First Time Killer Read Online Free PDF Page B

years later, Brewster rolled the show out in syndication. Seventeen cities the first year, twenty more the next. Syndication proved to be so successful that Brewster packaged the rest of the WTLK line-up and offered it to stations around the country. Rick smiled, thinking about the first emails he’d received from places like Sacramento and Tucson.
    Nine months ago, Brewster took the next logical leap and entered negotiations with SatRad to bring the Circus to satellite. Big bucks. Widespread audience. Complete clearance. Everything looked great until the Rhino celebrated too hard on Halloween. His death—due to a heroin overdose—sent everyone reeling.
    The braintrust at SatRad immediately put the kibosh on the deal. The commodity they were buying—the Rhino—was dead. But after some desperate last-ditch discussions, Brewster persuaded SatRad to give the Circus’s satellite deal a three-month stay of execution. Three months to prove the Circus was just as popular without the Rhino. Three months to deliver killer ratings, which, after all, were what anyone really cared about.
    Brewster scrambled. Brought in General Manager Marty Williamson to run WTLK. Fired the old program director and hired Celia, hoping she’d perform the same turnaround miracles in radio that she did for his Internet telephony company. Hoping her business-building skills translated to radio audience building. So far, Rick didn’t think things were working out like Brewster had hoped.
    Angry, disturbing patterns and shapes covered the sheet of paper Rick had been scribbling on. He ripped it off the pad, balled it up, and flung it in the direction of the trashcan. He was interrupted from his little pity party by his phone. “This is Rick.”
    “This is Celia.” She practically trilled her name.
    “What’s up?”
    “You’re not listening? Shame on you.” Still way too much glee in her voice. Something was up.
    “What’s going on?”
    “Our friend Jeffrey—or should I say First Time—just called in. He actually threatened Tin Man.”
    “And that’s good news?”
    “Oh, Rick. He’s not serious.” She laughed. “We’ll be riding the First Time Killer all the way back to the top of the ratings.” She paused. “And you and Tin Man are our jockeys.”
    “I killed two kids. Dumped their bodies in the Potomac.”
    “I slashed the throats of three college professors. They wanted to give me D’s.”
    “Want to buy some used body parts? Cheap?”
    Over the next two days, the calls poured in to the Afternoon Circus . Copycats. Crazies. Drunken fools looking for laughs. Listeners called in relentlessly, wanted to discuss their theories and opinions about the First Time Killer.
    Rick hated it. Celia loved it.
    Rick tried to downplay things, but every time he found a caller willing to talk about something besides First Time, five more would follow up with questions about the severed arm. Celia kept fueling the fire, tweaking the promos to reflect the changed tone of the Circus . Rick knew she wouldn’t be happy until it was First Time, All The Time.
    An hour before the Friday episode of the Circus started, Rick joined Winn at one of the half dozen Formica-topped tables in the break room. “Hey, old man. Ready for your date? Barb just called. She and Livvy’ll be here any second.” Every Friday afternoon, Winn took Livvy out for an “adventure.” To the zoo, for ice cream, to McDonald’s.
    “I’ve been taking it easy all day so I’ll have enough energy to keep up with that bouncing bunny. She wears you out, you know?” The old man’s eyes twinkled.
    Rick knew. A stream of never-ending questions that couldn’t be brushed off. Livvy possessed some kind of innate sense to know when an answer didn’t ring true or when an adult was pulling her leg. “Outsmarted by a five-year-old? A wily newsman like yourself?”
    “Shit. I’m having enough trouble with Damon, and he’s only about half as smart as Livvy,” Winn said. According