Evil Gusts

Very weird thing happened to me yesterday. I was tired and trying to get Demon Baby to take a rest, which is really one of the most futile ventures--I need a NASA team of rocket scientists to figure out how to do that one. But I was lying there, still, on the futon, trying to get HIM to be still, and suddenly there popped into my head a name I hadn't thought of in 25 years. With that name came a slew of others--editors I worked with when I first got out of college.

After the pseudo-rest-time was over, I went to my computer. A click or two of Google later, I discovered one of those editors is in federal prison.

Now, to be sure, I thought this guy was "going places"--I just didn't expect it to be prison. But I did remember a few things about him. He was very good-looking, he had absolutely not one ounce of sincerity or "real" personality to him, he liked to banter, he was smart, he dressed well, and he was trouble when he was drinking. More on this later.

Editor #2, whom I can't name here, was a sexual harasser of the first order long before you could approach human resources with a complaint. He was utterly and completely creepy. He was nicknamed The Slug by the women editors I knew. He was also very smart. And he is now so HUGE in publishing, my mouth dropped open. HUGE!!!!! However, I would be willing to bet that once a sexual harassing creep . . . well, you know where that's going.

Editor #3 was the nice guy. He smoked pot (I know because I went to a Tom Petty concert with him), and he was just a great person--quiet, not the lugubrious creep of #2, or the showboat of #1. He ALSO is successful, but in a quieter sphere of publishing. I am really happy for him. In his picture, he's lost some hair but still looks like a nice man.

Back to Editor #1, since it's a matter of public record, here's what he did (NOT FOR THE SQUEAMISH!!!). Now . . . I sat there yesterday, stunned. I was shocked. Believe me, I was shocked. BUT, on the other hand, I'd seen him drunk. Now, here's the other thing . . . if you hunt for other articles, you will find that he was taking all kind of anti-anxiety meds and was an alcoholic from "job stress," donated tons of money to CHILDREN'S charities . . . and had descended into some personal hell--so the judge went "easy" on him (he could have drawn a longer-than-72-month sentence). So part of me was shocked . . . and part of me thought . . . he was never "real"--his whole personality was a falsehood. Always. He could "smile for the cameras" so to speak. But like so many glad-handing salesmen types, it was all fake.

And PART of me was shocked for the very reason that we never expect to KNOW someone who does something like that. It's like a little gust of evil passed through my life 25 years ago. Of course . . . is my mind ticking with book ideas? Hell, yeah.

So here's the thing. I have said before my FAVORITE "serial killer" book was JUST KILLING TIME (I no longer read them because they scare me too much--but years ago, this was the best one). Look at the reviews! I cannot believe that he never wrote another book. Unless it was a pen name and he really has as someone else. But the thing I remember most from the book was a stat--that 1 in 10 of us has MET a serial killer. That's how MANY there are operating, but the feds keep people in the dark for as long as possible, not releasing to the public just how many cases seem to link until they are concentrated by time and area so much that local press figures it out. We've met them. One in ten. Doesn't mean you are lined up to be a victim. Means maybe they packed your groceries. Maybe they live next door. Maybe you've even worked next to them in a publishing house. Don't get me wrong, the editor I used to know didn't murder. But he might as well have. Because that crime steals souls.

It's weird knowing you've met evil. Like a gust. Passing through.

Thoughts?