Reader\'s Digest AU NZ 03.2020

MichaelLangford,as“kindofa Boo

Radleycharacter.”[Amysteriousre-

clusefromHarperLee’snovelToKill

a Mockingbird.]

Derekthoughtthecasewassolved.

Butdetectivessaidtheyhadalready

spokentoMichael.Hedeniedknow-

inganythingabouttheletters.With-

outhardevidence,therewasn’tmuch

thedepartmentcoulddo.Frustrated,

the Broaddusesbegantheirownin-

vestigation.They

set up webcams

andemployedpri-

vateinvestigators,

includingtwofor-

merFBIagents.

One of the

agents, Robert

Lenehan, rec-

ognised several

old-fashionedticsinthelettersthat

pointedtoanolderwriter.Envelopes

wereaddressedto“M/MBraddus”,

andthesentenceshaddoublespaces

betweenthem.Thelettershada cer-

tainliterarypanache,whichsuggested

a “voraciousreader”,anda surprising

lackofprofanitygiventhelevelofan-

ger,whichLenehanthoughtmeanta

“lessmacho”writer.Hedidn’tthink

theWatcherwaslikelytoactonthe

threats,butthelettershadenough

typostoimplyacertainerraticism.

Lenehanrecommendedlookinginto

formerhousekeepersortheirde-

scendants.

The Broadduses’ housepaint-

er noticed that the couple behind

thattheWatchermightbesomeone
upsetoverlosingoutonthehouse.
ButtheWoodsessaidoneinterest-
edbuyerhadbackedoutaftera bad
medicaldiagnosis,while another
hadfounda differenthome.Andrea
Woodsthoughtit wasmorelikely
someoneintheneighbourhood.
Thelettersdidindicateproximity.
TheyhadbeenprocessedinKearny,
theUSPostalService’s distribution
centre innorth-
ern New Jersey.
Thefirstwaspost-
marked June 4,
beforethesalewas
public– theWood-
seshadnevereven
putupafor-sale
sign.
Afewdaysafter
thefirstletter,MariaandDerekwent
toa neighbourhoodbarbecue.They
hadn’ttoldanyoneabouttheWatch-
er,asthepolicehadinstructed,and
foundthemselvesscanningtheparty
forclueswhilekeepingtabsontheir
kids,whoranguilelesslythrough
acrowdthatmadeupmuchofthe
suspectpool.“Wekeptscreamingat
themtostayclose,”Mariasaid.“Peo-
plemusthavethoughtwewerecrazy.”
JohnSchmidt,wholivedtwodoors
down,toldDerekabouttheLangfords,
whohadlivedinthehousesincethe
1960s.PeggyLangfordwasinher90s,
andseveralofheradultchildrenlived
withher.Thefamilywasabitodd,
Schmidtsaid,describing one son,

THEWATCHER

LEFTNO

DIGITAL TRAIL,

NO FINGERPRINTS,

NO REAL CLUES

96 March 2020

READER’S DIGEST