Our belongings were set about the condo's rooms awaiting our final placement where they should remain. Once Fran and Frank left us alone a hug from Mary and we began our unpacking.
It was almost seven in the evening before we had much of what was necessary to daily living set in its place. A short supper in our kitchenette and then a time to sit and watch the last flickers of sunlight dip below the western horizon.
Sidney Allen was our next door neighbor a older man living alone he was quite the funny and nice guy. He seeing us sitting and watching the sundown our hands folded together in love.
Sid could chat a sixty miles per hour as he told of who all lived there around us. He was like Santa Clause knowing who was naughty or nice. We were surrounded mostly by happy friendly sorts but there were a couple of people he warned me would or could be trouble. Yet he said that those who were often a pain seemed to move on once they'd made Frank or Fran feel some discomfort too many.
Mary was told of a group of ladies getting together twice a week for stitchery stuff and knitting which I considered as aggressive knot making.
I found out about the garden railroad which as it happened Sid was the president of the group. It was then I mentioned my wonderment why Frank was so put out with me not choosing one paticular kind or breed of animal I might prefer to work around.
Sid's face changed from a bright happy smiles to a frown as he reminded me that doing some chores here was an agreed part of living within the Sunrise Retirement Condo residents. He, was not even interested in any one type either but being willing and wanting to show his gratitude for being accepted he decided to work with the hogs.
Mary then exclaimed, "Hogs!"
Sid smiled again, he said they don't smell too pretty but feeding them or spraying down the pens is easy work. He reminded me that working around the horse and ponies or even the mules and donkeys made one have hands on work of maintaining their coats and skin. cleaning of those types of animals was heavy work too. Then too was learning to harness, saddle, or drive one of the haywagons, carriages, or last but not the least a horse drawn manure spreader, that of such was not fun!
We were about to break up when from one condo across the lawn came sounds of a heated arguement. Frank and Misses Sarah Wilkonsen were having words about from what echoed over to us as she was to report in the morning to barn seven.
Now I had a head full of figures but it was my Mary who remembered that Fran told us never to go into barn seven. Sid too agreed that he too had been warned that barn seven was off limits and a place to stay away from!
Sid mentioned that those who did trespass there were quickly the same day expelled from the condo community. He'd known only one within the past year to be so tossed out and was a good friend of yet another man his age and living there alone.
Then Sid plopped back down as if thinking about something which bothered him well. I gave Mary a look like to leave us alone for a time as I'd ask of what Sid seemed to worry about.
My good wife went inside as I sat across from Sid. Asking probing questions I listened as Sid began to weave a story of several people who came and then left suddenly.
Sid had worthwhile questions wondering about how Frank and Fran could maintain such a perfect looking neatly kept farm. As for farms he'd known and I too they are almost never this well organized.
Then too were the many animals as most farms tended to specialize in one breed or type. It was then he stopped and looked around before confessing his worries about a couple he knew.
He told me of a young couple who came to the retirement farm. They had won the Illinois state lottery and were worth millions. As he told it the couple looked for a place to live where privacy was to the utmost . The two of them were very nice but Sid noticed Frank being very arguemenative about them most of the time.
The couple remained there at the condos for about five months when one morning the movers came and they up and were gone. Sid being a nosiey little Scotlander went over and watched as the furniture and every item personal or otherwise was loaded into the moving truck. Now that was what seemed to him as prim and proper but when the clothing was packed it was stuffed into bags marked garbage and twist tied shut.
The movers told of the furniture being sent to a place which sells used such since the couple had moved to a new residence at Key West in Florida.
"So what, they were rich and rich people do silly things!" I remember remarking.
Sid shook his head, "No" he said, "No, I talked with them and he like you would not choose one or another type of animal breed to work around. It was Frank and his continued aggravated attitude which made them move."
I think back to Sid and our talk there as he was quite nervous about Frank and getting him upset. He went on to tell his story about the couple as if something happened to them rather than just moving away.
Now I never really thought that we had signed into a nest of terror when Mary and I came to Sunrise Retirement Farm. Yet talking with sid and his one very strange reason for thinking as he did was when one day Fran asked him to walk out to the roadside mailbox with some letters.
As it happened the Mailman had come already and gone leaving the mail. Sid put in the letters going out for pickup the next day and raised the red flag as a reminder. He then walked the long driveway back up to the main house. It was on this walk he noticed the green ink print of the Illinois state lottery sticking out of the bundle. He pulled it out and saw the name, "Mr. James A. Tuin" and putting it up to the light could read through the envelope at the yearly payout amount of more than a cool million bucks.
Now I quickly mentioned that maybe the couple's mail had not caught up to them due to their sudden move to Florida.
Sid shook his head as he told of a man from the Lottery coming to the farm asking questions a month later as if the check was forged and cashed locally. It was at that time when Frank purchased four new airconditioned John Deer tractors for the farm.
Again I said it was just a coincidental happening.
Sid again shook his head telling of the man coming back and having a heated discussion with Frank and then Fran. He was walked out to barn seven and since Sid was watching the man never came out again.
"You think they killed him?" I know I asked.
"Nope! He just never came out and Frank drove the man's car away and came back late in a rental car. Odd then too was Misses Wilkonsen who reported to the barn seven one morning and she too never came out! Her belonging were sent away as people were told she had passed away. I thought it possible but when her furniture was being sent away I got to look at the men's clipboard seeing it was sold to the same furniture resale place as was Mr. Tuin's. I saw her social security checks still come for the next few months but she was said to be already dead! So I wonder about barn seven and just what Frank and Fran are up to, so be careful!" told sid his story.
I went to bed that night thinking of how we had come up here to get back to basic living without worries of crime and drugs. Now the thoughts of sid were placed in my mind and we or at least I, needed to be more than friendly to Frank.