The Neighbors: Abuse Next Door

By Bryan Siegrist

John and Mary Taylor retire from the army to their hometown, purchasing a home at a bargain price. Little do they know about the goings-on at the house next door, but they are soon to find out. The five children there are wild and undisciplined with their mother only there occasionally, and her live-in boyfriend is an ex-con who takes it upon himself to severely discipline the children. The Taylors are caught up in trying to help the children, leading to deadly consequences.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jul 17, 2013
• ISBN: 9781483650470

Bryan Siegrist

A dentist by training, the author has done much technical, health-related writing. A history buff by aptitude, this is his first foray into historical fiction. He is the author of two other novels, “A Dentist’s Torture (It’s Not What You Think)” and “The Neighbors.” He is fortunate, along with his wife, Kathy, to spend winters in Arizona and summers in Colorado.

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Copyright © 2013 by Bryan Siegrist.

Library of Congress Control Number:   2013910342

ISBN:   Hardcover   978-1-4836-5046-3

   Softcover    978-1-4836-5045-6

   Ebook          978-1-4836-5047-0

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted

in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system,

without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the

product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance

to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Rev. date: 04/29/2014

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CONTENTS

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Six

Chapter Twenty-Seven

For my brother, Paul, whose writings inspired my own.

CHAPTER ONE

The moving van had arrived pretty much on time and the workers had begun unloading the furniture as Mary gave directions. John was due to arrive later in the day on the train from Kansas City.

Most of the furniture had been crated in Germany and shipped home. Mary had come home two months earlier to be with her parents and to find a home. She had scoured the town in search of a suitable home with an eye for a quick move-in. After viewing Polaroid pictures sent to him, John had given his approval. What else could he do?

It was a two story older house built in 1926 but the kitchen and bathrooms had been modernized, The owners seemed very anxious to sell, accepting Mary’s first offer which, truth be told, made her a little nervous. They had, after all, accepted an offer $500 less than the asking price. Mary had even arranged for the Realtor to show her the house again. She could always get out of the contract by not accepting the inspection. However, the house showed very well; even the plumbing had been upgraded. It was in all a clean, well cared for house. This relieved Mary and she pushed forward with the sale. The inspection reassured her as there were only a few minor things which the owners had agreed to fix.

With John’s power of attorney, the closing went off without a hitch. John and Mary were able to put fifty percent down which kept the payments below $100. After all of their traveling it would be really good to settle down in their own home. John’s military pension would easily cover the mortgage with plenty left over. It would be a great life for just the two of them, back in their hometown.

There were four bedrooms upstairs, enough for a family. Unfortunately, Mary had had four miscarriages and didn’t seem able to carry to full term. They had tried everything but nothing had worked. They had been talking lately about adopting but were a little unsure with their ages—he was 34 and she 32—whether they could handle raising a young child. Still, most days they discussed it: perhaps an older child; it didn’t have to be a baby after all. Nevertheless, Mary continued to dream of having her own baby.

Mary had the plans of the house and had layed out, using little paper resemblances of chairs, beds, and tables, where the furniture would go. She was prepared and organized, as was her nature. Little things would be placed in the study on the main floor to be dealt with later. Meanwhile she kept an eye on her watch, hoping that the movers would be done in time for her to pick John up at the train station. He was due to arrive at 6:35 pm.

She knew that he would be tired and probably hungry but she hadn’t had the chance to pick up any groceries. If he hadn’t eaten on the train, they would just have to go out to eat. If the movers were still moving things in they’d just have to leave them there for a while. She looked forward to being with him again; she really missed him.

It was not the first time they had been separated. They were married in their junior year. After college (including a stint in ROTC) John had joined the army in April, 1945, just as the wars in Europe and the Pacific were winding down. Fearing the worst, they had been very happy when the Japanese surrendered in August, glad that the atomic bombs had brought them to their knees. John was sent to Japan as part of the occupation force but was able to send for Mary after a year and a half. They stayed on for another year there together when John got orders for Germany. He was transferred to Baumholder, the back water of West Germany. As a first lieutenant in the Quartermaster Corp he was able to send for Mary within six months’ time where they lived together on the economy in a small one bedroom apartment in town. The weather was atrocious with many rainy, dreary days, which gave way to snowy, dreary days in the winter. The joke was that summer came and went on August 15th. Still, they were happy there and made a number of lifelong friends with many parties and get-togethers at the officers’ club.

Then came the invasion of North Korea into the south in 1950 and John found himself preparing to go there. They would again be apart as Mary went home to stay with her parents in Hutchinson.

It was a tough time for John in Korea gathering all the necessary supplies for the war there. The Ordinance Corp was also greatly challenged (and John thought totally unprepared) as initially tanks were being used as artillery, parking the tanks on hills at angles and firing the tank shells like howitzers. The demand for tank shells was high. Fortunately, Japan was a close point for the supplies and ordinance to come through. He was thankful that his duties didn’t include the gruesome graves registration, identifying the soldiers’ bodies or parts of bodies. It was not the best of times.

With the end of the war after the election of Eisenhower, John was sent to Fort Lee, Virginia, where he became part of the cadre for the Quartermaster school there, training the troops for supporting and supplying the army. Once again, happily, Mary joined him there. The weather was hot and muggy during the summer but they very much enjoyed the beautiful fall foliage. They settled in for five years with John eventually attaining the rank of Major.

Then orders came directing John to Aschaffenburg, Germany. He traveled by ship to West Germany again, habitually seasick, sending for Mary three months later where they lived on base in the married housing quarters. This was 1957.

Unfortunately, John was injured there which cut short his military career. While in a warehouse, a pallet shifted and a five gallon can of paint fell fifteen feet hitting John on his left shoulder, shattering it. The injury ultimately led to only a 50% movement in his left shoulder and arm, causing a career ending discharge from the army with a disability pension. Despite John’s strenuous objection, his commanding officer recommended John for a Purple Heart citation, citing the fall of the paint can being due to the vibration of nearby artillery practice firing. It was approved and John was awarded the medal in a