Read First Time Killer for Free Online

to station scuttlebutt, General Manager Marty was planning to show Winn the door at his first opportunity, and Damon Oh was the heir apparent.
    “Marty couldn’t find his teeth with his tongue. If he tries to can you, I’ll blockade myself in the studio and stage a sit-in. Mobilize our listeners to march upon the station,” Rick said, although Marty wasn’t to blame. Everyone knew he was Brewster Landis’s puppet. He might as well have Brewster’s hand rammed up his ass.
    “Thanks, buddy. But I wouldn’t want my goddaughter’s daddy to get hauled away to jail over me and my problems,” Winn said.
    “I’ve heard that a little jail time builds character.” The casual bantering eased Rick’s mood, put things into perspective. Loyal friends like Winn were hard to come by, especially in this cutthroat business.
    “Don’t you think I’ve got enough character?” Winn smiled, eyes flashing. After an instant, the spark fizzled. “Damon’s a tool. Kid only cares about appearances. No depth to him. Calling him superficial would be an understatement.” Winn tugged at his ear. “Worst of all, he ignores what I tell him. Thinks he knows a better way to do everything. Arrogant bastard.” The sides of Winn’s moustache accentuated his frown.
    Ambitious, eager, and slick as blood, Damon had a brain only slightly larger than a blueberry. But he was willing to lower himself into the mud working for the Circus , an attribute Marty valued highly. The GM never placed much importance on news. All of which was bad news for Winn. “Look on the bright side. When he’s fully trained, you can cut back your schedule and coast. And when SatRad buys us, you can retire. Buy an estate on a tropical island. Really let loose. You’ve got enough equity in this thing, don’t you?” Rick said.
    “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Gotta get the ratings up, though.” He cocked his head at Rick. “How we doing?”
    “Well, it’s making me sick inside, but Celia says the buzz is booming since…,” Rick said.
    “According to her friends at True Data?”
    Rick nodded. “Yeah. She’s got them polling listeners daily, I think. If she had her wish, they’d be calling every hour, on the hour.” The Arbitron ratings book wasn’t due out for weeks, but Celia wasn’t letting that deter her. She’d gone out and hired her own firm to do the measuring. No expense too great.
    “She’s a piece of work, all right.” Winn made eye contact with Rick. “I’m feeling too old for this foolishness. Even older since Bette died.”
    Winn’s wife of thirty-four years died last May. “We love you, Winn. You know that.”
    Winn’s eyes shone. “Yeah. Thanks. But don’t say that out loud again. Okay?” Smiling now, he clapped Rick on the shoulder.
    The creaking door startled Rick. The morning man, Garth the Goth, strode into the room, dressed head-to-toe in black. A button on his XXL shirt read, “Don’t Question Authority. Just Ignore It.” He eyed the two of them through oversized, black-framed glasses. “Hey muchachos. Mind if I pull up a chair?” The big man didn’t wait for an answer before dragging a molded plastic chair up to their table. The metal chair leg screeched along the already-scuffed vinyl tile.
    “How’d your show go today?” Rick asked. On his left, he caught Winn’s scowl out of the corner of his eyes. The old guy didn’t like Garth. Too far off-center.
    “Jammers, man.” Garth eyed Winn sideways. “What’s new, newsie?”
    Winn grunted.
    Garth tried again. “What’s the skinny on the investigation?” He stroked his thick black goatee.
    “Investigation?” Winn’s expression turned innocent.
    “Come on, man. Spill.” A goofy grin appeared, at odds with Garth’s Goth persona.
    “Oh, the First Time Killer?” Winn nodded, white moustache obliterating most of his mouth. “So far, they haven’t been able to identify the victim from the arm. No hand means no fingerprints. And they didn’t get too many