It was Friday morning. The start of the weekend when most people were making plans to relax in front of the television set, or go to the beach, Jenny was making plans to attend a funeral. Gayle’s sister, Marilyn, had called to tell her where and when the service was going to take place. Since the police weren’t finished with their investigation they weren’t going to release her body until Saturday, so the funeral was going to be at four o’clock on Sunday at the Forest Lawn Cemetery in Hollywood Hills.
Jenny knew the place. It was a beautiful cemetery, if one could call cemeteries beautiful, with a duck pond, marble statues, and a view overlooking the entire valley. Jenny and Gayle had gone there once or twice to feed the ducks and walk around reading headstones and making up stories about the people who were buried there. After, they would go into the gift shop and read the sympathy cards making up their own joke punch lines. They never thought that de
Tony stared at the list in his hand trying to come up with some other explanation than the one Kimberly was suggesting. Alongside every recording artist’s name was a small ‘K’ notation with a range of numbers, beginning with three to seven, then jumped to fifteen to twenty-six. They were all dated from the time that Tony initiated the new program format, the one that his “good friend” Harry had suggested, and they were all timed during the morning Red Wine For Breakfast program.“Kim, I appreciate you’re uh, borrowing this from Harry, but I’m not giving it back to you.”“But, Tony, if he finds out, he’ll kill me! You should have seen him this morning tearing the place apart. There was no way I was going to tell him I had the file. I don’t know what I’m going to do.”“I’ll take care of it. I’ll have my driver take you home. Don’t talk to a
Jenny entered the studio and, as she suspected, Johnny was already on the phone. She sat down and put her headphones on just in time to hear the caller tell Johnny that he’d missed a wonderful opportunity by turning down Jenny’s marriage proposal.“You’re probably right.”Johnny said, “but for now I’m very happy just having Jenny Reed as my better half on Red Wine For Breakfast. We’ll take a break and be back with more music and talk on KKTM-FM.”The “on air” light went dark as the commercial break began.“I didn’t expect to see you today.” he said to Jenny “How are you?”“If I said I’m fine, I’d be lying. Numb, I guess, but I had to come in. The funeral is Sunday, and I needed the distraction... and the company. Did you mean what you just said on the phone?”“About taking a commercial break?” He teased.
“Wes murdered Gayle? I can’t believe it,” Jenny exclaimed in shock.“I didn’t say he murdered her,” Gary explained. “From what he told us, we’re calling it an accidental homicide.”“No wonder the guy’s been acting so spaced out. Wes knew all along how Gayle died. That explains why he didn’t stay in the studio when I asked him to play “Friends” for you.”“And I thought he left because he was overcome with grief. He was overcome with guilt! Gary, did Wes tell you exactly what happened, and is what Tony said true about the drugs?”“We were investigating the homicide and the drug part just fell into our laps. Jenny, we owe our success to you for cracking Gayle’s computer code and letting us get access to her files. She had made copies of Wes’s personal logs and was trying to figure out the connection between Wes and Harry, whe
“The lawyers are drawing up the transfer papers. We have to go to the office and the bank.” Denise said to Brian.“Are you sure about this?”“When Beverly called, I had my doubts, but I know how much you love KKTM and I’m going to be very busy with homework and the campaign. The station will be yours on Monday. Call it a belated wedding gift.”Brian was about to kiss his wife when the telephone rang. Unlike previous times, Brian ignored the interruption long enough to complete the kiss before answering the call.“That was Tony.” Brian said. “He’s called a staff meeting to let everyone know he’s leaving and I’m back at the helm. He said he’d like to get the paperwork finished by six or seven, so they can be filed first thing Monday morning. I think he’s rather anxious to leave.”“Radio isn’t for everyone,” Denise said, &ldquo
It was obvious that the mood in the conference room Friday afternoon was decidedly different than the last time Brian had called everyone together to announce a change in ownership. There was a sense of relaxation and familiarity that had replaced the anxiety and tension of a few weeks before.When Jenny and Johnny arrived at the KKTM conference room together, everyone stopped their conversation to congratulate them on helping solve Gayle’s murder. Jenny accepted their accolades with mixed emotions. Everyone from KKTM was there, everyone except her friend and, of course, Wes. As much as she was glad Brian was back, Jenny knew that things at KKTM would never truly be the way it was before Tony.She took a seat and Johnny sat next to her. She was aware of the stares and did her best to avoid meeting anyone’s gaze. Tony arrived with Beverly, followed by Brian and Denise. It was the first time she had seen Denise at a staff meeting and Jenny was pleased to see
Jenny followed Johnny into her apartment and locked the door behind her. She dropped her purse on the floor, walked over, and put her arms around him. Johnny held her tightly, she responded to his embrace by holding him even closer. “Are you sure?” he whispered. “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.” Jenny’s hands moved up to the back of Johnny’s head. She lowered his face to hers and kissed him hard on the lips, her tongue moved to meet his. His response was immediate, as he followed her lead. Johnny slowly unzipped the back of her dress and she let it slide to the floor revealing she hadn’t worn anything underneath, except for the knee length nylons that matched her shoes. “Damn, you’re beautiful,” he said “Yeah, I know. Shut up. I don’t want to talk.” She began unbuttoning his shirt, never once taking her eyes away from his. She pulled it off his shoulders and began kissing his chest, her fingers delicately running her nails do
Jenny followed Johnny into her apartment and locked the door behind her. She dropped her purse on the floor, walked over, and put her arms around him. Johnny held her tightly, she responded to his embrace by holding him even closer. “Are you sure?” he whispered. “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.” Jenny’s hands moved up to the back of Johnny’s head. She lowered his face to hers and kissed him hard on the lips, her tongue moved to meet his. His response was immediate, as he followed her lead. Johnny slowly unzipped the back of her dress and she let it slide to the floor revealing she hadn’t worn anything underneath, except for the knee length nylons that matched her shoes. “Damn, you’re beautiful,” he said “Yeah, I know. Shut up. I don’t want to talk.” She began unbuttoning his shirt, never once taking her eyes away from his. She pulled it off his shoulders and began kissing his chest, her fingers delicately running her nails do
Jenny stood in the shower and let the hot water cascade down her back, but it did nothing to wash away the memory of Johnny’s touch on her bare skin, or the confusion that raced through her mind. How did this happen? How did I let him get to me like that? Gayle, damn you for dying. I wish like hell you were here to talk to. But in spite of her protests, Jenny had to admit that being with Johnny had been an incredible experience. It both excited and frightened her to death. Doris Levine had been a shy little push-over, and it wasn’t only her name that had changed that day she’d sat in front of the microphone. Jenny Reed was born a new, confident, stronger person then Doris ever could have been, and Jenny Reed was always in control. She dated in high school, but never went steady with any one boy. They all seemed to want her to be something other what she was; bigger bust, smaller waist, less outspoken, less intelligent, less independent, les