MurderVerse

Grooming

Bad word

Evil connotations

The evil deeds of evil men

Too dark for most to fathom

Too grotesque for a common criminal mind to commit

Have a Conscience in this one thing.

Even the killers among us warn, Don't go there, do not enter in

They'll kill you for this in prison.

I accept that lives must sometimes be taken

I have received and followed orders in this regard

But not a child's life

Never.

Every child deserves a chance

One chance in a world that no longer gives seconds.

What possesses someone to groom and violate

What specialized evil lives within, taunting, attacking

Pushing in a darker, darker direction

Machining the soul into acceptance of the grotesque

Sanding down the conscience

Blocking compassion, feeling

All the feelings inside a tender heart

Until they violate.

2.

Meeting with Marion on a green park bench

Lost Tuesday Gardens

The priest gave me his name and number

More on Father Tim later.

I called Marion, we agreed to meet

Lost Tuesday Gardens was his idea

A botanical space teeming with flowers, manicured lawns

Stately Oaks, Maples, Spruce

And not a child in sight.

We introduced ourselves and sat down

"I will answer any question but you have to ask," he said

"How long have you been a pedophile?"

Since I was 15

No further explanation

I estimated his age to be around sixty

We sit uncomfortable in silence for a few moments

"I don't get it," I said

"Get what?"

"Crime is a shortcut but grooming takes so much time,

effort, patience"

I actually said, time, effort, patience; searching for the

right verbiage

"Have you ever tried to win the affections of a young lady?"

"Yeah, I was married once."

"How long did it take to convince her to marry you?"

"About a month, maybe two."

"It's the same, some youngsters take longer than others.

"What was the youngest?"

"It wouldn't benefit us for me to rehearse the depth of my depravity"

"You seem like a normal guy"

"I am except in this one thing

give'em back to mom."

"You did this and parents knew about it?"

"All the time. I was part of the family in most cases."

Uncle Marion

"That's seriously messed up."

"Lots of seriously messed up people."

"How'd you talk the parents into it?"

"Money usually did the trick"

"Like how much?"

"Five hundred tops"

"The least amount?"

"Twenty dollars and a gift card to some fast food place"

My skin started to crawl.

He looked at his watch, "is there anything else?"

He clearly wanted to be finished with our conversation.

"Yeah."

"Okay, I'm all ears."

He sounded like he was talking to a kid.

"Do you know of any group or organization besides

pedophiles that engage in grooming for purposes other

than sex?"

Marion looked around, nervous

"Maybe," he said a long silence followed

"Who?"

He rubbed his hands together, more nervousness.

"look I don't need any more trouble than I already have"

"What kind of trouble?"

"I do a lot of interviews, I get a lot of death threats

Just you and me here, Marion.

What's this information for?"

Personal research

"You writing a book or something?"

"Hardly."

I saw a TV show, I told what I saw.

Marion laughed bitterly, "As if there aren't already enough

ex-mobsters running around spinning tales"

"I'm not interested in going on TV"

"What then?"

"Are young men being groomed for a life in crime?"

"Yes"

"The Priest said you would know"

"Father Tim minister's to those of us who have no hope of

forgiveness in this life or the next.

Doomed.