Night Mask Read Free

single-mouthedly—attempting to blow the entire male student body of La Barca Central High School.
    He seemed unaware that his wife was involved in some rather bizarre affairs that took place several times a month in the hills above La Barca.
    And he did not know that his mistress was taperecording everything that went on when Dick visited her—in and out of bed.
    In short, Dick Hale appeared to be a classic space cadet.
    * * *
    Tuesday morning began as usual for Jessica Kress. Nothing out of the ordinary during her bath, drying her hair, putting on her makeup, drinking her coffee, and eating a bowl of cereal. With lots of fiber. All this was done while listening to her favorite radio station: KSIN. There was that funny commercial that made her laugh. She reached across the breakfast bar and turned up the volume. Then, without consciously realizing she was doing it, she picked up the phone and called KSIN, requesting “September Song”—the version popular years ago, not the latest nasal congestion.
    She had no conscious memory of doing that.
    She heard the song, heard something slightly different this time, smiled, and said, “All right.” Then she locked up the house and went to work.
    * * *
    â€œDick,” Tally-Ho sat down in his office. “I thought we had cleared the air as to who runs what in this station?”
    â€œDidn’t take long for that prima donna to call you,” Dick replied, leaning back in his expensive chair; where he kept his butt most of the day. That is, when he wasn’t going home to take naps or visiting his mistress.
    â€œFrenchy isn’t a prima donna, and he didn’t call me. I called him after I heard his show go flat. Dick, if you had the common sense to know horseshit from peanut butter, you’d have understood long ago that there is a time and a place to chew on DJs.”
    Dick flushed deeply and pointed a finger at her. “Little girlie, you do not talk to me in that manner.”
    Tally smiled. “I have a legal, binding contract with this station,” she stood her ground. “That document spells out, very clearly, my duties at this operation. It further states that it is my responsibility, and mine solely, to hire and fire and discipline on-air personalities. Now, if you want to argue that, Mrs. Upton is awaiting your call.” She met his gaze without wavering.
    Dick tried to meet her steady gaze. But like most very insecure people, he could not maintain the eye-to-eye contact. He dropped his gaze and cursed. “You goddamn libbers really think you have us men by the balls, don’t you, little girlie?”
    â€œYou call me Little Girlie again, and that’s exactly where I will have you, Little Dickie.”
    Dick jumped to his feet. “By God, this is my station, Stacy! I run it.”
    Tally stood up, meeting him eyeball to eyeball. “Run it? That’s a joke. You can’t even splice a tape or cue up a record, before we went to CD and cart, that is. You don’t know anything about a control room. You don’t know anything about on-air personalities. You’ve never sat behind a mike in your life. You wouldn’t last five minutes, if you really had to work in radio or TV. If your daddy hadn’t given you the stock in this operation, you’d be out on the street panhandling. We’ve got the best salespeople in this city here at KSIN, Dick. They’re the ones selling the time, not you. You couldn’t sell a heater to an Eskimo. The only thing you do around here is draw a check ... and a damn good check, thanks to the efforts of those who work here. Now we have a contract, Dick, and by god, I’m going to hold you to that contract. Now, if that is not agreeable, you can buy out my contract. Right now. I take my format with me, and every DJ you’ve got here will walk out with me.”
    Dick paled. Her contract had just been renegotiated. “That’s a three-year