The House Across the Street

The one-bedroom house across the street has been for sale for two years. What was wrong with it, why wasn't anyone interested? Yeah, there was a dead tree in the front yard that was in desperate need of removal. The windows have been long knocked out and then boarded over. The neighborhood was slightly run down but that does not mean the house should remain vacant. From the outside the house looked like a cute little home that someone should be able to fix up really nice, not sure about the inside. Everyday, I say that I will go over there. Who knows maybe that day is today. I am just dying to know what is wrong with that house.

The day came when I finally decided that I Would do a little investigating of our own. After-all, it looked like such a nice home, on the outside. My curiosity has overcome me. I just had to see if there was any history to this home. Why was the owner not seen in weeks? Why was he not eager to rent the little home on Spencer St.?

I had become acquaintances with the neighbors up the street and so I started my inquisition there. I was curious learn anything they could tell me about this mysterious house that no one wanted to rent. Why was no one interested? The neighbors were of no help though. They said the last time they were around the house was five years ago and then it was rundown and in need of dire repair.

I suspected that there had to be something else wrong. I thought the previous owner was some sort of drug dealer and spent his days looking like he was busy by working on friends and families cars. But, the car repair work was not where he made his money I imagine that it had to be from another source. I saw over a dozen cars at a time over at this house across the street during the middle of the night. My neighbor could not have been that popular --- it was something else that was attracting people to him.

I never found out exactly what made him so popular though because before I knew it, the man was gone. The strangest thing was that he left the dog. The angry, bitter dog that would not stop barking at any time of the day. Who would do such a thing to a dog? The dog was hungry thirsty and need of attention but no one wanted or dared to go near it because it was rather vicious towards humans. My first thought is that its owner subjected the dog to much abuse.

Even after the disappearance of the male tenant I still saw people coming and going. One time there was even a barbecue at the house across the street while the owner was gone. I never saw the owner again and after two weeks someone finally took the dog away. It was a good thing they did too because I was about ready to call animal control.

Finally, I drummed up the courage to walk across the street and take a look inside the house. "Oh my Lord!" was the first words out of my mouth. I must have said that pretty loud to because I nearly jumped out of my skin from the sound of my voice. I could not believe what I was seeing.

In the front window I saw the once abused dog, I hated so much, dead I almost hate to admit how much I hated that dog for fear someone might suspect me of what I was seeing.. The dog was dead. His head severed from his body both lying side-by-side on the dirty rug in the living room.. I could not believe it. The only thing I could do was run back across the street to my home, I am not even sure I looked when I crossed the street.

I ran into my husband's arms. He held me for nearly an hour before I could find the words to describe the horror I had seen across the street. How could anyone do such a thing to an innocent dog? I'll agree I had thought about killing the dog myself but only out of frustration. I would never have done such a horrible thing on purpose. This was beyond anything I had ever seen in my life. I was very glad to see that my husband was home from school for the day.

I was too stunned and horrified to take any action. I knew I should do something but I guess I was hoping that someone else would take the required action before me. What would I say? Would the police ask how I knew? And what the heck was I doing there in the first place? Would I be a suspect since I hated the dog so much?

It must have been a week before I saw the cops come by the neighborhood. They were there on a routine house call at a neighbors down the street when I got the nerve to flag one of the officers down. "Officer, Officer?" I said nervously.

"Yes, Maim," he said in his deep voice, "What is it? How may I help you?"

"I think you may want to investigate the house across from mine. I saw a dead animal in the living room." I said this rather hesitantly just above a whisper.

"You saw what? Can you speak up a little? I am not sure I heard you correctly."

"I said I saw a dead animal in the house across from mine. I am pretty sure it was a dog." and then I added very softly, "Officer, it's head was severed off laying beside its body."

"Are you sure?" The officer asked.

"Yes." I said in a more adamant tone.

"Let me tell the other officer where I will be then I will follow you to the vacant home so you can show me where you saw the dog. This sounds like it needs to be investigated." He said as he walked into the doorway of the house the original call was made.

Three long minutes later he came back out of the house. "OK, I'm ready. Show me the house, please."

I was careful not to say a word because I did not want to be accused of the crime having taken place. We walked silently side-by-side. I have to say I did feel at ease with him beside me but still one cannot be too cautious when taking an officer to a possible hate crime scene.

When we got to the house I pointed to it and said, "There it is. I live across the street, over there." I said as I pointed towards the house where my husband and I live. My hands were shaking. I really wanted to be let go but the officer motioned for me to stay in case he had further questions to ask of me.

"You know we have several of these unsolved hate crime situations lately. The person doing this has always beheaded a dog and laid it nicely beside the body. And tell me has there been any barbecues here lately." He turned towards me to get a first glance at my response.

My mouth flew open. "How did you know?"

"The neighbors of the other crimes have always said that there has been a barbecue soon after the disappearance of the dog. It seems that the intruder would eat parts of the dogs. The body was always placed in the living room in such a way that at first glance it looks like the body is in full tack." He decided to stop there figuring from the greenish color my face was turning that I was going to puke if he said anymore.

He walked to the front door of the home. Out of formality he knocked on the door four times and then said, "Stand back I need to break the door in." I did as he said. It only took him one simple push to open the rotted wooden door. There in the front room as I said was the beheaded dog and it's head.

The officer and I gasped a little at the sight. I was careful not to say too much because again I do not want to become a suspect. I had never trusted cops. And right now I certainly did not want to begin trusting them.

The officer handed me some latex gloves and allowed me to follow him as he continued his investigation. We continued to walk in the tiny hallway leading one way to the bathroom the other to the tiny bedroom. All the while, I am thinking how could anyone live in this place? There are no floors and the plaster on the walls was falling off. This is a health and safety hazard. There is no way this house would pass any inspection.

As the officer rounded the corner to his left towards the bedroom he stopped abruptly. What was it he saw? I had to know. I must have been a cat in a previous life because the curiosity was killing me.

I finally gunned up enough gumption to peer between the officer's bent elbow from which he had his left hand on his hip. I could tell he was in shock. He was not moving a muscle.

"Neither one of us were prepared for what we found inside the wall."

I was the first to speak and when I did I didn't say much "Oh, my..." was the only thing that came out of my mouth.

The officer quickly escorted me outside the house as the other officer was walking up the street. The officer sat me down on the curb and tried to quiet me down. I was in shock. I had never seen anything like that before. What the heck was it? This is not supposed to happen in my neighborhood. Yeah I know, this neighborhood is not the best of neighborhoods, but still this is my neighborhood.

My husband was pulling up our driveway when he saw me sitting with an officer and ran to see what was wrong. "Honey, are you ok?"

"She is in shock. May I ask who you are."

"I am her husband Dwayne."

"Well, Dwayne your wife here has seen probably the most horrific hate crime man could ever witness," said the officer.

Dwayne was not sure if he wanted to know what just happened kneeled down by me from which I literally jumped into his arms. I wanted the comfort he gives me when I am having a bad day and this was the worst thing that any human being could witness.

For the rest of the afternoon Dwayne noticed that there were a bunch of people swarming the house trying to get everything cleaned up and reports bugging everyone they saw. We left the mail outside that day for fear some reporter would attack us if they knew we where home. Dwayne had a class that evening yet decided under the circumstances that he was needed around the home. He still had no clue what had happened over there because I was not talking and the officers would not give out free information.

It was not until later that evening that Dwayne found out what truly happened in the house across the street. It was on the 6 o'clock local news that it was reported that there inside the abandoned house was a crime that would not be forgotten by anyone on the police force, or by me for that matter. The news reported that there in the walls of the bedroom and on the bed was a body of an African-American woman with stab wounds to the chest and other wounds that left her maimed beyond recognition.

Finally Dwayne got me to say something but all I could say was "It was horrific!"

I will never forget the sight that I saw on that nice October day. It was a sight no one could forget. The horror of the experience has left its mark. I still have nightmares even three years later and have constant issues of looking into empty homes. When a house is empty one never knows what maybe lurking around the corner or in the walls.