“When?” she asked. “Can you at least say when?”
He looked to the window, which faced the west. He thought about what lay in that direction. He considered the steps he’d taken so far, and the rest of the steps that remained to be taken.
“I’ve got to walk the rest of the path,” he told her. “After that, we’ll see.”
“Will we?” she asked.
“Yes, Barbara. We will.”
Acknowledgments
I’D LIKE TO EXPRESS GRATEFUL ACKNOWLEDGMENT TO THOSE people who assisted me in gathering the information necessary to write this novel, both in the UK and in the U.S.
In Cornwall, I’d like to thank Nigel Moyle and Paul Stickney of Zuma Jay’s Surf Shop in Bude for the assistance they gave me in understanding what surfing is like in Cornwall, so different from surfing in Huntington Beach, California, where I lived for many years. I’d also like to thank Adrian Phillips of FluidJuice Surfboards in St. Merryn and Kevin White of Beach Beat Surfboards in St. Agnes for everything they shared with me about shaping boards, both from Styrofoam blanks and from the new carbon hollow-core blanks.
Just north of Widemouth Bay, Rob Byron of Outdoor Adventures put me in the picture with regard to cliff climbing and everything related to that sport. I gathered additional details from Toni Carver in St. Ives.
Alan Mobb of the Devon and Cornwall Constabulary was good enough to bring me up to date on policing in Cornwall, and he was kind enough to do it twice when I discovered my tape recorder hadn’t been working the first time through the information.
I gathered other information at Geevor Tin Mine, Blue Hills Tin Streams, the Lost Gardens of Heligan, the Cornish Cyder Farm, Gwithian parish church, Zennor church, and at the home of Des Sampson in Bude.
Swati Gamble once again proved an invaluable resource in London, cheerfully fielding questions from me on a variety of topics, for which I am extremely grateful.
In the U.S., longtime surfers Barbara and Lou Fryer were the first people to tell me about Mark Foo’s last ride, and they also gave me additional details about surfing so that I could attempt to write my moments in the water with at least a degree of verisimilitude. Dr. Tom Ruben supplied me with medical details. Susan Berner once again graciously consented to read a second draft of the book, giving it her usual fine critical appraisal, and my assistant Leslie Kelly did outstanding research on more topics that I could list here: from Roller Derby to BMX bike riding.
Perhaps the greatest kindness was done by Lawrence Beck, who took the time to unearth for me the one photograph of the late Jay Moriarty that I needed to complete the novel.
Books that I found useful were: Inside Maverick’s, Portrait of a Monster Wave, edited by Bruce Jenkins and Grant Washburn; Tapping the Source, by Kem Nunn; Surf UK, by Wayne Alderson; Bude Past and Present, by Bill Young and Bryan Dudley Stamp; and assorted guides on the South-West Coast Path.
Finally, I thank my husband, Thomas McCabe, for his consistent support, enthusiasm, and encouragement; my assistant, Leslie Kelly, for the myriad services she performs in order to free my time to write; my editors in the U.S. and the UK?Carolyn Marino and Sue Fletcher, respectively, for never asking me to write something outside my vision of the work; and my literary agent, Robert Gottlieb, who pilots the craft and charts the course.
And, of course, those others who gather within the Petri Dish. You know who you are. B??T??. We are one.
Whidbey Island, Washington
August 2, 2007
About the Author
Elizabeth George is the New York Times bestselling author of fourteen novels of psychological suspense, one book of nonfiction, and two short-story collections. Her work has been honored with the Anthony and Agatha awards, the Grand Prix de Littérature Policière, and the MIMI, Germany’s prestigious prize for suspense fiction. She lives in Washington State.
www.ElizabethGeorgeOnline.com
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