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Chapter Thirty
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2021-08-22 05:50:44“Murdered? What makes you think she was murdered?” Jenny asked.
“Well, for one thing, there wasn’t any note. For another, most suicides don’t put in a diaphragm just before jumping out of a window. You don’t need birth control in heaven.” Gary tried to lighten the seriousness of the mood.
“That’s why they call it heaven.” Jenny caught the intent. “But seriously, Gary, do you think she walked in on a robbery? Although I can’t imagine what she would have that anyone would want.”
“There wasn’t any sign of forced entry and nothing was taken that we could see. At least not the usual things like the TV, stereo or jewelry. Her purse wasn’t even touched. That’s all I can tell you for now, which is much more than I was supposed to. But you and I go way back. What’s a few rules between friends? Besides, since you and Gayle were so close, I thought you might ha
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Red Wine for Breakfast Chapter Thirty-One
Immediately when Jenny entered the bar, she knew that Bob had already heard the news. The usual loud din of laughter and music she had become accustomed to was replaced by an eerie sound of quiet whispers and muted conversation. She sat at the bar and noticed that Bob’s face was damp.“You know,” she said.“I saw the police cars and called a friend of mine downtown. They’re calling it a suicide. I don’t buy that for a minute. That girl had too much life in her to give it up like that.” He put a glass of Jack Daniels in front of her. “On the house.”“I’d ask you to leave the bottle, but I’m meeting the detective at my place later to check out Gayle’s apartment. Remember I told you about Gary White, the guy I went to high school with?”“Yeah, the nice one!”“Turns out he’s the detective on the case. We just had an interesting conversat
Last Updated : 2021-08-22Red Wine for Breakfast Chapter Thirty-Two
When Jenny woke up, she could hear the television in the other room. For a second she thought that Gayle was visiting, but then she remembered. She went into the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face, but it didn’t help remove the redness on her cheeks or the emptiness in her heart. She moved as if she were in a fog and grabbed a few things from her closet and drawer to wear. When she came into the living room Johnny turned down the volume on the television.“Did I wake you?” he asked.“No, I didn’t get much sleep anyway. Want me to make coffee?”“I already did. Do you want me to get some for you?”“If you don’t stop being so nice to me, I’m going to throw you out of here.” Jenny smiled at him.“You might want to rethink that outfit.”“What do you mean?”Jenny looked at her clothes. She had put on a green sweater with a bright red pair of jo
Last Updated : 2021-08-22Red Wine for Breakfast Chapter Thirty-Three
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
Last Updated : 2021-08-22Red Wine for Breakfast Chapter Thirty-Four
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
Last Updated : 2021-08-22Red Wine for Breakfast Chapter Thirty-Five
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.
Last Updated : 2021-08-22Red Wine for Breakfast Chapter Thirty-Six
“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
Last Updated : 2021-08-22Red Wine for Breakfast Chapter Thirty-Seven
“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
Last Updated : 2021-08-22Red Wine for Breakfast Chapter Thirty-Eight
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
Last Updated : 2021-08-22
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Red Wine for Breakfast Author's Notes
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, except as noted below, and actual events is entirely coincidental. Some real people, such as radio personalities appear as actual persons in the book by their oral or written permission. Others appear as characters and events in the book to give a sense of historical accuracy; however specific incidents are entirely fictitious and should not be considered real or factual. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in articles and reviews.
Red Wine for Breakfast Chapter Forty-Eight
The station was quiet when Jenny arrived at five-thirty. Johnny was still asleep when she left and she didn’t see any reason to wake him since their shift didn’t begin for another three hours.The studio felt a bit strange to Jenny after being away for an entire week. With all that transpired, and her decision to leave, KKTM didn’t feel like home to her anymore.She went into her office and mentally figured out how many boxes she would need to pack the few things that belonged to her. She went through her desk and started throwing away papers she had collected over the years. She was reading though some of them and didn’t see Brian standing in the doorway.“Spring cleaning?” He asked. “Must be that time of the month or maybe something else. You’re not pregnant, are you?”“Dammit, Brian. Why is it that whenever a woman does something a little out of character men all assume she’s either got
Red Wine for Breakfast Chapter Forty-Seven
Temple Adat Elohim was located in a small section of Sherman Oaks, not far from Jenny’s apartment. Johnny met her at the front of her building and they arrived about fifteen minutes before the ceremony started.“Isn’t this beautiful.” Jenny said. “Here, you need to wear one of these.”“A yamaka?.”“You know what it is?” Jenny was surprised.“All the guys I worked with in Canada were Jewish. Didn’t I tell you? I was invited to weddings and even attended a bris. I went to so many Bar Mitzvahs and Bat Mitzvahs, everyone thought I was Jewish because I knew the words to the prayers and the songs. I was actually thinking about converting, but when I moved back to the States, I never found the right Temple.“I never knew that.”“My engineer’s birthday was in December, so every year we’d combine all the holidays and celebrate Chanubirthdaymas. I nev
Red Wine for Breakfast Chapter Forty-Six
Johnny looked around his apartment. It seemed to him as if someone else had been living there. He was confused and more than a bit concerned about Jenny and how he was going to tell her that he was leaving KKTM.After Jenny had left the party, he tried to talk to Brian about the station and what Johnny planned to do when they returned to Los Angeles. Brian had laughed at him, calling him Denise’s albatross and telling Johnny that if it weren’t for his sister, Jenny would have sole ownership of Red Wine. Johnny nearly hit him, but he realized that Brian was drunk. He also realized that there was no way he could continue at KKTM.Johnny hadn’t spent all his time at the slot machines while he was in Vegas. He began formulating the first part of his plan early in the week. He made the right contacts, made the right moves, and finally hit the jackpot during the awards presentation.He put together the second part of his plan at the party wh
Red Wine for Breakfast Chapter Forty-Five
Johnny parked the car in front of Jenny’s apartment and opened the trunk to get her luggage. She hadn’t spoken more than a few words on the flight or during the drive from the airport. Johnny thought she might be angry at him for keeping the party going till three a.m., but she’d told him she was just tired, so he let it go.Jenny was tired, but it wasn’t only fatigue that was causing her silence. Her decision to leave KKTM and the repercussions that she knew would follow, were draining all her energy.“Want me to come up?” He asked as he helped her take her things into the building.“No. You have to get home and unpack and I still have to get a gift for Ann and Don. Why don’t you pick me up tomorrow and we’ll go to the wedding together.”“Tomorrow?” He sounded disappointed. “What about later tonight?”“Johnny, we just spent a wonderful and exhausting
Red Wine for Breakfast Chapter Forty-Four
There was a brief, deafening silence followed by subdued clapping as Melody bounded onto the stage to accept her award. She held the acrylic pillar over her head in victory and shot a triumphant glare towards Jenny who was having difficulty joining in the congratulatory applause.“Sorry, Jen,” Johnny said. “I really thought you were going to win.”“To tell you the truth, so did I.” She tried to hide the disappointment in her voice. “Ya know, up until they announced Melody as the winner, I didn’t know how much I wanted that stupid award. Oh well, there’s always next year. But it would have been nice.”She smiled weakly and tried to listen to Melody’s acceptance speech, but there was a loud commotion in the back of the room that was making it difficult to hear. Everyone turned to the back of the room to see Melody’s husband, Ned, obviously drunk, trying to make his way to the stage with two se
Red Wine for Breakfast Chapter Forty-Three
The reception for the nominees was more for sizing up the competition then actually congratulating other’s success in the industry, unless they were nominated under a different category. Jenny heard the other nominees sprout the I don’t care if I win, it’s just an honor to be nominated, line even though it was total insincere bullshit, it was the classy, professional response to being honored by their piers in the broadcasting industry. Unfortunately, one radio personally who was in direct competition with Jenny, was neither classy nor professional. Melody Miller, from rival station KLZY-FM the entire evening was telling everyone she was going to take the coveted award and dishing Jenny Reed at every opportunity. Jenny and Johnny intentionally managed to avoid a direct confrontation with her, and spent the evening in more polite conversations.“Interesting group of vultures on line over there.” Johnny said when he returned from the bar.&l
Red Wine for Breakfast Chapter Forty-Two
The flight attendant recognized them as soon as they were in their seats. Minutes later, she brought each of them a small bottle of Beaujolais.“I listen to you two every morning. I just love your show.”“Thank you, Michelle,” Johnny said, using his now-famous voice to read her nametag. The flight attendant’s face turned bright red.“I’ll be back with the rest of your breakfast when we’re in the air, Mr. King.”“Look what you started.” Jenny said, picking up her bottle. “Now everyone thinks I drink this stuff for breakfast.”“We wouldn’t want to disappoint your fans now would we? We have a reputation to uphold.” Johnny poured his wine into the glass.“Yeah, reputations as a couple of drunks.”“One little glass of wine won’t turn us into candidates for AA, now relax.”The plane took off into a cr
Red Wine for Breakfast Chapter Forty-One
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
