Sometimes
in Shadow
Jake
Krajczynski, an eccentric bookstore owner, suspects that young
Martin Winslow has come under an evil influence. Jake discovers
the malefactor, Judge Forbs. Before he can act, Martin and his
mother are kidnapped, and Jake must confront the Judge, but their
meeting becomes a deadly struggle. Through the esoteric art of
dreamsharing they become pawns in Evil’s second coming to
the land of the neeZeen.
In
an epic story, that weaves between our world and that of the neeZeen,
Sometimes in Shadow is a magical tale of Good and Evil, of love
and loyalty . . . and betrayal.
___Bonnie Winslow had never been
to The Bookstall. She thought it was empty when she first walked
in. She did not see the alcove from the doorway.
___The Bookstall was at the bottom
of the marble stairs, on the right at the south end of The Arcade.
It was small for a bookstore. There was a makeshift office in
the little alcove under the stairs, two steps up from the level
of the store. It smelled like bookstores used to smell. The walls
were lined with leather bound books of burgundy, ocher, dark green,
black, and a variety of grays, their titles embossed in red, or
gold, or silver. In the alcove, in a small, stained cardboard
box under the table, which also served as a desk, were cans of
saddle soap, neat’s-foot oil, and carnauba wax.
___There were three rows of wooden,
sectional bookcases, the kind with glass fronts that lift up and
slide out of the way. No two sections matched, although age and
bad lighting obscured these differences.
___Between
the rows were display tables, heaped high with remaindered books,
the only concession to contemporary writing in the store. Few
of those books, however, were bestsellers; rather, they represented
the eclectic interests of the store’s owner.
___There
was a single set of shelves, in the corner facing the alcove,
which remained locked. In it were books whose design, binding,
and printing epitomized the art of book making.
The Bookstall was not what Bonnie had expected. Conspicuous through
their absence were Self-help and Science fiction books—although
there was a first edition of H.G. Wells’ Door In The
Wall, illustrated with photographs by Alvin Langdon Coburn—Murder
mysteries, Romance novels, Personal psychology and paperbacks.
___ Jacob
Krajczynski owned The Bookstall. The Bookstall’s door always
remained closed. It was glass, with The Bookstall hand lettered
across it in Baskerville; each letter was black with a thin, gold
shadow. He usually sat at the table in the alcove, reading or
polishing books. People who knew him called him Jake. He preferred
that.
___The
Bookstall did not do much walk-in business. The store’s
regular clientele usually came in only to pick up books that they
had on order; the store was, however, a wonderful place to browse.
Sometimes, The Bookstall was closed during normal business hours.
___ Jake
was an odd-looking man. His mother was Chinese-American; his father
was Polish. He was five feet eight inches tall and weighed two
hundred and twenty pounds. Some people thought he was in his late
fifties, others thought he was in his mid-forties. He seldom shaved,
just enough to keep from having a full beard. His face was creased.
Most people remembered his eyes. In spite of their Chinese shape,
they were blue. Some days they were dark blue, other days they
were light and watery. They were always intense.
___ Most
people did not know to look to the side of the marble stairs;
it was easy to miss The Bookstall. Jake liked it that way. Those
who usually stumbled in expected something else. “Go there,”
he would mumble when people complained that he did not carry the
kind of books that B. Dalton’s stocked.
___ Bonnie
went there twice. The first time was just after lunch. She looked
around mostly at the remainders. She picked up a book on identifying
edible mushrooms. Jake stared at her as he made change. He had
an odd habit of squinting with one eye when he stared. It made
her nervous.
___ Just
before closing, at six-thirty, although closing was any time Jake
wanted, Bonnie came back to the store.
___ “Mr.
Krajczynski?” She was looking up at him, holding out in
front of her the book she had purchased earlier.
___ “I
suppose you want to return the book. I didn’t think you
wanted it.”
___ “How’d
you know? It’s just that—”
___ “You’re
worried about something, and want to ask my help.” He chuckled.
“I’m not exactly what you thought I’d be.”
___ It
was Bonnie’s turn to stare. She thought he had read her
mind. It startled her.
Jake got up from his table and walked to the door. He locked it.
He had an odd gait. For a moment, she puzzled over it; she could
not have said what it was. Maybe, given his rotund build, it was
that it seemed light, not sprightly or springy. There was something
different; the word that came to her mind was “light.”
___ Jake
returned to the table. He pulled a chair out from behind him,
which he placed next to his. Then, he rummaged through the oil-stained
cardboard box under the table. He pulled out a glass and a bottle
of Scotch. The bottle was square, corked and sealed with black
wax. The numbered label bore the name and title Michael Couvreur,
export agent, in brown script. He held the glass upside down and
tapped it. “Clean,” he said, as he poured some Scotch
into it. He gave it to her. He poured some into the silver mug,
which had been sitting on his papers.
“Please,” he said, pointing to the chair.
___ “This
sounds silly,” she said, holding the glass close to her
lips, hiding behind its thin edge. The words poured out. “I’m
not sure I should’ve come to you. It’s my son. Someone
recommended that I come see you. It started a year ago. He’s,
or I think, no—”
___ “You’re
going to fast. Have a sip of Scotch and take a deep breath.”
He looked into her eyes with his odd stare. Her breathing slowed;
she felt calmed. “Just relax. Take your time. Our introduction
has been one sided, you know my name, but I don’t know yours.”
___ Bonnie
offered her hand. “Bonnie Winslow. I’m sorry. It’s
just that I almost thought that you’d have known my name.
You did seem to know why I was here before I said anything.”
___
“An
observation; I’m not omniscient.” Jake drank from
his mug. He never looked away from her. “Your
story?”
___“It
started a year ago. My son, Martin, he turned seventeen last month,
began acting strangely. At first, you know, I thought it was just
his age, but, it’s gotten worse. His old friends will not
have anything to do with him. His new friends are bad. They scare
me.” She paused and sighed as though she had already unburdened
herself of a lot.
___ “Why’d you come to
me?”
___ “I started attending church.
I talked with my priest, Father McNamara. He recommended that
I see you. I asked why, but he said that it would be best if I
found out for myself. What did he mean?”
___ Jake laughed. He could imagine
Mac struggling to describe him to her.
___“He’s a good friend.
We have worked together often. As to your question, I have certain
skills that in some circumstances can be . . . helpful. Tell me
more.”
___She
felt comfortable with him. It was like being with an old friend.
She talked, and he asked questions.
___A
bell sounded.
___“Closing,
fifteen minutes,” he said.
___ Bonnie looked at her watch. “It’s
almost nine. I hadn’t realized how late—”
___“Don’t
worry; there wasn‘t anything on TV anyway.”
___ “I should have been home
at least an hour ago.” She fussed with her purse. “May
I use your phone; I need a cab.”
___ “I’ll drive you.
You’d be lucky if a cab showed up in forty minutes, even
if it didn’t screw up the address. Come on, we can finish
our chat while I close.”
___ It took ten minutes for Jake
to get ready. The glass fronts of each bookshelf had to be closed.
___ “Cockroaches,” he
said.
___ “What?” Bonnie asked,
looking around for them.
___ “No. I meant, I close the
fronts to help keep them out. They always go for the old books.
It’s the glue.”
___ He fussed over the stacks of
books on the tables, straightening them and moving a few from
one pile to another. Occasionally, he held one for a minute, thumbing
through it. “Looks good,” he would mumble. It was
more of a ritual than a chore.
___ Jake got his car, a 1978 two-tone,
green and cream, VW van, while Bonnie waited in front of The Arcade.
___ As she climbed in, he could not
help noticing that she was an attractive woman. Her stylish light
brown hair flattered her boyish features. She dressed conservatively,
yet with a sense of style that was fresh and youthful.
___ They made small talk on the way
to her house. He already knew a lot about her. She had two children,
Martin, seventeen, and Julia, nineteen. Julia attended Oberlin
College, majoring in music. Bonnie had been a widow for three
years. Her husband, Robert, had been a successful lawyer at Jones
Day. He had died of a heart attack when he was forty-two. His
life insurance left Bonnie enough money that she did not need
to work, although she did volunteer work with the Red Cross several
times a week.
___Martin’s
friends sounded bad. She had been right in coming to him.
