Falling Star Read Online Free PDF Page B

HAD
BETTER LUCK AT VEGAS'S GAMING TABLES. KEN AND NATALIE, BACK TO
YOU.
     
    Silently, over and over, Kelly mouthed her
toss and tag, memorizing them so she wouldn't have to look at her
notes. She needed to make love to the lens.
    "Here's the—"
    "I told you not to interrupt." Kelly grabbed
the mike from Harry's hand. "I'm memorizing."
    Harry shook his head and loped back to the
camera. "A minute back," he reported "Give me a level."
    Kelly counted to ten and Harry tweaked the
volume. "Thirty."
    Her heart started really pumping. She did
live shots all the time but for some reason it felt like this one
really counted.
    "Ten."
    Kelly launched into her breathing exercises
and checked the monitor that Harry had put left of his tripod. It
was set to KXLA, the volume muted. But she could hear the audio in
her earpiece.
    On came the open for The KXLA Primetime
News , over it Natalie's voice:
     
    "TONIGHT, OUR FIRST COMPLETE LOOK AT THE
DAMAGE SUFFERED ACROSS THE SOUTHLAND FROM TODAY'S QUAKE. KELLY
DEVLIN IS LIVE IN SANTA MONICA WITH A FULL REPORT. ALSO COMJNG
UP—"
     
    Kelly closed her eyes, her heart racing. Her
damp palm slipped on the mic. Keep it punchy! Work the lens! Again
she glanced at her notes.
    Out of one eye she saw Natalie and Ken appear
on the monitor. Natalie looked even tighter than usual. Kelly
forced herself to focus. Showtime.
    Then, as if by magic, she saw herself
materialize on screen. Damn, I look hot! Then Natalie's
voice.
     
    "KELLY DEVLIN IS LIVE WITH THE DETAILS.
KELLY?"
     
    Kelly took a deep breath.
     
    "NATALIE, I MUST WARN OUR VIEWERS THAT THIS
VIDEO IS GRAPHIC. DARRYL MANN WAS ALMOST—"
     
    Perfect! Kelly got through her live toss and
watched on the monitor as her package rolled. She wiped her palms
on her skirt. It looked good! Quickly she reviewed her tag. The
second before she came back Kelly dropped her chin and lifted her
eyes, which the Playboy photog said made her look even more
dramatic.
     
    "AS DARRYL MANN LIES IN A SANTA MONICA
HOSPITAL—"
     
    She kept a serious expression on her face and
her eyes trained on the lens until Ken started to intro the next
story.
    "That was a real piece of work, Kelly," she
heard Ruth snarl in her earpiece. "That video of the victim was
completely unacceptable. I notice you didn't bother to get script
approval. Did you bother to check with the hospital?"
    That fat bitch. Kelly pretended she hadn't
heard and sashayed out of frame, pulling out her earpiece.
    Whew! She threw back her head and grinned at
the sky, bright with stars. She'd done it! That was a kick-ass live
shot and she had a strong instinct it had been noticed
    "Break down fast, Harry." Kelly tossed the
mike in his general direction. It scraped hard on the asphalt.
"Let's blow this pop stand." It would take half an hour minimum to
get back to the station and then she'd have to cut at least one
piece for the morning shows. She should do two. After all, what had
Natalie taught her, back when Kelly was playing eager beaver? Get
airtime. Period.
    Kelly grinned. Thanks for sharing!
    Harry unplugged cords and stowed gear,
grunting all the while. Restlessly Kelly paced, her heels clicking
on the pavement.
    They were just back in the ENG truck's cab
when its phone rang. Harry answered, then after a second raised his
eyebrows and wordlessly handed the receiver to Kelly.
    She frowned. Why would anybody at the station
be calling? They knew she'd be back. "This is Kelly."
    "And this is Ruth. You've got a serious
problem this time, missy."
    Kelly tensed.
    "I just got a call from the hospital where
Darryl Mann is being cared for. Or was being cared for, more to the
point."
    "What?" Kelly clutched the phone.
    "Suffice it to say everyone there was very
upset. Not only because of the video of him, Kelly, which was
appalling and goes expressly against policy—"
    That hog and her "policies." Kelly rammed her
pen through the spirals on her reporter's notebook. She'd have
fewer restrictions if she'd gone into