Chapter 2 – Poached eggs
Mrs Hensworth, known locally as Mrs H., gestured to the agents to take a seat at the kitchen table, poured some tea from a brass teapot covered in a stripy tea cosy. Dave looked around the room, taking in the horseshoe display that wrapped around the fireplace. “Would you like me to take your coat and hat?” asked Mrs H. “No fanks, I’m fine with ‘em on”. The combination of the hot day and the open fire on top of Dave’s natural fur, meant he was fast becoming one hot dog.
“So” began Mrs H. “When I got up this morning and went to check on the chickens, I found Sharon sobbing inconsolably. I asked her what was wrong and she told me that all the chickens had been put under a spell and the eggs had been mysteriously taken. I didn’t know what to do, so I went round the whole farm to see if I could find them, but they were nowhere to be seen. Sharon is my chicken supervisor and has been with me for twelve years, and nothing bad has ever happened on her shift….”
“So when was the last time you saw the eggs?” asked Brian. “Last night at suppertime, we counted over 100 and when we went in for the collection this morning – there were none at all!” “We?” asked Brian pointedly. “Yes, Mr Hensworth and I”. “Where is Mr ‘ensworf now?” asked Dave. “He’s with the chickens just now” confirmed Mrs H. “And who else would have been on the farm between suppertime and egg time?” “Well apart from my husband Richard…there are nine hens, one rooster, eleven sheep, four cows, three pigs, two horses…” “And a partridge in a pear tree” Dave mumbled under his breath. “…and our dog Colin. We also have fences to keep out our nuisance neighbour Frank Fox and the Tumbles” “Sounds like a rock band” Dave quipped. “Much worse than that squawked Mrs H. Those pesky rabbits are always getting up to mischief and trying to steal our vegetables, especially the carrots” Dave kept his Sherlock Holmes thoughts to himself, eager to get to the bottom of the crime.
“We’re gonna need to interview all the animals on the farm or those that could have had access to it over the last 24 hours” said Dave with an air of authority. “I wanna speak to the chickens and the other rooster first, and Agent McClaw will interview the sheep and the cows”.
Mrs H. escorted the two agents to the chicken coop and the barn respectively. They were situated on either side of the farmhouse, about a five-minute walk between the two. Agent Woolfe entered the coop to be met initially by Sebastian Shuttlecock. “I think it’s important that you understand how upset the chickens are” said Sebastian, his bright red crown glistening in the sunlight and his black tail feathered and fanned like some pretend peacock. “Listen son” said Dave with his paws in his trench coat pockets, and opening his mouth just enough to show the young cockerel that he had more teeth than he might want to see, “I’ll tell you what I think is important. And that is that I get your full cooperation. There has been a serious crime and I intend to get the bottom of it”. “Now look here Detective” bristled Sebastian “I just want to make sure you don’t upset the chickens any more than they have been”.
Agent Woolfe was about to let out a deep bark, but an unusual amount of self-restraint took over. “OK, let’s start with you then. Where were you between 11 o clock last night and 7 am this morning?” Sebastian flapped his feathers a little and said “Well I was tucked up in my bed”. “Can anyone vouch for that?” asked Dave. “I’m sure you could ask any of the chickens, and they will swear that they didn’t see me from when I left the coop at 5 o clock, until I heard the screaming just around 7am” “But you’re not sure that anyone actually can vouch for your whereabouts?” asked Dave pointedly. “No” confirmed Sebastian. “Right Mr Shuttlecock, I need you to stick around so don’t get any ideas about flying off”. Dave was quite hot on his ornithological facts. He was pretty sure that cockerels couldn’t fly – well not without mechanical help!
Dave then met with Sharon Omelette, the Chicken supervisor. “So tell me Sharon in your own words, what happened here last night”. “Well I had just finished supper and got the girls to bed, ready for the morning shift.” “Sorry to interrupt” Dave interjected, “But I assume that Sebastian wasn’t in the coop”. “Oh no, Sebastian is just a bit of eye candy that the Hensworths brought in to make the hens more productive. He only hangs about until around 5pm and then goes back to his own bit. It was just me and all the other hens, apart from Sophie, who was not well and was being looked after in the farmhouse” “Sophie?” asked Dave. “Yes, Sophie Benedict, one our newer hens, who has had chicken pox and needed to be kept away from the other hens. Anyway, lights out is at 9.30pm and all us hens usually sleep right through until Mr Hensworth wakes us up at 6.30am for breakfast”.
So who else was in the coop last night?” Sharon clucked to herself momentarily and gathered her thoughts, “Well there was Juliet, Sybil, Louise, Joanna, Zara, Gemma and Michelle” “And can you confirm whether you saw anyone enter or leave the coop between 11pm and 7am?” enquired Dave. “I’m absolutely sure I would have known if anyone had entered or left the coop” Sharon was now beginning to get a little defensive. “If you were asleep, how would you know?” “Because I am a very light sleeper” Sharon proclaimed. “So what you’re saying is that you don’t think anyone could have got in to the coop, but you can’t be sure. Well that’ll be all for now Sharon. I’d be very grateful if you could ask your hens to come through for a quick chat please”.
One by one Dave met with the other chickens. First, was Zara Boyle, followed by Joanna Fry, then Gemma Sunnyside, Michelle SoufflĂ©, Louise Nogg and finally sisters Juliet and Sybil Wisk. All of them confirmed that they had been in the coop during 11pm to 7am only to have woken to have found that the eggs from the previous day had been taken, and no one had been seen coming in or leaving the coop. “Very interesting” Dave thought to himself. “This is going to be quite a tough one to crack”. He made his way slowly over to the barn to rendezvous with Agent McClaw.
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Until next time, and chapter 3, take care and get drawing
Alex
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