Full dark,no stars (51 page)

In Bangor, where I live, a thoroughfare called the Hammond Street Extension skirts the airport. I walk three or four miles a day, and if Im in town, I often go out that way. Theres a gravel patch beside the airport fence about halfway along the Extension, and there any number of roadside vendors have set up shop over the years. My favorite is known locally as Golf Ball Guy, and he always appears in the spring. Golf Ball Guy goes up to the Bangor Municipal Golf Course when the weather turns warm, and scavenges up hundreds of used golf balls that have been abandoned under the snow. He throws away the really bad ones and sells the rest at the little spot out on the Extension (the windshield of his car is lined with golf balls-a nice touch). One day when I spied him, the idea for Fair Extension came into my mind. Of course I set it in Derry, home of the late and unlamented clown Pennywise, because Derry is just Bangor masquerading under a different name.

The last story in this book came to my mind after reading an article about Dennis Rader, the infamous BTK (bind, torture, and kill) murderer who took the lives of ten people-mostly women, but two of his victims were children-over a period of roughly sixteen years. In many cases, he mailed pieces of his victims identification to the police. Paula Rader was married to this monster for thirty-four years, and many in the Wichita area, where Rader claimed his victims, refuse to believe that she could live with him and not know what he was doing. I did believe-I do believe-and I wrote this story to explore what might happen in such a case if the wife suddenly found out about her husbands awful hobby. I also wrote it to explore the idea that its impossible to fully know anyone, even those we love the most.

All right, I think weve been down here in the dark long enough. Theres a whole other world upstairs. Take my hand, Constant Reader, and Ill be happy to lead you back into the sunshine. Im happy to go there, because I believe most people are essentially good. I know that I am.

Its you Im not entirely sure of. Bangor, Maine December 23, 2009 Table of Contents Cover Page Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Contents