1 00:00:07,240 --> 00:00:12,360 Speaker 1: January the seventh, twenty ten, where outside the house of 2 00:00:12,480 --> 00:00:16,599 Speaker 1: John and Anne Bender, a young American couple who've built 3 00:00:16,640 --> 00:00:20,479 Speaker 1: an extravagant home and wildlife refuge in the middle of 4 00:00:20,560 --> 00:00:25,479 Speaker 1: the Costa Rican rainforest. John made a multi million dollar 5 00:00:25,600 --> 00:00:35,000 Speaker 1: fortune on Wall Street. Anne is his bright and glamorous wife. 6 00:00:35,600 --> 00:00:40,880 Speaker 1: It's now one in the morning. The emergency call came 7 00:00:40,920 --> 00:00:41,440 Speaker 1: in an. 8 00:00:41,320 --> 00:00:44,560 Speaker 2: Hour ago, just as. 9 00:00:45,159 --> 00:00:52,920 Speaker 1: A shooting and a casualty. That's the voice of Carlos Morra. 10 00:00:53,560 --> 00:00:55,840 Speaker 1: He was the ambulance driver who was on the scene 11 00:00:55,880 --> 00:01:00,560 Speaker 1: that night. I've tracked him down ell micro Well. He's 12 00:01:00,600 --> 00:01:04,440 Speaker 1: attended hundreds of violent incidents over the years, but this 13 00:01:04,480 --> 00:01:09,440 Speaker 1: one stands out. He's never experienced anything like it before 14 00:01:09,600 --> 00:01:13,480 Speaker 1: or since. And he's not alone. All the people I've 15 00:01:13,480 --> 00:01:18,000 Speaker 1: found while reporting on this story remember it in vivid detail. 16 00:01:19,680 --> 00:01:23,600 Speaker 1: I'm Becky Milligan eyebroke Stories for the BBC for almost 17 00:01:23,720 --> 00:01:27,640 Speaker 1: thirty years, and I've reported on some pretty strange events, 18 00:01:28,440 --> 00:01:33,440 Speaker 1: but this one is the strangest of all. So back 19 00:01:33,480 --> 00:01:38,880 Speaker 1: to that night. Carlos enters the Bender's house and he 20 00:01:38,920 --> 00:01:43,480 Speaker 1: gets in the elevator and just like everything else in 21 00:01:43,520 --> 00:01:48,320 Speaker 1: this house, this is no ordinary elevator. It's a round, 22 00:01:48,600 --> 00:01:53,400 Speaker 1: open platform that rises up through the building. Carlos grips 23 00:01:53,440 --> 00:01:59,040 Speaker 1: onto the handrail. He sees each floor as it passes. 24 00:02:01,400 --> 00:02:07,160 Speaker 1: The house is incredible, he says. He's never seen a 25 00:02:07,200 --> 00:02:13,959 Speaker 1: place like it. It's like an enormous spaceship. Inside, it's 26 00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:18,840 Speaker 1: all stainless steel and shiny black floors, reflective like pools 27 00:02:18,880 --> 00:02:23,200 Speaker 1: of water. There's a lot of money here. Who could 28 00:02:23,240 --> 00:02:26,639 Speaker 1: own such a house? He asks himself. Plas Quiety is 29 00:02:27,120 --> 00:02:34,639 Speaker 1: a drug trafficker, like I say, Carlos is anxious. Guards 30 00:02:34,639 --> 00:02:39,799 Speaker 1: and security are everywhere, armed with heavy caliber weapons. They're 31 00:02:39,800 --> 00:02:43,960 Speaker 1: speaking to each other in hushed voices. He's been told 32 00:02:44,160 --> 00:02:47,079 Speaker 1: he has to go up to the fourth floor, the 33 00:02:47,120 --> 00:02:53,800 Speaker 1: master bedroom. He passes the first floor, the second floor, 34 00:02:54,080 --> 00:03:07,040 Speaker 1: a vast kitchen, the third floor, the fourth floor, the bedroom, 35 00:03:07,120 --> 00:03:11,160 Speaker 1: and on the bed a body curled up as if asleep. 36 00:03:13,200 --> 00:03:16,960 Speaker 1: But as Carlos gets closer, he takes in the horror 37 00:03:17,000 --> 00:03:20,280 Speaker 1: of it all. The gunshot wound at the back of 38 00:03:20,320 --> 00:03:24,680 Speaker 1: the head, the victim's left arm dangling off the bed, 39 00:03:25,400 --> 00:03:28,760 Speaker 1: blood dripping from it, forming a pool on the highly 40 00:03:28,800 --> 00:03:33,120 Speaker 1: polished marble floor, and near it on the floor, the 41 00:03:33,240 --> 00:03:40,560 Speaker 1: gun a semi automatic. At first, the police will assume 42 00:03:40,920 --> 00:03:46,920 Speaker 1: this is a suicide, but not for long. And here's why. 43 00:03:48,520 --> 00:03:52,360 Speaker 1: The gun seems to have dropped from the victim's left hand, 44 00:03:53,360 --> 00:03:57,000 Speaker 1: yet the entry wound is on the right side of 45 00:03:57,040 --> 00:04:04,600 Speaker 1: the head. Not only that the bullet was fired from 46 00:04:04,640 --> 00:04:17,280 Speaker 1: behind from exactly right. Media and iHeart podcasts produced by 47 00:04:17,360 --> 00:04:43,000 Speaker 1: Blanchard House. This is Helen Heaven. I'm Becky Milligan. Chapter one, 48 00:04:44,040 --> 00:04:53,479 Speaker 1: The House of Secrets. Our story begins and ends with 49 00:04:53,560 --> 00:04:56,880 Speaker 1: a house built and owned by Anne and John Bender. 50 00:04:57,720 --> 00:05:03,040 Speaker 1: This place is their dream home. When they first move here, 51 00:05:03,200 --> 00:05:06,760 Speaker 1: they're both in their thirties. He's made his millions and 52 00:05:06,800 --> 00:05:09,159 Speaker 1: now he wants to put them to good use, to 53 00:05:09,320 --> 00:05:14,040 Speaker 1: enjoy them by creating a wildlife sanctuary. So our couple 54 00:05:14,120 --> 00:05:19,320 Speaker 1: are young, and they're in love, completely in love, devoted. 55 00:05:20,000 --> 00:05:23,440 Speaker 1: It seems they live only for each other and all 56 00:05:23,440 --> 00:05:27,880 Speaker 1: the beloved animals they've rescued. John also has his rare orchids, 57 00:05:28,320 --> 00:05:33,200 Speaker 1: and Anne has her collection of Tiffany lamps, hundreds of them. 58 00:05:33,440 --> 00:05:37,039 Speaker 1: So Anne and John have everything they need right here 59 00:05:37,680 --> 00:05:40,719 Speaker 1: in their house in the middle of the jungle, a 60 00:05:40,839 --> 00:05:45,880 Speaker 1: house unlike any other, and which will in time be 61 00:05:45,960 --> 00:05:52,040 Speaker 1: the scene of a terrible tragedy and a mystery. So 62 00:05:52,320 --> 00:05:56,240 Speaker 1: I land in Costa Rica to investigate this story, and 63 00:05:56,279 --> 00:06:00,000 Speaker 1: by coincidence, my eighteen year old daughter is already here, 64 00:06:00,320 --> 00:06:04,240 Speaker 1: working on a conservation project elsewhere in the country. She's 65 00:06:04,279 --> 00:06:07,760 Speaker 1: been messaging me, telling me all about protecting turtle eggs 66 00:06:07,760 --> 00:06:12,080 Speaker 1: on pristine beeches, relaxing in camp as monkeys play in 67 00:06:12,120 --> 00:06:15,240 Speaker 1: the trees, and about how she showers in the open 68 00:06:15,279 --> 00:06:20,480 Speaker 1: air as hummingbirds hover close by paradise. But as I 69 00:06:20,600 --> 00:06:24,039 Speaker 1: arrive in the country and discover more about this story, 70 00:06:24,480 --> 00:06:27,839 Speaker 1: about the dark side of life in Costa Rica, the 71 00:06:27,920 --> 00:06:31,200 Speaker 1: more I start to worry about my daughter and worry 72 00:06:31,200 --> 00:06:35,680 Speaker 1: about myself, turning into some sort of Internet meme, a hysterical, 73 00:06:35,800 --> 00:06:40,760 Speaker 1: over protective mother convinced her daughter is about to die. 74 00:06:41,080 --> 00:06:44,200 Speaker 1: Not only that I'm not coping too well with the 75 00:06:44,200 --> 00:06:47,200 Speaker 1: climate either. Gosh, it's quite diring, isn't in this he 76 00:06:47,400 --> 00:06:53,320 Speaker 1: doo woo. Scotland in autumn is more my thing, and 77 00:06:53,360 --> 00:06:56,960 Speaker 1: that's a lot cooler than it is here. My producer, 78 00:06:57,040 --> 00:06:59,960 Speaker 1: Poppy and I have driven four hours from the capital 79 00:07:00,120 --> 00:07:04,320 Speaker 1: or San Jose, a hair raising drive around hairpin Bends 80 00:07:04,360 --> 00:07:07,960 Speaker 1: with sheer drops on either side. But we're now deep 81 00:07:07,960 --> 00:07:13,560 Speaker 1: in the rainforest searching for John and Anne Bender's house. First, 82 00:07:13,760 --> 00:07:17,680 Speaker 1: through a slight clearing, we come upon the deer Monte Waterfall, 83 00:07:18,280 --> 00:07:23,760 Speaker 1: which gives this valley its name. Oh wow, that's it, 84 00:07:24,880 --> 00:07:32,840 Speaker 1: My goodnes. It's so high up. Water tumbles from a 85 00:07:32,920 --> 00:07:36,680 Speaker 1: high ridge down the cliff face and is swallowed up 86 00:07:36,720 --> 00:07:41,400 Speaker 1: by the forest below. Blue, green and yellow birds flutter 87 00:07:41,440 --> 00:07:46,120 Speaker 1: above our heads, and the noise is intense and strange 88 00:07:46,280 --> 00:07:52,960 Speaker 1: roars echo in the distance like dinosaurs. Sounds enchanting, But 89 00:07:53,080 --> 00:07:57,480 Speaker 1: the truth is we're already on edge. We've been spooked 90 00:07:57,520 --> 00:08:00,160 Speaker 1: by a phone call we made just before we set. 91 00:08:01,760 --> 00:08:04,360 Speaker 3: It's like warm in the daytime, kind of cool at night, 92 00:08:04,560 --> 00:08:07,880 Speaker 3: crystal clear spring water blowing out of the mountains. Fruits 93 00:08:07,920 --> 00:08:12,040 Speaker 3: and vegetables grow real easily, nice vegetables, tomatoes, bananas. We 94 00:08:12,120 --> 00:08:13,240 Speaker 3: never thought we were coming back. 95 00:08:13,920 --> 00:08:16,680 Speaker 1: That's John Colvic, who knows the area and used to 96 00:08:16,720 --> 00:08:20,080 Speaker 1: be the Bender's neighbor. And John had a warning. 97 00:08:20,840 --> 00:08:24,480 Speaker 3: There was my wife and I and that was about it. 98 00:08:25,040 --> 00:08:27,080 Speaker 3: So you're alone on this giant farm in the deep 99 00:08:27,160 --> 00:08:31,960 Speaker 3: jungle most of the time. It's a strange thing. Sounds morbid. 100 00:08:32,000 --> 00:08:35,920 Speaker 3: But a lot of people die off there, and a 101 00:08:36,000 --> 00:08:40,160 Speaker 3: lot of people go kind of crazy. They lose it. 102 00:08:40,160 --> 00:08:44,080 Speaker 3: They actually lose it struggling with anything in the jungle, 103 00:08:44,120 --> 00:08:46,000 Speaker 3: You're gonna face your inner demons. 104 00:08:46,679 --> 00:08:49,160 Speaker 1: John's words really unsettle us. 105 00:08:49,520 --> 00:08:53,360 Speaker 3: There's folklore about the Diamonte waterfall. I'd be damned if 106 00:08:53,360 --> 00:08:54,920 Speaker 3: all the people that move in and out of there 107 00:08:54,960 --> 00:08:58,280 Speaker 3: don't go bad shit. You know, the hippies has some 108 00:08:58,520 --> 00:09:01,680 Speaker 3: very the vortex of energy that spins off the waterfall. 109 00:09:01,720 --> 00:09:03,840 Speaker 3: The Indians say it's a curse because they will run 110 00:09:03,840 --> 00:09:06,960 Speaker 3: off their land any way you cut it. The families 111 00:09:07,120 --> 00:09:11,280 Speaker 3: go nuts, they fall apart, people die. I don't know 112 00:09:11,320 --> 00:09:14,520 Speaker 3: anyone who's lived facing that waterfall that just set up 113 00:09:14,520 --> 00:09:17,440 Speaker 3: shop and enjoyed this majestic view and just soaked it 114 00:09:17,480 --> 00:09:22,839 Speaker 3: in long term, I really don't. Sometimes I think it's 115 00:09:22,840 --> 00:09:25,319 Speaker 3: from isolation. You have cabin fever. 116 00:09:25,400 --> 00:09:28,240 Speaker 4: They go DUTs. You could have cabin fever. My wife 117 00:09:28,320 --> 00:09:29,880 Speaker 4: asked me, She says, are you ever going to put 118 00:09:29,880 --> 00:09:32,920 Speaker 4: clothes on again? I would go three or four days 119 00:09:32,920 --> 00:09:35,400 Speaker 4: in my rubber boots. You know, I didn't see anyone. 120 00:09:36,200 --> 00:09:39,840 Speaker 1: It sounds like an exaggeration that people go mad and 121 00:09:39,880 --> 00:09:43,800 Speaker 1: lose it. But by the end of our story you 122 00:09:43,840 --> 00:09:45,679 Speaker 1: won't think so shit. 123 00:09:45,760 --> 00:09:47,960 Speaker 3: At that place is the darkest jungle you've ever seen 124 00:09:48,000 --> 00:09:55,679 Speaker 3: in your life. You have no clue. 125 00:09:57,000 --> 00:10:00,240 Speaker 1: We leave the waterfall behind and walk even deeper into 126 00:10:00,240 --> 00:10:03,400 Speaker 1: the jungle in search of John and Anne Bender's house, 127 00:10:03,920 --> 00:10:08,200 Speaker 1: which they called Bora Cayenne. Okay, I'm seeing some barbed 128 00:10:08,240 --> 00:10:11,200 Speaker 1: wire fence. I think we're getting close. That even looks 129 00:10:11,240 --> 00:10:12,000 Speaker 1: like cut loaf. 130 00:10:13,040 --> 00:10:13,520 Speaker 5: It does. 131 00:10:14,480 --> 00:10:17,440 Speaker 1: Right up the slope there we see the slopes of 132 00:10:17,480 --> 00:10:21,760 Speaker 1: the gardens first, and then through the trees and foliage. 133 00:10:22,280 --> 00:10:30,240 Speaker 1: Oh my god, that's really it. It's just enormous. It's like 134 00:10:30,240 --> 00:10:32,440 Speaker 1: a spaceship's landed on the top of a hill in 135 00:10:32,480 --> 00:10:35,480 Speaker 1: the middle of the jungle in Costa Rica. It's like 136 00:10:35,679 --> 00:10:41,080 Speaker 1: four stories with this dome at the top. It's constructed 137 00:10:41,120 --> 00:10:46,480 Speaker 1: from huge concrete slabs and columns and fifty thousand square 138 00:10:46,520 --> 00:10:50,400 Speaker 1: feet around the same size as a soccer pitch, and 139 00:10:50,480 --> 00:10:54,840 Speaker 1: it's round. Imagine that on a jungle hilltop, rising way 140 00:10:54,840 --> 00:10:57,400 Speaker 1: above the tops of the trees, and you get an 141 00:10:57,400 --> 00:10:59,880 Speaker 1: idea of what it looks like and how out of 142 00:11:00,080 --> 00:11:04,160 Speaker 1: place it is. The views are incredible. In the evening 143 00:11:04,240 --> 00:11:06,720 Speaker 1: John and Ann would sit and look out across the jungle, 144 00:11:06,960 --> 00:11:12,319 Speaker 1: enjoying the glorious sunsets, enjoying each other's company. In the daytime, 145 00:11:12,640 --> 00:11:15,600 Speaker 1: they'd zoom around on their five thousand acres of land 146 00:11:15,640 --> 00:11:19,720 Speaker 1: on a quad bike, busying themselves with their wildlife refuge, 147 00:11:20,000 --> 00:11:24,240 Speaker 1: caring for all the animals. They'd saved a great black hawk, 148 00:11:24,760 --> 00:11:27,599 Speaker 1: a jaguar arundi, which is a wild cat on the 149 00:11:27,679 --> 00:11:31,240 Speaker 1: verge of extinction, and Anne also had her dog, a 150 00:11:31,320 --> 00:11:36,040 Speaker 1: German shepherd called Millie. It really is an astonishing place, 151 00:11:37,040 --> 00:11:41,600 Speaker 1: but being here now there's a sinister edge to it all. 152 00:11:42,360 --> 00:11:46,360 Speaker 1: I can see why they loved it. It's completely isolated. 153 00:11:48,559 --> 00:11:51,680 Speaker 1: But their gates here a couple of guards, and there's 154 00:11:51,960 --> 00:11:55,360 Speaker 1: no entry. There's just no way we can get in. 155 00:11:55,400 --> 00:11:57,800 Speaker 1: And even at the top I can see a guard 156 00:11:59,559 --> 00:12:06,400 Speaker 1: sort of the perimeter. I think he is coming. In fact, 157 00:12:06,440 --> 00:12:09,480 Speaker 1: he was filming us. They're getting a bit tense all regards. 158 00:12:09,440 --> 00:12:10,319 Speaker 5: Oh goodnight. 159 00:12:10,920 --> 00:12:13,880 Speaker 1: We'd ask permission to go inside weeks before and hadn't 160 00:12:13,880 --> 00:12:20,600 Speaker 1: received a response. But just as we're leaving, a man 161 00:12:20,640 --> 00:12:21,800 Speaker 1: turns up in fatigues. 162 00:12:22,960 --> 00:12:26,439 Speaker 2: They Orlando, Are you Orlando? 163 00:12:26,920 --> 00:12:29,520 Speaker 6: Were making a documentary about Anne and John. 164 00:12:29,559 --> 00:12:32,800 Speaker 1: But it's not possible to go inside, isn't He puts 165 00:12:32,800 --> 00:12:35,960 Speaker 1: his hand up and shakes his head. 166 00:12:36,320 --> 00:12:38,839 Speaker 2: Have a good days there we go. 167 00:12:41,240 --> 00:12:44,520 Speaker 1: The house is up for sale, empty and there's a 168 00:12:44,520 --> 00:12:48,480 Speaker 1: sadness about it, almost like the structure holds memories of 169 00:12:48,520 --> 00:12:49,480 Speaker 1: what took place here. 170 00:12:51,080 --> 00:12:54,640 Speaker 7: I mean numbers of bald and Bury lordes. 171 00:12:55,320 --> 00:12:58,480 Speaker 1: Twenty years ago, as Voldo Rochas had been preparing to 172 00:12:58,520 --> 00:13:01,720 Speaker 1: meet his new boss. He knew nothing about him apart 173 00:13:01,720 --> 00:13:04,679 Speaker 1: from his name, John Bender and that he brought up 174 00:13:04,720 --> 00:13:08,080 Speaker 1: some land in dear Monte Valley. He ended up working 175 00:13:08,120 --> 00:13:13,600 Speaker 1: for the Benders for ten years. Pertzal Persillon as Welda, 176 00:13:13,600 --> 00:13:16,680 Speaker 1: was grateful for the job and grateful too to his 177 00:13:16,800 --> 00:13:21,960 Speaker 1: former boss, also an American, Jimmy. Jim had sold his 178 00:13:21,960 --> 00:13:25,040 Speaker 1: farm to the new arrivals, John and Anne, but made 179 00:13:25,040 --> 00:13:28,480 Speaker 1: sure his young maintenance man wouldn't lose his well paid job, 180 00:13:28,880 --> 00:13:33,040 Speaker 1: which were pretty hard to come by in Paris a Okado. 181 00:13:33,600 --> 00:13:36,360 Speaker 2: I understand there was a close in the contract where Jim, 182 00:13:36,640 --> 00:13:40,240 Speaker 2: the previous owner, specified that I had to continue working 183 00:13:40,280 --> 00:13:44,199 Speaker 2: on the property when this cell was made. Why I 184 00:13:44,320 --> 00:13:47,360 Speaker 2: stayed to take care of the property until John Bender arrived. 185 00:13:47,720 --> 00:13:50,079 Speaker 1: Back then, everyone in town was gossiping about the new 186 00:13:50,080 --> 00:13:53,680 Speaker 1: gringos moving to the valley. Gringos is what Costa Ricans 187 00:13:53,720 --> 00:13:59,199 Speaker 1: call Americans. Most foreigners are gringos. The locals are called ticos. 188 00:13:59,760 --> 00:14:03,120 Speaker 1: What was clear was that they were rich gringos. Nobody 189 00:14:03,240 --> 00:14:06,400 Speaker 1: knew how rich, But then nobody really knew who this 190 00:14:06,520 --> 00:14:10,200 Speaker 1: couple were at all, least of all as Faldo. He 191 00:14:10,320 --> 00:14:13,320 Speaker 1: remembers the day they arrived very clearly because he was 192 00:14:13,360 --> 00:14:17,320 Speaker 1: a bit nervous and wasn't sure what to expect. Before 193 00:14:17,320 --> 00:14:19,720 Speaker 1: the house was built, the new couple was staying at 194 00:14:19,720 --> 00:14:20,560 Speaker 1: a place in town. 195 00:14:22,480 --> 00:14:26,960 Speaker 2: John I remember being surprised when they show up in 196 00:14:27,000 --> 00:14:30,440 Speaker 2: the little car. They were mostly reserved people, especially young. 197 00:14:30,880 --> 00:14:33,960 Speaker 2: He didn't like to interact much with daughters. He would 198 00:14:34,000 --> 00:14:37,280 Speaker 2: prefer the mountains, and he said something like, I hate 199 00:14:37,280 --> 00:14:41,440 Speaker 2: this property. I've been deceived. He never realized that the 200 00:14:41,520 --> 00:14:43,960 Speaker 2: house was so close to the center of town until 201 00:14:43,960 --> 00:14:48,160 Speaker 2: they arrived. We didn't realize how young they were. We 202 00:14:48,200 --> 00:14:51,400 Speaker 2: expected to see an older couple. He was a big man. 203 00:14:51,720 --> 00:14:54,320 Speaker 2: She was thin and pretty. 204 00:14:55,560 --> 00:14:59,000 Speaker 1: Benita that was the word everyone used to describe an 205 00:14:59,400 --> 00:15:02,800 Speaker 1: and six foot five was built like an American footballer, 206 00:15:03,320 --> 00:15:05,000 Speaker 1: a guy who clearly worked. 207 00:15:04,720 --> 00:15:12,040 Speaker 8: Out, hugely muscular, gorgeous blue eyes, dark hair. 208 00:15:13,640 --> 00:15:16,480 Speaker 1: Carol Vaughan, an ex pattern author who moved to the 209 00:15:16,520 --> 00:15:20,160 Speaker 1: town a few years later, was taken by how glamorous 210 00:15:20,200 --> 00:15:21,560 Speaker 1: the couple were. 211 00:15:21,600 --> 00:15:31,120 Speaker 8: Just handsome, movie story handsome. She was petite, delicate, moved 212 00:15:31,160 --> 00:15:34,120 Speaker 8: like a ballerina. She reminded me a lot of Audrey Hepburn. 213 00:15:35,920 --> 00:15:39,800 Speaker 1: Despite his physique, John was a gentle soul. He was 214 00:15:39,880 --> 00:15:44,520 Speaker 1: kind to all animals, even the tiniest insect. Back home 215 00:15:44,560 --> 00:15:47,560 Speaker 1: in the US, he'd taken in dozens of stray cats, 216 00:15:48,200 --> 00:15:52,720 Speaker 1: and he was incredibly smart, good with numbers, and meanwhile, 217 00:15:52,840 --> 00:15:56,200 Speaker 1: had been the most popular kid at school. No doubt 218 00:15:56,240 --> 00:15:59,480 Speaker 1: they were a striking couple. There's a photo of them 219 00:15:59,560 --> 00:16:03,560 Speaker 1: taken their new property. John is standing behind Anne in 220 00:16:03,600 --> 00:16:06,720 Speaker 1: shorts and a T shirt, one arm wrapped around her chest, 221 00:16:06,800 --> 00:16:10,600 Speaker 1: the other around her waist in a protective way. He 222 00:16:10,760 --> 00:16:14,920 Speaker 1: towers above her, and Anne, in jeans, is holding onto 223 00:16:14,920 --> 00:16:19,000 Speaker 1: his arms and leaning back slightly against him. Their dream 224 00:16:19,120 --> 00:16:23,119 Speaker 1: is taking shape around them. They look happy and relaxed, 225 00:16:23,960 --> 00:16:27,760 Speaker 1: the perfect couple. It's hard to look at that photo now, 226 00:16:28,640 --> 00:16:46,440 Speaker 1: knowing everything that would happen. John and Anne arrived in 227 00:16:46,480 --> 00:16:50,880 Speaker 1: Costa Rica with a reported six hundred million dollars, an 228 00:16:50,960 --> 00:16:55,080 Speaker 1: eye watering fortune which would in time be bitterly fought over, 229 00:16:55,920 --> 00:16:59,520 Speaker 1: but that comes later in our story. All anyone knew 230 00:16:59,600 --> 00:17:02,960 Speaker 1: at this time was that they wanted land and they 231 00:17:03,040 --> 00:17:07,000 Speaker 1: had the money to pay for it, author Carol Vaughan. 232 00:17:07,560 --> 00:17:10,760 Speaker 8: And when the word got out, people were desperate to 233 00:17:10,880 --> 00:17:13,919 Speaker 8: make a killing off Americans because it happens a lot, 234 00:17:14,160 --> 00:17:19,400 Speaker 8: and their venders found their mailbox just stuffed with people's deeds, 235 00:17:19,680 --> 00:17:21,960 Speaker 8: saying here it is, Bamy. 236 00:17:22,680 --> 00:17:25,840 Speaker 1: Is that right? They were so desperate they just wanted 237 00:17:25,880 --> 00:17:26,280 Speaker 1: the money. 238 00:17:26,320 --> 00:17:29,800 Speaker 8: They wanted the money, yep. And they didn't want to 239 00:17:29,840 --> 00:17:31,840 Speaker 8: be the only one in the neighborhood who didn't make 240 00:17:31,880 --> 00:17:36,000 Speaker 8: a fortune off the gringoes. I mean, if Raoul is 241 00:17:36,040 --> 00:17:38,439 Speaker 8: making one hundred thousand dollars, I should make one hundred 242 00:17:38,440 --> 00:17:40,679 Speaker 8: thousand dollars. I haven't got a deed here, Bamy. 243 00:17:42,000 --> 00:17:46,160 Speaker 1: In total, the Benders bought up five thousand acres from 244 00:17:46,320 --> 00:17:50,680 Speaker 1: expats like gym locals and small farmers, some of whom 245 00:17:50,680 --> 00:17:54,359 Speaker 1: had grown coffee on their land for generations. It was 246 00:17:54,400 --> 00:17:57,200 Speaker 1: in a perfect position from the top of their hill. 247 00:17:57,400 --> 00:18:01,280 Speaker 1: They had great views of the jungle, dear Monte waterfall, 248 00:18:01,640 --> 00:18:05,600 Speaker 1: and the sea beyond, a romantic setting to watch the 249 00:18:05,600 --> 00:18:10,320 Speaker 1: famous Costa Rican sunsets turn the sky to a burning red, 250 00:18:10,600 --> 00:18:14,200 Speaker 1: orange and yellow. This was where they would build their 251 00:18:14,400 --> 00:18:18,959 Speaker 1: enormous house, which they would christen Bora Cayenne. You're probably 252 00:18:18,960 --> 00:18:23,439 Speaker 1: wondering what that means. We wondered too. Apparently it's the 253 00:18:23,520 --> 00:18:28,840 Speaker 1: name of a local plant. Construction work began. John Bender 254 00:18:28,960 --> 00:18:31,840 Speaker 1: had a vision for his new property to create a 255 00:18:31,920 --> 00:18:36,919 Speaker 1: new way of living, unconstrained by normal rules. Building a 256 00:18:36,960 --> 00:18:40,080 Speaker 1: house on this scale in the middle of the jungle, well, 257 00:18:40,240 --> 00:18:44,560 Speaker 1: it was a huge undertaking and massively ambitious. But then 258 00:18:44,960 --> 00:18:56,760 Speaker 1: John was like that, Hi, hello, I thank you so much. 259 00:18:57,560 --> 00:19:01,240 Speaker 1: I met John's parents in Phoenix, Arizona. We'd already talk 260 00:19:01,359 --> 00:19:03,760 Speaker 1: quite a bit online before I met them in person. 261 00:19:03,960 --> 00:19:07,040 Speaker 1: You know what's amazing is seeing you on zoom and 262 00:19:07,160 --> 00:19:12,560 Speaker 1: now being here. John's mum is a teacher. John's dad 263 00:19:12,640 --> 00:19:16,440 Speaker 1: is an eminent law professor and worked in the Clinton administration. 264 00:19:17,520 --> 00:19:21,120 Speaker 1: This was the first time they'd invited journalists to their 265 00:19:21,200 --> 00:19:24,960 Speaker 1: home to talk about their son. Their love for John 266 00:19:25,119 --> 00:19:28,159 Speaker 1: is playing to see they hold hands under the table 267 00:19:28,200 --> 00:19:31,600 Speaker 1: as they talk about him, but they couldn't really relate 268 00:19:31,640 --> 00:19:35,480 Speaker 1: to John's life making millions on Wall Street. Money isn't 269 00:19:35,520 --> 00:19:39,000 Speaker 1: important to them, and they worried about the path he'd chosen. 270 00:19:39,960 --> 00:19:43,359 Speaker 1: So when John decided to set up the wildlife sanctuary, 271 00:19:43,840 --> 00:19:46,320 Speaker 1: I get the feeling they were relieved he was leaving 272 00:19:46,359 --> 00:19:48,280 Speaker 1: the world of high finance behind. 273 00:19:49,280 --> 00:19:49,440 Speaker 3: Though. 274 00:19:49,480 --> 00:19:51,920 Speaker 1: When John told his dad about the plans for their 275 00:19:52,080 --> 00:19:55,480 Speaker 1: enormous house, Paul was pretty surprised. 276 00:19:56,240 --> 00:19:58,600 Speaker 5: Well, he was going to build this high tech fime 277 00:19:59,359 --> 00:20:02,600 Speaker 5: in the middle of the jungle, basically, and it seemed 278 00:20:02,600 --> 00:20:05,159 Speaker 5: to me impossible to do that. And the way he 279 00:20:05,200 --> 00:20:09,040 Speaker 5: did it was to decide where he wanted to put 280 00:20:09,080 --> 00:20:11,800 Speaker 5: it and then have the people come there and builders. 281 00:20:11,800 --> 00:20:14,040 Speaker 5: So he had like an army of people building this 282 00:20:14,160 --> 00:20:18,360 Speaker 5: thing and what you've seen what turned out. It has 283 00:20:18,400 --> 00:20:20,679 Speaker 5: nothing to do with the jungle, but it was. It 284 00:20:20,760 --> 00:20:24,720 Speaker 5: was exactly what they wanted. I have a lot of 285 00:20:24,760 --> 00:20:26,280 Speaker 5: pictures that we took down there. 286 00:20:27,640 --> 00:20:30,959 Speaker 1: Paul fired up his computer and scrolled through, showing us 287 00:20:31,000 --> 00:20:34,320 Speaker 1: photos of the house being built. In the photos, the 288 00:20:34,400 --> 00:20:37,240 Speaker 1: structure was up, but not much else. It was an 289 00:20:37,280 --> 00:20:38,639 Speaker 1: empty concrete shell. 290 00:20:40,160 --> 00:20:42,399 Speaker 7: That's the house gosh. 291 00:20:43,040 --> 00:20:46,960 Speaker 1: Is that sounds of construction. Oh, my goodness. Paul showed 292 00:20:47,040 --> 00:20:49,680 Speaker 1: us more photos when the new floors have been put 293 00:20:49,720 --> 00:20:52,679 Speaker 1: in that granite is it is like almost like a mirror, 294 00:20:52,800 --> 00:20:53,240 Speaker 1: isn't it. 295 00:20:53,960 --> 00:20:54,879 Speaker 5: She really liked that. 296 00:20:55,640 --> 00:20:58,480 Speaker 1: It's obvious that Margie and Paul are so proud of 297 00:20:58,520 --> 00:21:01,840 Speaker 1: what John achieved. He had a dream and he made 298 00:21:01,840 --> 00:21:02,280 Speaker 1: it real. 299 00:21:02,680 --> 00:21:05,960 Speaker 9: I don't think John ever thought there were limitations to things. 300 00:21:06,040 --> 00:21:08,280 Speaker 9: If he wanted it to be round, it could be round. 301 00:21:08,640 --> 00:21:10,720 Speaker 5: What they really wanted to do was what they did 302 00:21:11,280 --> 00:21:14,159 Speaker 5: was find the place that was away from most of 303 00:21:14,160 --> 00:21:16,360 Speaker 5: the world, in a beautiful place which had a lot 304 00:21:16,400 --> 00:21:20,160 Speaker 5: of animals and a lot of greenery that they really 305 00:21:20,160 --> 00:21:23,080 Speaker 5: wanted to be away from from the world. 306 00:21:22,880 --> 00:21:26,439 Speaker 1: The house took a total of four years to build. 307 00:21:26,880 --> 00:21:29,520 Speaker 1: The vendors moved in before it was finished as well, 308 00:21:29,600 --> 00:21:32,159 Speaker 1: though the head staffer stayed at the couple's house in 309 00:21:32,280 --> 00:21:35,600 Speaker 1: town and watched the Jungle Retreat take shape. 310 00:21:35,960 --> 00:21:40,240 Speaker 2: No hated we were there from the beginning. It was 311 00:21:40,280 --> 00:21:43,520 Speaker 2: a huge building site. We could see the workers on 312 00:21:43,520 --> 00:21:46,880 Speaker 2: the street, like one hundred and fifty workers spread all 313 00:21:46,920 --> 00:21:51,280 Speaker 2: over it. We saw the house going up little by little. 314 00:21:52,080 --> 00:21:54,480 Speaker 1: One of his jobs was to clean the house, and 315 00:21:54,560 --> 00:21:57,720 Speaker 1: so he can tell us precisely what it was like inside. 316 00:21:58,880 --> 00:21:59,960 Speaker 1: Quite a piece of fact. 317 00:22:00,119 --> 00:22:02,679 Speaker 2: I mean, the fourth floor was all the bedroom, with 318 00:22:02,800 --> 00:22:06,600 Speaker 2: the bed in the middle and some rustic furniture made 319 00:22:06,640 --> 00:22:10,720 Speaker 2: to order. He didn't like anything lavish. 320 00:22:10,920 --> 00:22:13,760 Speaker 1: The third floor was empty. John had planned to put 321 00:22:13,760 --> 00:22:16,680 Speaker 1: in a greenhouse for his orchids, but never got round 322 00:22:16,720 --> 00:22:17,760 Speaker 1: to it. 323 00:22:18,040 --> 00:22:22,040 Speaker 2: On the second floor was the kitchen, which was enormous. 324 00:22:22,680 --> 00:22:25,640 Speaker 2: Four kitchens could fit inside it. 325 00:22:25,640 --> 00:22:28,119 Speaker 1: It was like no other house in the whole valley, 326 00:22:28,520 --> 00:22:32,200 Speaker 1: standing on top of the hill, a four story round home. 327 00:22:32,840 --> 00:22:35,359 Speaker 1: It came with huge pools of water, road gutters to 328 00:22:35,359 --> 00:22:38,600 Speaker 1: prevent flooding. And there was one feature in particular that 329 00:22:38,720 --> 00:22:42,679 Speaker 1: said this couple had serious money, because when John and 330 00:22:42,680 --> 00:22:46,040 Speaker 1: Ann came here, they didn't make that four hour car journey. 331 00:22:48,400 --> 00:22:51,480 Speaker 1: They would fly in and out, landing on a helipad 332 00:22:51,520 --> 00:22:56,200 Speaker 1: below the main entrance. Locals came to call the house 333 00:22:56,600 --> 00:22:59,120 Speaker 1: the dome because of the shape of the roof, which 334 00:22:59,160 --> 00:23:00,960 Speaker 1: could be seen from miles around. 335 00:23:01,400 --> 00:23:03,680 Speaker 8: And you could not make this shit up. 336 00:23:03,880 --> 00:23:07,160 Speaker 1: There's one other detail about the house which people never 337 00:23:07,240 --> 00:23:11,920 Speaker 1: fail to mention, including expat Carol Vaughan. The house has 338 00:23:11,960 --> 00:23:16,360 Speaker 1: no walls. Yes, the house has no walls. 339 00:23:16,640 --> 00:23:19,040 Speaker 8: There's screens that are pulled down from the ceiling at 340 00:23:19,119 --> 00:23:22,000 Speaker 8: night that keep bugs and animals at but during the 341 00:23:22,080 --> 00:23:26,440 Speaker 8: day it was wide open. Designed by John with Anne's 342 00:23:26,600 --> 00:23:29,400 Speaker 8: decorating touch, the house is magnificent. 343 00:23:29,800 --> 00:23:32,040 Speaker 5: It was open on all sides and you felt that 344 00:23:32,560 --> 00:23:36,600 Speaker 5: you were really in the jungle. The bathrooms had walls. 345 00:23:36,600 --> 00:23:40,000 Speaker 5: I think there was a concession that he made to 346 00:23:42,040 --> 00:23:44,919 Speaker 5: the inside was just open space. What are you going 347 00:23:45,000 --> 00:23:47,080 Speaker 5: to do with all this space? I never got the 348 00:23:47,119 --> 00:23:49,399 Speaker 5: answer to that. I don't think ever did anything with 349 00:23:49,520 --> 00:23:50,199 Speaker 5: all that space. 350 00:23:51,040 --> 00:23:53,760 Speaker 1: Some describe it as looking like an anniversary clock, a 351 00:23:53,800 --> 00:23:57,199 Speaker 1: shopping mall, or a car park. Not very flattering. But 352 00:23:57,240 --> 00:23:59,000 Speaker 1: whether you like the design or not, it was an 353 00:23:59,080 --> 00:24:02,679 Speaker 1: amazing fear. Hundreds of people were employed to build it 354 00:24:02,800 --> 00:24:07,080 Speaker 1: and paid well, and it changed as Fada's hometown for good. 355 00:24:07,080 --> 00:24:10,040 Speaker 2: Practical as we say, John came to put the town 356 00:24:10,080 --> 00:24:13,840 Speaker 2: on them up. This was an abandoned place in two thousand. 357 00:24:13,920 --> 00:24:17,920 Speaker 2: There was not even electricity. When John arrived. He brought 358 00:24:17,960 --> 00:24:21,920 Speaker 2: life to the place. He brought jobs, and foreigners became 359 00:24:22,080 --> 00:24:25,680 Speaker 2: interested in buying land, so the economy began to move. 360 00:24:25,720 --> 00:24:29,639 Speaker 2: After being practically abandoned like many other places here in 361 00:24:29,720 --> 00:24:30,439 Speaker 2: Costa Rica. 362 00:24:31,040 --> 00:24:33,879 Speaker 1: When the house was complete, John and Anne threw a 363 00:24:33,920 --> 00:24:37,840 Speaker 1: party for all the workers and their families, but as 364 00:24:37,920 --> 00:24:42,280 Speaker 1: Valdo says, it was the only party the Benders ever had. 365 00:24:43,200 --> 00:24:46,520 Speaker 1: The house would never see so much life and light again, 366 00:24:47,040 --> 00:24:50,760 Speaker 1: as John and Anne retreated from the world and their 367 00:24:50,840 --> 00:25:08,760 Speaker 1: lives became shrouded in darkness. The house wasn't just a 368 00:25:08,920 --> 00:25:12,359 Speaker 1: sanctuary for John and Anne, but for animals too. 369 00:25:12,520 --> 00:25:16,800 Speaker 7: Of course, the commissai we had two large parods, and 370 00:25:16,840 --> 00:25:20,720 Speaker 7: a parrot with a broken wing, some monkeys this love, 371 00:25:20,800 --> 00:25:22,960 Speaker 7: of course, and a baby. 372 00:25:23,920 --> 00:25:27,080 Speaker 1: A black creature from the weasel family, which John loved 373 00:25:27,119 --> 00:25:31,560 Speaker 1: and called Leo. He lived alongside two injured Persian cats 374 00:25:31,600 --> 00:25:35,400 Speaker 1: which John had adopted. There was the duck, and the falcons, 375 00:25:35,440 --> 00:25:39,120 Speaker 1: and the snakes. That's only the beginning. And Anne had 376 00:25:39,160 --> 00:25:40,200 Speaker 1: Peter the sloth. 377 00:25:41,520 --> 00:25:46,600 Speaker 5: Oh yeah, but it slept all the time, so three 378 00:25:46,680 --> 00:25:47,520 Speaker 5: toad slows. 379 00:25:48,920 --> 00:25:52,199 Speaker 9: The name has come from this proclivity to sleep all 380 00:25:52,280 --> 00:25:52,640 Speaker 9: the time. 381 00:25:53,440 --> 00:25:56,240 Speaker 1: And and John loved all animals ever since they were children. 382 00:25:56,720 --> 00:25:59,280 Speaker 1: As adults, they both said they got on better with 383 00:25:59,359 --> 00:26:00,880 Speaker 1: animals than with people. 384 00:26:01,240 --> 00:26:04,480 Speaker 5: John also had a good feeling about animals, just the 385 00:26:04,560 --> 00:26:07,680 Speaker 5: magician of animals. So we always had a lot of animals, 386 00:26:07,760 --> 00:26:09,680 Speaker 5: and I think both kids really enjoyed them. 387 00:26:10,320 --> 00:26:13,439 Speaker 1: It was a menagerie. One reason for the absence of 388 00:26:13,480 --> 00:26:16,000 Speaker 1: wolves was to be at one with the jungle. The 389 00:26:16,080 --> 00:26:19,760 Speaker 1: animals could come and go as they pleased. Sometimes when 390 00:26:19,800 --> 00:26:22,960 Speaker 1: Anne and John had a bath, parrots would perch beside 391 00:26:23,000 --> 00:26:27,359 Speaker 1: them and keep them company. They wanted to turn back 392 00:26:27,400 --> 00:26:31,159 Speaker 1: the clock, restoring the land to its wild state before 393 00:26:31,200 --> 00:26:31,960 Speaker 1: it was farmed. 394 00:26:32,680 --> 00:26:35,320 Speaker 9: He was feeding, and he was bringing back the food 395 00:26:35,359 --> 00:26:37,480 Speaker 9: that the land had had when it was natural and 396 00:26:37,520 --> 00:26:39,960 Speaker 9: grew its own weeds if you want to call them that, 397 00:26:40,119 --> 00:26:42,600 Speaker 9: and other things. He was trying to get that back 398 00:26:42,680 --> 00:26:43,480 Speaker 9: into the soil. 399 00:26:44,000 --> 00:26:48,359 Speaker 2: Is that And then after three or four years we 400 00:26:48,480 --> 00:26:50,560 Speaker 2: did start to see more animals around. 401 00:26:51,280 --> 00:26:53,800 Speaker 1: As the years went by, John and Anne would become 402 00:26:53,920 --> 00:26:58,280 Speaker 1: increasingly isolated, hold up alone in their house with no walls. 403 00:26:58,920 --> 00:27:02,040 Speaker 1: They had few visitors, but early on, before their home 404 00:27:02,160 --> 00:27:06,600 Speaker 1: was completed, they made an exception for Zach Schweger and 405 00:27:06,680 --> 00:27:09,600 Speaker 1: his dad Jack, who John had invited to come and 406 00:27:09,600 --> 00:27:12,560 Speaker 1: see the house. Jack and John were friends. 407 00:27:12,960 --> 00:27:15,000 Speaker 10: He said, Hey, you know you should come down sometime, 408 00:27:15,280 --> 00:27:17,280 Speaker 10: so when my son graduated in high school and he 409 00:27:17,359 --> 00:27:21,920 Speaker 10: wanted to take a farther suntrip that sounded like a 410 00:27:21,960 --> 00:27:23,520 Speaker 10: little bit of an adventure. I said, hey, you want 411 00:27:23,560 --> 00:27:28,840 Speaker 10: to go to Costa Rica to John and Am Bender's compound. 412 00:27:29,600 --> 00:27:31,720 Speaker 1: Zach Schweger was just nineteen. 413 00:27:31,560 --> 00:27:33,280 Speaker 6: My first time kind of like out of the country, 414 00:27:33,600 --> 00:27:35,160 Speaker 6: people speaking different languages. 415 00:27:35,560 --> 00:27:37,400 Speaker 1: They were picked up by a land. 416 00:27:37,160 --> 00:27:41,879 Speaker 6: Cruiser and we're driving for what I remember was hours. 417 00:27:42,760 --> 00:27:45,800 Speaker 6: It's hard to describe this part of what it was 418 00:27:45,880 --> 00:27:48,640 Speaker 6: like to get there because it was like truly out 419 00:27:48,680 --> 00:27:53,680 Speaker 6: of a video game or a movie. You can't really 420 00:27:53,720 --> 00:27:56,359 Speaker 6: see much because like you pull in, it's a dirt road, 421 00:27:56,359 --> 00:27:58,440 Speaker 6: but it kind of leads up and up and up 422 00:27:59,000 --> 00:27:59,680 Speaker 6: the roads. 423 00:28:00,119 --> 00:28:01,400 Speaker 10: You could lose a jeep in the. 424 00:28:01,320 --> 00:28:06,639 Speaker 6: Pottles, and then everything around you is rainforest, just like large, thick, 425 00:28:07,119 --> 00:28:08,040 Speaker 6: lush trees. 426 00:28:09,560 --> 00:28:11,840 Speaker 11: I had no idea like this is what it was like. 427 00:28:12,000 --> 00:28:15,679 Speaker 6: I had like my dad had undersold this by a 428 00:28:15,760 --> 00:28:20,959 Speaker 6: million percent, like we were we were in a movie set. 429 00:28:21,680 --> 00:28:24,919 Speaker 1: Then he met their host, who'd taken up the traditional 430 00:28:24,960 --> 00:28:26,360 Speaker 1: way to cut through the jungle. 431 00:28:26,680 --> 00:28:29,520 Speaker 6: It's just like this big brute of a guy kind 432 00:28:29,520 --> 00:28:32,679 Speaker 6: of like had a good, good healthy beard and a 433 00:28:32,720 --> 00:28:35,600 Speaker 6: machete on his waist straight off. 434 00:28:35,640 --> 00:28:38,040 Speaker 1: He loved John, who took them on a tour of 435 00:28:38,040 --> 00:28:38,720 Speaker 1: his property. 436 00:28:39,040 --> 00:28:41,520 Speaker 6: He almost had like a skip but a stomp to 437 00:28:41,560 --> 00:28:43,280 Speaker 6: his step, you know what I mean, Like he walks 438 00:28:43,440 --> 00:28:45,160 Speaker 6: like that jungle very confidently. 439 00:28:46,640 --> 00:28:49,080 Speaker 10: He was proud of what he was doing. He loved 440 00:28:49,080 --> 00:28:51,800 Speaker 10: the rainforest, you know, so I think a good deal 441 00:28:51,800 --> 00:28:55,600 Speaker 10: of self satisfaction meant that he was protecting this land. 442 00:28:55,920 --> 00:28:58,360 Speaker 1: And Johnann seemed uniquely matched. 443 00:28:58,640 --> 00:29:00,640 Speaker 6: A couple that doesn't need to ask twice for things, 444 00:29:00,840 --> 00:29:02,920 Speaker 6: a couple like where John sits down like. 445 00:29:02,880 --> 00:29:04,600 Speaker 11: She knows he's thirsty type of. 446 00:29:04,560 --> 00:29:07,720 Speaker 6: Thing, but like she willingly wants to make sure Jonathan 447 00:29:07,840 --> 00:29:08,920 Speaker 6: is not a thirsty person. 448 00:29:09,360 --> 00:29:11,640 Speaker 11: There was a lot of just like warmth and care 449 00:29:12,000 --> 00:29:14,920 Speaker 11: that came from from hand. So we're special. And I'm like, man, 450 00:29:14,960 --> 00:29:16,600 Speaker 11: this person is just such a sweetheart. 451 00:29:16,920 --> 00:29:18,560 Speaker 10: He and Ann were very much in love as far 452 00:29:18,560 --> 00:29:19,360 Speaker 10: as I could tell. 453 00:29:20,040 --> 00:29:24,240 Speaker 1: Zach remembers the trip vividly, and one conversation in particular 454 00:29:24,560 --> 00:29:26,800 Speaker 1: illustrated John's fierce intellect. 455 00:29:27,440 --> 00:29:32,200 Speaker 6: One evening, it's just three dudes kind of like hanging out, 456 00:29:32,480 --> 00:29:36,440 Speaker 6: shooting and shit, and and this is maybe like where 457 00:29:36,440 --> 00:29:38,920 Speaker 6: I felt a little out of my ole event. 458 00:29:39,040 --> 00:29:42,960 Speaker 11: But Jonathan super intelligent and my father super intelligent. 459 00:29:43,120 --> 00:29:45,880 Speaker 1: And then John turned to Zach and said. 460 00:29:45,880 --> 00:29:48,840 Speaker 6: I don't need to ask like such a random question, 461 00:29:48,880 --> 00:29:51,080 Speaker 6: but are you familiar with quantum superposition? 462 00:29:51,560 --> 00:29:53,600 Speaker 1: Yes, quantum superposition. 463 00:29:54,240 --> 00:29:59,600 Speaker 6: So John like took my dad deeply through your quantum superposition. 464 00:29:59,640 --> 00:30:04,280 Speaker 6: Basically this idea that based on you know, waveforms, that 465 00:30:04,360 --> 00:30:08,800 Speaker 6: electrons can exist in two places at once. He was 466 00:30:08,840 --> 00:30:11,800 Speaker 6: walking through several experiments like one where like electrons were 467 00:30:11,800 --> 00:30:15,040 Speaker 6: shot at like a gold leaf. But that like kind 468 00:30:15,040 --> 00:30:17,520 Speaker 6: of changed my life in the sense that I was 469 00:30:17,560 --> 00:30:21,440 Speaker 6: opened up to this whole world of like reality or 470 00:30:21,480 --> 00:30:24,000 Speaker 6: not reality, and like Jonathan had kind of brought me 471 00:30:24,080 --> 00:30:27,040 Speaker 6: into this place of where for the first time, like 472 00:30:27,040 --> 00:30:30,680 Speaker 6: I questioned, like what's real and what's not real, and 473 00:30:30,720 --> 00:30:31,720 Speaker 6: nobody had ever done that. 474 00:30:33,120 --> 00:30:35,640 Speaker 1: For Zach, still in his teens, who'd never been to 475 00:30:35,680 --> 00:30:39,440 Speaker 1: a foreign country, meeting John on his jungle reserve made 476 00:30:39,480 --> 00:30:41,080 Speaker 1: a lifelong impression on him. 477 00:30:41,640 --> 00:30:45,600 Speaker 6: It was like this very weird time where everything was perfect, 478 00:30:45,720 --> 00:30:48,920 Speaker 6: Like the wind was perfect, the temperature was perfect, like 479 00:30:49,040 --> 00:30:51,320 Speaker 6: the seats weren't uncomfortable, the beer. 480 00:30:51,160 --> 00:30:54,080 Speaker 11: Was still cold, and the sky was just. 481 00:30:53,920 --> 00:30:58,560 Speaker 6: This like perfect orange, and you know, everything was super green. 482 00:30:59,120 --> 00:31:03,520 Speaker 6: John was like some on center stage without detracting from 483 00:31:03,560 --> 00:31:06,240 Speaker 6: like this protection. It was like just one of those 484 00:31:06,280 --> 00:31:10,760 Speaker 6: moments where like the second that it was happening, you're like, please, God, 485 00:31:10,920 --> 00:31:13,400 Speaker 6: like do not let this end, Like, don't whatever you do, 486 00:31:13,640 --> 00:31:15,960 Speaker 6: just like, do not have this moment stop. 487 00:31:19,560 --> 00:31:23,600 Speaker 1: But everything would change and the vendors would find themselves 488 00:31:23,680 --> 00:31:28,560 Speaker 1: becoming further and further divorced from reality. Even then, the 489 00:31:28,640 --> 00:31:32,120 Speaker 1: signs were there. This might have been a piece of paradise. 490 00:31:32,640 --> 00:31:37,280 Speaker 1: But in this paradise, Zach noticed one thing that seemed strange, 491 00:31:37,920 --> 00:31:41,600 Speaker 1: a puncture on the otherwise perfect scene. 492 00:31:41,640 --> 00:31:44,000 Speaker 6: And all of a sudden, there's guys with guns, and 493 00:31:44,600 --> 00:31:46,880 Speaker 6: definitely something my father never said to me. It's like 494 00:31:47,000 --> 00:31:49,400 Speaker 6: there's going to be men with guns, like and lots 495 00:31:49,400 --> 00:31:52,280 Speaker 6: of men with guns. They weren't friendly, they didn't say hi, 496 00:31:52,440 --> 00:31:55,120 Speaker 6: they weren't like hey, like I know, I'm a random 497 00:31:55,200 --> 00:31:57,400 Speaker 6: dude with a gun that doesn't speak the same language 498 00:31:57,440 --> 00:32:00,920 Speaker 6: as you. Don't be frightened, just kind of they were 499 00:32:01,000 --> 00:32:01,400 Speaker 6: kind of there. 500 00:32:01,800 --> 00:32:04,440 Speaker 10: Those guys were for assault rifles, you know at the gate, 501 00:32:04,600 --> 00:32:07,160 Speaker 10: and like you would imagine if it was a drug cartail. Right, 502 00:32:07,480 --> 00:32:09,280 Speaker 10: the armed people he had working for them would do 503 00:32:09,320 --> 00:32:11,920 Speaker 10: these patrols, you know, like round the clock and stuff. 504 00:32:12,640 --> 00:32:13,760 Speaker 1: Why did they have guns. 505 00:32:14,280 --> 00:32:16,680 Speaker 6: Yeah, that was my very first question, and it was 506 00:32:16,760 --> 00:32:19,400 Speaker 6: quickly answered with we're concerned about poachers. 507 00:32:20,080 --> 00:32:23,680 Speaker 1: Poaching might explain all those guns up to a point. 508 00:32:24,640 --> 00:32:27,240 Speaker 1: Remember John Corvick from earlier who used to live in 509 00:32:27,280 --> 00:32:29,880 Speaker 1: the valley. He told us about the poachers and their 510 00:32:29,920 --> 00:32:32,800 Speaker 1: dogs who would come at night and cause havoc. 511 00:32:33,320 --> 00:32:35,680 Speaker 3: Oh, there's poachers everywhere. I used to hunt the poachers. 512 00:32:35,720 --> 00:32:38,440 Speaker 3: There's poachers or sons of bitches. You can never find them, 513 00:32:38,440 --> 00:32:39,960 Speaker 3: but you'll find their dogs. And I used to go 514 00:32:40,000 --> 00:32:42,480 Speaker 3: out with my bulldogs. At first we try. 515 00:32:42,320 --> 00:32:43,160 Speaker 4: To find them. 516 00:32:43,440 --> 00:32:45,560 Speaker 3: The poachers would drive me nut. My dogs would start 517 00:32:45,560 --> 00:32:47,960 Speaker 3: for barking. I could hear them barking up in the hills. 518 00:32:48,360 --> 00:32:51,480 Speaker 1: If this was just about poaching, John and Ann went 519 00:32:51,520 --> 00:32:55,000 Speaker 1: to extreme lengths. They put up a barbed wire perimeter 520 00:32:55,120 --> 00:32:59,400 Speaker 1: fence around their property and had guards wearing fatigues patrolling. 521 00:32:59,440 --> 00:33:05,160 Speaker 1: Twenty signs reading keep out private property were erected everywhere. 522 00:33:06,000 --> 00:33:09,200 Speaker 1: To the people in the valley, Costa Rican's expats he 523 00:33:09,520 --> 00:33:12,160 Speaker 1: is in search of a piece of Heaven. The message 524 00:33:12,200 --> 00:33:16,680 Speaker 1: was clear, and the couple were rarely seen. Occasionally people 525 00:33:16,680 --> 00:33:19,840 Speaker 1: would look up and see their helicopter leaving and returning 526 00:33:19,840 --> 00:33:25,000 Speaker 1: to the hilltop reserve. So rumors and conspiracies germinated and 527 00:33:25,040 --> 00:33:30,160 Speaker 1: began to grow, carried swiftly along the grapevine, whispers about 528 00:33:30,200 --> 00:33:34,320 Speaker 1: those wealthy Americans who flew in by helicopter and brought 529 00:33:34,400 --> 00:33:37,840 Speaker 1: up all the land, And were all those guards really 530 00:33:37,880 --> 00:33:42,680 Speaker 1: there to scare off poachers? Jesse, their neighbor, asked all those. 531 00:33:42,520 --> 00:33:46,520 Speaker 2: Questions, we don't know, and we can imagine, but we 532 00:33:46,520 --> 00:33:46,880 Speaker 2: don't know. 533 00:33:47,360 --> 00:33:48,440 Speaker 1: What do you imagine? 534 00:33:49,760 --> 00:33:53,400 Speaker 5: Well, I personally thought he was probably somebody very big 535 00:33:53,480 --> 00:33:57,520 Speaker 5: in the drugs personally, and obviously they were doing something secret. 536 00:34:00,080 --> 00:34:03,719 Speaker 1: I own was the perfect place to live in splendid isolation, 537 00:34:05,280 --> 00:34:07,880 Speaker 1: and that, in the end was at the root of 538 00:34:07,960 --> 00:34:13,080 Speaker 1: everything that was to follow. And Jesse is right. The 539 00:34:13,160 --> 00:34:17,839 Speaker 1: house with no walls was full of secrets. Where did 540 00:34:17,880 --> 00:34:22,279 Speaker 1: they get their fortune? Why were they so help bent 541 00:34:22,440 --> 00:34:28,520 Speaker 1: on protecting their privacy? Why all those guns? And why 542 00:34:28,600 --> 00:34:41,360 Speaker 1: would one of them end up dead? You've been listening 543 00:34:41,440 --> 00:34:45,520 Speaker 1: to Helen Heaven from Exactly Right Media and iHeart Podcasts 544 00:34:45,760 --> 00:34:50,279 Speaker 1: produced by Blanchard House, hosted, written and produced by me 545 00:34:50,440 --> 00:34:54,480 Speaker 1: Becky Milligan. The producer and co writer is Poppy Damon. 546 00:34:55,280 --> 00:34:59,880 Speaker 1: Music is by Daniel Lloyd Evans, Louis Nangmanell, and Toby Matthamon. 547 00:35:00,680 --> 00:35:03,279 Speaker 1: The sound recordist and head of sound and Music is 548 00:35:03,360 --> 00:35:07,600 Speaker 1: Daniel Lloyd Evans. The lead sound designer is Vulcan Kiseltook. 549 00:35:08,520 --> 00:35:12,880 Speaker 1: The artwork is by Vanessa Lilac for Exactly Right Media. 550 00:35:13,040 --> 00:35:18,400 Speaker 1: The executive producers are Karen Kilgarreth, Georgia Hardstark and Danielle Kramer, 551 00:35:18,719 --> 00:35:24,520 Speaker 1: with consulting producer Lilly Ladderwig and associate producer Jay Elias. 552 00:35:25,239 --> 00:35:29,640 Speaker 1: The creative director of Blanchard House is Rosy Pye. The 553 00:35:29,680 --> 00:35:33,400 Speaker 1: executive producer and head of Content at Blanchard House is 554 00:35:33,480 --> 00:35:38,480 Speaker 1: Lawrence Griselle. Listen to Helen Heaven on the iHeartRadio app, 555 00:35:38,640 --> 00:35:41,719 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.