A friend of ours manages property - maintains the property, collects rent etc. The owner of the property went to Mexico and apparently has died. Her son, a divorced school teacher, an early retiree, preceeded her move to Mexico by about three years. He and the mother were both living in an American enclave in Mexico.

While there and before bringing his mother to live in Mexico, he married an American woman also living in the enclave. A couple of years ago, he called the property managers to tell them that his mother, the owner, had died.

The mystery starts when the property manager tells us that no one has asked about the property in the last few years, the taxes haven't been paid and they haven't heard anything from the mother or son in the last three years. The managers originally became involved when they agreed to take over managing the house of the Mother shortly after the son quit working as a teacher and decided to go to Mexico to live. The mother was in her late eighties and not able to care for the property. A couple of years later, the son arranged for the mother to come to Mexico to live with him and he started renting out the house.

In that period of time, between his going to Mexico, and bringing his mother to Mexico, the son was remarried in Mexico to another American living in the enclave. The new wife didn't want to pay the property managers and just stopped sending the money. The manager believes that the new wife resented paying the management fee. The husband never told them not to continue maintaining the house.

After some time, the then existing renters left the house and it became empty. After the son called the manager to tell them that the mother(owner) had died, the property managers fixed up the house, making repairs and got it ready to be rented again. It is now rented bringing in a good rent. They are putting the money into an account. The taxes hadn't been paid for the last three years and they are now going to pay the taxes out of the bank account as well as other repairs that are needed.

In the past few months, the property manager has tried to get in touch with the son. When they call to Mexico, to where he is supposed to live, they get a gruff male voice who doesn't or apparently doesn't understand English and cuts them off. When they write letters to him, they get no answer. No one has enquired about the house or the income from the house.

The managers are curious about what is going on but are afraid that becoming too inquisitive, might bring the wrong people into it and somehow spoil things for the son. They knew and liked the son and the mother. They dislike the new wife but know almost nothing about her. Thus the mystery.

Here is a quick recap.

A man in his late 40s quits his job and moves to Mexico and later marries a woman he meets in the American enclave there. His mother, in her eighties lives in the US. He was taking care of her. She owns a house. He hires someone to take care of the house and then brings his mother to Mexico, where she dies. He or no one else seems to have any interest in the house (now rented and worth about $200,000) and normal attempt to contact him is blocked.

Does this sort of a mystery intrigue you? I will let you know if we hear more about it.