Charles Heath's writing blog

Here’s the thing...   Every time I close my eyes, I see something different.   I’d like to think the cinema of my dreams is playing a double feature but it’s a bit like a comedy cartoon night on Fox.   But these dreams are nothing to laugh about.   Once again there's a new instalment of an old feature, and we’re back on the treasure hunt.   ... With Nadia seeking gold at the beach at The Grove ... I was waiting to be picked up at the bus depot by Nadia, trying to keep out of the public eye, knowing very few people I knew would be there at that hour. It was early for me, not long after getting home from the night shift, with just enough time to change and get something to eat at the diner a block from the depot. Nadia didn't understand my obsession with anonymity, but being seen with her was just going to raise questions, and, if either my mother or Boggs found out, that would be two very interesting conversations. I just didn't need the aggravation. I was not su...

I'm back home and this story has been sitting on a back burner for a few months, waiting for some more to be written. The trouble is, there are also other stories to write, and I'm not very good at prioritizing.   But, here we are, a few minutes opened up and it didn't take long to get back into the groove.   Chasing leads, maybe  .... Once out of the elevator, I could see another security desk halfway up the corridor.  There were no doors before the desk, only after, so my destination was past the desk. I pulled out my card in readiness, and as I approached, a woman came out of a door behind the desk and joined the security guard. She spoke to the guard, then looked at me.  “My name is Joanne, I have been assigned to help you, and in accordance with security measures in place on this floor, I will be accompanying you.  One of the conditions of access is to not be anywhere on your own.” “Except in the restroom, I hope.” A momentary frown, “Common se...

  Here’s the thing...   Every time I close my eyes, I see something different.   I’d like to think the cinema of my dreams is playing a double feature but it’s a bit like a comedy cartoon night on Fox.   But these dreams are nothing to laugh about.   Once again there's a new instalment of an old feature, and we’re back on the treasure hunt.   ... Back at the newspaper archives ... Boggs didn't come home. His mother and I waited until way after dark, and when I raised the possibility that something might have happened to him, she didn't agree, nor did she look all that concerned. The fact he had experience in cave exploration and used to camping out with his father and later Uncle Rico and had told me he might not be back for a few days was not cause for concern. It didn't register that he might get into trouble considering the instability of some of the caves, nor the fact they have warning signs and or been boarded up to stop explorers. It bothered me. He ...

I'm back home and this story has been sitting on a back burner for a few months, waiting for some more to be written. The trouble is, there are also other stories to write, and I'm not very good at prioritizing.   But, here we are, a few minutes opened up and it didn't take long to get back into the groove.   Chasing leads, maybe  ......  Just because you have a security card with your name on it doesn’t mean you are cleared.  Yesterday, maybe, but today?  Anything can happen in 24 hours, much like the political landscape. When I walked into the front entrance and up to the scanning gate, I was just another employee coming into work.  I ran my card through the scanning device, and the light turned red. It failed. In the time it took for me to scan it a second time, a security guard had arrived from the front desk, and a soldier, armed and ready was standing behind me. I didn’t doubt for one minute he would shoot me if I tried to run. “What seem...

I'm back home and this story has been sitting on a back burner for a few months, waiting for some more to be written. The trouble is, there are also other stories to write, and I'm not very good at prioritizing.   But, here we are, a few minutes opened up and it didn't take long to get back into the groove.   Chasing leads, maybe  ...  Needing to know more about Severin, aka David Westcott trumped everything.  I was curious why Dobbin dropped me at O’Connell’s block, and I wondered if Jan was there, waiting for me.  My mind drifted into that place where paranoia sets in, and what if she worked over Maury, and I was next.  Dobbin had hinted more than one I was holding back. As it stood, it was difficult to know where her allegiances lay, with Dobbin, her handler, or Richards, her handler, or even Severin, though why she would have anything to do with Severin was a mystery. I hailed a cab and headed back to the office.  I wanted to spend some ti...

Here’s the thing...   Every time I close my eyes, I see something different.   I’d like to think the cinema of my dreams is playing a double feature but it’s a bit like a comedy cartoon night on Fox.   But these dreams are nothing to laugh about.   Once again there's a new instalment of an old feature, and we’re back on the treasure hunt.   ... Where is Boggs ... It was getting to the point where I couldn’t remember the last time I saw Boggs. I’d dropped by his place and found his mother having a cup of coffee before heading off to her day job.  Boggs, she said, had gone off somewhere, these days he didn’t tell her what he was doing, and wouldn’t be back for an hour or so. But, seeing me, she stopped cleaning and invited me in for coffee, and a chat.  I knew it was going to be about what Boggs was doing, rather than what he was supposed to be doing, getting a job. “Ever since he found his father’s papers in a box in the attic, he’s ...