaiting Maree. Together they walked down the stairs and to the entrance where they both stopped to put up their umbrellas before braving the wet as they each made a dash to their cars.
"Damn it! Why won't you start?" She felt stupid talking to an inanimate object but her resilience levels were running low.
Kate thumped her hand on the steering wheel in frustration and tried turning the key in the ignition for the fifth time. Nothing, just the same impotent clicking noise. The idea of being soaked to the skin by the icy rain as she tried to fathom the cause of her mechanical problem didn't appeal to Kate at all. She could phone a mechanic but it could be ages before one arrived and they would be none too happy about working in the rain either.
After considering her options, Kate decided that she would phone Caroline and ask her to come and rescue her. It was just as she was about to search for Caroline's number that there was a loud tapping on her window, startling her and making her lose her grip on her phone. As she retrieved it from under the seat and with her heart still in her mouth, she looked out to see a man sheltering under a large, black umbrella giving her a smarmy smile and signing for her to wind down her window. It was the same man she had seen arguing with Ms Atwood…..Michael Dobson.
"Do you want some help?" he asked doing his best impersonation of charming, "I couldn't help but notice that you seem to be having some car trouble."
"I can't get it to start," Kate replied, puffing air from her cheeks in exasperation.
"Why don't I give you a lift home? You can have someone look at in the morning when, hopefully, the rain will have cleared. Your car should be safe here overnight."
Kate contemplated the offer for a moment and then accepted it gratefully. However, she wouldn't get him to take her to her flat at 'McKenzie's Investigations,' that would be giving the game away. He could drop her off nearby and that would give her a chance to talk to him as she had the distinct feeling that he was a significant piece of her particular puzzle but she was unsure as yet as to where exactly he fitted in.
oooOooo
As they drove along, Kate managed to garnish quite a deal of background information from Michael Dobson under the ruse of idle chatter…how long he'd been at Sulgrave Heath, his experience, his ambitions. It was barely a challenge as the man quite obviously liked to talk about himself.
Fearing she would run out of distance, Kate decided to delve more deeply.
"Do you know what happened to Dr Elliot?... Seems she went on leave quite suddenly and under mysterious circumstances."
Kate was sure she detected a smirk on the man's face but it disappeared as quickly as it had formed.
"You have to keep this to yourself, right…"
Kate nodded. "Sure."
"She embezzled a large amount of money from school funds…..£100K," Dobson revealed with an unappealing smugness and clearly wanting to impress Kate with his importance at being in on such a secret.
"No!" Kate replied, feigning shock, "How did you find that out? I'd imagine they'd try and keep that kind of thing quiet."
Again the smirk. Kate had to control the urge to slap it from his face.
"My uncle, Brian Wakely, is one of the auditors….he told me."
"She'll probably go to prison if it's true."
"Oh it's true…..and they'd want to watch out for her in prison…if they're not careful the evil old harridan will end up running the show….she's a control freak."
"Pot...kettle….black," Kate couldn't help but think to herself.
A few yards up ahead Kate could just make out through the now driving rain the outline of the pub near her little flat.
"You can drop me here if you like….I'm supposed to be meeting someone in there for drinks." She nodded towards the pub.
Dobson pulled over to the curb to let her out.
"We should go for drinks or perhaps dinner one evening ourselves if you like," he suggested in a self-assured manner that made Kate think he wouldn't take refusals very well.
"Sure, that would be lovely," she replied with a sickly sweet smile as she opened the door and her umbrella and prepared to sprint. "When hell freezes over," she added to herself.
She watched as Dobson's car drove off. When she thought she was out of his view she changed her direction and made for her flat.
Despite her umbrella, when she finally opened her door and let herself in, her clothes were sodden and her teeth were chattering with cold. She needed a hot shower and then she would phone Caroline and see if she could enlighten her more on this Dobson character.
oooOooo
"Michael bloody Dobson….That insidious little prick!…Of course! ….Why didn't I think of him before?" Caroline exclaimed after Kate had given her a run down on her day and her conversation firstly with Margaret Atwood and then with Dobson, deliberately omitting the 'evil old harridan' reference.
"I don't have any proof yet," Kate added, "at this stage it's just a gut feeling. We shouldn't jump to any conclusions just yet, Caroline."
"It'll be him," she insisted.
Kate laughed at Caroline's feistiness…a laugh Caroline didn't detect over the phone.
"What reason does he have for wanting you fired and possibly sent to gaol?"
"Because he's an arrogant, narcissistic scrote."
"Yes…I did pick up on that but it doesn't explain why he wants to essentially destroy your reputation and career."
"He's a 'climber' and he doesn't take 'no' for an answer very well and I've said my share of 'nos' to him….no, he couldn't have more money for his Hands Across Europe budget….no, he wasn't going to be Head of Department when Mrs Aspinall retires….and absolutely 'no' to Acting Deputy Head when Edward Pemberton takes some leave later in the year," Caroline explained.
"Mmmm….you've seriously damaged his over-inflated ego haven't you. That would do it."
"It's him…mark my words."
"I miss you," Kate offered in a far softer tone, slipping seamlessly from investigator to lover.
There was a slight pause. Kate's affections often caught Caroline off-guard and completely took her breath away.
"I miss you too…Don't forget dinner tomorrow night with my mum and Alan."
"How can I forget?...I'm looking forward to it so much…."
"Is that sarcasm I'm detecting?"
"Possibly…just a touch."
oooOooo
"It's the battery, love. It's as dead as a doornail," the mechanic informed her. "I'll drop a new one in and she'll be as right as rain."
"Thanks," Kate replied, grateful for such a simple solution to her car problems at least.
Kate leant against the driver's side door as she waited for the woman in the grease-stained overalls to disconnect the old battery and replace it with a new one which she'd fetched from the back of her truck. To pass the time, Kate observed the activity around her…..Parents jostling for parking space as they dropped their offspring off for the day predominantly in shiny, new SUVs; a hoard of rowdy students alighting the school bus and wandering in pairs or small groups into the school grounds; teachers, in far less luxurious vehicles, pulling into the car park ready to face yet another day of challenges and varied successes. Like termites marching to their nest, they all made for the buildings and classrooms.
In amongst it all, Kate noticed Michael Dobson's car, discernible as it was the only new BMW in the lot, pull into the teachers' carpark. He was still in the driver's seat when he was approached on foot but at speed by what looked like a very agitated Margaret Atwood. Although too far away to hear what was being said, it was plain that the conversation was heated.
"Let's test it," the mechanic suggested, bringing Kate's focus back to her car.
Kate put the key in the ignition and turned it. Immediately the engine sparked to life.
"It should be as good as new now. Here's the invoice and if you fix us up in the next couple of days it would be much appreciated," the woman explained as she handed Kate a piece of paper listing the services provided and the costs involved.
"Thanks….thanks a lot….I'll do that…."Kate replied a little distractedly as she was anxious to see what was happening in the car park.
As the mechanic backed her truck out and left, Kate turned her attention back to where the BMW was parked and was surprised to see Ms Atwood go around to the other side of Michael Dobson's car and open the door. She was getting in.
"Why would she do that?" Kate wondered.
Even more surprisingly the car was reversed out of its parking bay and driven towards the road it had originally come down.
Where were they going? Why was she with him?
Wanting answers, Kate turned the key in the ignition, happy to hear the engine instantly turn over and she too drove towards the exit where she turned left as Dobson had done. She hadn't driven too far when she spotted his car up ahead. Now she needed to concentrate on maintaining contact with it but not have her presence detected.
Several times, while the traffic was heavy, she thought she had lost them but as they turned into a quieter area, a Leyland Rd she noted, Kate could see the BMW maybe 100 yards in front. Now that she had sight of them she drove more slowly and kept her distance as there were fewer cars to act as cover. Eventually it pulled over outside a neat terrace house which Kate guessed from the newness of everything had recently been renovated. Pulling in behind another parked car, Kate watched as Dobson led the way to the front door which he opened with a key. He allowed Ms Atwood to enter first and then, after taking a quick look around, closed the door behind them.
With only her gut instinct telling her it all felt wrong as an excuse, Kate left her car and walked the short distance to the house. She stepped over the low gate rather than risk opening it and having its noise perhaps give her presence away. The windows at the front of the house were all shielded by heavy curtains so Kate headed down the narrow path at the side of the house giving her best impression to anyone looking on that she was meant to be there. As she made her way towards the back of the house she began to make out voices from inside until, at the very end of the house, she was close enough that the voices were quite loud and the words very clear.
"I can't do this anymore!" said the faltering voice that belonged to Ms Atwood, "you said she'd lose her job but you didn't mention that she'd likely go to prison! I can't have that on my conscience."
"She won't go to prison…probably….possibly…. if she gives all the money back….and if she does go to prison it will only be for a short spell." Plainly Michael Dobson's smarmy tones.
"She has family…sons….I don't know why I let you talk me into this in the first place?"
"Because you have a son too who relies on a scholarship to go to Sulgrave Heath….Remember?" Dobson's voice was becoming more slippery and threatening. "What are you planning to do?"
"I'm going to go to the police and explain everything that has happened to them…including how you blackmailed me to do this."
Kate heard Dobson give a snide laugh.
"You'll be the only one who will end up in prison in that case….I'll deny any knowledge of the matter…and it's only your word against mine….and as far as the police are concerned, you'll be the sole perpetrator of any crime."
There was a small window a little further along that Kate thought she would be able to use to see safely into the kitchen but to get to it she needed to pass a glass door and risk being seen herself so instead she stood flat against the bricks and continued to listen.
"I don't know what you're worried about….the stupid bitch deserves to go to prison," Dobson added, his mood becoming increasingly agitated.
"You're mad….I don't know why I'm just seeing this now but it's quite obvious that you are stark, raving mad!"
Suddenly there was an unsettling silence. Her nerves tingling, Kate risked a look through the glass door and was horrified to see Ms Atwood trapped in the corner of the kitchen and Michael Dobson with his back to Kate, standing only a few feet from Ms Atwood with a large knife in his hand.
Ducking back out of sight, Kate whipped her phone out of her pocket and dialled the three nines. In a whisper, although it sounded dangerously loud to her own ears, she explained to the person at the other end of the line what was happening. Assistance was dispatched immediately.
oooOooo
"A knife?...I don't believe it...Did he hurt her?" an incredulous Caroline inquired.
"No…I don't think he really intended to go through with anything but who knows….if pushed far enough, he might have," Kate explained, "fortunately the police arrived before that happened."
"And he was holding her son's scholarship over her head, threatening to withdraw it?"
"Mmmm…the son's marks weren't up to scratch which Dobson was using as leverage."
Kate was helping Caroline put the final touches to the dinner preparations.
"And Beverley...Did he really push her down the stairs deliberately?"
"He needed to get Ms Atwood access to the school's systems so she could do her thing...it was convenient to get Beverley out of the way and have her job available."
Caroline shook her head in disbelief.
"What's going to happen….."
Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of a car pulling into the drive.
"That'll be them….are you ready?" Caroline asked as she ran a final eye over everything to make sure it was perfect and then finally looked up at Kate with an expression that seemed to be an apology for putting her through all of this.
"As ready as I'll ever be," she replied with a nervous smile.
Caroline headed for the front door while Kate chose to remain in the kitchen taking a large, fortifying gulp of her wine as she waited for the impending meeting.
"Dinner's ready to be served," she heard Caroline announce as she led her mother and Alan into the dining room and where Kate too, decided she should probably head as there was no pointing putting off the inevitable any longer. Best to get it over and done with.
As Caroline was escorting the couple to the dining room, Kate appeared in the doorway. Determined to be brave and not let her mother get the better of her, Caroline immediately went to Kate and held out a hand to her, drawing her to her side.
"Mum…Alan…I would like you to meet Kate…Kate McKenzie….my partner."
Kate gave them her warmest smile as she reached out a hand to Alan which he took eagerly in both of his own and gave a firm shake.
"Hello, love," he said, returning her smile with one of his own.
Celia greeted her also but less enthusiastically. All the while Caroline held Kate comfortingly close.
With the formalities over, Caroline invited everyone to take a seat at the table while she served the first course, declining Kate's offer of assistance and suggesting that she stay and pour the wine instead.
As they sat at the table waiting for Caroline, Alan took the initiative and broke the ice.
"Caroline tells us you're a private investigator….that must be exciting."
"It can be…too exciting at times…." Kate replied, happy to converse on a familiar topic, "but most of the time it's a lot of researching or sitting around watching and waiting for things to happen….not quite as adventurous as people like to think….it's like a puzzle, finding the pieces and putting them in the right position…."
Placing the last plate on the table, Caroline rested a reassuring hand on Kate's shoulder for a brief moment before taking the seat beside her, a gesture that didn't escape Celia.
"Where's Lawrence?" Celia asked as everyone began eating.
"He's over at Angus' place working on an assignment supposedly…he's sleeping over.
Although there was some initial reservedness and wariness, on Celia's part mostly, by the time Caroline served up the main course and Kate had topped up the wine one more time, the conversation began to flow more freely and the atmosphere relaxed considerably. With reluctance, Celia admitted to herself that this Kate did appear to be as lovely as Caroline had suggested and she could plainly see that she certainly made her daughter happy.
However, as Celia often tended to do, she threw the cat in amongst the pigeons.
"And what about John? Is he still around?" Celia inquired noting but disregarding the dark look she received from her daughter.
"I've no idea where John is," Caroline answered, disappointed that mother had resorted to bringing up the topic of her recalcitrant ex-husband but she was determined to not to give Celia the satisfaction of letting it ruffle her feathers. "He comes and goes of his own free will."
"Why is he even here?" Celia persisted.
"Because he's got nowhere else to go….he's broke and until we sell the house…."
As if the mention of his name was enough to summon him forth, Caroline's explanation was cut short by the arrival of the man himself, dishevelled and drunk. Caroline cringed as she could see her well-planned evening turning into her worst nightmare….an ex-husband, a girlfriend and an opinionated mother all in one room. Was she mad?
Without being invited, John pulled out the vacant chair at the head of the table and sat himself down. Then, as if realising for the first time that Caroline had guests, he gave Celia and Alan a polite hello.
Not one to be deliberately impolite, Alan acknowledged him with a brief nod of the head. Celia, however, gave him a look as though he was something unpleasant stuck to the bottom of her shoe.
Kate said a quiet 'hello, John' which he chose to ignore.
"Will someone pour me a glass?" he demanded rather loudly.
As Kate motioned to oblige, Caroline gently grasped her hand indicating for her not to bother.
Keeping a cool head, Caroline replied, "Don't you think you've had enough to drink? If you want a glass you'll have to get it yourself."
To break the tension and draw the focus away from the mess that was John, Celia stood and started to collect the dishes off the table. Caroline went to assist her but Celia was adamant that she was fine on her own and headed for the kitchen. Kate followed close behind on the pretext of fetching another bottle of wine. She carried some plates in with her.
"Oh, thank you, love," Celia said as she took the dishes from Kate and started arranging them in the dishwasher.
"Can we have a word?" Kate asked tentatively.
"Go on then…." Celia replied as she busily shuffled dishes around.
"I realise that Caroline and I…well, it must have come as a bit of a shock to you," Kate began, "but I want you to know that I really do care about her….love her…I would do anything for her…"
Celia stopped her fussing with the dishwasher and looked up at Kate's worried face.
"As I said to Caroline, I may have over-reacted initially and possibly I've been a bit blinkered," Celia conceded, her tone and expression unexpectedly warm, "and I won't pretend to understand it ….but it is very clear how happy she is….how much happier she is than when she was with that idiot husband of hers…he's such a complete waste of space…."
Suddenly Celia's eyes lit up and a devilish grin spread across her face.
"Are you up for a bit of mischief?" Celia asked in a more hushed voice as she moved in closer to Kate.
"What?"
Celia rummaged around in one of the kitchen drawers until she came up with two thin metal skewers.
"Come with me."
Celia silently led the way to the front door. A bewildered Kate followed close on her heels. Being careful not to make a sound, Celia opened the front door letting them both out before closing it again, not wanting a draft of cold air give them away.
"What are we doing?" Kate asked again with a brief shiver. The night air was certainly had a bite to it.
"Watch," she whispered as she made for John's car.
"We're not?" Kate laughed as she caught on to Celia's plan.
Celia handed Kate one of the skewers. "You do the back tyres, I'll do the front," she instructed.
With the job done, Celia and Kate crept back in the door and were heading to the kitchen when they were bailed up by Caroline who had become suspicious at their prolonged absence. She had been prepared to possibly rescue Kate from her mother's tacit tongue. She hadn't expected to find them in cahoots and up to no good.
"What have you two been up to?" Caroline asked in her best Head Teacher mode.
Celia and Kate looked at each other with conspiratorial grins and then at Caroline.
"Nothing," replied Celia innocently, "I was just showing Kate the azaleas in the garden."
Caroline raised a questioning eyebrow in Kate's direction.
Kate managed to maintain her composure and not give away the game as she added, "They're really lovely."
"Where's Alan?" Celia inquired, quickly redirecting the conversation.
"He's in the dining room stuck talking with….well, listening to John. Maybe we should rescue him," Caroline suggested.
A look of sheer relief came across Alan's face at the return of the three women.
"John, you need to stop talking now," Caroline firmly advised, "you're making Alan's ears bleed."
"What? I am not," John replied testily. Highly offended by Caroline's suggestion that he was boring Alan, John pushed back his chair, almost overbalancing, and stood to leave.
"I'm not staying around here to be insulted by you, you mad, old dyke."
"Oi…watch yourself," Alan warned.
Caroline put her hand on Alan's shoulder and whispered, "It's alright, Alan." She then directed her comments to John. "You're too drunk to drive so you'd better stay here in the spare room….Mum and Alan are in the flat tonight."
"I'm not staying here while you and your insipid, little girlfriend do whatever it is you do…What exactly is it you do…?"
"Fine….whatever."
John picked up his car keys that had fallen from his pocket and strode unsteadily to the front door and his car. Caroline followed to see him off. Kate and Celia looked dubiously at one another and then followed hurriedly behind as well, arriving by Caroline's side at the same time John realised that all of his tyres were flat.
"Shit!…Shit!…Shit!"
Caroline took one look at the tyres and rapidly put two and two together. She gave both her mother and her girlfriend a knowing glare tempered with an amused grin.
"John, please don't use that language in front of my mother."
John shot her a nasty sneer. Although he was sure that they had something to do with this, he also knew he'd never prove it and they'd never own up.
"Now what am I supposed to do? I'm not staying here!" he raged stubbornly.
"Wait in your car and I'll call you a taxi," Caroline suggested calmly.
Once inside and with the door shut behind them, all three women took one look at each other and broke into gales of laughter.
Hearing the uproar, Alan went to see what all the fuss was about.
"What's so funny?" he asked innocently which started another round of laughter.
oooOooo
Epilogue
With her name well and truly cleared by the confession of Ms Margaret Atwood and the arrest of Michael Dobson, Caroline arrived at Sulgrave Heath Independent School bright and early on Thursday morning and was soon back in her stride.
Kate spent a fair portion of her day at the Harrogate Police Station compiling her statement and giving her account of what she had discovered and what she had overheard.
That evening they met at Caroline's place for an informal dinner made up of leftovers from the previous night as well as the remains of a bottle of red wine. Lawrence had finished his meal and subsequently disappeared to the living room to watch the television. Kate and Caroline lingered at the table a little longer, chatting and slowly sipping their wine.
As Caroline finished sharing out the final few drops of the wine that were in the bottle she raised her glass.
"Here's a toast to John."
"John? Why John?" asked a confused Kate.
"Because, ironically, if he hadn't been philandering around with other women…Judith… we would never have met," Caroline explained.
"Oh, I see," Kate laughed and then joined in with a toast of her own, "To the philandering husband."
As Kate rattled the last of the dishes into place in the dishwasher and Caroline completed one final wipe of her kitchen benchtops the two women were inextricably drawn into a loose embrace, clear blue eyes capturing soft brown.
"I want to ask you…." they both began simultaneously.
"You go first," Caroline offered.
"Alright, but do you want to go upstairs and we can discuss it in bed?" Kate suggested as she noticed the lateness of the hour.
With a mischievous glint to her eye and a playful grin, Caroline leant forward slightly and brushed Kate's lips teasingly with her own before leading her wordlessly and willingly up the stairs to her bedroom.
Caroline closed the bedroom door behind them and turned on a single lamp which gave off a pale light, the shadows showing up the loveliness of her partner's features better than bright daylight ever could. It took all of their willpower to not simply succumb to the ever-present urge to forge their bodies and hearts together with the passion that melded their souls.
Instead, they made a concerted effort to stay at least at arm's length as they went about their ablutions before slipping, naked and wanting, between the crisp sheets.
Determined to say what she wanted to say, Kate ignored the heat emanating from Caroline's body as it pressed against her, the fabulous weight of the woman's legs tangled around her own and the scorch of her hand reaching around her waist, pulling her closer as they both lay propped up on a pile of plumped pillows, face to face.
"What was it you wanted to discuss?" Caroline asked, the soft, senuous sound of her voice and the seductive gaze which held Kate's face going nowhere to appeasing the sexual tension that was stretched taut between them.
"You mentioned earlier about us living together," Kate began. "If you're serious about that…"
"I am…..Kate, I truly want to spend the rest of my life with you."
"I have some money put aside…quite a bit in fact…and I'd like to use it to help you buy out John's share of this place so we can live together here…or we could find somewhere else….I don't care."
Astounded by the generous offer, Caroline sat up so she could look Kate directly in the eye.
"Really?" Caroline asked with a considerable amount of disbelief.
"Really," Kate confirmed with a soft laugh, amused by Caroline's surprise.
With no words to express her delight, Caroline grasped Kate's face in both hands and planted an enthusiastic kiss on Kate's wonderful mouth…a kiss they only relinquished when they needed to surface for air.
"Are you sure you want to do that?" Caroline couldn't help but ask once again, half-afraid that it may have been a spur of the moment thing that she was already regretting.
"I haven't rushed into this, Caroline. I've thought it through and done the figures and ….it's what I want to do."
"Thank you…" were the only words Caroline could manage to get out through the lump of emotion constricting her voice.
"What was it that you wanted to ask me?"
Caroline ran her hand through her hair, closed her eyes and took a deep breath, hoping to summon the right words.
"This is equally….."
"What?"
"Okay….do you remember that night when I turned up at yours…when we'd bumped into each other at the restaurant after …and we made….you know…?."
"Yeah."
"I was so happy that night….and now that we are planning to live together….buy a house together…"
Caroline reached a hand under her pillow and drew out a small, ivory-coloured box which, when she opened it, Kate, to her complete astonishment, could see that it contained a stunning, platinum engagement ring with a single, dazzling diamond as its centre piece.
"Perhaps we should….shall….Why don't we get married….properly….married."

A/N: 'That's a wrap' as they say in the movies. I always thought that Michael 'Bloody' Dobson was a nasty piece of work and had it in for our Caroline. I hope you have enjoyed reading this as much as I have enjoyed writing it.