76 Pocket
Brain was still seething and could not switch off from a decision being made based on feeling ‘prickly’. I mean really? They were going crazy in this Pumphouse!
Brain debated with itself endlessly about Friend, Noswad, practical and financial issues but nothing made any sense as to why? Nothing made the whole picture.
Brain had trawled through all the figures and found financial discrepancies in the supplier invoices. Items that had been bought by the builder with their money that most definitely had not been used on their house! Like sheep net, used for temporary boundaries for presumably sheep. You know the plastic holey stuff used to designate an area for animals which always amazed Brain that they didn’t just trample it down to escape capture. Sometimes it was found on a building site around a deep hole to act as a visual warning. It wouldn’t actually stop anyone falling down it should they not see the net. Brain had seen the sheep before but it had never been used on their site or around the garden or house.
Also paint, a lot of moneys worth, when Body had painted her own house and bought the paint herself. Never from that supplier.
Also roof tiles an awful lot of them and Brain had finally asked someone to help workout the amount actually needed for their house (Brain knew it was dumb at Maths) and realising that triple the amount of roof tiles had been bought than was necessary for their house. With their money!
This was definitely fraudulent acquisition by the builder and Brain was pleased that it had been reported to the police and that eventually, hopefully it would get to court. Brain hoped criminal court, for fraud and tax evasion by the builder. Brain had got Body to ask him repeatedly throughout the renovation for official receipts, and the builder had reassured them that they would be presented at the end of the project, that he was keeping a good record of all the purchases and labour charges.
In hindsight, Brain realised that Spirit had intervened at every point of requesting receipts, sensing that protection was needed, and at every stage had got Body to grab any scrap of paper on site and made the builder sign for receiving the cash. These scraps of paper were the only proof they had of the payments in cash they had made to the builder and Brain made a mental note to thank Spirit for its foresight and intuition.
“Your welcome” called Spirit.
“Are my thoughts not my own anymore?” huffed Brain.
Spirit laughed “They never have been. You were just not aware of it. Go on then.”
“What?”
“Thank me.”
“I thank you Spirit for sensing the danger and asking Body to get the money signed for.”
“I never thought I would hear that acknowledgement in this lifetime” sighed Soul “and it is long overdue.”
Spirit continued to laugh and some darkness left the Pumphouse for a while. The atmosphere became lighter.
“Ok Ok” Brain muttered “don’t gloat. What I have a problem with is why? Why did the builder do it? He knew there would be proper traceable receipts from the supplier. What did he have to gain?”
“Firstly I don’t think he expected our path to be collecting the supplier receipts ahead of him leaving site, but indirectly he had nothing to gain except he was being paid by two customers.” Soul sighed deeply at the conclusions. “Ourselves and Friend. Friend who was on the same renovation path as us but further ahead. Nice work if you can get it.”
“Ok, I can see that Friend may have benefitted from paint (coz she didn’t do her own). I can see she may have benefitted from roof tiles for the extension rooms done later than the main roof, and I remember Body seeing sheep net around her garden at some point. Are you saying she used some of our money at the suppliers to fund her build?”
“Sometimes Brain it takes you a while to suss things out, but I would suggest it’s a strong possibility, or at least that the builder or her got some ‘kick back’ for misappropriating some funds of ours. They perhaps worked it out between them. A good call I would say and definitely nice work if you can get it” called Spirit.
“And a clever path too” sighed Soul “because it’s the builder that will carry the blame, not her.”
“So how can we prove it? How can we flush her identity out in a court of law when we have no proof she was behind any of it?” Brain asked.
“We wait” sighed Soul “and we call her as a witness to the builders guilt and poor workmanship.”
“But she is not Hearts friend anymore, so why would she bother to help us?”
“Because if we call her as a witness she will need to go to the police station first and make a statement, and then Court will insist she attends. We have named her and husband as witnesses on the builders neglect and poor workmanship. They have been witness to the shambles on site throughout. We asked their advice, we asked their opinion, we talked about it endlessly and they were involved throughout the whole project. She will enjoy the feeling of self importance. You know how she is always right about everything, always the expert or so she feels she is” Soul sighed.
“Are you saying she will not be able to resist?” asked Brain.
“Let’s put it this way” Soul sighed “When one is on a wicked path, the wicked will snitch on each other to avoid the blame.”
Spirit laughed “Soul! I never realised you were so conniving!”
“I’m not. I am merely using their own enemies as the enemy to reveal the true enemies. I am standing up for what is fair and just. I am asking them to reveal their own destruction using their own character flaws and their own wicked path. If she is innocent there will be no problem and will only be too glad to help.”
“I like it” laughed Spirit “her own sense of danger and intuition will land the builder in trouble, and if the builder has any sense, he will do the same to them.”
“Precisely” sighed Soul.
“What if it doesn’t work?” asked Brain “what if we spend all that money going to court and it doesn’t work?”
“Then we will have tried and failed. But surely that is better than never trying? Never to get justice? Never being on a path of fairness?” sighed Soul. “If the cause is just and we can manage the money we must try. Otherwise they will continue to do this to others.”
“The right call and one I feel good about” called Spirit “No one should steal and betray others.”
“Oh but they do” cried Heart “and I do not think I am strong and brave enough to go through it.”
“We will carry you Heart” sighed Soul “The path may be tough but we will carry you.”
“You can go in my pocket… look see…you fit it perfectly” the Little Red Haired Girl announced proudly and showed the rock she had found as a gift for Heart nestled in her grubby dress pocket. “And when you are ready, you can come out to play outside.”
“A fine idea” called Spirit, “Keep Heart safe for us all.”
© 2025 Jennifer Harris. Free And Alive 555
