Chapter 2: "After Hours"
When the library personnel chased all us chessplayers out at midnight – we were always the last to leave – "Mr. Boxwood" and "Mr. Rosewood" wanted me to visit their home. I politely declined saying that I had just met them and that a lady does not wander off with strange men in the middle of the night. I suggested next week when perhaps I could gain an escort with some of the other gentlemen in the chess club. I knew all of them well. A lone lady in a chess club tends to be very popular. Especially if she can play chess well. I was the second best player in the club. Only the founder was a better player than me.
The next week on a Saturday night, I wandered in at my usual time of 8:30, and found "Mr. Boxwood" and "Mr. Rosewood" waiting for me. Still no chess equipment of their own. The club founder was sitting with them and chatting with them. Other players in the club glanced over at them occasionally, but went right back to their games. It is normal for players in chess clubs to pair up with players of equal or near-equal strength. The club president and I were the only members above the 1700 rating which is usually considered the border between "average" club players and "strong" club players. So the other players in the club usually ignored us.
The club founder and I played blitz games with our two guests until midnight and were both impressed at the strength of these two players. Both were definitely "Class A" strength, the same as me. The chess club's founder was a rated expert and was the town champion. Every time there was a series of matches for the town championship, it always came down to the club founder and me, and he always won. Not easily, but he always won.
When midnight came, and the library personnel pitched all us chessplayers out, the club founder agreed to tag along to visit the home of our two guests. It wasn't far. Just a few blocks from the library to the edge of town. Right near the abandoned railroad station. That should have tipped me off that something was strange. There were no homes near the abandoned station. Just a few bars and fast-food restaurants.
The club president and I trudged along with our two curiously-named guests. Had I mentioned that boxwood and rosewood were common woods used for chess pieces? Boxwood was almost always used for the white pieces, and rosewood was a common choice for the black pieces.
End of Chapter 2