Lost and Found Chapter 1

 Lost and Found

Chapter 1

LOST: GREY TABBY

ANSWERS TO PISCES

REWARD FOR SAFE RETURN

CALL (233) 617-4938

I had plastered that message all over the city. It had been a day- in my mind if something bigger and hungrier than you hasn’t taken interest by then you are blessed by something. I’d had a few drinks- it was 7:30 pm; long past when I expected anyone to call. My eyes were bloodshot- partially from the tequila, partially from all the tears I’d shed since Pisces, my spoiled feline companion of the last decade, had escaped. Pisces had been there when I’d scored my first design contract, and had been there longer than the seven blessed years I got to spend with my wife, before she was taken from me, one year ago next week. The drunk driver responsible, Brandon Matthews, had gotten off with one week in jail. Lucky for us both I haven’t seen him since.  

Buzz buzz… buzz buzz…

My phone was ringing. Shit. I hoped I was sober enough to deal with this. I picked up my phone with trembling hands. ‘He…hello?’

‘You lookin’ for a grey tabby?’

I blinked in surprise, and paused for a moment. 

‘Hello? I haven’t got all day.’

‘Sorry, yes, I’m looking for a grey tabby.’

‘Reward?’

‘Yes- fifty bucks.’ I hoped my voice wasn’t trembling as much as my hands were.

‘You’re cat’s here- you can have him, for a hundred.’

My eyes narrowed to slits. I hoped he could hear it in my voice. ‘You criminal.’

‘Businessman - 462 Pinwheel Place.’

Click.

I shook my head in disbelief. What kind of monster would ransom back an innocent creature? I could feel tears welling in my eyes, but they were  already red, so I didn’t care. I looked in my wallet and found $150 there. I hid $50 behind my credit cards, and put the rest in my pocket. 

Pinwheel Place was just a few blocks away, so I set out on foot. I was still furious about the heartlessness of the ransomer, but the fresh air helped sober me up and clear my head.  When I reached 462 Pinwheel Place, I was met with a large iron gate, with a name engraved across the middle.

MATTHEWS

My hands started to shake almost uncontrollably. It couldn’t be…

I rang the buzzer, and the gate began to open. I took a few deep breaths, and started walking up the curved cobblestone driveway. The gate behind me started to close. The mansion before me had to be at least ten bedrooms. Why would anyone need to live in such wasteful opulence? If it was who I feared, I wasn’t sure what I would do…

#  

I rang the doorbell and waited. I could hear someone moving around inside, but was made to wait for what felt like hours. When the door slowly creaked open, it was him- Brandon Matthews- the wretched filth who had killed my wife with barely a slap on the wrist. His house was amazing; the floors were red marble. I didn’t even know such a thing existed. Through an open door behind him, I could see several large cages, and fresh blood on the tile, which contrasted sharply with the lighter red it covered.

Brandon was drunk, as usual. He stunk of whiskey and was leaning his 5’2” frame heavily on the dark hardwood doorframe. His tangled black hair looked like a birds nest gone wrong, and his shaggy black beard was stained with food and spittle. ‘You here about the rat?’

My heart seemed to stop in my chest- I had to struggle just to breathe. I had never been this close to the one that ruined not just my life, but those of all the friends and family who had loved her dearly. To see him wallow in such wealth sickened me to the core of my being. It took a few moments to be able to speak. ‘Cat,’ I whispered.

Brandon stared at me silently for a moment. ‘Do I know you?’

I shook my head slowly. ‘Just looking to get my cat back.

’’You said reward.’

I nodded. ‘For safe return’, flashing him the $100. ‘Cat.’

Brandon stared at me a moment, then walked back inside, returning with a miserable whimpering creature, fur matted with blood. 

‘Safe return…’, I said loudly, stepping in to his house.

Brandon tried to take a swig of whiskey with his free hand, but missed his mouth, spilling whiskey down his front and on the floor. ‘I found it this way,’ he mumbled, eyes glancing nervously towards the bloody room behind him.

I pushed Brandon, stepping forward, grasping my precious Pisces. ‘And how fresh is that blood? I shouted, pointing towards the open room behind him.  

Brandon grabbed the wall for support, and tried to right himself. ‘Hey man, this is trespassing,’ he hissed.’

‘Not if it’s self defence’, I snarled, taking another step.

Brandon jumped to the right, and grabbed a fierce looking dagger off the brick fireplace; it looked to be encrusted with emeralds in the hilt and along the blade. Brandon lunged at me, and slipped in the drink he had spilled earlier. As his hands hit the floor, the dagger clattered to the tile at my feet. 

I kicked him in the stomach, pushing him back towards the room of cages; I could hear dogs snoring contentedly within. Brandon blinked in surprise. As he tried to right himself, I pushed him through the grated steel door before hitting the large red button marked CLOSE. He shouted, as the door slammed beside him, but succeeded only in waking the now disgruntled animals he had imprisoned there. 

Brandon rose to his feet and ran to the door, which was locked. He banged on the grate, shouting in astonishment. ‘Hey man, this isn’t funny…’

I shook my head as I heard the rumbling growl in the cages. ‘No,’ I replied, ‘my wife wouldn’t think so either.’

I will always remember that moment of epiphany, when the whole ordeal rushed back to him; the hours in court, watching him heap sympathy on the jury while denying responsibility, all came rushing back at once. Whatever came after, I knew I would sleep better that night. 

‘If there’s an afterlife,’ I said cheerfully, ‘I’m sure you’ll see her there.’ I waved, turning to walk away as two angry pitbulls stomped from their cages. I hummed to myself as I returned to the front door and closed it. I wrapped Pisces in a warm blanket and rested her on Brandon’s black leather couch. A quick inspection of Brandon’s mansion revealed two things- large bags of cocaine, and a hefty distrust of banks, to the tune of a couple bags full of rolled hundreds, in an open safe he must have been using when I arrived. Zipping up the duffel bags, I hefted one over each shoulder and dropped them by the door.

I returned the ornamental dagger to it’s stand on the fireplace. I hummed to myself as I returned to the locked room to see two happy pitbulls feasting on some prime looking cuts of meat. I heard a buzzing- Brandon’s phone was in the living room.

There was a text message from TYLER: ‘Hey man, hear you’re selling your crib- might be game, hit me up’

I had an idea. ‘Sup bro, found a buyer. Leaving town, don’t wait up.’ I replied.

‘Yeah bud, I heard what was up. Peace out!’

‘Word,’ I replied.

# 

Pisces was alive, but whimpering terribly. I found my vet’s phone number and connected to the emergency line. ‘My cat’s been attacked,’ I said. ‘She’s in bad shape and not mobile.’

‘Mobile service is $200 an hour’

‘Is cash ok? This might take a while’

There was a brief moment of silence from the other end. I can imagine the technician blinking in confusion.’ Certainly sir.’

‘462 Pinwheel place.’

I rocked Pisces gently in my arms, listening to her gentle purr as we waited for the vet to arrive. It looked like her days of innocence were over- I may never have my precious companion back to her innocent self, but I would always keep her safe. The vet arrived in less than ten minutes, and I gingerly passed Pisces’s care to her.

Looking back in the safe, I found a stack of documents, including the deed to the mansion. I smiled- for once maybe crime would pay.

Brandon had a very nice computer, which like his phone was not password protected. In his documents I found his letterhead and wrote,

‘I Brandon Matthews, sell 462 Pinwheel Place, to Stuart Masterson, for,’ I paused in my writing. What would I say happened? At this point it was really up to me, may as well make it plausible, but I wanted to keep my taxes down… ‘One hundred thousand dollars. ‘  One forged signature later, the mansion was mine.

Retrieving Brandon’s phone, I sent out a mass text. ‘Hey buds, leaving town, don’t wait up… Peace!’ I figured this would draw out any pressing unfinished business I could hopefully help him resolve…

The phone started lighting up immediately, but it was mostly drivel- your usual ‘good lucks’ and ‘see you laters,’ but then…

‘But Brandon, what about your daughter? I’m due in seven months! You said you’d changed…’

No matter their parent’s sins, no child should be left wanting…

‘It’s all taken care of,’ I replied, ‘My bud Stu is going to let you stay at his place. Come by the house for the keys’

‘But Brandon…’

‘Getting too hot here. Take care of our daughter. Sorry about the women and the drugs.’

‘I know baby, like you said you just did what you had to.’

Dispensing several casual greetings, one more caught my interest, from ALEX SCUMBAG.

‘I finally have the money I owe you, I won’t feel right if I can’t return it…’

‘You know what?’ I replied, ‘ Keep it.’

‘What? Yesterday you tell me you’ll break my teeth, and now this?’

No need for him to die a total monster. ‘Can I tell you a secret?’ I replied.

‘Are you sure this is Brandon?’

‘Who else?’

‘If this is Brandon, tell me where we first met?’

I couldn’t wait too long… may as well take a plunge. ‘Math class 😝’

‘Ok… what’s your secret?’

‘I’ve done a lot of bad things, and I’ve hurt a lot of people in my life, but I want that to change. Tell anyone who owes me anything we’re square. I’m going to need some time but when I’m ready you’ll hear from me’

‘Wow, this is out of nowhere… good luck Brandon. Thank you.’

‘Peace.’

I heard a buzzing, and found the gate camera in the kitchen. The woman outside had curly, auburn hair, and skin so pale it was almost white. She was stunning to say the least. She smiled and waved at the camera knowingly, as the gate began to rattle open.

I looked at myself in the mirror- I was an absolute mess. My hair was tangled, my clothes were rumpled and covered in grey cat hair, blood and whiskey. I quickly glanced around for something to cover myself, and found a very nice hoodie in the closet, sized for a man who was 5’2”. Taking a few deep breaths I did my best to smooth out my clothes, right before she knocked on the door.

When I opened it she waved; she looked so sad… ‘You must be Stu.’

‘Yeah, sorry about the short notice.’

She sighed, sagging her shoulders. ‘Just like Brandon… is he on another bender, or gone for good this time?’

I shrugged. ‘Hard to say with him… didn’t seem promising. He sold me his place, on the condition I give you mine. He gave me a great deal…’

Her eyes widened in surprise. ‘Thank you Stu, like… for good?

I nodded. “It’s nothing, least I can do given the situation. I haven’t had time to move my stuff out, but you can move in now if you want…’ Fishing my keys out of my pocket, I handed her my house key. ‘Could I have Brandon’s back?’

She nodded emphatically, wrapping her arms around me as she took the key… and gave me the first key to my new house. She smelled terrific, like honey and vanilla. 

‘The dogs just ate, why don’t we walk them to your new place?’

She beamed. ‘That sounds great.’

I grinned as I stared down at the mansion key; My mansion! I slowly walked back to the dog room, and fortunately found two leashes hung beside the door. I pushed the button to open the steel door, and was met by two very happy pitbulls, one black and white, one brown and gold, wagging their tails. I started as I heard the woman behind me.

‘Looks like some feast,’ she said.

I laughed and nodded keenly. ‘He invested in some prime cuts of meat this time!’ Handing her one of the leashes, I leaned down to scratch the brown and gold one behind the ears. His collar read LOKI.

‘Whew,’ she said, ‘what reeks?’

‘Just before Brandon left,’ I replied, ‘he gave them some whiskey.’

‘WHAT!?’ She shouted. ‘Doesn’t he have any idea how bad that is for them?’

I shrugged. ‘He was an odd duck…’

She blinked. ‘…Was?’

I hoped she didn’t notice my eyes widen. ‘Well, he’s gone now, right?’

She stared at me. ‘I suppose…’

‘Shall we?’

She nodded. “Yes, l’ll admit they’re funny when they’re drunk… he’s done this before.’

I smiled wickedly. ‘Probably not like this…’ I took the leash from my lovely companion. ‘I’ll take them outside.’

‘Right behind you…’

‘Can I ask one question before we go?’

She nodded. ‘Sure, whatever you like.’

‘What’s your name?’

She stared at me silently for a moment, then we both burst out laughing. “Jessica.”