how Charlie began portraying himself. No one in his new circle of acquaintances had ever heard of him or Freddy before the prison standoff, so they accepted his new and improved version of Charlie Marsh, the extremely violent felon who had experienced a miraculous conversion.
Mickey Keys, his newly acquired agent, a fast-talking, red-haired, freckle-faced man of forty-two who was frenetically cheerful, had given him the idea when he joked that it would help sell books if Charlie had a more exciting name. As soon as his agent made this comment, Charlie realized that not only was his name as dull as the image a marsh conjured, but so was his life story. His parents had been decent, hardworking folks whose only sin was spoiling their only child. Charlie had turned to crime because he was lazy, and the only violence his escapades ever caused occurred when he was beaten up by a mark who caught on to his scam.
On the other hand, Freddy Clayton's life resembled a Shakespearean tragedy or a really good soap opera. Freddy had been an abused child. Television talk show hosts loved that dysfunctional-family shit. Freddy had committed murders and armed robberies. He'd had hairbreadth escapes from the law, and violent fights. Few people beside Charlie knew the facts of Freddy's life or his, for that matter. Who could contradict him if he took a few incidents from Freddy's saga and claimed them for his own? Their parents were dead, and so were many of the witnesses to Freddy's deeds. Oh, there was the odd living acquaintance, but most of those in the know had prison records. Who would take their word over a hero' s, and how many of them had outstanding warrants that would be executed if they stepped forward? Charlie convinced himself that his book would be a homage to Crazy Freddy if he claimed his friend's life as his own.
Most of his interviews had focused on the prison standoff, and Charlie had been vague when an interviewer asked him about his past. He hadn't started working with the ghostwriter who would actually write his book, either, so no one knew what he was going to say in his autobiography. Charlie spent the next month revising the outline his agent had suggested he write. By the time he met the ghostwriter, his autobiography contained accounts of knife fights and bare-fisted brawls, in which Charlie emerged victorious, as well as murders and other illegal endeavors. In his introduction, Charlie explained that the details of these incidents had to be kept vague because of potential criminal liability. There were also hints of a childhood in which he had been physically and perhaps sexually abused. Charlie knew that this would make his innocent parents look bad, but they were dead, and anyway, wouldn't a parent be willing to tarnish his or her name a little bit if it helped their child succeed in life after a rocky start?
Of course, the book had an uplifting ending. Charlie talked about the Inner Light that had infused him during his near-death experience, and how being filled with this light had led him to renounce crime and vow to help everyone else on earth find their own Inner Light . Getting a trademark for this phrase was another idea of Mickey Keys' s.
There hadn't really been any light, inner or otherwise. Charlie didn't have a clear recollection of what had happened during the insane moment when he'd thrown himself between the guard and the shiv. The inner-light business had been Mickey's suggestion, too. Well, not an outright suggestion, more a memory of Charlie's that had been elicited by some very pointed questions, such as Did you have any religious experience when you were stabbed? You know, some people who've had near-death experiences claim to see a blinding light. Something like that? That would be great, because talk shows love it when you have a religious conversion or a near-death experience.
Charlie announced the formation of Inner Light, Inc., at the press conference heralding the publication of The
Mickey Keys, his newly acquired agent, a fast-talking, red-haired, freckle-faced man of forty-two who was frenetically cheerful, had given him the idea when he joked that it would help sell books if Charlie had a more exciting name. As soon as his agent made this comment, Charlie realized that not only was his name as dull as the image a marsh conjured, but so was his life story. His parents had been decent, hardworking folks whose only sin was spoiling their only child. Charlie had turned to crime because he was lazy, and the only violence his escapades ever caused occurred when he was beaten up by a mark who caught on to his scam.
On the other hand, Freddy Clayton's life resembled a Shakespearean tragedy or a really good soap opera. Freddy had been an abused child. Television talk show hosts loved that dysfunctional-family shit. Freddy had committed murders and armed robberies. He'd had hairbreadth escapes from the law, and violent fights. Few people beside Charlie knew the facts of Freddy's life or his, for that matter. Who could contradict him if he took a few incidents from Freddy's saga and claimed them for his own? Their parents were dead, and so were many of the witnesses to Freddy's deeds. Oh, there was the odd living acquaintance, but most of those in the know had prison records. Who would take their word over a hero' s, and how many of them had outstanding warrants that would be executed if they stepped forward? Charlie convinced himself that his book would be a homage to Crazy Freddy if he claimed his friend's life as his own.
Most of his interviews had focused on the prison standoff, and Charlie had been vague when an interviewer asked him about his past. He hadn't started working with the ghostwriter who would actually write his book, either, so no one knew what he was going to say in his autobiography. Charlie spent the next month revising the outline his agent had suggested he write. By the time he met the ghostwriter, his autobiography contained accounts of knife fights and bare-fisted brawls, in which Charlie emerged victorious, as well as murders and other illegal endeavors. In his introduction, Charlie explained that the details of these incidents had to be kept vague because of potential criminal liability. There were also hints of a childhood in which he had been physically and perhaps sexually abused. Charlie knew that this would make his innocent parents look bad, but they were dead, and anyway, wouldn't a parent be willing to tarnish his or her name a little bit if it helped their child succeed in life after a rocky start?
Of course, the book had an uplifting ending. Charlie talked about the Inner Light that had infused him during his near-death experience, and how being filled with this light had led him to renounce crime and vow to help everyone else on earth find their own Inner Light . Getting a trademark for this phrase was another idea of Mickey Keys' s.
There hadn't really been any light, inner or otherwise. Charlie didn't have a clear recollection of what had happened during the insane moment when he'd thrown himself between the guard and the shiv. The inner-light business had been Mickey's suggestion, too. Well, not an outright suggestion, more a memory of Charlie's that had been elicited by some very pointed questions, such as Did you have any religious experience when you were stabbed? You know, some people who've had near-death experiences claim to see a blinding light. Something like that? That would be great, because talk shows love it when you have a religious conversion or a near-death experience.
Charlie announced the formation of Inner Light, Inc., at the press conference heralding the publication of The
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