Okay, so this is what happened. I am going to try and tell it as it happened, but I am still shaking.
I had to take care of friends of mine’s dogs while they went away for the weekend. Sounds like there is a bit of trouble in the marriage, so they were going to sort it out. All good. I love their dogs, so I had no problem with it.
I spent most of my time watching old movies. The dogs slept next to me on the couch, I had snacks and the pizza place close by is not too bad.
So just before I went to bed on Saturday evening, I let the dogs out in the backyard while I had my last smoke. The dogs were sniffing and exploring, I sat in a lawn chair.
Next moment I heard this blood curling scream. The hairs on the back of my neck stood erect, I immediately felt the adrenaline rush, starting to shake, ready to run or fight. The dogs stopped whatever they were doing and were watching the house next door, so I didn’t imagine it.
I listened but there was nothing. All quiet.
I had of those moments where I know what I should do, but don’t want to, yet started to do it. I walked around the house to the house next door. I argued with myself. What if there was someone needed help? What if I walk into a situation, husband killing the wife type of deal? What would I be able to do?
I hesitated when I reached the front door, but then gave a loud knock.
I was ready to knock again when I heard someone unlocking the door. The door opened and guy was standing there with a shocked expression on his face, maybe something else. Definitely not ready to greet me in a warm manner, is what I am trying to say.
“I heard someone scream, everything okay here?” I asked, perhaps a bit more aggressively than intended.
“Listen, you need to go. Go now.” Something was going on here, the man is very suspicious. Smaller than me, around his forties, thinning brown hair and a round flushed face, potbelly. I felt confident I will be able to win a fight if it comes to that.
“Who screamed? What’s going on?” I asked taking a step into the house.
The guy was acting very suspicious; I could see he did not want me in the house. “No, please, go. You must go.”
“My dude…”, I started and then heard a gasp. Looking up the staircase, I just saw what looked like a woman, girl perhaps, disappearing around the corner.
“What the f… is going on here?” I yelled and pushed myself into the house.
“No, no no!” The fat guy yelled but he didn’t try and stop me. A good thing too, I would have popped him on the nose if he tried.
I rushed up the stairs and around the corner in the direction I saw the girl disappeared. It was a hallway, three doors, two closed, one open. I pushed open the door and then stopped.
Inside the room were two girls. I guess early twenties, they looked young. One a blond, the other a brunette. They were wearing shorts and small tops, like sleeping wear, the brunette still pulling her top down. Both looked scared.
“What the hell?” I took a step back so I could see down the staircase. The guy was no longer there. ‘Oh bugger”, I thought. I looked at the girls, who looked scared out of their minds. “I am so sorry” I said.
I quickly closed the door to the girls’ room and stood in front of it, guarding it. I phone the emergency services, explaining to the operator the situation and asked for help. She asked me to stay on the line while she sends people my way.
I kept an eye out, in case the guy was going to try something, half hoping he would, half hoping he wouldn’t. After what felt like forever I heard a car arrive and saw the blue and red lights reflecting from the window.
The operator told me the first response unit arrived and I should call out to them. I called out and they told me to show myself, I came down the staircase with my hands in the air, don’t laugh, I didn’t know what to do. I explained the situation, they told me to wait outside. A second patrol car arrived and one of the officers waited with me. I smoked, and smoked some more.
It quickly turned into the normal scene you see on TV where there are police cars, radios squawking, an ambulance and lights flickering, turning everything into shades of red and blue. Neighbours were standing in small groups chatting. I knew nobody, so I stayed at the police car. An officer took my details and a brief report. Then I waited some more.
Eventually someone in uniform approach me, asked me about the situation. I explained, the scream, my entry in the house, the guy and the girls. He gave me an odd look and went to speak some other guy in civilian clothes. Soon the other guy asked me the same; I told my story. He too gave me a look, starting to make me nervous. Did something happen in there? Do they suspect I had anything to do with it? My fears grew bigger when a coroner van arrived.
One of the ambulance people came over and asked if she could take my stats. She asked if I was using medication. If I used any drugs, explaining she is not with the police, but need to know. I said no and no to the drugs. Eventually I was asked to wait at home.
It took a really long time before people came to the house. They identified themselves as two detectives; two older men were standing at the back, not saying anything. They asked me to repeat my story.
“I’m housesitting the dogs. So I heard a scream from next door. I went to see what’s going on, right? A guy opened the door…”
“Describe the guy.” the detective asked.
I gave the description. The two detectives looked at each other. “And then?”
I explained about seeing the girl, going up there finding them in the room, guarding the door, calling the cops.
The detectives kept on looking at each other; I was starting to get a bad feeling about this. They asked about the guy again. I told the same thing I’ve been doing the whole night.
“Is this the guy?” one of the older guys in the back asked and showed me a picture. It was the same guy, a bit younger, but without a doubt the same guy.
“Yes, he opened the door. Later I didn’t see him again.”
The older guy spoke again, “The guy is dead.”
My whole word felt like it was crashing around me. Dead? Do they think I killed him?
“He’s been dead for at least a week now.”
I did a double taker. ‘Wait, what?’
“But he opened the door?” I tried to make sense but nothing came to my mind.
“His body is in one of the rooms in a plastic bag.” I didn’t know what to say.
“The girls said you opened the door and locked them in the room while calling us.” said the detective. I could only stare at him.
“We’ve been after these two for some time now. They make friends with some lonely guy, move in, take all his money then kill him. They live in the house for a while, selling everything they can, then move out to find the next target. Lots of sad men out there. But you caught them. You caught them sleeping when you went into the house, keeping them in the room, they didn’t had time to escape. You probably saved a lot of lives.”
What could I say. My mind, usually thinking ahead, was blank.
“We’ll take your statement tomorrow. Get some sleep. Best not to mention a dead guy at the door again though.”
They all left an hour ago. The sun is coming up.
I have no idea what happened, what is going on.