Authors: Charles Knief
Silversword (39 page)
He patted me on the shoulder.
“I'll look forward to seeing you Thursday evening. We will begin with what Freud described as the Primary Process.”
“Oh?”
“We'll talk about it Thursday.”
I strolled out of the hospital and looked to the hills and was rewarded by another rainbow. I had much to contemplate, and much to learn. If I was a man at war with myself I never knew it. Maybe it was something I had merely suspected. The cause had even been hinted at by my small joke about being an adrenaline junkie. That had been closer to the truth than I had ever known.
I got into my old Jeep and started the motor and took one more look at the rainbow. The colors seemed to brighten and change as I stared at it. Elusive and beautiful, they filled my sensations. I could never get enough of rainbows. They had always fascinated me. They were a bonus for living here, an added attraction.
If I were honest, the real reason I had come to this rock to live in the middle of the largest body of water in the world had been simply to hide. Like those men in the hills, I hid out from the rest of the world. I ventured forth only reluctantly. Here my soul felt as if it belonged to the rocks and the trees and the crystal aquamarine waters. It was peaceful here, and it was just small enough to be manageable.
To compensate for my affliction that I didn't even know I had, I had scaled down my life, confining myself to this one rock, the rest of the world be damned.
I wondered what the world would be like if I changed. I wondered what I would be like.
I wondered if I wanted to change.
As damaged as I was, I was still John Caine. I wondered if I had the courage to challenge myself as I had challenged the
volcano and the sea, as I had challenged those whom I had labeled as “evil,” as I had challenged life itself.
volcano and the sea, as I had challenged those whom I had labeled as “evil,” as I had challenged life itself.
I wondered if I would have the fortitude to challenge the deeper darkness within me, to oppose it, and to eject it.
I put the Jeep into gear and slowly drove from the parking lot, reluctant to leave the rainbow.
But there would be other rainbows on other hills on other afternoons. And there would be sunsets and sunrises to be savored, the occasional pelagic fish to be slain, beaches to be walked, and waterfalls deep in the jungles to surprise me. And there was the hunt for The One. I wondered where she had gone while I had lusted only for the continuing adrenaline rush. I wondered where she was now, and if she would ever come into my life.
Of if I would continue to savor my rainbows alone.
I
n the words of my great and good friend Alan Patricio, this book was a bear to birth. That it took twice as long to produce as any of the three previous John Caine novels is testimony to its level of difficulty. And once again, it was more than merely a matter of sitting alone in my writer's corner and slugging it out with my Compaq. While the task of the novelist always comes down to the mano a mano contest with the blank page, so much more is needed prior to that event to make whatever happens possible.
Silversword
is no exception.
n the words of my great and good friend Alan Patricio, this book was a bear to birth. That it took twice as long to produce as any of the three previous John Caine novels is testimony to its level of difficulty. And once again, it was more than merely a matter of sitting alone in my writer's corner and slugging it out with my Compaq. While the task of the novelist always comes down to the mano a mano contest with the blank page, so much more is needed prior to that event to make whatever happens possible.
Silversword
is no exception.
For personal and medical reasons, and for pointing out when I have nearly made irredeemable errors in matters of sailing, I am obligated and delighted to thank J. E. Hartley Turpin, M.D., of Newport Beach, California. A true friend, a real family doctor, and one hell of a sailor, Hartley was also a valuable resource for the medical references in this story. Thank you, Hartley.
In matters of the Glock, Robert Gorgone, who carries one for the Portland Police Department, was without parallel in providing me with accurate information, and for correcting where I went wrong in
Emerald Flash
. Your timing helped us change the paperback. Thanks, Bob. I have always been a fair pistolero myself, but you're the pro.
Emerald Flash
. Your timing helped us change the paperback. Thanks, Bob. I have always been a fair pistolero myself, but you're the pro.
For suggesting the Lua, and being the best bodyworker and Lomi Lomi teacher in the State of Hawaii, Penny Prior of Kauai will always have my undying gratitude and affection. Who else would I go searching for after a hurricane?
This book could not have been written without Robert Decker, formerly Scientist in Charge of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, for his guidance in all things volcanic, especially the Hawaiian kind.
As a founding member of the Ruthsters, which means I am an extremely fortunate writer, I owe my editor, Ruth Cavin, a great debt of gratitude. This is not supposed to be so much fun, is it? Since this is our fourth book together, having fun seems to be the St. Martin's Press standard operating procedure. With you, Ruth, it never seems like work.
Of course there's my wife, Ildiko, who has made my life so gratifying and abundant. It's as good as it gets when the love of your life is also your best friend. Every day is a new adventure. Every day is amazing. She has gentled and civilized me. I would not be the man I am without her.
Finally, as both an acknowledgment and a dedication, many veterans owe a debt to the men and women of the National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, based at veterans hospitals around the country. As a fictional John Caine begins to rebuild his life using their good facilities, the NCPTSD helps real veterans of Vietnam and other armed conflicts of the last century. A statement of gratitude is in order for their assistance in helping veterans see that their nightmares, both sleeping and waking, are commonplace among those who have touched the tiger.
And there are no words sufficient for those whose lives were touched in the service of their nation. In no small sense, this novel is dedicated to all members, past and present, of all the armed services of the United States of America for your dedication, for your abilities, and for your steadfast faithfulness in time of need. The soldier, sailor, marine and airman of the United States military wears the only uniform in the history of the world that oppressed people are relieved to see coming. I am
truly grateful that you have been there, and sleep well at night knowing you are there now. If prayers could be answered, I would pray that your might may never again be needed, that you would not experience the hell that is warfare, that your presence alone would impose a peace upon the world. As a realist, however, I know well that you will be needed because, in the inerrant words of Robert K. Brown, “the world never runs out of assholes.”
truly grateful that you have been there, and sleep well at night knowing you are there now. If prayers could be answered, I would pray that your might may never again be needed, that you would not experience the hell that is warfare, that your presence alone would impose a peace upon the world. As a realist, however, I know well that you will be needed because, in the inerrant words of Robert K. Brown, “the world never runs out of assholes.”
As usual, Shakespeare says it best: “In faint slumbers I by thee have watch'd, and heard thee murmur tales of iron wars â¦
SILVERSWORD. Copyright © 2001 by ILDI Co. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For information, address St. Martin's Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
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Thomas Dunne Books.
An imprint of St. Martin's Press.
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eISBN 9781466810433
First eBook Edition : February 2012
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Knief, Charles.
Silversword / Charles Knief.â1st ed.
p. cm.
ISBN 0-312-27302-9
1. Caine, John (Fictitious character)âFiction. 2. AntiquitiesâCollection and preservationâFiction. 3. Private investigatorsâHawaiiâFiction. 4. Teacher-student relationshipsâFiction. 5. Women archaeologistsâFiction. 6. HawaiiâFiction. I. Title.
PS3561.N426 S5 2001
813'.54âdc21
2001019175
First Edition: June 2001
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