CHIEF HAYES DROVE ME back to school. Afterward, I went straight to the library to ask Mrs. Klatsch a few things.
“Reggie who?” was her response to my first question.
I leaned over her desk and repeated, “Borden. He was a senior in 1950 — basketball star, African-American …”
“The fellow who disappeared! Yes, of course.” Mrs. Klatsch raised a wary eyebrow. “Don’t tell me you want to play sleuth, David. You know, Pudgy Hayes was his best friend, and he spent years looking into it.”
“Pudgy?”
“Charles Hayes. He’s now the police chief.”
I loved it. Chief Pudgy. Officer Pudge. The blackmail potential was fantastic. “Uh, what did he find?”
“Just rumors: Reggie was a small-time convict in Seattle, a beggar in Chicago.… All nonsense, of course. I’d be less surprised if he were a college professor or a company president — even a movie star.” She chuckled and stood up from her desk. “Well, you’re welcome to try to find what no one else has, David. I’ll get you microfilms of the 1950 newspapers. We may have a copy of that year’s Voyager in the Local History section.”
I was determined to find out about Reggie Borden and his disappearance. Were the events of 1950 connected to this year’s? How could they be? A kidnapper or murderer from back then might be pushing a walker now.
Still, you never knew.
I found the yearbook and looked through it. Under Reggie’s senior photo was the name REGINALD PHILIP BORDEN III and a long list of activities. In the book’s front section I found the same basketball team photo that had been hanging on Chief Pudgy’s wall. Reggie was also in photos of the Glee Club, the Key Club, the Honor Society, the Prom Committee, and the “Masque and Wig.” That last one, which was the drama club, had a two-page spread. The play that year was an Agatha Christie mystery, and one photo showed Reggie emerging from a trick bookcase that turned on a central pivot.
The book was noncirculating, so I photocopied everything I needed. Then, when Mrs. Klatsch came back with two spools of microfilm, I buried my face in the machine and read until I was bleary-eyed. I made these copies, from the two newspapers:
(Boston Globe, February 8)
A minor quake topped trees, set a major fire, and rattled nerves in Wetherby, a sleepy village known primarily for its witch trials of three centuries ago.
(Wetherby Herald, February 12)
In the wake of Friday’s tremor, I have heard residents call our village “cursed.” Though others judge us harshly by our history, we residents must celebrate our uniqueness. A quake in New England can be a source of public relations and pride! Yes, our fault can be our virtue!
(Same issue, Letter to the Editor)
Dear Sirs:
We must not ignore the menace in our own backyard! I am flabbergasted at those who accept the preposterous idea that an earthquake occurred in Wetherby, when there is ample proof of a secret underground Communist stronghold, assembling and testing nuclear weapons.…
(Wetherby Herald, February 20)
The County Bureau of Investigation today announced findings of a covert organization recruiting juvenile members. This group, believed to be led by outside-Communist agitators, held meetings in the Wetherby High School basement, which has been sealed until further notice.
(Wetherby Herald, April 20)
A 17-year-old Negro boy, Reginald P. Borden, has been reported missing for four days. Reginald, a WHS senior, is 6 feet 3 inches tall and 132 pounds and has been active in sports and dramatics. Wetherby police are seeking clues.
(Boston Globe, April 23)
Yesterday, in a wooded area bordering Wetherby, Mass., a hiker discovered clothing fragments and human remains, later identified as belonging to three missing high school students: Walter Dusenberg, Maria Perez, and Benjamin Forsythe. A classmate of theirs, Reginald Borden, also missing, is being sought as a possible murder suspect.…
(Wetherby Herald, April 25)
Wetherby police are investigating possible clues linking the disappearance of Reginald Borden, the tragic deaths of three high school students, and a recently uncovered organization thought to be subversive.…
(Wetherby Herald, November 19)
Following a study by the Army Corps of Engineers, which suggested an underground testing of explosives could have set off last winter’s tremor, a team of geologic experts has discovered what appears to be a collapsed limestone vault approximately forty feet under the town common.…
(Wetherby Herald, December 6)
It’s true. The mineral content of our soil has suffered greatly this year. Levels of iron, potassium, and especially calcium are historically low. Why? Perhaps the postwar boom is taxing our resources. But whatever the reason, be sure to stock up on fertilizer at the Farrell Nursery.…
I didn’t know where all this stuff was going to lead, but I knew it would lead somewhere.
I kept copies of the clippings, thanked Mrs. Klatsch, and went home to think.