I live in Raleigh, North Carolina in a small townhouse community mostly populated by senior citizens. I started a book club in my little community. And we spend a great deal of our time visiting all the book shops in the area. If we go to a bookshop more than an hour away, we hire a driver to take us in the Community van to drive us back and forth. So, that we can spend the time discussing the latest books we have been reading.

I have to admit that I’ve always been a big reader. For years and years, I read nothing but horror. I have always been drawn to the dark side. I read Lovecraft when I was a teenager. And then went on to read Anne Rice, Stephen King, and Dean Koontz. And I almost forgot to mention Edgar Allen Poe. Oh yes, Edgar Allen Poe and the Tell-Tale Heart. Reading that poem kept me awake for nights on end. The cold-blooded murder of an old man simply because he had a pale blue eye with cataracts gave the wood-be murderer the creeps and reason to kill a sleeping old man.

I too have a vivid imagination. No one that looks at me would ever imagine the things that go on in my mind and my imagination. If I ever brought my thought and nightmares out in the open you would all run from me in terror.

Oh, don’t mind me I just let my imagination run away from me again. I had some spare time while I was waiting for the van to come to pick up me, and my fellow seniors to take a short trip to visit the Dog-Eared Book Store. I have to say that used book stores are the best. You never know what treasures you’ll find. This bookstore sits in a warehouse area. If you didn’t know it was there you would never find it.

Although it was a relatively short ride to the book store we had a lively discussion about horror writers. I brought up Lovecraft. And can you believe it two of our most recent book club members had never read him? In my opinion, The Call of Cthulhu was his best book and the most influential work. The story centers on an ancient dragon that lived in the sea that somehow implants itself into the sub-conscience of human minds and slowly causes them to go insane.

I couldn’t impress upon them the importance of this work by Lovecraft. He didn’t know it at the time but he was creating a whole new writing genre. I was about to explain the importance of this new genre when the van driver said, “Ok everyone we will be staying there no longer than an hour and a half. Please keep that in mind. You have a reservation for lunch at a nearby restaurant and you don’t want to miss that. Meet you here in an hour and a half. Did everyone hear that? Ok, see you then.”

I have a tendency to become somewhat verbose and pedantic when I start discussing horror writers. And I heard more than one person sigh with relief when the driver made the announcement that we had arrived at our destination.”

As we entered the door to the book shop, I couldn’t help but take a deep breath. There isn’t a smell that I enjoy more than the smell of old books. It is intoxicating to say the least. As I walk by the proprietor I say, “hello Stanley, do you have any new books set aside for me?”

“Well, as a matter of fact, I do. I have to get them from the back. When you check out, I’ll show them to you. Have fun until then, Merrill.”

“Really, that’s awesome Stanley. I look forward to reading them. This is turning out to be such a great morning. See you in a little while, Henry.”

And off I went to peruse the stacks. Nothing is more exciting to me than searching through aisle after aisle of books, whether it is in a book store or a library. It’s my idea of heaven. So off I went to look in the horror and science fiction section. As I was flipping through a book, I overhear someone on the next aisle over talking about his plans for the weekend coming up. I wasn’t intentionally listening but I couldn’t help but hear them since they were speaking loudly.

I was about to shush them when I heard one of them say, “and then I’m going to hit her over the head and tie her up and take her to the cabin in the woods. And that will be the last of that bitch. No one will ever hear from her again. And then the other person said,” keep it down everyone is going to hear you.”

I try to peak through the stacks of books to see whose speaking, but at that moment they start moving down the aisle to the back of the store and I can’t see who they are. I can’t say I recognize their voices at all. Maybe they weren’t with my group. Good grief, what should I do? Ignore it, pretend I didn’t hear a thing? Tell the bookstore manager, or maybe I should call the police?

I tried to calm down, my heart was pounding a mile a minute. I was afraid I was going to pass out or maybe throw up. I don’t know which is worse. And then I heard the first guy who spoke says,” so can you help me out here. I don’t think I can work it out by myself? I understand if you don’t want any part of it. But if you could possibly find a way you could. It would be a lifesaver.”

And then I hear the other guy answer. “Well, the way I see it you don’t have any real choice. You have to get rid of that character. She’s really become an issue. Best to be rid of her and you can start over. That’s my advice. I’ll talk to you a little later. I have my own issue to take care of before we head back home. I’ll talk to you in the van.”

“What? Oh sure, no problem. I’ll consider your advice. Meanwhile, I’ll keep looking around and see if anything calls out to me. I’m almost out of books to read.”

“Really, well I hope a solution comes to you. Sometimes it helps if you bounce ideas off of someone who’s not emotionally involved with the problem.”

“Yeah, you’re right. I’ll give it some thought. But what I know for sure is, I can’t live with this for much longer. I have to deal with her one way or another.”

Merrill feels like she’s losing her marbles. Maybe she’s imagining the whole thing. She goes back to perusing the aisles. But the words she overheard keep coming back in her head, “and then I’m going to hit her over the head and tie her up and take her to the cabin in the woods. And that will be the last of that bitch. No one will ever hear from her again. And the other person says,” keep it down everyone is going to hear you.”

She just can’t ignore what she heard or pretend she didn’t hear it. Some woman’s life is at risk. She has to do something and better sooner than later.

Merrill decides to go outside for a few minutes to clear her head. And try to make some sense out of everything that just happened. She now knows that the two people she overheard are a part of her reading group. She knows that one of them is intent on murdering some woman that they despise. She considers her options aside from calling the police. And finally, she decides that she’s going to stick to these two would-be killers and try to talk some sense into them. If they are unwilling to listen, she will threaten to call the police, the FBI, and the CIA if necessary. Whatever it takes.

The next hour seems like it would never pass. She kept following the two killers and making sure that they stayed in the bookstore the whole time and didn’t wander off somewhere. Maybe the woman that the assassin wanted to eliminate was in their reading group. Merrill couldn’t bear the thought that they want to kill any of her lady friends. The more she thought about it the angrier she became. She kept having the obsessive thought, “if they try to harm a hair on one of my friend’s I will hit them over the head with a hot frying pan one of those old cast iron ones that her mother used to have. That would put a real kibosh on their blood-thirsty plans. She tried to stop thinking that thought, but she couldn’t stop it.

Finally, it was time to leave and Merrill went up to the front of the store and asks Stanley the store manager/owner to make the announcement that it is time to check out. That the van would be leaving in fifteen minutes. Stanley says, “Merrill do you still want to get those books I told you about earlier?”

“Oh no, I mean yes, here’s my credit card. After I get everyone rounded up to check out I’ll pick the books up and retrieve my credit card. I look forward to seeing you again soon, take care.”

“Oh sure of course, Merrill, see you soon.” Stanley watches as Merrill walks around the store tapping each person on their right shoulder and telling them it’s time to leave. Stanley could hear a sigh after he tapped each bibliophile on the shoulder. Stanley really loved his customers. They all shared his obsession with books. Stanley was one of the most content people on the planet. He couldn’t imagine doing anything else for a living. Stanley started ringing up Merrill’s purchases and putting them in a bag with her receipt. He put her credit card to the side of the cash register. Where no one could see it except him and he wouldn’t forget to return it to her.

After Merrill reminded everyone that they only had fifteen minutes to gather all their books and check out she walked to the front of the store and was about to leave when Stanley called out to her,” Merrill, don’t forget your books and credit card.”

“Oh, sorry Stanley, I don’t know where my head is today. I’m going to be waiting outside in the van. I’ll be looking forward to reading these books. No doubt that you have chosen books that I will enjoy reading. You know me so well. See you next time. Take care.”

Stanley stared at Merrill as she walked out the door and stepped into the van. And he thought she was acting really weird today. But then the first customer came up to the counter with a stack of books and Stanley soon forgot about Merrill.

Merrill waited in the first seat behind the van driver’s seat she wanted to see where the murderer was going to sit. Not to mention his accomplice who seemed as if murdering some hapless woman like a fine solution to an annoying woman. Merrill was going to sit behind this evil duo. She just couldn’t believe this was happening. She could hardly sit still. About two minutes everyone started making their way to the van and filing in one by one. The assassins were about to step into the van. Merrill’s heart was beating a million miles an hour. She started to feel light-headed. She really had no plan other than listening to what they said and confronting them. Sweat began to pour down her face and armpits. She opens the window and breathes in some fresh air.

The two walks by Merrill and she got up and followed them and after they sat down, she sat directly behind them. And Merrill sat up in her seat as straight as she could and turned her head in their direction and began to listen intently. At first, they seem to be discussing the books they had just purchased, and then as soon as everyone was seated in the van the driver said, “ok, people onward and upward to The Chinese Buffet for lunch.”

Everyone cheered because who doesn’t love a Chinese Buffet, all you can eat restaurant. After a few minutes, they quieted down and talked quietly or stared out the window as they made their way to the restaurant. The two accomplices were chatting away as if rubbing someone out was an everyday event. The heavyset murderer said, so I think I’ll do it tonight, the sooner the better. What’s the point in waiting any longer? It will be a lot of work, but it has to be done.”

And the tall skinny accomplice says” you’re right, don’t be afraid to eliminate her, you know you’ll be relieved when it is all over.”

And it was at that moment that Merrill realizes that she has heard enough, she can’t sit still and listen to these two nightmares of human beings discuss killing some poor woman just because they don’t like her for some reason.

Merrill jumps up out of her seat and yells at the top of her voice,” what the bloody hell do you two think you are up to? I know what you are planning. You are going to murder some poor woman that you think is in your way. I’m calling the police and they are going to drag your sorry asses to the slammer and throw away the key.”

Everyone in the van including the “would-be murderers” look around to see who Merrill is yelling out. And they see she is pointing at the Smith Brothers. The Smith brothers turn around and look at Merrill like she has lost her mind. “Are you talking to us?”

“Yes, of course, I’m talking to you, I heard what you said in the bookstore that you are going to eliminate some woman that woman over the head, and take her to the woods and that would be the last that anyone would ever see that bitch again.:

Everyone in the van was staring at Merrill with eyes and mouths wide open. And then the Smith Brothers started laughing so hard they couldn’t catch their breath.

Merrill shook her head in amazement. And started yelling again, “what the hell is so fricking funny. I’m going to call the cops right now?”

And she was about to do just that when the fat Smith brother said, “I’m not going to murder anyone.”

“Yes, yes, you are. I heard you with my own two ears. Don’t try to squirm out of it.”

“I’m not squirming out of anything. I’m attempting to write my first book. I’ve been an avid reader all my life and I decided that now is my opportunity to try my hand at writing. I had decided to get rid of one of the characters in my book because she wasn’t working out. That’s all. The end. Happy now Merrill?”

Merrill plopped down in her seat with her mouth hanging open. And sat for a moment or two and then said, “I guess I let my imagination run wild. I don’t know what else I can say except I would like to be the first one in line to buy your book. And then everyone started laughing and Merrill looked around and thought the only thing she could do after making a complete ass out of herself just joins in the laughing and that is what she did.

At lunchtime at the buffet that is all anyone could talk about and some of them even acted out the whole scene. And they would all start laughing again, including Merrill.

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