CHAPTER 1: THE CAYMAN ISLAND JOB

“You could pack a single suitcase and leave for a different name and a new life in Paris, Tokyo or Venice,” she said, her voice almost a whisper. “Or sail off to a forgotten island in the South Pacific, become what you merely dared to dream about before. You, your life, would be a blank canvas.” 

The elevator came to a stop. The doors opened to the basement, and they were hit with stale, stifling air. They picked up the two black duffel bags at their feet and stepped out confidently, taking a left into a corridor.  

“How was my pitch?” she asked. She was careful not to call him by any name. A strict rule during any operation: no names, not even the ones on whatever passports they were using. 

He’d taken on so many identities that he felt like an amorphous compilation of experiences, rather than one solid person. But when he did think of himself, it was by the name of Catchpole.

                                                                                                                                         CHAPTER 12: THE DUD AND THE DEAD GUY

I met Lola at a baby shower in the late 1980s, and she became one of my closest friends. She told me that Charles Manson had slept in her apartment in early 1969, just before he and his “family” carried out the Helter Skelter murders.

Back then, Lola’s one-bedroom Hollywood pad was a flop house for drifters, druggies, and prostitutes. She was a devotee of the hippie lifestyle, in spite of the fact that she had been raised by an upper-middle-class family from the Northeast.

Lola opened the door to find her friend Bob and his new pal, Charlie Manson. They brought out beer and band gear and made themselves at home in the living room, unconcerned that Lola’s frayed and beat-up furnishings came from garage sales and thrift shops. Free spirit types—many with percussion instruments—rolled into the apartment to listen to Manson preach, play the guitar, and sing.

Caroline editing samples!

                                                                                                                                               CHAPTER 1: THE CAYMAN ISLAND JOB

“You could pack a single suitcase and leave for a different name and a new life in Paris, Tokyo or Venice,” she said, her voice almost a whisper. “Or sail off to a forgotten island in the South Pacific, become what you merely dared to dream about before. You, your life, would be a blank canvas.”

The elevator came to a stop. The doors opened to the basement, and they were hit with stale, stifling air . They picked up the two black duffel bags at their feet and stepped out confidently, taking a left into a corridor. 

“How was my pitch?” she asked. She was careful not to call him by any name. A strict rule during any operation: no names, not even the ones on whatever passports they were using. 

He’d taken on so many identities that he felt like an amorphous compilation of experiences, rather than one solid person. But when he did think of himself, it was by the name of Catchpole.

                                                                                                                                        CHAPTER 12: THE DUD AND THE DEAD GUY

I met Lola at a baby shower in the late 1980s, and she became one of my closest friends. She told me that Charles Manson had slept in her apartment in early 1969, just before he and his “family” carried out the Helter Skelter murders.

Back then, Lola’s one-bedroom Hollywood pad was a flop house for drifters, druggies, and prostitutes. She was a devotee of the hippie lifestyle, in spite of the fact that she had been raised by an upper-middle-class family from the Northeast.

Lola opened the door to find her friend Bob and his new pal, Charlie Manson. They brought out beer and band gear and made themselves at home in the living room, unconcerned that Lola’s frayed and beat-up furnishings came from garage sales and thrift shops. Free spirit types—many with percussion instruments—rolled into the apartment to listen to Manson preach, play the guitar, and sing.

Caroline's editing samples!