10 Minutes From Home: Episode 6 Read online

  When we had heard them arguing in the backyard, they were debating the fact that Stephen wanted to leave to go find help; he thought Kelly would be safe with the kids for the time being if they barricaded the house. Kelly didn’t want Stephen to leave, fearing he would never come back. Stephen didn’t think they had any other options; he didn’t want to just sit and watch his children die in a dog cage. This had been a repeated argument over the past day or so, but Kelly insisted Stephen not leave, that he had no idea what he would have to face out there on his own.

  As we stood in the kitchen listening to their incredible and horrifying story, Stephen brought up the idea that he could accompany us, just until he found a way to contact the military, police, or anyone that could help them. We told him that, from what we had seen, there might not be the kind of help he was looking for out there. He heeded our words but wanted to come anyway. Kelly agreed that he would have a much better chance and be much safer with a group of people, especially armed people. We concurred and agreed to let Stephen come with us. We gave Kelly one of our weapons and a good supply of ammo and helped her secure the house. We headed out the front door, and left Stephen and Kelly alone in the kitchen to say their goodbyes. Once outside, we made sure Kelly had the door bolted and secure, then made our way back into the woods to head for Thom’s house on the other side of the forest. For a good fifteen minutes after leaving, we could still hear the cries of Stephen’s children carrying on the air like distant dogs barking. Stephen’s tears didn’t stop until much later.

  CHAPTER 30: STEPHEN JEFFREY WINTERS

  Stephen Jeffrey Winters was born May 1, 1971, in Red Deer, Alberta. His father, George, and mother, Gerta, ran a hardware store together in Red Deer for the entire 40 years of their marriage. The store was small, but had a ferociously devoted clientele that crossed generations of families in the Michener Hill area of the city.

  As a child, Stephen spent many hours at the Red Deer Bird Sanctuary, located not far from his home. He always had an interest in animals, eventually leading to an education and career in veterinary medicine.

  Stephen worked at a vet clinic in Red Deer through his teens and after he started studying veterinary medicine at the University of Calgary, he volunteered his time at local clinics whenever possible, partly to increase his experience, but mostly because he just wanted to help the animals. It was his true passion.

  Stephen first met Kelly Ann Whitfield at the Bird Sanctuary. They were both regulars, and eventually they noticed each other and struck up a casual conversation. After a few unofficial lunch dates, Stephen asked Kelly out on a real date, dinner and all. Even though they took things relatively slowly, both of them knew the first time they spoke at the Sanctuary that there was a spark, a mutual attraction that defies explanation or reason. Once Stephen started at the university, he rented a small apartment in Calgary and asked Kelly to move in with him. She agreed, and took a job at a stable just outside the city. Kelly had a passion for animals as well. She grew up on a ranch in Red Deer County, and she loved horses. She was quite the rider too.

  On the night of his graduation, Stephen proposed to Kelly beside a pond in Anders Park, and she was more than happy to give her hand. Three months later they were married at the Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church in Red Deer. About a week after their honeymoon in Arizona (Kelly had always wanted to see the desert), Stephen got a call from a former schoolmate. James Jacobs--JJ in school--had moved back to his home in Pickering after graduating from U of C, and wanted to start up a business. James had a real talent for business, graduating at the top of his class, and thought of Stephen after some research showed a need for an upscale veterinary clinic. He wanted Stephen to be co-owner with him and to head up the medical staff. After talking it over, Stephen and Kelly decided it would be a great opportunity and accepted the offer. Within a month after the decision was made, they had bought a house in Pickering and had opened the clinic two months later.

  The clinic was an immediate success, and their life in Ontario flourished. Stephen became quite well-respected in the veterinary community in a very short time. He was heavily involved with the local humane societies and offered his services to them when needed. Kelly worked at the clinic as an office administrator for a while, until she got pregnant and they had Austin. She then worked from home while raising Austin, doing all the bookkeeping for the clinic, as well as for a few other businesses she had picked up as clients. Two years later, after planning to have one more child, they got the surprise of Katie and Barbara, unexpected twins. Their life in Pickering was a good one, with three happy healthy kids, two successful and fulfilling careers, and a happy home.

  On a chilly September evening, Stephen got a call from the local humane society that they had been tipped off about a household where many pets were possibly being neglected. They asked if Stephen could be on call for them in case any of the animals needed immediate attention. Stephen was more than happy to oblige, and went one step further by offering to go to the house with the investigations officer. The children were already in bed, so Stephen kissed Kelly and left to meet Lynn, the investigator, at the address he was given. Upon arriving at the house, Lynn was already waiting for Stephen and they approached the front door together. From as far away as the sidewalk, the smell of pet urine was evident. Lynn knocked on the door, but there was no response. She tried the doorknob and the door opened. Lynn stepped inside first, and the odor emanating from the house smacked them in the face. Stephen stepped in behind her and they both called out for anybody that might be home. As soon as they were in the hallway, at least six cats came running in from other rooms, all of them looking like strays with unkempt, matted hair. Stephen peered into the living room, which was virtually empty. There was an old TV stand, but there were just cables lying on it that were connected to nothing. Upon further investigation, it seemed like the house had been recently abandoned. There were open cupboards in the kitchen with things missing, no clothes in the upstairs dressers. The house was disgusting, cat feces and urine everywhere, on the floors, the walls, the furniture. There were litter boxes scattered everywhere, but they all looked like they hadn’t been cleaned in months. Lynn called in to the humane society and asked that they send some vehicles and help over to get all the animals rounded up, and Stephen continued a look around to do a count of the animals. With Lynn upstairs, Stephen walked through the kitchen and found a door that seemed to go into the basement, but it was padlocked. He went back into the kitchen, got a large kitchen knife, and used it to pry the latch off the door. It popped off without much effort and Stephen went into the basement. The basement reeked just as bad as the rest of the house, but was very dark. At the bottom of the stairs, he found a ceiling light fixture with a chain dangling from it and pulled it on. Light flooded the room, where more litter boxes were strewn about, and at first look, about four cats lay deceased on the floor, with other impossibly skinny ones walking around listlessly. Stephen was appalled that anyone could treat animals in this manner, and continued his search. There was one more room in the back of the basement, kind of a makeshift cold cellar. Stephen grasped the heavy handle and pulled the door open. Inside the small cold room were two little children, a boy and a girl, both as thin as could be and half-naked. They both had dirty, bruised skin and their ribs were far too visible through their thin flesh. They both sat together on an old twin-sized mattress in each other’s arms. The looked terrified to see Stephen, but he knelt before them and hushed them, trying to comfort them and tell them everything would be fine. As he reached out his arms, both children drew all the strength they had and instinctively fell into his embrace. Stephen was crying at this point. He reached into his pocket, and pulled out his phone. He thumbed in a 911 call, then just sat and held the children until Lynn came down and discovered them all together. Lynn burst into tears as well, and fetched some water from the kitchen for the severely dehydrated kids. After what seemed like an eternity, paramedics showed up and started to take care of the kids, getti
ng them to the hospital while Lynn and Stephen gave statements to the police.

  Stephen went home after experiencing the horrors in that house and kissed his sleeping kids on their heads, and wept into his wife’s arms. Before falling into an exhaustive sleep that night, he prayed to God, and swore to always do everything in his power to protect his children. Despite the events that would eventually unfold, he always did.

  CHAPTER 30: STEPHEN JEFFREY WINTERS

  Stephen Jeffrey Winters was born May 1, 1971, in Red Deer, Alberta. His father, George, and mother, Gerta, ran a hardware store together in Red Deer for the entire 40 years of their marriage. The store was small, but had a ferociously devoted clientele that crossed generations of families in the Michener Hill area of the city.

  As a child, Stephen spent many hours at the Red Deer Bird Sanctuary, located not far from his home. He always had an interest in animals, eventually leading to an education and career in veterinary medicine.

  Stephen worked at a vet clinic in Red Deer through his teens and after he started studying veterinary medicine at the University of Calgary, he volunteered his time at local clinics whenever possible, partly to increase his experience, but mostly because he just wanted to help the animals. It was his true passion.

  Stephen first met Kelly Ann Whitfield at the Bird Sanctuary. They were both regulars, and eventually they noticed each other and struck up a casual conversation. After a few unofficial lunch dates, Stephen asked Kelly out on a real date, dinner and all. Even though they took things relatively slowly, both of them knew the first time they spoke at the Sanctuary that there was a spark, a mutual attraction that defies explanation or reason. Once Stephen started at the university, he rented a small apartment in Calgary and asked Kelly to move in with him. She agreed, and took a job at a stable just outside the city. Kelly had a passion for animals as well. She grew up on a ranch in Red Deer County, and she loved horses. She was quite the rider too.

  On the night of his graduation, Stephen proposed to Kelly beside a pond in Anders Park, and she was more than happy to give her hand. Three months later they were married at the Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church in Red Deer. About a week after their honeymoon in Arizona (Kelly had always wanted to see the desert), Stephen got a call from a former schoolmate. James Jacobs--JJ in school--had moved back to his home in Pickering after graduating from U of C, and wanted to start up a business. James had a real talent for business, graduating at the top of his class, and thought of Stephen after some research showed a need for an upscale veterinary clinic. He wanted Stephen to be co-owner with him and to head up the medical staff. After talking it over, Stephen and Kelly decided it would be a great opportunity and accepted the offer. Within a month after the decision was made, they had bought a house in Pickering and had opened the clinic two months later.

  The clinic was an immediate success, and their life in Ontario flourished. Stephen became quite well-respected in the veterinary community in a very short time. He was heavily involved with the local humane societies and offered his services to them when needed. Kelly worked at the clinic as an office administrator for a while, until she got pregnant and they had Austin. She then worked from home while raising Austin, doing all the bookkeeping for the clinic, as well as for a few other businesses she had picked up as clients. Two years later, after planning to have one more child, they got the surprise of Katie and Barbara, unexpected twins. Their life in Pickering was a good one, with three happy healthy kids, two successful and fulfilling careers, and a happy home.

  On a chilly September evening, Stephen got a call from the local humane society that they had been tipped off about a household where many pets were possibly being neglected. They asked if Stephen could be on call for them in case any of the animals needed immediate attention. Stephen was more than happy to oblige, and went one step further by offering to go to the house with the investigations officer. The children were already in bed, so Stephen kissed Kelly and left to meet Lynn, the investigator, at the address he was given. Upon arriving at the house, Lynn was already waiting for Stephen and they approached the front door together. From as far away as the sidewalk, the smell of pet urine was evident. Lynn knocked on the door, but there was no response. She tried the doorknob and the door opened. Lynn stepped inside first, and the odor emanating from the house smacked them in the face. Stephen stepped in behind her and they both called out for anybody that might be home. As soon as they were in the hallway, at least six cats came running in from other rooms, all of them looking like strays with unkempt, matted hair. Stephen peered into the living room, which was virtually empty. There was an old TV stand, but there were just cables lying on it that were connected to nothing. Upon further investigation, it seemed like the house had been recently abandoned. There were open cupboards in the kitchen with things missing, no clothes in the upstairs dressers. The house was disgusting, cat feces and urine everywhere, on the floors, the walls, the furniture. There were litter boxes scattered everywhere, but they all looked like they hadn’t been cleaned in months. Lynn called in to the humane society and asked that they send some vehicles and help over to get all the animals rounded up, and Stephen continued a look around to do a count of the animals. With Lynn upstairs, Stephen walked through the kitchen and found a door that seemed to go into the basement, but it was padlocked. He went back into the kitchen, got a large kitchen knife, and used it to pry the latch off the door. It popped off without much effort and Stephen went into the basement. The basement reeked just as bad as the rest of the house, but was very dark. At the bottom of the stairs, he found a ceiling light fixture with a chain dangling from it and pulled it on. Light flooded the room, where more litter boxes were strewn about, and at first look, about four cats lay deceased on the floor, with other impossibly skinny ones walking around listlessly. Stephen was appalled that anyone could treat animals in this manner, and continued his search. There was one more room in the back of the basement, kind of a makeshift cold cellar. Stephen grasped the heavy handle and pulled the door open. Inside the small cold room were two little children, a boy and a girl, both as thin as could be and half-naked. They both had dirty, bruised skin and their ribs were far too visible through their thin flesh. They both sat together on an old twin-sized mattress in each other’s arms. The looked terrified to see Stephen, but he knelt before them and hushed them, trying to comfort them and tell them everything would be fine. As he reached out his arms, both children drew all the strength they had and instinctively fell into his embrace. Stephen was crying at this point. He reached into his pocket, and pulled out his phone. He thumbed in a 911 call, then just sat and held the children until Lynn came down and discovered them all together. Lynn burst into tears as well, and fetched some water from the kitchen for the severely dehydrated kids. After what seemed like an eternity, paramedics showed up and started to take care of the kids, getting them to the hospital while Lynn and Stephen gave statements to the police.

  Stephen went home after experiencing the horrors in that house and kissed his sleeping kids on their heads, and wept into his wife’s arms. Before falling into an exhaustive sleep that night, he prayed to God, and swore to always do everything in his power to protect his children. Despite the events that would eventually unfold, he always did.

  CHAPTER 31: WHERE THE HEART IS

  We reached Altona Forest in about an hour and a half. Thom assured us that his house was only about thirty minutes from our current position. We were all ragged at this point, and it showed in our pace. But at least we were alive and relatively well. During our walk through the forest at the end of this summer day, the coolness from the shade of the trees felt good and it brought back memories of home. I longed to be there with Diane and Jordan, longed to hold them. It pulled at my soul, tugging me along like a rope tied to my ribcage, slowly dragging me back. It was all that was holding me upright at this point. I thought about what I was going to do once I got home. Would we just hole up until this blew over? Would we go for help, find the military
? I didn’t know.

  We reached the other side of Altona Forest in good time, all things considered. The forest rejoined civilization on the other side of a ravine, a steep hill rolling up and onto a quiet court. Thom went up first to check the area. We all waited breathlessly at the bottom of the hill. Thom motioned back to us to come up and we all rose from the tall grass and joined him on the hilltop.