Once the sandwiches were demolished and Gerry had finally stopped moaning that Strickland had only bought one bottle of very expensive champagne the team trundled off to look at Hallcroft Manor and all its glory.
"Isn't it glorious" Brain exclaimed taking in every bird, every butterfly, every bee that flew around some of the most beautiful and colourful flowers he had ever seen.
"It's a bit too near those woods, if you ask me" Gerry moaned puffing on his cigarette.
"I hope you are going to throw that cigarette end away when you are finished, Gerry. You could harm the wildlife that lives here."
"Yes, thank you Brian, In tell you what if I was lord of the manor I would ensure there was a pub on my land."
"Gerry, there's a pub over the bridge and down the road" Sandra sighed as every time she let her imagination run wild pretending she lived here Gerry always interrupted moaning about one thing or another.
"Smashing, shall we go" Gerry said rubbing his hands together.
"What a splendid idea" Jack added.
"There is time for a pint later I want to see the stables" Sandra said leading them in that direction.
"Can't you go we don't want to look at horses" Gerry argued.
"Actually, I wouldn't mind a look, so then I can tell Esther tonight when I call her. I'm sure when she gets here on Monday she would love a riding lesson" Brian smiled.
"Jack, Gerry the sooner we get there the quicker we get to the pub."
"Is it much further?"
"It's just around the corner, according to the directions Strickland's mate left us" Sandra said attempting to follow the outline drawn in maker pen on the hand drawn map.
"I bet the stable staff will have gone home by the time we get there" Jack moaned as he trailed the furthest behind Sandra who had raced ahead eager to revisit the best times in her childhood.
"I hope not Jack, there is only one girl working here apparently, a Jessica Dempleby according to this bumf we have been left she has been working her for six years and is a three times bronze and silver Olympic winner in dressage. Now get a move on I would rather like to see these horses before it goes dark."
"Yes Guv" her boys muttered.
After taking a premature turn causing them to negotiate them though an over grown patch of garden Brian thought it was about time he stepped into the role of navigator.
"Look we are about there, there is a clearing and some little ponies running around that field it must be here" he said charging off into the lead.
"But no sign of any stables Brain" Sandra said knowing this was another of Brian's wild goose chases.
"They will be let off here to exorcise and graze" was Brian's logical answer, c'mon through the trees."
"Oh no, you said nothing about trees, I'll stay here" Gerry said as he could feel his blood running cold at the very thought of stepping into the New Forest itself.
"But, Gerry we are nearly there come on just a few more steps, it isn't as if we are going into the heart of the woodland."
"You have a point Brian but I don't think we should push Gerry and anyway I could do with a rest you and Sandra go, we will wait here I don't think I have the energy to wonder to the pub just yet" Jack said sitting down on a large rock in order to catch his breath.
"Brian, I am telling you that is not the stables, I am no expert but those horses look wild to me."
"You're right guv can you not remember old Stricker's saying in the car on the way here that The New Forest is famous for its wildlife including horses, I am surprised you hadn't already stored somewhere in that never ending memory of yours, Brian."
"Well I don't like horses, so I have never seen reason to memorise any facts about where they live" Brain said rather embarrassed he had been outsmarted by Gerry Standing.
"Any way since when did you actually listen to anything Strickland said?" Jack asked rather puzzled.
"Well, he was good enough to put God's Thunder on for me when you lot didn't want to listen to real music so I listened to what he had to say for the first few minutes when he started making conversation.
"A few minutes, that's probably the longest time you have been quite for, isn't it Gerry." Sandra winked.
"Hadn't we better find this stables before it gets dark?" he snapped, storming off in the direction they came in.
Several arguments and strong insults later they finally arrived at the court yard where the stables were.
"At bleeding last!" Gerry exclaimed with relief he hadn't realised just how nasty tempered Sandra could be.
"Is it me or do you get the feeling something isn't right?"
"It's you Brian" Jack sighed.
"I don't think it is, Jack, look those horses are out, and we better go and find that Jessica woman" Sandra said pointing at the empty open stables.
Jack went on a head in search of the stable manager. "I think it's the ambulance and police we need to find" Jack said his face icy white at what he had discovered.
"Oh my god!" A shock Sandra stuttered before she froze at the tragic scene.
A blonde girl who must have been in her early thirties if that lay in a pool of her own blood, her riding hat was cracked open, her green eyes were wide open and the frozen expression on her face showed agony and shock.
"There's nothing we can do" Sandra said kneeling down, trying her best to look for a pulse and avoid the blood.
"Do you think she fell?" Brian asked.
"I don't know but I have a feeling she was trampled on by something bigger than size nines, look her ribs are so badly broken you can see them" Sandra said solemnly tracing out where the victim's injuries had been inflicted with her manicured finger.
"Hampshire police and ambulance are on their way" Jack said remerging from behind the stables.
"I'll try my best to round up the horses, horses running free are the last thing they need, Brian with me" she said running off looking for the missing horses.
"Why me, I hate horses."
"Now's not the time for pettiness, come on Brian!"
