{"id":70,"date":"2023-03-16T11:31:17","date_gmt":"2023-03-16T11:31:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jlrobinsonauthor.com\/?p=70"},"modified":"2023-03-16T11:31:17","modified_gmt":"2023-03-16T11:31:17","slug":"harry-pains-loss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jlrobinsonauthor.com\/?p=70","title":{"rendered":"Harry Paine"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\u201cHello,\u201d Stephanie answered as she drove home from Hibaldton Primary school after a day of teaching.<\/p>\n

\u201cHello, is this Stephanie Rhodes?\u201d asked a gruff voice.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is Harry Paine. I saw the article in the paper about you solving mysteries and\u2026I err wondered if you could help me with a problem I \u2018ave.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stephanie frowned and pulled her white Fiesta over to talk properly.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho gave you my number?\u201d<\/p>\n

“Sam, I work on his farm\u201d<\/p>\n

Stephanie rolled her eyes while making a mental note to tell Mark\u2019s dad, not to give away her personal details.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, well I\u2019m just on my way home, where do you live?\u201d<\/p>\n

Harry gave his address and when Stephanie realised it was just around the corner, she decided she might as well pop in.<\/p>\n

She had lived in the village most of her life, but now she was beginning to be well known for solving mysteries, it was better than being known as the Angel of Death anyway. So far, every mystery had involved a dead body, she hoped this one didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

#<\/p>\n

As she waited for Harry to come to the door, she looked around at the broken fence panel and the overgrown garden. She probably should have asked one of her friends from the \u201cMystery Club\u201d to visit him with her.<\/p>\n

The door opened to reveal, a large man in his mid-forties with a scruffy grey beard, baggy t-shirt and joggers.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was quick,\u201d he said standing back to let Stephanie in.<\/p>\n

They entered the front room and Stephanie stared in surprise. The room was devoid of any furniture apart from a faded deck chair next to a small plastic table and an enormous TV on the wall. Under it was a dark wooden shelf unit packed with PlayStation games, the controller lay nearby, and a football game was paused on the screen.<\/p>\n

\u201cErm, how can I help?\u201d Stephanie asked Harry as he unfolded a garden chair for her to sit on.<\/p>\n

Harry then leant back on his seat with a creak and reached for a beer from the table.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, you think you can solve stuff then,\u201d he sniffed before finishing his can.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat depends on what the problem is, I suppose,\u201d Stephanie answered, feeling uncomfortable. \u201cErm\u2026have you just moved into the area?\u201d<\/p>\n

She looked over to the corner of the room where three boxes were balanced on top of one another.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, my wife left me and took all my furniture as a matter \u2018o\u2019 fact.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh\u2026 that must have been quite a shock.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harry barked a harsh laugh and continued to stare at Stephanie.<\/p>\n

With a gulp, Stephanie asked, \u201cSo\u2026 when did this happen?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTwo years ago,\u201d he replied casually.<\/p>\n

Stephanie felt her mouth open and quickly closed it. She couldn\u2019t think of anything to say, and that was unusual for her.<\/p>\n

Harry didn\u2019t seem to notice.  \u201cI came home from my dart\u2019s game and all of it was gone. At first, I thought we\u2019d been burgled, but then I found the note. Can you believe it? \u2026 a bloody note, after twenty years of marriage. I went next door to see if they\u2019d seen anything, and they told me Laura had hired a big van and\u2026 that was that. She cleaned me out. She took the settee, telly, shelves and even the bed.\u201d He noticed Stephanie glance at the large TV and continued, \u201cGot myself that, Laura would never \u2018ave let me get it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stephanie shuffled on her wooden chair and waited for him to continue, but when he didn\u2019t, she asked, \u201cSo\u2026 do you want me to find your furniture?\u201d<\/p>\n

Harry looked confused for a moment then shook his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, I know where it is. She lives in Sowerby.\u201d He pointed in the general direction of the next village. \u201cI used to see her about 6 ish, walking our dog but I haven\u2019t seen her recently\u2026 and when I have, she was on her own. I want you to find out what happened to him, I love that dog. She\u2019d better not have given him away or sold him. I want joint custody.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stephanie\u2019s first thought, while looking around the room, was that she couldn\u2019t blame his wife for leaving him. Secondly, she wondered if he was stalking her. She didn\u2019t want to be an accessory to him snooping on the poor woman.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, it\u2019s not exactly a mystery\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Harry seemed to read her mind, \u201cI only saw her by accident, I used to see her when I drove past on the way to the supermarket.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stephanie was still unsure.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan you help or not? Sam said you would.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stephanie sighed and put her hand out.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you have her address?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n

#<\/p>\n

Stephanie drove along the country road, turning right by the red phone box and then parked up outside Laura\u2019s house. It looked like she was at home as there was a small green car in the drive.<\/p>\n

After pressing the doorbell, she stood on the doorstep wondering why she was listening to the tune of \u2018Santa Clause is Coming to Town.\u2019<\/p>\n

Laura answered the door and laughed, \u201cOh sorry, it keeps playing random songs, it\u2019s funny I didn\u2019t know it played that one. What d\u2019you want?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cErm, it\u2019s about your husband\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, what\u2019s he done now?\u201d She rolled her eyes as if she was fed up with hearing about him.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe asked me to tell you that he\u2019s worried about you,\u201d Stephanie lied. She would build up to the stalking conversation later.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you want to come in?\u201d<\/p>\n

Stephanie thought that Laura looked quite a bit younger than Harry, she had short brown hair and was wearing a baggy t-shirt and leggings. She leant against the cooker and gestured for Stephanie to sit at the table.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, what did he have to say for himself? You know, I left him two years ago and he still thinks of excuses to talk to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stephanie took a breath and began. \u201cHe told me that when he drives through your village\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I see him in his scruffy, blue van, can\u2019t miss him,\u201d she smirked.<\/p>\n

Stephanie nodded, relieved that she\u2019d seen him.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you think he still misses you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Laura laughed, \u201cMore like he misses the sex and the washing.\u201d<\/p>\n

This answer was unexpected, and Stephanie wasn\u2019t sure how to reply.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe washing?\u201d Stephanie asked, immediately regretting it.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know\u2026 housework an\u2019 that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stephanie let out a breath she didn\u2019t realise she was holding and  in case Laura was going to talk about the sex, she quickly added, \u201cHarry also mentioned that he hadn\u2019t seen your dog for a while.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, that\u2019s not a surprise\u2026 cos he\u2019s dead.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDead?\u201d<\/p>\n

Again, unexpected.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe died in January. I suppose you\u2019re wondering why I didn\u2019t tell Harry\u2026\u201d She shrugged and looked down at her pink furry slippers. \u201cI suppose I knew he\u2019d be upset, cos he loved that dog\u2026 He never took it for a walk though, it was all down to me. Well except when he used it as an excuse to go to the pub. I\u2019ve still got the ashes in the front room.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry, I suppose I could break the news to him, if you\u2019d like,\u201d Stephanie suggested.<\/p>\n

Laura nodded, \u201cYeah, if you don\u2019t mind. What state\u2019s the house in?\u201d<\/p>\n

Stephanie stood up slowly and tried to think of something nice to say about it.  \u201cIt\u2019s clean,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

#<\/p>\n

Once again, Stephanie found herself driving homeward and parked up outside Harry\u2019s house. It was nearly five o\u2019clock and she told herself to be quick as she had lots of marking to do.<\/p>\n

When Harry opened the door, Stephanie decided to just tell him straight.<\/p>\n

\u201cI went to see your wife and the thing is\u2026 I\u2019m afraid I have some bad news Harry, your dog died.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harry gave a hiccup and a belch escaped.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy didn\u2019t she tell me? I know why, cos she\u2019s evil, that\u2019s why,\u201d he said slurring his words slightly. \u201cShe hates me and she\u2019s doing this cos she wants to see me suffer.\u201d He swayed slightly as he spoke.<\/p>\n

Stephanie slowly backed away. \u201cI\u2019m sorry I couldn\u2019t help you more,\u201d she said politely.<\/p>\n

Harry looked up with tears in his eyes and asked, \u201cDid she bury him?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, she has his ashes.\u201d Stephanie continued walking away.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen I still want my dag bock\u2026 I mean dog back. Ask her for the ashes, please. I\u2019m begging you, it\u2019s all I have.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stephanie sighed, she had nearly got out of the gate, so close yet so far. Damn it, why did she feel sorry for him?<\/p>\n

Stephanie started the engine, annoyed with herself for not going straight home, when her phone rang again, it was her Grandma Bettie this time.<\/p>\n

\u201cHi Grandma.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIs that you Stephanie?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho else would call you grandma?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCan you take me home?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere are you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m at the Pet Shop Caf\u00e9. You know where it is don\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I\u2019m just down the road, I\u2019ll be there in a minute.\u201d<\/p>\n

#<\/p>\n

A few moments later Stephanie\u2019s Grandma was in the car.<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks love,\u201d Grandma Bettie said as she struggled to put on her seat belt.<\/p>\n

Stephanie helped her pull the belt around her frail but feisty grandma.<\/p>\n

\u201cArthur was supposed to be taking me home, but he just got bitten by a llama, so he\u2019s had to get a tetanus shot at the hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGosh, is he alright?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019ll be fine, his daughter took him. He got bitten on his bottom, so he had to lay on the back seat of her car. Hee hee, it was hilarious.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stephanie shook her head and smiled. Grandma seemed to have more adventures than she did.<\/p>\n

Stephanie drove off and explained that they would be taking a detour.<\/p>\n

 \u201cI\u2019m taking you home but first I need to see a woman about a dog.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stephanie told Grandma the story so far.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m very good at solving mysteries, I could be like Mrs Marbles.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou mean Miss Marple,\u201d Stephanie laughed. \u201cOkay, but I want you to promise to let me do the talking.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

It wasn\u2019t long before they were in Laura\u2019s front room. Stephanie was sitting on the settee next to Laura, and Grandma Bettie was standing at the fireplace being nosey looking at the ornaments and picture frames.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo be honest Laura, I\u2019m sure you had a good reason to leave Harry, and it\u2019s none of my business, but \u2026\u201d Stephanie thought she\u2019d better come up with a better reason than he missed their dog. \u201cThe first thing he said, when I told him, was- \u2018Is Laura okay?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Grandma Bettie made a funny noise that was a cross between a laugh and a cough. Stephanie gave her grandma a warning look.<\/p>\n

\u201cReally?\u201d Laura looked shocked. \u201cHe\u2019s had plenty of time to ask me, it\u2019s been two years!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know\u2026but he seemed so sad. He was just sitting there, with no furniture.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo furniture? You\u2019ve got to be kidding me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, just a giant TV.\u201d<\/p>\n

Laura looked over at her medium sized, out of date television and huffed.<\/p>\n

Stephanie decided to get to the point as she could see her grandma starting to fidget. Knowing her grandma\u2019s habit for mischief, she thought she\u2019d better get a move on.<\/p>\n

\u201cHarry misses you so much, but if he can\u2019t have you, he wondered if you could have the heart to let him have the dog\u2019s ashes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stephanie held her fingers crossed behind her back; she\u2019d told a few white lies, but she did feel that Harry really did miss her. To Stephanie\u2019s surprise, Laura burst out laughing, she leant forward, arms holding her stomach and wheezed until Stephanie grew worried that she was going to pass out. When she finally sat up, tears were streaming down her face.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter all the years we\u2019ve been together, he\u2019s never told me he misses me. I don\u2019t care, he\u2019ll have to beg me for them ashes\u2026Oh heck, excuse me, I just need a tissue,\u201d she sniffed, leaving the room.<\/p>\n

As soon as Laura had left, Bettie pointed to a polished wooden box, and whispered, \u201clook, it\u2019s the ashes, I must say it\u2019s a nice urn, very tasteful, I bet that cost a bob or two.\u201d<\/p>\n

Laura returned blowing her nose as Stephanie stood up.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m really sorry to have interrupted you like this; I hope it didn\u2019t bring back bad memories.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, actually\u2026 It\u2019s been a while since I\u2019ve had such a good laugh. To be honest, I\u2019ve been on a few dates, but nothing\u2019s come of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stephanie walked out talking to Laura about dating and Grandma Bettie followed behind.<\/p>\n

#<\/p>\n

Stephanie sighed as she drove her grandma home.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday has been such a weird day,\u201d Stephanie said as she drove down the straight road between the villages.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, at least we have one success,\u201d Grandma said with a cackle that closely resembled a witch who had just perfected her potion.<\/p>\n

Stephanie glanced sideways and nearly drove into a ditch.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat an Earth? You stole the dog\u2019s ashes!\u201d<\/p>\n

#<\/p>\n

On the way home, Stephanie decided to just take the ashes to Harry, she was tired, and after all, Laura would know who had them.<\/p>\n

Harry stood, gobsmacked, on his doorstep. He turned the urn around in his hands slowly with a confused look on his face.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy has she given me Reggie?\u201d he finally asked.<\/p>\n

Stephanie looked at the brass name plate which read \u2018Reggie RIP.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cTo be honest, she didn\u2019t. I tried to persuade her, but she said you had never taken him out anywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s cos he always wanted to go to the Memorial Club. I prefer the Old Mill pub.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s strange. Anyway, when she left the room it kind of ended up in my car\u2026and you said that you wanted the dog back,\u201d she winced, her voice fading.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut our dog was called Boris.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stephanie took a step backwards.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo\u2026 who\u2019s Reggie?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLaura\u2019s dad!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGrandma stole Laura\u2019s dad?\u201d<\/p>\n

#<\/p>\n

A few days later, Stephanie was in the kitchen when the phone rang, and Harry was the last person Stephanie expected to hear from.<\/p>\n

\u201cHello,\u201d she said, dreading the worst.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just wanted to thank you for all your help. Laura and me are back together and it\u2019s all because of you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cReally?\u201d Stephanie was wondering if he was being sarcastic.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d he laughed. \u201cShe came round to exchange the ashes, and well\u2026 one thing led to another\u2026 you know.\u201d Stephanie could almost see him wiggling his eyebrows at her.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh!\u201d Stephanie absolutely did not want to know the details. \u201cWell, I\u2019m glad to hear it Harry. Did she say she\u2019d missed you?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe said it was because her TV had gone on the blink, but I can tell she\u2019s glad to be back home. Anyway, thanks again. What do we owe you?\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing, I\u2019m just glad I could help.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stephanie smiled to herself as she put her phone down. Another case solved and no dead bodies\u2026 well not exactly.<\/p>\n

THE END<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Harry Pain has a problem. <\/p>\n

\n

He\u2019s sad, he\u2019s lonely, his best friend has gone. <\/p>\n

\n

Maybe Stephanie Rhodes can help.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":71,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-70","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jlrobinsonauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jlrobinsonauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jlrobinsonauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jlrobinsonauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jlrobinsonauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=70"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/jlrobinsonauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jlrobinsonauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/71"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jlrobinsonauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=70"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jlrobinsonauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=70"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jlrobinsonauthor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=70"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}