The Fruit Bowl by Dominic Holland

Author:Dominic Holland
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Dominic Holland
Published: 2020-06-25T12:03:20+00:00

Chapter 33

After his miserable first morning on the stand, Tom didn’t have anything to do all day but wait for tomorrow to try again. He drove around the town a couple more times, trying to recall other memories, then parked up and found himself in Bromsworth Library just off the High Street, scrolling through microfiche copies of The Bromsworth Echo. He had located the edition again carrying the untimely death of his old adversary, Declan Connor, and then he fast-forwarded to the weeks when Lewis had basked in the dubious limelight of the Echo’s front page. Soccer Star Shamed was one of the many headlines that attested to his downfall and the picture of his hapless mug-shot was usually accompanied by images of him celebrating a goal in happier times. Joe was quoted in various pieces, stating that he hoped Lewis could get back to football and his winning ways and that he would personally supervise his community sentence. He was about to shut the machine down when something on the front page caught his eye. In a red box, in the top right-hand corner, was an appeal for any local interest stories with a Freephone number to call.

The following morning, Tom was first to arrive again and quickly began setting about his task. He felt anxious, having not slept much after taking a call from Michael, which hadn’t gone well. Michael assured him that his current costs would be covered, but it didn’t feel like much of a concession and he certainly was not relaxing the restrictions or the arrangement.

At just after 8.30 a.m., a small number of children had visited the stall: some repeats from yesterday, including Stuart Stokes, the loner, plus a few members of staff, but not the mass demand Tom had hoped for and no sign of the headmistress either. Then, Paddy caught his attention and gestured towards the school, whereupon Sarah was strolling towards the stall. Tom patted the backs of his trousers and suddenly felt self-conscious.

‘Any better this morning?’ she smiled. Her hair seemed fuller somehow and was loosely tied against her black slim-fitting cashmere jumper.

‘Yes, a little. But no flood gates yet.’

Sarah smiled and looked around at the sparse number of children and said hello to each of them by name as Paddy handed her a full glass.

‘Thank you, and what’s in it, may I ask?’

Paddy shook his head. ‘I’m sorry, but if we told you that, then we would have to kill you… So, apples, carrots, oranges of course…’

Sarah grinned at her most incorrigible parent and seemed to be enjoying her detour away from her office or staffroom. Holding the glass aloft, she took a quick mouthful and was happy to approve almost immediately.

‘Oh, it’s lovely. Very nice. Nicer than yesterday’s. What’s the secret ingredient?’

‘Actually, we use whatever is available. Whatever was going to be thrown out,’ Tom answered.

‘Oh, great, now you’re really selling it to me.’

Tom smiled fondly. He could sense that she was busy and needed to leave. Duty

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