Harry Paine's House
“Hello,” Stephanie answered as she drove home from Hibaldton Primary school after a day of teaching.
“Hello, is this Stephanie Rhodes?” asked a gruff voice.
“Yes?”
“This is Harry Paine. I saw the article in the paper about you solving mysteries and…I err wondered if you could help me with a problem I ’ave.”
Stephanie frowned and pulled her white Fiesta over to talk properly.
“Who gave you my number?”
“Sam, I work on his farm”
Stephanie rolled her eyes while making a mental note to tell Mark’s dad, not to give away her personal details.
“Oh, well I’m just on my way home, where do you live?”
Harry gave his address and when Stephanie realised it was just around the corner, she decided she might as well pop in.
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’t.
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 “Mystery Club” to visit him with her.
The door opened to reveal, a large man in his mid-forties with a scruffy grey beard, baggy t-shirt and joggers.
“That was quick,” he said standing back to let Stephanie in.
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.
“Erm, how can I help?” Stephanie asked Harry as he unfolded a garden chair for her to sit on.
Harry then leant back on his seat with a creak and reached for a beer from the table.
“So, you think you can solve stuff then,” he sniffed before finishing his can.
“That depends on what the problem is, I suppose,” Stephanie answered, feeling uncomfortable. “Erm…have you just moved into the area?”
She looked over to the corner of the room where three boxes were balanced on top of one another.
“No, my wife left me and took all my furniture as a matter ‘o’ fact.”
“Oh… that must have been quite a shock.”
Harry barked a harsh laugh and continued to stare at Stephanie.
With a gulp, Stephanie asked, “So… when did this happen?”
“Two years ago,” he replied casually.
Stephanie felt her mouth open and quickly closed it. She couldn’t think of anything to say, and that was unusual for her.
Harry didn’t seem to notice. “I came home from my dart’s game and all of it was gone. At first, I thought we’d been burgled, but then I found the note. Can you believe it? … a bloody note, after twenty years of marriage. I went next door to see if they’d seen anything, and they told me Laura had hired a big van and… that was that. She cleaned me out. She took the settee, telly, shelves and even the bed.” He noticed Stephanie glance at the large TV and continued, “Got myself that, Laura would never ’ave let me get it.”
Stephanie shuffled on her wooden chair and waited for him to continue, but when he didn’t, she asked, “So… do you want me to find your furniture?”
Harry looked confused for a moment then shook his head.
“No, I know where it is. She lives in Sowerby.” He pointed in the general direction of the next village. “I used to see her about 6 ish, walking our dog but I haven’t seen her recently… and when I have, she was on her own. I want you to find out what happened to him, I love that dog. She’d better not have given him away or sold him. I want joint custody.”
Stephanie’s first thought, while looking around the room, was that she couldn’t blame his wife for leaving him. Secondly, she wondered if he was stalking her. She didn’t want to be an accessory to him snooping on the poor woman.
“Well, it’s not exactly a mystery…”
Harry seemed to read her mind, “I only saw her by accident, I used to see her when I drove past on the way to the supermarket.”
Stephanie was still unsure.
“Can you help or not? Sam said you would.”
Stephanie sighed and put her hand out.
“Do you have her address?” she asked.
