Scratch the Matchmaker

by Austin Daniels

  "Did he tell you where he was going?"

  "No. He just said 'Phoenix'".

  I could practically hear the gears moving in Logan's head. Once again, Logan was trying to fix me. "Does he have family in Phoenix?"

  "No, but he told me his ex lived there." He'd never go there…I think. That guy held him prisoner."

  Logan's voice jumped an octave. "He did what!"

  "It's a long story. Someday, maybe I can share it. It's kind of personal."

  "So do you know where the guy lives?"

  "Well, sort of. He said something about a brownstone. Something else… He said it faced Encanto Park. I guess that makes sense. There can't be a lot of old brownstones anywhere else in Phoenix. That older part of town was pretty nice for its time. Still is actually."

  "That's a big park. Tomorrow is Tuesday. Do you have any classes tomorrow?"

  At this point I was almost yelling back into the phone. "Forget my classes. This is more important. Look, there are five or six more hours of daylight left. He said that guy sometimes bothered him. What if he's there? I have to know. I'm taking Scratch and heading for Encanto. You coming?"

  "Wait a minute, what was his ex's name?"

  "Henry something, I think he said. Yeah, that's it. Henry. Richard told me his last name, but I can't remember."

  Okay you come over to pick me up, and I'm going to see if I can narrow down the search on Google before you get here. You are picking us up, aren't you?"

  "Us? Who's with you?"

  "Marty's here visiting, and Finch dropped in a few minutes ago."

  "How are you gonna find Henry on Google??"

  "God, I don't know yet. I wish I had the last name. I'll try searching it with Encanto. If that doesn't work, I'll see if I can search it on Facebook. There has to be a way to get a list of Henry's facing the park. Let's face it: There can only be so many Henry's surrounding that park. So I'll be looking. You just honk when you get here."

  Five minutes later, I honked the horn and Marty came running out. Logan and Finch followed a moment later, and all three of them jumped in the car. Logan and Finch jumped in the back, and Marty took shotgun with Scratch. "You brought your dog?" Marty asked, sounding slightly irritated by the idea he'd have a dog on his lap.

  "Sure, I don't know how long we're going to be gone."

  It turned out Logan had a couple of leads, but was unsure about either. It took us forty-five minutes to get to the park. Logan had two addresses that were supposed to be associated with Henrys. We'd driven down Van Buren Blvd straight down to 15th Avenue and north to Thomas. Driving slowly, we scanned the houses on the far side of the street. There were so many old stone houses. We got to the area where Logan's leads were and I parked the car. I was so anxious to start looking, I opened the door before remembering to leash Scratch. He bounded across my lap onto the hard pavement and took off like he was on a mission. He was headed the other way across the corner of the park.

  Logan jumped out of the car. "Oh, my God, that's what he did at the park by my house the day I met Finch. Let's go."

  I took off running. Catching a dog that's running is kind of a losing game. Even a little dog like Scratch can generally avoid being caught if that's what he has in mind. I didn't think Scratch was trying to avoid us. He seemed to want to get somewhere. He was running in a straight line, headed right for the street that ran perpendicular to the one we were parked on.

  "Stop him! He's going get himself killed," Logan yelled from somewhere behind me.

  "Scratch!" I yelled over and over. He didn't so much as turn his head.

  Leaping from the curb, he was on his way across the street. Fortunately, there was little traffic considering the hour, and seconds later he was on the other side. It was another thirty seconds before I even reached the curb. I was trying to watch Scratch to see where he was going and keep from getting myself run over at the same time. He seemed intent on sniffing around the yard of the house directly across the street. It was a two story brownstone, a lot like the one next door to Richard's.

  Scratch ran around to the side of the house and started digging at the soil beneath the gate of the fence surrounding the back yard. Dirt flew everywhere. Seconds later, he disappeared under the gate. As I reached the front yard, I could just make out what appeared to be a padlock.

  I ran around to the side. The gate had a lock on it—there was no way to open it without the key. It wasn't particularly tall, so I could peer over the top. All I could see was that the house was built a lot deeper on the lot, giving the appearance from the front of being a much smaller home. Scratch must have run around behind the house.

  I went to the front door and was about to ring the doorbell when the others caught up to me, standing on the walkway that ran from the sidewalk to the door. "What are you doing?" asked Finch.

  "Scratch broke into the back yard and the gate's locked. Maybe the people will let me go back and get him."

  "Didn't you look at the mailbox?" Logan said. This house belongs to Henry Waters."

  "That's it! That's the last name! Richard told me his name was Waters, but I didn't remember. I'm jumping the fence," I said. "Stand lookout for me. If anyone comes, just explain that we're getting a runaway dog."

  I ran around and climbed over the end pillar that held the gate. Beyond that, there were bushes that must have been fifteen feet tall. They would have prevented anyone from jumping the fence beyond the pillar. I heard a thump behind me and turned to find Finch.

  Once on the other side, I'd expected to run around and find Scratch in the yard waiting for me. As I turned the corner at the back of the house, however, I saw Scratch outside of what looked like a window slightly above ground level. The inside of the glass had been painted over. Scratch was pawing at the glass as if that was going to do anything. Although the window had been painted, the paint was flaking off. With Scratch's help, enough of the paint was gone that I thought I might be able to see inside. The window was dirty, but I could see the shape of a man inside down near the floor facing away. I tapped on the window. It was then that I saw the chains.

  As the man turned his head, I could see it was Richard. His arms were outstretched to each side, being held by something fastened to chains. It was all fastened to a big wooden rack much like the one in Richard's dungeon room.

  I jumped up and patted my pockets. My phone was in the car, of all places. "Do you have a cell phone?" I asked Finch.

  "No, Logan grabbed me so fast when you knocked, I left mine at his apartment. I'm pretty sure Marty has his. He was looking at it in the car."

  I ran to the fence. Logan and Marty were standing on the opposite side. "Call the police. He's in the basement, and he's tied up. Just call 911."

  On the way back, I grabbed a piece of flagstone from the walkway that had been set in the clay soil to create a path to the gate.

  Taking the rock in both hands, I broke out the window. Scraping the stone across the bottom where the glass had once been, I broke away the loose glass so I could pass through without cutting myself.

  Turning around, I dropped my legs through the landing on the floor below with Finch right behind me. Scratch was at the window making a racket. I turned my head to see Finch reach up from inside and lower Scratch to the floor.

  "If I don't let him in, he's going to jump," he explained.

  Running to Richard, I could see the leather straps holding his wrists apart. Each was tied to chains bolted to the rack.

  I removed the clips that held the leather bindings in place, allowing the chains to fall back. He didn't seem quite right. I quickly lowered his arms. My eyes were adjusting to the dim light. For the first time, I could see Richard's back was covered in red stripes. He'd been severely beaten.

  "Get out of here. He'll find you," Richard said.

  Looking around, I could see there was a stairway leading down into this room. Scratch had climbed to the top and was sniffing underneath the closed door. There was a noise and the door swung open. St
anding in the doorway was the silhouette of a large man who seemed to be as surprised to see us as we were to see him. He was staring at Finch and me with a shocked expression. He took a step forward, and I heard Scratch scream.

  The three of us just crouched there and watched everything happen. It was like slow motion. The man was not expecting to step on anything as he rushed onto the landing at the top of the stairs. The shrill sound Scratch made as the man stepped on him must have caused him to lose his footing. I was frozen in place. Scratch was wiggling at the top of the stairs with a squeal that was breaking my heart, yet the noise of that big man rolling down the stairs is something I'll always remember.

  As he rolled, his head hit something solid. When he stopped sliding the last of the distance, half of him was on the stairway and the other half was on the floor. A pool of blood was collecting under his head, spreading out onto the floor. Scratch's squealing had diminished to whining. I jumped up, climbing over the man's body, and made my way up the stairs to reach Scratch, who was still on the landing. He was hurt, but he was breathing okay and that was something. The door at the top of the stairs was still open, flooding him with light.

  Richard was now on his feet and standing right behind us. He took me by the hand and pulled me through the house to the front door. We opened the door to find two uniformed police about to knock.

  "There's been an accident. At the other end of the house is a… dungeon. There's a man who fell down the stairs when he stepped on my dog. Please call an ambulance. I need to get this little guy to a vet."

  One of the officers was a woman. She ran into the house, found the open door, and saw Henry lying at the bottom of the stairs. When she returned, she said, "I'm sorry. It looks like it might be too late for an ambulance. We'll call one, but I'm not sure they can do anything for him." Turning to the other officer, she said, "We need to get a team out here. Wait till you see what's downstairs."

  Holding Richard and Scratch I said, "I need to get these two some medical attention."

  "Looks like the dog needs more help right away," she said. "We're going to need statements from everybody." After what seemed like an eternity during which we produced identification and gave the police our stories, we were finally released. The team from the coroner's office had arrived and was in the process of arranging to transport the body.

  Logan came and took Richard by the arm. "I can take Richard to the emergency room if you want to take Scratch to the vet. He's not hurt as badly as Scratch, and the vet's going to insist that you be there."

  I turned and gave Richard a quick goodbye kiss, and then hopped in the police car with Marty and Finch. Tossing my keys to Logan, I said, "I'll call you in a little bit."

  Chapter Eighteen

  Scratch was hurt pretty badly. They took him in right after we got to the vet's office. Marty sat quietly while I called Logan. "Logan, how's Richard?

  "Honey, he's going to be fine. The police finally let me bring him to the emergency room. A little salve would have fixed him up just fine. What the hell was going on in that house anyway?"

  "I have a better question. What was Richard doing there? We're at the vet's office on 7th street. Just a minute, the vet is coming out. I'll call you back."

  The vet indicated I should come into the examination room.

  Marty and I stepped into a small room with a tall table in it and some medical equipment on a nearby counter top. I saw Scratch laying on the table. His eyes were shut and there was a cast on his leg. "Is he going to be okay?"

  "He's going to be just fine. I put him in a cast and gave him something to help him sleep. Why don't you plan on picking him up in the morning? He's been through a lot. He just needs to sleep for a while."

  "Okay. Hey, doc, what's this going to cost me?" The vet took me to the front desk, and I took care of the bill. Luckily, Johnny had given me a credit card for emergencies. I figured this counted. I'd never used it before. When I called Johnny to explain why I used the card, he was really upset about Scratch. I was grateful he didn't seem to be concerned about the card. Then I called Logan again. "Scratch is in for the night. They put a cast on his leg. Poor little guy. I hate to leave him there. They open tomorrow at 8, and I can pick him up then. Where are you guys?

  "The doctors already released Richard. We're on our way back to pick up his bike. You want to meet us at his house back in Tempe?"

  "Yeah, but the police left after they dropped us off at the vet's. We have no transportation. Why don't you drop him off then pick us up? I still want to know what Richard was doing there." I hated leaving Scratch at the vet's overnight, but I knew if he was going to sleep all night, a trip home on drugs wasn't really in the cards for him."

  Marty and I waited outside. Marty finally chimed in. "Look, Jay, I've known you a long time. I've never seen you as involved with anyone the way you seem to be with Richard." I started to say something, but he stopped me. "Let me finish. I've seen other couples who were desperately in love screw up their relationship because they were jealous. I don't want to see you two screw this up."

  "It's just that I can't imagine any legitimate reason for him to have gone there. If he went there to see his ex after promising he wouldn't be with anyone else I don't know if I can take it. I see your point though so I won't accuse him. I need to remember that I've never trusted anyone like I trust him. I just need him to tell me something I can believe, or I'm afraid my trust is going to shatter."

  Logan picked us up a few minutes later and we were on our way to Richard's house. "Did he tell you anything?" I asked.

  "No, he didn't, and I didn't want to be the person to find out what that was all about anyway. If he wanted me to know, he'd have told me. He'll tell you, and then you can tell me if you like, just don't freak out on him."

  As we pulled up outside the house, I was surprised I didn't see Richard's bike. Something must have held him up. I was tempted to call him, but I didn't want him answering his cell phone on his bike.

  "I'd only just realized how much I loved him and then I find him tied up half-naked in his ex's dungeon. What was I supposed to think?" I was angry and jealous and hurt all at the same time.

  Marty reminded me, "He hasn't told you anything yet. Don't be angry when you have nothing to be angry about." Marty had a point. I was upset and I was afraid. I'd already experienced betrayal. Why shouldn't I continue to trust the man I trusted above all others? Then again, what possible reason could he have for going to his ex's house? "You know he's been asking me to trust him using just those words almost daily. Deep down inside I don't think I do right now, and that's killing me."

  Finally, I saw Richard's motorbike heading down the street. He pulled into the driveway, and I ran to him. "Where the hell were you?"

  Richard looked surprised at my question. I don't think he expected to see anger in my eyes or hear it in my voice. And he looked as though it was entertaining him. How could he be so callous as to get a kick out of my concern.

  "I had to take a few minutes to pick something up back at the house."

  "You went back into that house? With the police there and everything? What for?"

  "The police were gone. They left the door guarded by yellow tape. I jumped the fence and went in through the window. They couldn't lock it because it was broken."

  "You did what?"

  "Come on inside." Logan began to look at Finch like maybe they should give us some privacy and should make themselves scarce. Marty, on the other hand, seemed perfectly willing to follow us.

  Before either of them could do or say anything, Richard put their fears to rest. "All of you are welcome to join us."

  We all walked into the house and sat in the living room, something that felt unusual. Normally, in my house, we'd all sit around in the kitchen or the family room off the kitchen, but today we were herded into the living room of Richard's house.

  Logan sat down one of the sofas, and I sat next to him. Marty and Finch sat in a pair of chairs at the corner of the roo
m. Richard sat on a matching couch across from us. Looking at the two of us, he said, "This won't do." He stood up and, directing me to stand, moved me to the ottoman by the chairs that Finch and Marty were on. Then he returned to the couch he'd been sitting on.

  None of it made any sense to me, but I knew Richard needed to do this his way. "Yesterday when you went to Johnny's house," he began, "I went to Phoenix. I needed to retrieve something I'd left at Henry's house when I finally got out of there the first time. Up until a few days ago, I didn't really understand the importance of it. Recently though, I realized I'd left something there that had suddenly become extremely valuable to me, and I needed to get it back.

  "I know Henry's schedule, and he was supposed to be at work. I suspect the neighbor must have seen me arrive and called Henry, thinking I was breaking in. I guess I was. But I still have a key, and he didn't change the locks.

  "When I started seeing Henry I was curious. Eventually he showed me that dungeon and I was anxious to see how everything worked. It was just a couple weeks later that I found myself chained down there, and Henry didn't want to let me leave. At first, I thought he was just playing with me. I remember thinking maybe he wasn't as done with that session as I thought he was. Before long, he brought down a portable toilet and I realized he didn't intend to release me anytime soon."

  Logan asked him why he didn't call the police. I wondered at how well he was accepting the knowledge that my boyfriend had been someone's 'boy.'

  So far, I hadn't heard anything to justify his going to that house. I was frozen in place, petrified he was never going to tell me anything I could accept.

  "This all happened a couple years ago. At the time, I felt kind of responsible. When he started dressing me and controlling me, I knew he'd eventually strip me of my jewelry, so when he was upstairs, I slipped my ring and a neck chain I wore into the end of a leg on one of the pieces of equipment. It was a pipe with a rubber cap and one of the only places I could use to hide anything that was within reach. Later, when he noticed it was missing, I just told him it was misplaced. The jewelry was what I went back for."