Shadows of the Dead Quotes

“Turns out it’s an old Cherokee legend about the two wolves that reside within each of us: a dark wolf that is evil, and a light wolf that is good. The dark wolf feeds on anger, envy, lies, sorrow, greed, arrogance, and all the negative traits we display. The light wolf is just the opposite, and feeds on joy, peace, love, hope, understanding, truth, and compassion. These wolves are constantly at war with each other, one trying to gain dominance over the other. In the legend, a young Cherokee boy asks his grandfather which wolf will eventually win. The old Cherokee simply replies, ‘The one you feed.”
― Spencer Kope, Shadows of the Dead

“Who still watches The X-Files? I thought that went out with the nineties.” “Blasphemy!” I say. “The X-Files will never go out of style. It’s like The Twilight Zone or Kolchak: The Night Stalker. They’re immortal.”
― Spencer Kope, Shadows of the Dead

“From the bottom drawer of her desk, Diane produces a bag of chocolate-covered macadamia nuts. She pulls out six of the nuts and places them on a napkin. Returning the bag to its not-so-secret hiding place, she picks up one of the morsels and puts it carefully in her mouth, the way one might place a fresh briquette on a barbeque. Small, satisfied noises issue from somewhere deep in her chest as the chocolate melts, and then she crunches down on the nut, savoring it with just as much gusto.”
― Spencer Kope, Shadows of the Dead

“I fall in behind him as he makes his way to the door, noticing several ceramic gnomes in the flower beds as we pass. I can’t help thinking how sad they look, worn by sun, wind, and rain, their paint faded to chalky-hued pastels. The sharp black eyes that once graced each face have worn away to cataracts, and the once-bright clothes have weathered, looking no better than the garments one might find on a neglected scarecrow. If my mother were here she’d probably wipe their faces with a damp handkerchief and bless them for good luck.”
― Spencer Kope, Shadows of the Dead

“Jimmy drags the report across the table and spends a minute reading it from beginning to end. “Same old story,” he says. “Dysfunctional or absent parents, no discipline, no supervision, lousy friends and worse acquaintances, drugs, and now death.” He pushes the folder away in disgust. “Remind me again why we’re killing ourselves to help people who couldn’t tell a good decision from a bad one if it slapped them in the face?” “Because life is a vast wilderness where it’s easy to get lost,” I suggest with a humble smile. “Yeah,” he snorts, “but it’s only a vast wilderness if you ignore the giant signs that say STAY ON PATH.” He flicks a wrist at me. “Aren’t you the one who always says we get what we deserve in life, good or bad?” “No, that’s my mom.” “Same difference,” Jimmy says,”
― Spencer Kope, Shadows of the Dead

“No,” Jimmy replies. “That’s a common misconception. Psychopaths know the difference between right and wrong, they just choose to ignore it. They don’t empathize with others like you or I would, so the harm they inflict doesn’t matter to them.” “And psychopath doesn’t automatically mean killer,” I add. Jimmy directs his index finger at me as if to emphasize my point. “That was made clear by a recent study where they determined that as many as one in five business CEOs are actually psychopaths”
― Spencer Kope, Shadows of the Dead