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Order this writing in the collection book Unlocking the Mysteries available for only $1795 |
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This appears in a pre-2010 issue
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THE LIBRARY
Mel Waldman
Richard Court was not a violent man by nature. He could not defend himself in a fist fight and had no inclination to prove his manhood by confronting neighborhood bullies or other tough guys. But he wrote murder mysteries and owned a .38 which was locked away in a secret safe hidden behind a wall of books.
He called his .38 Big Brother or BB. And in a pinch, BB would blow the bad guys away.
The self-effacing author completed his latest novel “The Double” at 3 AM. In “The Double,” Phil Gordon is murdered by his twin brother Carter. Carter gets away with the murder since no one in town knew that Phil had a twin. Not even Phil or his parents knew he had a twin who was sold by the doc at birth to a desperate couple willing to pay a lot for a beautiful baby.
Carter assumes Phil’s identity and prospers.
Upon completion of his novel, Court makes himself a cup of coffee, smokes a King Size Kool, and thinks about his next book. He sits in his living room and meditates. He will not sleep tonight.
In a few hours, he will go to the library and read about unsolved mysteries of the past. The research will take a few months. Then he will begin Chapter 1.
Before he goes to the library, he calls Mother. She is ill and he worries about her, especially since Father’s death. (Mother and his “sick” boy, who is away in a hospital, are his only concern.)
During the conversation, he mentions he has completed his novel. He tells her he will be doing research all day at the library.
Mother asks him to come for dinner. There is something very important she must discuss with him.
Okay. He’ll see her tonight.
At the library, he removes 12 books from the shelves. The first (and last) book he examines is entitled “Unsolved Mysteries of the Twentieth Century.” By chance he opens the book to page 220. (Coincidentally, he lives at 220 Ocean Avenue.) On page 220 is the story of a murder which occurred 50 years ago on June 16, 1942. (How strange! June 16, 1942 is his birthday!) The murdered man was named Phil Gordon. The murderer was never caught.
He flips a few pages until he comes to a photo of Phil Gordon. Suddenly, his heart beats rapidly as he looks at a photo of himself. The murdered man is Richard Court! Murdered and reborn on the same day!
He slams the book shut. He takes out a heart pill and swallows it. In a few minutes he gets up and staggers out of the library like a drunk.
Unnerved by the bizarre discovery at the library, he sits anxiously with Mother. As she feeds him, his mind drifts off to the library where he reconstructs the recent events of the day. He convinces himself that his mind played a trick on him. He did not see what he thought he saw. Of course, it was an illusion.
Slowly, he unwinds and begins to relax. Then Mother announces: “You won’t believe this, Richard! I got a call from a young man who claims he is my son-your twin brother. He’s coming over tonight to see us.”
“It’s true!” Court cries out. “Now, I know who killed Gordon on June 16, 1942!” Terrified, he rushes off, leaving his mother behind to face his lethal twin alone.
Court returns to the library and searches frantically for “Unsolved Murder Mysteries of the Twentieth Century.” He can’t find it and asks the librarian for help. She informs him that the last copy was taken out earlier in the day. When Court requests the name of the person who took the book, the librarian informs him that such information is confidential. He insists that this is a matter of the utmost importance but she refuses to reveal the person’s name.
Eventually Court convinces the librarian to answer one question. “Was it Carter Gordon?”
“Yes. How did you know?”
He turns and walks away.
“Is he a friend of yours?” the librarian inquires.
Silently, he leaves the library. He does not look back.
Compelled to solve the 50 year old murder mystery and to discover the “truth” about his twin, Court returns to the library later in the day. Inside his jacket is a .38.
He scurries from aisle to aisle, hoping to find another copy of the book. He fails. At 3 PM, his desperate eyes dart across the room and see his mother enter the library. Someone is behind her. He grips his .38. His heart races. His rolling eyes follow Mother.
Court removes the .38 from his jacket. Mother rushes slowly into the room. He can’t see the face of the other.
Hidden inside an abandoned aisle, he points the .38 at the center of Mother’s forehead. If she moved to the side, the view would be perfect.
His heart beats rapidly. Sweat pours down his forehead. Vertigo. He grips the .38 with both hands. He struggles to stand tall.
“Mother, get out of the way!” he screams within his mind. He is mute.
Unexpectedly, Mother steps to the right. It will be a perfect shot. Clutching the .38 with both hands, he aims for the man’s forehead. But he steps to the left and keeps moving. Court can’t shoot a moving target. The other moves a few feet and stops. Court sees his profile but not his face. He waits.
His body shaking and hands twitching, he still grips the .38. Slowly, the other moves his head and looks in Court’s direction.
In the apocalyptic moment, Court’s eyes, desperate balls of fire, fall on his face. “You!” he screams silently. The .38 slips from his hands and falls to the ground, followed by Court who is already dead before he lands.
Court will never know that his mother had come to the library to tell him his “twin” never showed up. He will never know that the man behind his mother was a stranger who entered the library by chance at that lethal moment. And of course, we will never know what his mind saw. We will never know who murdered Phil Gordon or the real identity of Carter Gordon. Or will we?
Perhaps, it was a hoax concocted by Mother and/or the “sick” son. But why is the librarian smiling wickedly at the corpse?
The librarian goes to the bathroom to freshen up and change her clothes. She will remove her mask now or later, when she sits alone by candlelight, drinking white wine and reading a Richard Court novel.
Tonight, the ceremony will begin. Inside the library, the magic will create and destroy. Deep inside the library-at the center of the universe-in the labyrinth of the librarian’s mind!
