More Harry Hogan stories!
Harry had just settled down with his book when the phone rang. He picked it up. “Hello.”
“Hey, Hogan, it’s me.” The voice belonged to Bertie Blackett, his frequent volunteer working partner.
He chuckled. “What do you need now?” Bertie was pretty capable on her own, but sometimes she needed a little extra strength.
“I need a small favour… for a friend.”
“What friend? Doing what?”
“It’s Jim and Alice Cooper,” she said. “I’ve told you about them.”
Jim and Alice Cooper had retired early and bought an old estate at the edge of town with a fair bit of land that had once belonged to Alice’s aunt and uncle. Their plan was to be as self-sufficient as possible. They had planted a garden and cleaned out the old root cellar for winter storage. They had fenced a suitable area for chickens and a rooster and would sell – or sometimes give – any eggs they didn’t need to friends and neighbours. Bertie frequently got eggs from them and often shared with Harry.
“They are still cleaning up and restoring some of the old sheds and have run into a problem,” Bertie continued.
“So what do you need me for?”
He heard her take a deep breath. “Well, Jim is recovering from recent knee surgery and – like me – sometimes Alice needs a man’s strength to move something.”
“Aha! You need some muscle. What exactly does she need moved?” Bertie could hear the laughter in his voice.
“She has been cleaning out a small shed in back of the house which appears to have been divided into two sections for some reason. The connecting door was locked but she finally found the key and Jim managed to unlock it. But they can’t get the door open. It seems to be jammed from the other side. Jim is still hobbling around on crutches and Alice doesn’t have the strength.”
“And you want me to open the door.”
“Jim said he could do it when he’s able, but she doesn’t want to wait that long.”
Harry laughed. “Typical female curiosity.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” She sounded offended.
“Just that you’re always anxious to get to the bottom of things; which, by the way, is not always a bad thing.”
“So you’ll help her?”
“I’ll be there in the morning, but you owe me.”
She giggled. “Muffin or doughnut?”
“Muffin,” he replied.
“You got it. I’ll meet you out there.” She was still giggling when she ended the call.
Harry shook his head as he picked up his book again. He found that reading before bedtime always helped him to unwind and relax.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
