The Bindlestiff Mystery

The Truth Is Revealed

After the paper came out with Brooklyn’s story, another person came forward to help solve my last mystery.
A therapist is working with Brooklyn trying to restore his memory. And while this was happening, a witness came forward with information about the night my uncle died and Brooklyn went missing.
Her name was Melissa. She had a boyfriend named Shane, a guy who lived in the local area and well known to local police. He died in a car accident a few years earlier, so now Melissa felt safe to come forward to help Brooklyn.
The story she told was one of surprise, and I can tell you no one expected to hear the story she had to tell.
It was a summer night in 1963, Melissa and Shane met up with Shane’s friend Reece and his girlfriend Tina. According to her, there were rumors that my uncle Jim and Brooklyn were gay, and they’d meet by the river to be together.
Shane and Reece decided to go down to the river to see if the rumors were true. And yes, Jim and Brooklyn were there setting up their campsite. So, Shane started yelling at them calling them queer and fags, and when they said they were just friends camping, Reece decided to make them confess.
At gunpoint, Reece made Brooklyn and Jim take off all their clothes. Once undressed, Shane told them to do certain sex acts, and when they refused. Reece threatened them.
Jim took off running, he ran to the water to swim across the lake, but slipped and fell. While he lay in the water, Shane took a big limb and hit him in the head before rolling him into the water.
Brooklyn took off running, but they caught him, tied him up and put him in the trunk. They drove to the area where Brooklyn was later found.
While in the trunk, Brooklyn got his hands loose, and when Reece opened it, he punched him and took off running. Shane and Reece chased the naked Brooklyn through the woods, calling him queer and fairy, and they finally caught up to him and hit him in the head with a bat.
He fell to the ground. They though Brooklyn was dead, and just left him there naked in the woods. When he woke up, he wandered around until he came to the closest home. He didn’t know who he was or what happened, so the homeowner called the police.
No one came to claim Brooklyn because there was no story in our local paper about a young man being found in the woods.
Melissa said she broke up with Shane and moved away because he threatened to kill her if she ever told anyone.
Reece and Tina are married and have 4 children, and when the police brought them in for questioning, they both denied Melissa’s story.
So, is Melissa’s story true. I believe it is. My mom is working with police to find evidence to support Melissa’s story. She wants those involved to pay for what happened to Jim and Brookie.
Do I think my uncle and Brooklyn were gay? I don’t know, nor do I care. No one deserves what happened to them. If they were more than friends, that was between them and no one else.
So, both mysteries are solved? Yes, I think so. Julie is going to be fine, and Mark is getting sent to a juvenile facility for a few years. I think he needs to pay for what he did.
Julie and I are friends, and I’m helping her recover. I’m still hoping that one day, me and miss pink hearts can be more than friends.