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Book Information
Genre:
FICTION / Mystery & Detective / General
Publication:
Mar 30, 2010
Pages:
172
Books by Leslie Larkin
BROADCASTER KIRSTIE LABELLE is called out to cover a breaking news story
of a grisly Christmas Eve murder. Before the Christmas holiday is over,
her whirlwind adventures include a copycat murder, a possible romance
and allegations of work place sexual affairs.
Christmas Eve, 1985
CHAPTER ONE
It was Christmas Eve, a slow time for news reporters. We usually cover the happy family scene, the happy church scene and the happy Christmas traditions scene; something educational, yet light. Crooks usually take the night and the next day off. It is like a truce is extended between the bad guys and the good guys. I had filed my stories the day before. The happy traditions scene was a pretty good piece because I’d talked to a couple of professors at the local college and had actually learned some stuff. For example, the mistletoe tradition was left over from the Druids. In the olden days, if enemies met under the mistletoe, they would throw down their weapons and embrace. It was something the Christians incorporated into the celebrations to get all of those pagans to come around.
I was having a glass of eggnog and sitting cozily by the gas fire with my cats. Everyone always gives me a bad time about the cats. They are gorgeous, but huge. Lancie is a grey cat with long hair. She considers herself the loveliest cat of all. Darth is a big, fuzzy, male, black cat weighing about twenty-five pounds. He’s the troublemaker in the group and as a matter of fact, I had to move all the Christmas ornaments up to midway on the tree because he thought they were his toys. My tree looks dumb.
The phone rang and Lancie squinted her disapproval as she vaulted from my lap. They hated it when the phone rang because that meant the lap would be moving.
“I’d better get it,” I said to the now grouchy cats, as I moved from the chair to the kitchen wall phone.
“Happy Holidays!” Since I was in the news business being politically correct was drilled into me—even to the point when answering my own telephone.
“There’s been a murder. It sounds like it’s pretty close to your place. We got a call from you know who at the police station giving us the tip.”
“Oh, hey, Bart.
“I’ve told you before, my name is Barthalamew, B-a-r-t-h-a-l-a-m-e-w, not Bart.
“Yeah, right. The station manager introduced you 2 months and 6 days ago when you took, uh, accepted the job as news director. Maybe I’d get it right if you tried identifying yourself when you call.” I grinned at my memory of his impression of a peacock as he puffed out his chest and stretched to the great height of 5’ 5”, the first time he had corrected me on his name. Since it bugged him, I still called him Bart.
My news director continued, “I’m going to run a bulletin on the air about the murder. Let me tell you what your gal friend told me.”
My grin immediately vanished. I had cultivated her for years at the local cop shop. Cecilia was a dispatcher who adored donuts. She was the epitome of the fiery red head with a temper to match. I believed in protecting witnesses, not burning sources and checking all of the facts before going with the story. While she was a dependable source, she was not someone I would quote on the air because she could lose her job.
“So you want me to go out and cover it? It’s my day off.” I grabbed the phone more tightly, wishing it was Bart’s neck in my hands. “Murders happen every day.”
“Your source sounded pretty upset about it, apparently it was some sort of hate crime.”
"Duh. People off each other because they’re best friends."
About Leslie Larkin
Author Leslie Larkin was a television and radio newscaster in the
Seattle, Washington market for more than twenty years. Additionally, she
taught college level communications courses while employed in the news
business. This is a first book in a series of murder mysteries because
she is “killing” people who have annoyed or raised her ire in the past.
BROADCASTER KIRSTIE LABELLE is called out to cover a breaking news story 
Author Leslie Larkin was a television and radio newscaster in the