A few weeks ago, when I was in my Charlaine Harris mode, I returned a stack of books to the library. A couple of days later, I was checking my account information on the library's website, and I saw that one of the books was still listed as being checked out. I had probably returned six or eight books, and while I was pretty sure I had returned it, I thought it was possible that I'd missed it, so I checked at home, and I checked in my car, and didn't find it, so I called the library.

They said they had no record of my having returned it, but since I said I had, they said they'd do a physical search for it, complicated by the fact that there are about a dozen branch libraries in the system--I had checked it out from one, but returned it to another, so it could conceivably have been put in the batch of books going to any of the other branches.

I waited, and periodically checked the website, and it was still listed as being in my possession. I called again, and asked if it made sense to renew it, so that it didn't appear to be overdue while they looked for it, and the librarian said I might as well, so she renewed it for me.

A little while later I received a postcard from them saying that they had been unable to find it. The postcard didn't elaborate, but I knew that meant that eventually I would have to pay for it. The next time I was in the library, I asked what the procedure was, and I was told that if it was overdue for 30 days, I would get a bill for the replacement cost--$21, in this case. The librarian recommended I not do anything right away, just wait for the bill.

I don't think I've ever had to pay for anything at the library, so I kept telling myself that even if I had to pay for it, it was small payment for the hundreds of books I've checked out over the years and not had to pay for, but it still rankled. And I kept looking at home, thinking that maybe I'd just missed it somehow. But they didn't find it, and I didn't find it, and I accepted the fact that I'd end up paying for it.

Then on Sunday I returned another stack of books and CDs and audio tapes, and on Tuesday when I checked the site, the book that had previously been "lost" had disappeared from my checked out list, and another one that I had, again, returned, was still on it, this time a set of 12 CDs, an audio version of Kathy Reich's Death du Jour (which I really enjoyed, by the way).

I knew I'd returned that one, I remembered it specifically, because it crossed my mind that I should return it by hand to a librarian, then told myself I was being paranoid, and dropped it in the slot.

So I called again, and as soon as the librarian said, "Well, it says here it was returned, but . . ." I knew what I'd done. I'd returned the case, but left the last six CDs in my CD changer in the car. And that was it. I stopped by the library on the way home last night and turned in the six CDs and had the black mark taken off my record. When I got home, there was a message on the answering machine from the library that they had received the CD case back, but six CDs were missing. The message went on to say that if I didn't return them, I would be billed for the full replacement cost, in this case, $110!

So next time I might return it to a human being rather than dropping it in the slot, even though while I was returning the CDs, one of the librarians was telling someone who was returning videotapes that there was no need to stand in line to return them, just drop them in the box. I guess it just depends on how much of a risk I feel like taking.