Chapter 11
CHAPTER ELEVEN
A thought hit me – I remembered Humphrey was still missing. With a heavy sigh, I grabbed my coat, a dog lead and car keys. ‘I’ll be back. I’m going to find Humphrey.’
Grandpa leaned over and picked up his coat. ‘Let’s go.’
‘We don’t both need to go. Stay here, put your feet up and relax.’
Grandpa shook his head and cast me a mischievous grin. ‘I do enough of that at home. As I said before, I am ready for an adventure.’
Layla took our cups to the sink. ‘I’m going to finish the cleaning and see if the person who I am currently sofa surfing with can drop my stuff over. Good luck finding Humphrey. He burrows under a hole in the fence at the bottom near the gates. I’ve told Mr Baxter that he should get the fence fixed as it leads onto the road, but he doesn’t listen.’
Silently cursing Frank, I made my way to the front door. Grandpa stepped outside, after me. ‘This door is so hard to close,’ I yelled, trying to pull it shut. Somehow, I managed to give the old door a huge yank that secured it.
Grandpa took his flat cap out of his pocket and put it on. ‘That crafty dog will have worked out our weakness – shutting that door. This doesn’t bode well.’
‘Great,’ I sighed, giving the old door a huge yank.
The snow had stopped falling which was a relief. There was only a thin coating on the ground. Once in my car, we crawled down the gravel drive at a snail’s pace, looking across the grounds for Humphrey. Maybe he hadn’t chosen to leave the driveway. I was certain the white snow would make it easier to spot a brown spaniel. ‘I can’t believe we have lost Humphrey and I’ve invited their cleaner to stay for Christmas,’ I said, feeling anxious. ‘Two of Maddie and Frank’s rules broken already. If Frank is going to watch us on his security cameras he is in for a shock. Maybe I should message Maddie and tell her?’
Grandpa shook his head. ‘Let them enjoy their holiday. They don’t need to know.’ He gave me a mischievous wink.
‘Maddie said Frank has security cameras.’
Grandpa let out a sigh. ‘Frank has other things on his mind like that business deal he’s trying to win. He’ll be too wrapped up in that. Rachel, he was too busy to even talk to us earlier. Trust me on this.’
We headed out of the gates and turned into the lane to go into Harp Brook village.
‘Where would a dog like Humphrey run away to, Grandpa?’
With a chuckle, Grandpa shrugged. ‘Maybe he’s got a lady dog friend?’
I drove slowly past the row of three little cottages with their snow-capped roofs, which were directly after the gates to the Manor House. Grandpa and I both scanned the front gardens for a sighting of Humphrey. Once past the cottages, I headed into Harp Brook.
‘Do you think he ran to the village?’
‘Park up,’ ordered Grandpa. ‘It will give us a chance to have a look around the village. Might even pop in for a pint.’ He grinned and gestured towards one of the pubs, The Nag’s Head.
‘We need to find Humphrey first, Grandpa. Aunty Karen gave me strict orders to restrict you to half a shandy on Christmas Day.’
‘Rachel, it’s Christmas. A time to enjoy ourselves.’
‘Oh, yeah,’ I mumbled, scanning the road and houses for Humphrey. ‘I keep forgetting.’
After parking near the church, we both got out. Grandpa went to look at the Church noticeboard. I walked up and down the high street, shouting, ‘Humphrey!’ and scanning the road. There was no sign of the little spaniel.
Grandpa came to meet me. ‘There’s a Senior Christmas Tea Dance on Monday afternoon in the church hall,’ he announced cheerfully.
I rolled my eyes. ‘Now is not the time for checking out social events, Grandpa. Where is Humphrey? I don’t think he would have come this far.’
Grandpa shrugged. ‘When Flo had him, he was found five miles away one time. He’d been missing for eight hours mind. That dog will travel.’
‘Five miles away?’ I gasped.
There were a few little shops behind us. I went into the first one, a cute gift shop selling cards, pieces of beautiful pottery, scented candles, stationery, and jewellery. The doorbell jingled as I entered it. A woman behind the counter with bushy brown hair and a cheery smile beamed at me. ‘Hello, can I help you?’
‘We’ve lost our dog,’ I said. ‘We don’t think he’s come this far but can I leave my mobile number in case anyone finds him?’
The woman chuckled. ‘My dog is always crawling under our fence and running away. I feel your pain.’ She grabbed a piece of paper and a pen.
‘He’s called Humphrey and he’s my sister’s dog. I’m not from Harp Brook.’
She beamed at me. ‘I thought I didn’t recognise you,’ the woman replied. ‘Who is your sister?’
‘Maddie Baxter.’
The woman’s cheery disposition evaporated before my eyes. ‘Oh, I see,’ she said. The tone in her voice had changed. It was no longer bright and welcoming. ‘It’s the Baxter’s dog.’ Her dark eyes narrowed. ‘You are her sister?’
I nodded. ‘I’m Rachel. My sister and her husband have gone away for Christmas. My grandpa and I are dog sitting. Do you want my mobile number?’
She scribbled it down and circled the surname Baxter several times. ‘I’ll keep an eye out,’ she mumbled and hurried into the back of her shop.
As I left her shop, I wondered why everything had changed when I told her I was Maddie’s sister. I recalled Maddie telling me that Frank disliked the people of Harp Brook. Knowing Frank, he’d probably shouted at one of them.
Despondent, I went into the next shop. It was a pharmacy and given the number of people waiting for their prescriptions, I decided to go find Grandpa instead. He was back looking at the church noticeboard and not searching for Humphrey.
We decided to drive back towards the Manor House. I was feeling anxious. Where was Maddie’s dog? We were past the first cottage when Grandpa suddenly shouted, ‘HUMPHREY,’ and pointed into the garden of the second cottage, before the gates to the Manor House. I pulled over, turned off the engine and bolted from the car. Humphrey was standing in the garden by a little girl. She had blonde plaits which were sticking out of a red bobble hat, and they reminded me of Kate. Humphrey was wagging his tail and gazing up at her with his large brown eyes.
‘Humphrey, come here,’ I said, entering the garden with my hand outstretched.
The little girl grinned at me. ‘He is my friend.’
‘He’s a naughty dog,’ I said, getting closer to Humphrey and praying he didn’t decide to make another break for freedom.
‘I was sad,’ the little girl announced. ‘He made me laugh.’ Her eyes were like large blue buttons, and she had a sweet, heart-shaped face.
‘Why were you sad?’ I asked, noticing Humphrey was transfixed by her. The little girl nudged a stone with her red welly boot. I didn’t like to press her, so I changed tactic. ‘This dog is called Humphrey.’
She smiled. ‘Humph-wee.’ The way she pronounced it made me laugh.
‘Excuse me, who are you?’ A male voice called out, making me jump. A man was striding towards me. ‘Is this your dog?’
I nodded. ‘Sorry, he escaped, and I have been–’
He was tall and wore a grey woollen hat. At the edges, I could see wisps of brown hair sticking out. His chin was coated in stubble and as he got closer, I was taken aback by his captivating green eyes. The man didn’t let me finish. ‘Can you keep your dog under control? I don’t like finding my daughter, Rosie, with a strange dog.’
‘I’m sorry,’ I said, grabbing Humphrey’s red collar.
‘Daddy, don’t shout at the lady,’ his little girl said, tapping him on the leg. ‘I like this doggy. Can we keep him?’
‘No, Rosie, we can’t keep him.’ The man took a closer look at Humphrey and glanced at me. ‘This dog looks familiar.’
‘He’s my sister’s dog,’ I said, guiding Humphrey back towards the car and wishing I’d grabbed his lead from the back seat.
‘You could try putting a lead on him,’ the man called out in a patronising voice. ‘That would be a start in controlling him.’
Turning my head back I glared at him. ‘Thanks for the advice.’
Humphrey climbed into the back seat of my car and sat wagging his tail and panting.
‘He’s had fun,’ exclaimed Grandpa, turning around in his seat. ‘Look at him, he’s a happy chap after his adventure.’
I climbed in the front, yanked my door shut and refused to look at Humphrey. He’d caused me enough stress for one day.