Interview between therapist and [redacted for privacy],14, incarcerated at Southern Illinois Juvenile Detention Facility
Doctor: Tell me again about the house.
Patient: There were always stories about it. Always will be when you never see anyone go outside, ‘cept when he mowed his lawn. Always looked so angry doing it, too. Big ass beard, ratty old jacket. Like from Vietnam or some shit. Only other time he’d say anything was when a dog got too close to his yard.
Dr: You claim he disliked dogs-
P: ‘cause he did. Everyone knew it. In that town, dogs go missing, and the ones on his street most of all. A dog gets on his precious grass, you better wish it goodbye.
Dr: The shack.
P: One night, I woke up and saw him leading a dog into that little shack of his. Knew it wasn’t his. Looked so goddamn scared. I made sure my boy was downstairs and I hugged him so hard.
Dr: Your dog, who later ran away. Hence-
P: -he didn’t run away! That bastard took him!
Dr: -the outbursts. Calm now.
P: Yeah. Yeah. We all knew if he did something, we couldn’t do nothing back. He knew people, man. The cops, the mayor, everyone in town. So when I was out walking Kidd and…he wouldn’t listen. He got a bit of some smell, and he went right onto his porch. That’s when the guy came out. Yelled at me to get that fucking dog off. Looked ‘bout ready to kill me. I dragged Kidd out of there, saying sorry all the way.
Dr: To the man?
P: To Kidd.
Dr: That’s when he ran away.
P: Yeah, when my dog smashed in the window, unlocked the door, left all his doogie bootprints.
Dr: Police did not see-
P: Police didn’t look, no matter what we said. What we did. Just a runaway dog, miss. Put up fliers, miss.
Dr: Why did you decide to break into his house?
P: I heard barks. Kidd’s barks. Looked out. Saw him being dragged into that damn shed. I had to go in. I…
Dr: What do you believe you saw in there?
P: Dogs. Dogs, and filth. Some alive, some dead, some laying down waiting to die. Chained up. And all of them…all of them had these scars on their necks. Thought it was from the chains. Then I realized - none of them was barking. Why weren’t they barking?
Dr: You say none of them barking, but that your dog was.
P: ‘cause it hadn’t been done to him yet, Einstein. I heard ‘em in the house. I found a way in through the back, Kidd barking all the while. Went through the kitchen. Fuckin’ trash up to your knees. And then…
Dr: His wife.
P: You didn’t see her, did you?
Dr: The police did not, no. She’s very private, according to her husband, and - I should again note - not accused of any crime.
P: Didn’t say she was. But when I saw her, I was so scared. But she just stared at me. Pointed to a door. Down the basement. I ran down there and saw my boy Kidd. Lying on this bloody red table. All these tools all around…and he was holding a saw.
Dr: What do you say happened next?
P: I grabbed Kidd and just started running. He went after me, but…I got home. I got all the way home. And then…
Dr: You were arrested.
P: Cops knock and say I’ve been breaking in, robbing the place. Said he had found Kidd and was gonna return him. I told them all about the place…
Dr: …but they didn’t look. I know this story. We all know this story.
P: Why didn’t they look? Why wouldn’t they look?
Dr: The cops aren’t in the business of turning over the homes of people accused of no crime.
P: Man. I know what I saw. I see the worst of it every night.
Dr: The dogs had that much impact on you?
P: Not the dogs. His wife.
Dr: How she stared at you?
P: No. How she had the cuts down her neck, too.
(image by Jimelovski Platano Macho)
