A Killer Story 228 pgs
A Killer Story is about four reporters who will do anything to write a killer story. They look for stories and use established and new sources. When there is a potential story, they go after it furiously. They create one if there isn't one, following no rules except to make it sensational, and woe to anyone in their way. They lie, neglect their families, get into arguments, have fist fights, crash cars, burn down buildings, shoot at people, murder people, cause airplaine wrecks and anything else just to write a killer story. A snitch that all of the reporters know tries to trick them and sell all of them the same information. They don't like that and they kill him sensationally. They're seen by Terrence and they go after him. Detective Rivers tries to catch them and end their rampage of chaos just to write a killer story.
Pages 7-8, 25, 38-39, 149-150
"My name is Terrence Lewis. I write for the Fence newspaper."
"Oh, my goodness. I'm Vivian. It's so nice to meet you. You're the right person to be here today. I bet you'll probably write about this."
"Okay 'bye. You have a pleasant day, Vivian." Terrence went back to his car and had to wait another few minutes before he could move. As he passed by Vivian, he smiled and waved.
There were lots of cars on the road as he sped on to meet Norman. He glared at his watch and looked around anxiously. "Five minutes. I hope he waits a while." He saw the off ramp, went down it and stopped at the light. He looked at his watch agian. "Come on, come on light! I don't have all day!"
Terrence turned left and followed the curve. "Oh, man! I hope he's got that information, and I hope it's not a bunch of bull either." He turned left and went down the hill and slammed on his brakes.
"I do it every time and I know there's a stop sign here, but I practically run the thing almost everyday. With my luck today, a cop would have been waiting." Just as he finished speaking a police car drove by.
Terrence drove on and went into town. He drove down 29th, turned right onto Bainbridge, left on 15th and right on Wheeler. He continued down Wheeler while looking at his watch. "I'm ten minutes late. I hope he's still there and I hope he needs this $25 I offered him." He looked up into the sky. "It's cloudier. I hope that's not an omen."
He slowed down, turned right on C street, and gunfire filled the air! Terrence swerved, but quickly got control of his car. He ducked his head down and kept driving for a few feet, slammed on the brakes and lay down on the seat. "Whoa, I think I found a headliner!"
Terrence took out his mini notebook and a pen from his suit pocket, opened the passenger door and slid out onto the ground to lay on his stomach. When the car turned onto Wheeler and sped off, the shooting stopped.
He looked for the men and saw them sprawled motionless on the ground. Terrence stood up cautiously while looking around and walked towards the men. As he stood over the dead guys, he quickly wrote in his notebook. Gradually, people ventured out onto the sidewalk looking around fearfully.
As Terrence stood over the first gunman, he said to him, "Hey, are you okay? I want to ask you a few questions." The man did not reply so Terrence walked over to the next guy and asked the same question, but that man didn't move or answer either so he walked over to the third gunman and again repeated himself, but there was not reply. However, the third guy moved and Terrence bent down and said, "Lie still! An ambulance is on the way!"
"Uuuuhhh!"
"Can you speak?" There was no reply and he wrote in his notebook again, got up and went to talk to a man and a woman standing by a fire hydrant.
Terrence put on his press badge. "Hi, I'm with the Fence. Did you witness the shooting?"
"You're selling stolen merchandise? the man asked. "We don't want any."
"No, no sir. The Fence is a newspaper and I'm a journalist."
"Oh," the woman said.
"Did you witness the shooting?" Terrence asked.
"We didn't see anything," the woman said nervously.
"Are you sure?" Terrence asked.
"We're sure," the man said.
"You must have seen something. Why don't you share it with your fellow citizens?"
*
She took it out, flicked it and went passed the secretary's desk down the hall around a corner to Lou's inner office in the back. Once inside, she turned the light on, then turned Lou's computer on. "Oh great. He's got a code. I'll just have to hack it. How 'bout this. Nope, how 'bout this one. That's not it." Again she tried. "Damn! Hhmmm, what password would that conceded, lady killer wanna be hav...ooohhh! Yes, how obvious! Now to find that file, but what do I look for? Damn, I didn't think about that!"
Karla searched Lou's files, but didn't know what to look for. Suddenly, the office light went out. "What's going on?" This can't be happening! Oh, what thed heck? I can still see the screen, but this is useless. I don't even know what I'm looking for. I can't believe I wasted all this time getting nowhere. Damn, I'm going home! No, I've got to get these keys back to Lou!"
Karla turned the computer off, picked up her lighter and flicked it, but it was out of fluid. "Here I go again." She threw her hands up, then opened the desk drawer and felt around inside and found matches. "These'll work." She struck the match against the cover. "Oh no!" It ignitd, slipped out of her hand and fell on the carpet. A small flame burned the rug. Karla jumped up quickly and ran to put it out. She stamped frantically. The fire spread fast and the flames grew higher and higher and burned her leg.
She screamed. "Somebody didn't treat this carpet! I gotta get out of here!"
Karla ran out of Lou's inner office and fell to the floor, but quickly scrambled to her feet. She slammed into the wall as she turned the corner, but kept going to the door. She opened it and dashed for the stairwell door. The fire alarm screamed as Karla rushed through the exit and stumbled down the stairs. She got to the bottom and opened the door to go out.
*
"Good luck. Did you read about the fire last night?"
"Nope, but I heard about it."
A good conspiracy about that would be great."
"Yeah, but I doubt there is one."
"One could still write about one though," she smiled.
"You're a reporter alright. Who else could have such a devious mind? Let's go up to the roof, or do you have time?"
"I'm finishing a story right now."
"You've got time. Let's go get some fresh air."
The two went to the elevator and waited for it to come down. While they waited, two co-workers walked to the elevator and waited also. Padriac slyly looked at them then back at Ophra.
"Are you feeling better now?" Padriac asked Ophra.
She glared at Padriac, but didn't reply. She looked at their co-workers then down at the floor. The elevator came and they all got on.
Padriac looked at the co-workers, and back at Ophra. "You're not going to kill yourself over this thing, are you?" Padriac asked Ophra.
She looked at him curiously, but didn't reply.
The co-workers looked at the two with wide eyes. The elevator stopped and the two co-workers got off.
Padriac and Ophra went up to the roof. It was cool, but no clouds were out. "It's beautiful up here,"Ophra said.
A rim two feet high enclosed the roof and there was a ledge beneath it where pigeons perched and nested.
Padriac didn't reply. He was looking around the roof. There was a steel frame for the stairs leading to the roof, and a heating and air conditioning system that he couldn't see over. "Let's go over to the north side. There are chairs over there.
"The sun's over here. Go get two chairs and bring them back."
Padriac walked to the other side, searching the roof carefully. He picked up the chairs and went back around the opposite side of which he had came. "Time for the best story I've ever written." He put the chairs down, but before Ophra could sit down, "Let's feed our mascots."
"Oh, yes, we've got to keep them coming back."
They walked ove to the right corner of the building and as they did, Padriac lagged behind Ophra.
She stopped a few feet from the rim, put her hand on it, leaned over and saw a flock of pigeons. "They're waiting for a late breakfast," Ophra said. She threw part of her doughnut to the birds.
"NOOOO, DON'T JUMP!" Padriac yelled as he pushed Ophra over the edge. She screamed long and loud as she fell to the ground far below.
Padriac yelled loudly in terror as he ran down the stairs. He went all the way to the main floor and burst through the entrance door yelling, "OPHRA JUMPED OFF OF THE BUILDING! I COULDN'T STOP HER! SOMEBODY CALL AN AMBULANCE!"
"What did you say?" Mike asked.
"OPHRA JUMPED OFF OF THE BUILDING!" Padriac replied.
"Why'd she do that?" Mike asked.
"I don't know for sure. I think she was upset because I broke up with her. OOOOOHHH." Padric cried.
His co-workers gathered around to comfort him. Some went outside to see if she was still alive and one called the ambulance, and the police.
*
"Now I've got to find a computer and a printer, but I don't have any money, and nobody is going to trust me and let me use their computer for free."
He thought as he went down the street to his apartment. He looked at the ground as he walked. As he started to go into the building, and idea occured to him. He stopped to sit down on the steps.
"My brother hates me, but he just might let me use his precious computer for an hour. He lives across town so I'll have to walk. My life is in ruins, but maybe I can turn it around."
Norman stood up, crossed the street and walked on the sidewalk with his hands in his pockets, head hanging down, frowning. The ground felt hard to his feet because his shoes were so worn. He looked up into a cloudless sky and saw the moon shining brightly. Thousands of stars winked at him and he smiled briefly. "I might get those thieves after all."
As Norman walked, he saw that the street lights were out up ahead and he thought he heard voices. He looked around cautiously and walked faster.
Suddenly, "Hey, can you spare a quarter, Mr. Bum? I didn't eat all day," a small boy asked.
"Naw, I don't have any money, kid."
"Yes, you do," the boy said. "Check your suit pocket. I know you got a $100 in your wallet. You got a suit on so you must be rich." he laughed.
Laughter came from behind cars and so did a group of teenagers. "Look, what we got here, a vampire," a balled headed girl said.
"Yeah, he wants to suck our blood," the small boy said. He laughed.
"I guess your mony is in your other suit, huh," a tall, dark haired boy said.
"Leave me alone. I don't have any money."
The kids had sticks, hoses and one boy had a broom handle. "I know you got something we can use, Mr. Bum," a blonde girl said.
All the teens laughed.
"Don't you kids have something better to do?" Norman asked apprehensively.
"Yes, we do," the boy with the handle said. He swung the handle. "We like to play smear the queer."
All of the teens laughed.
"You look like my long, lost daddy, Mr. Bum," the balled girl said.
"Mine too," the blonde said.
The teens laughed.
"Leave me alone," Norman kept walking. "I haven't done anything to you."
"You're right. We should go now, right," the boy with the handle said. He looked around at his friends and they all laughed.
"Let's go," the balled girl said.
The teens turned and walked away, but quickly whirled around and rushed at Norman.
Norman yelled and ran shouting, "leave me alone!" He looked back to see them far behind. Suddenly, the sole of his shoe came off and he was running on one bare foot. The sidewalk hurt his foot, but he kept running. He stepped on some glass, fell and slid on his face. He grabbed his foot.
The teens quickly caught him and beat him with their hoses, sticks, fists and the broom handle. One gilr kicked him and they screamed as they assaulted him. "Die, die, die! You're the enemy! We hate all adults! Where's my mother?" they shouted.
"Stop! the boy with the broom handle shouted. "Earl, go git our little specialty. We've got something real speacial, just for you, daddy.'
"Yeah, just relax and take your shoes off," the balled girl said.
