The Silent Knife

About the book

About The Silent Knife

Tick tock is a sound that Clifford James has heard for many years while writing stories at his computer. He finds that his mind is clouding for the first time. He could not put together any words to begin writing a new book. What, he wonders, is interfering with my thought process? What he didn’t know is that his life was about to become more terrifying than anything he could write. Frustrated, he leaves the computer and enters the kitchen for a bite to eat. Picking up a large sharp kitchen knife for cutting a chicken leg, he finds himself in awe of the knife’s beauty; strange even for him. He raises it to his neck and finds the knife has only made a slight cut. He oddly finds himself sexually stimulated. He finds at a Farmer’s Market the next day a man polishing an old Aztec knife and for unknown reasons he feels a compulsion to purchase this knife. On his way home, he is approached by a tattered looking old woman who cautions him to return the knife warning him that it is dangerous. Although, this causes him to shudder, he later casts off any credence that this knife could cause him harm and ignores her warnings. In the comfort of his home, he again repeats last night’s encounter by raising this new knife to his neck. Again, there is a similar minor cut. Holding the knife, he hears a soft voice saying, “Doesn’t this feel nice?” He drops the knife only to realize that again is sexually stimulated. Clifford gets an idea for his novel after reading an old book about teenage boys sexually assaulting girls. They mix sleeping powder into their drinks. He wonders if this idea would work but using adults not teens. A twist to this story will be the victim does not wake up… but dies. He tries a few sleeping pills on himself; he does fall into a deep sleep. He needs to find a victim. He finds her at a bar. Upon drinking the drugged alcohol, she grew sleepy, so he volunteered to walk her home. Upon her slumber, he sexually assaults her and found this worked. The knife then spoke; it wanted its turn. Clifford reluctantly placed the knife near her neck like he had done for himself. The knife cut her jugular vein and she died. Death was to only be in the novel…not real life. Life changed for Clifford when visiting Malta with his friend Bernard. There he met Capri and fell in love. Clifford demanded medical tests to see why he enjoyed these rituals and was so hypersexual. They found nothing. It was determined he had a similar compulsive behavior problem his father had; not an illness that could be seen or controlled by medication. Capri thought lock-down home care was the most appropriate when he got worse. Clifford refused. He stated he would rather admit to these murders and go to prison. He prepared for a getaway. Capri prepared as well for a hopefully quick death. When he disappeared Capri thinking he was dead was shocked to see through the window the flashing lights of an arriving police vehicle. She did not know what to expect and fear encompassed her. She began to pray but was uncertain what answer she was praying for… …was Clifford dead or alive?

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