The Power Of The Shadow
An FBI mystery/thriller
Darrell Pruett
Cover art by Susie Thompson

THE BOOK

FBI Agent Richard Stone alternatively pursues and is pursued by a menacing Turkish assassin/mercenary known only as Abdulmecid. Stone wrestles with his own self-doubt while a mysterious psychological force threatens to destroy his closest friends and associates and the entire legal and political network in Washington, D.C. Will Stone succumb to the power of the Shadow?

EXCERPT

The day that Abdulmecid met the stranger on the river was about two months after he had lost his mother. That day, the boy occupied himself with one of his few remaining pleasures -- fishing in the Tigris with a pole he had cut from a sapling. Tied onto the end of the cord line was one of his father's few prized fishhooks and a worm he had dug from the riverbank He faced the river, and did not see or hear the stranger approach.

"Cocuktur Yayacak. Boys will be boys," the tattered old man said, touching the boy's shoulder from behind. Abdulmecid spun around, wide-eyed and frightened. He understood the broken Turkish that the old gray-bearded stranger had first spoken, but he didn't comprehend the foreign language that had followed.

After his initial surprise had subsided, the boy no longer seemed afraid of the old stranger. Abdulmecid could see from the cloudy eyes that the man was very sick and weak, and the boy sensed that he meant him no harm.

"Balik?" the old man queried, pointing to the sapling pole.

Abdulmecid shook his head. "Hayir," he responded. No, he wasn't catching any fish. The boy realized that the man wasn't Turkish, for his words had been spoken deliberately, and with an unfamiliar accent.

Suddenly, the feeble stranger broke into a coughing fit that lasted for several minutes.. When he could speak again, he turned the boy to face him, placed both his wrinkled hands on Abdulmecid's shoulders and stared directly into the youth's eyes. "Idam veya af Yetkisi," he said loudly to the curious boy, as he thumped heavily against his chest with his right fist. "The power of life and death." As the old man stared into his eyes, the boy jumped backwards in fright when he thought he saw a strange light which seemed to jump from the stranger's eyes, into his own. For several seconds, the old man held the boy's shoulders firmly while the eerie light traversed from age to youth. When the sparkling light stopped suddenly, the boy staggered a step backwards. He felt a tremendous tingling pressure in his chest. "Basinc!" the boy complained.

"Yes, there is pressure, my son, but do not be afraid. You are feeling Kuvvet, the Power."

Abdulmecid found it surprising that suddenly he understood the foreign language the stranger spoke. Indeed, this new feeling, this tightness, was one of power, and he was no longer frightened.

The stranger coughed loudly again, and spat phlegm onto the sandy riverbank. "Sen nefessini vermek, my son. I breathe my last!" He sank to his knees at Abdulmecid's feet.

"Golgeveya af Yetkisi. Bir syeden yararlanmak!" he said through swollen lips, and then he died.

The boy had never before witnessed a human death, and should have been frightened, but the pressure in his chest had abated. He felt a new strength surging through him. He would never be afraid again, he thought, as he looked down at the frail body lying in the sand. But what did the old man mean with his last words spoken in Turkish? "The power of the Shadow. Make use of it!"

DEDICATION

For Ruth Farlow Uyesugi , a caring sensei whose inspiration transcends the decades.

THE AUTHOR

Darrell Pruett developed an affinity for writing under the aegis of his high school journalism teacher in his home state of Indiana. Since he always preferred to do things the hard way, he allowed his writing endeavors to take a back seat, first to a four year stint in the U.S. Air Force. Then came a business career, the pursuit of an education (obtaining two business degrees including an MBA in business, all obtained in evening school), and a busy family life. Three years ago, Darrell's writing urges had finally re-emerged. Once started, he soon created the FBI mystery/thriller titled The Power of the Shadow, Denlinger's, 2002, (again the hard way, at nights and over weekends). Two years ago, Pruett produced his second novel, a medical mystery, Call Me Liz, dedicated to the trials and tribulations his daughter incurred during her PhD AIDS research work at Harvard University. Pruett's third novel, The Pact at Star's Crossing, Denlinger's, 2000, germinated from Darrell's high school days in small-town southern Indiana.

Pruett and his wife Patricia presently reside in a suburb of Springfield, in western Massachusetts. His daughter Robin and her family live in a near by Boston community. The author is pictured with his grandson, Nicholas.

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