The Stolen Cufflink

The sharp scent of antiseptic burned Cora’s nose as she pushed open the heavy wooden door to the hospital ward. Blaring gunfire and upbeat electronic music from a mobile game instantly assaulted her ears.

She stepped inside. Her mother, Martha, lay flat on the bed, her right leg wrapped in a thick white cast. Slouched in the visitor’s chair beside her was Phoebe, Cora's younger sister, thumbing h