Buying a new home is always a joy for the family, as long as no one is trying to prevent you from moving in. Derek and Maria Broaddas, along with their children, were unable to stay in their new home due to strange letters, the mystery of which has not yet been solved.
This was a dream home in New Jersey. 657 Boulevard, six bedroom, great neighborhood, $1.3 million. But Derek and Maria worked hard to buy it in 2014. It was their prize for all the effort they put in, for every cent the couple saved.
It remains to make a small repair - and you can move in! Derek did the renovation. When he had finished, out of curiosity, he looked into the mailbox to pull out numerous promotional leaflets and a white envelope addressed to "New Owner". Why didn't Derek throw it away? Why didn't you take it for regular advertising? Something stopped him.
"How did you get here?" - not very friendly
"Did 657 Boulevard call you?" - but this is already alarming, like the rest of the letter
“The house at 657 Boulevard has been in my family for many decades, and now that it is 110 years old, I have to look after it and wait for its second return. My grandfather looked after the house in the 1920s, my father in the 1960s. My time has come. Do you know the history of this house? Do you know what hides within its walls? Why are you here? We will find out.”
Whoever it was was actually watching the house: he mentioned both Broaddas' car and the builders in the letter. He did not like that the new tenants wanted to remodel the house. “Tsk tsk…bad move. You don't want to upset 657 Boulevard." But what worried Derek even more was that the Watcher knew the couple's three children by name and asked if Maria was expecting a fourth. This, in his opinion, would be nice.
“Who am I? Hundreds of cars pass by the house every day. Maybe I'm in one of them. Check all the windows from which you can see the house at 657 Boulevard. Maybe I'm in one of them. Welcome friends. Let the party begin!”
And the caption: The Watcher.
Let the paranoia begin
It's hard to imagine what Derek experienced at that moment. He called the police, but the guardians of the law seemed to be as shocked as he was. Then Derek decided to write to the previous owners of the house - the Woods. Moreover, the Observer mentioned them in the letter, thanking them for "fresh blood".
The Woods answered the next day. The letter said that for all 23 years that they lived there, no letters came to them. Except for a few notes they received a few days before the Broaddas bought the house. But they thought it was a prank and just threw them away.
Derek and Maria lived in extreme tension. They haven't moved into the house yet. Derek had to cancel his business trip, and Maria kept her eyes on the kids. Construction of the house continued.
Everything was quiet for two weeks until Maria came to the house to check the paint samples. Then she found a second envelope in the mailbox.
Second Observer Letter
“657 Boulevard is worried about your move. Many years have passed since young blood filled the corridors of the house. Have you figured out the secrets of the house yet? Will the young blood play in the basement? Or are they afraid to go down there alone? I would be very scared. The basement is located far from the rest of the house, if they are downstairs, no one will hear their screams
Will they sleep in the attic? Or will you all sleep on the second floor? Who will stay in those bedrooms whose windows face the street? I'll find out as soon as you move in. This will help you know who is in which bedroom. I can plan better
All the doors and windows of 657 Boulevard allow me to watch you and track your movements around the house. Who am I? I am the Watcher and I have been watching the house for over twenty years. The Woods left it for you. It was time for them to move and they sold it as soon as I asked them to
I pass by many times a day. Boulevard 657 - my work, my life, my passion. And yours too, the Broaddas family. Welcome to the result of your greed! Greed is what brought the previous three families to me, and now to you
Happy housewarming
You know I'm watching you
Neighbours
Everyone was under suspicion. Maria and Derek were invited to a barbecue by neighbors across the street. By this point, another house in their area had been sold and new owners were moving in as well. Derek became a little closer to John Schmidt, who lived two houses away. And in the house next door lived Peggy Langford, a 90-year-old woman with her children, who were also in their 60s. Schmidt listened to Derek's concerns about the Langfords, admitted that the family is indeed a little eccentric, but hardly a threat.
The Woods surmised that the Watcher must indeed be local, because the date the first envelope was mailed was June 4, the day the house hadn't even been listed for sale. Derek and Maria unanimously decided to stop taking their children with them when they go to this house. They began to think about the house as an investment.
Third letter
“657 Boulevard has turned against me. He haunts me. I do not understand why. What spell did you put on him? He was my friend, now he is my enemy. I'm in charge of 657 Boulevard. But he's not in charge of me. I will resist all bad things and wait until the house is good again. He will not punish me. I will rise again. I will be patient and wait for this to pass and for you to bring in the young blood. 657 Boulevard needs new blood. He needs you. Come back. Let the young blood play again, as I once did. Let the young blood sleep at 657 Boulevard. Stop changing him and leave him alone.”
Michael was the only suspect. The police interrogated him again, but Abby Langford, a re altor, stood up for his brother, outraged that the police were literally persecuting her family. But there were other suspicious types: it turns out that one neighbor was somehow accused of sexual harassment, and others put chairs so close to the fence of 657 Boulevard, as if they were only watching what was happening in the house.
Eventually, the couple moved in with Maria's parents. Derek and Maria never told anyone else about the letters, not even their closest friends. And they asked questions: after all, the house is ready - why not move into it? Derek couldn't sleep at night, Maria was diagnosed with PTSD. The only solution seemed to be to sell the house again.
Six months after the first letter, Derek and Maria put the house up for sale, asking for more than they paid for themselves, because they made repairs. But the rumors had already leaked to the papers, and no one wanted to buy a house "with a maniac." As soon as the letters were made public, the police took up the case again. And here is a miracle: a DNA test from a biomaterial taken from one of the envelopes showed that the sender is a woman.
There was something else everyone missed. It turns out that the Observer wrote to the residents of another building on the Boulevard. The residents of that house used to just throw the letters in the trash, but one of the sons of the family posted on Facebook with the text of the letter - exactly the same as Derek received.
The car belonged to a woman who lived in a nearby town with her boyfriend. In house 657. But that's all. Too little to be suspicious. The police called the guy for questioning twice, and both times he did not show up. The Broaddas tried again and again to sell the house until they finally found people willing to buy it despite the strange letters. As soon as they moved in, Derek and Maria received the letter again.