Video Kill by Joanne Fluke Read Free Book Online Page B

not celebration.”
    â€œ The Killer Is Loose ?” Tony began to grin. “ Cause for Alarm ? You really ought to take up writing movie titles, Erik.”
    Erik made a disgusted face. He knew Tony was trying to distract him with jokes, but it wouldn’t work this time.
    â€œAll right. They’re movie titles. So what? I still object to your attitude, Tony. Here we are, using this girl’s murder for our own ends, and you’re, well, you’re so damn happy about it!”
    Tony cocked his head to the side and gave Erik a long, level stare.
    â€œAha! I think your sense of Lutheran morality is kicking up again.”
    â€œThat’s not it.” Erik sighed deeply. “I want to sell Video Kill every bit as much as you do, but I can’t believe you had the audacity to tell Alan that we’re hoping the killer will strike again.”
    â€œDid I say that?” Tony looked stunned. “Oh, hey, I didn’t mean it that way ! I mean, I wasn’t thinking about the murder itself. I was just excited about what it would mean to us.”
    Erik gave in. Tony looked genuinely contrite.
    â€œAll right, Tony. We all say things we don’t mean. I just don’t think we should gloat over this thing, okay?”
    â€œSure. Honestly, Erik. I wish that actress hadn’t been killed, but she was. And even if we do take advantage of it, that can’t change what’s already happened. Right?”
    â€œRight. Did you say Sharee Lyons was an actress?”
    â€œYeah. She’d been to a couple of cattle call auditions, but she hadn’t landed anything yet. I guess that part was on before I recorded it.”
    After a beat of uncomfortable silence, Tony got up and headed back to his own office. Erik shut off the television and went to his laptop. There was work to do. He still had to make a couple of changes in the fourth act of Alan’s detective script and print it out.
    As Erik worked, his sense of outrage faded a bit. It was common for L.A. girls to claim they were actresses whether they were or not. If you drove down Sunset and talked to any hooker on any street corner, nine times out of ten she’d tell you she was just doing tricks on the side until she got her big break in show business. Sharee Lyons could have been out earning the rent last night when she’d picked up some weirdo. There were a lot of sick people on the streets.
    â€œErik?” Tony stuck his head in the doorway and shifted from foot to foot, a sure sign that he had a problem. “Alan called me back. He wants us in his office for a meeting at three.”
    â€œFine. We can take this script in at the same time.”
    â€œYeah, that’s what I told him. Look, Erik, I probably ought to leave well enough alone, but I think it would really improve our chances if we could get the press to use the name ‘Video Killer.’ I’ve got a buddy at the Times who owes me a favor, but I won’t cash it in if you’ve got objections.”
    Erik thought it over for a moment and then he shrugged. “Go ahead, Tony. The publicity can’t hurt.”
    â€œIt’s really all right with you?”
    Erik nodded. “Whatever.”
    â€œErik?”
    â€œHmm?”
    â€œI sent flowers. Anonymously. I figured we might look like ghouls if we put our names on the card.”
    Erik stared at Tony’s earnest face and started to laugh. There were times when Tony had absolutely no sensibilities, but his heart was in the right place.

4
    Alan Goldberg was in a rotten mood when he buzzed his assistant on the intercom. He’d spent the past forty-five minutes arguing with his uncle in Hawaii and he still refused to go ahead with the Video Kill contracts. If their option ran out while the old man was dragging his heels, someone else would be sure to snatch it up and make the profits that could have been theirs.
    There was a click as his assistant came on the line, and Alan