"Package Deal"

"Greed is not a financial issue. It's a heart issue."

Andy Stanley

CHAPTER 1

The G-550 had made its final approach, gliding smoothly onto the runway before taxiing to a stop in front of the hangar where CJ Parsons-Houston stood along with her daughter Catey Rose. The now one year old had started chanting "Daddy-Daddy!" the minute that her mom had pointed out the plane to her and was wiggling so much it was hard to hold onto her.

"Catey, want to sit on my shoulders so you can see him better?" Fifteen year old Tomás Sergio Houston took his sister from his adopted mother, smiling at the thank you that the lawyer mouthed at him. She was almost twenty three weeks along in the pregnancy now, the twin boys growing inside her body moving more each day. A smile covered her face as the door was opened and Matt tossed his bag onto his left shoulder, a package tied with yellow ribbon in his right hand and a huge smile on his face, his eyes twinkling with mischief. Right behind him was LAPD Lt. Michael Hoyt whose own face lit up as his family pulled to a stop outside the hangar, seventeen year old Kathy emerging from the driver's side as her mother Anne stepped out from the passenger side.

"Daddy!" Catey was reaching for Matt who laughed as he set his bag down.

"Lady Bug – have you been good while I was gone?" He took the little girl in his left arm receiving an almost choking hug as she kissed him.

"Been good." The little face was a mirror image of her father's with the exception of her mother's hazel eyes.

"Good." He reached for his son and the two hugged. "Take her back for a second, bud – I've gotta get me a kiss." Handing the little girl back to Tomás he pulled CJ to him, their lips meeting in the kiss that he had been anticipating for a week.

Michael, after greeting his own family gave them a wink and with an arm around each of his ladies, approached the Houstons and received a hug and kiss from Catey who called him "Unka Mike". He shook hands with Tomás before thumping Matt on the back of the head. "Enough already! Sheesh!" The PI pulled away from CJ only to be pulled back down where the kiss resumed and he shrugged his shoulders, obviously happy.

CJ finally ended the kiss. "Now I'm done. Don't interrupt again, Michael." She gave the cop a big smile.

"He has corrupted you for sure." Hoyt and the others laughed.

"Lil Mama, I want you to have a seat here. Got a little present for you." His eyes were sparkling as she sat down and took the box from him. "I've waited a long time for this."

CJ untied the ribbon and lifted the lid, setting both aside before pulling back the edges of the tissue paper. "It isn't jewelry…" Removing an envelope she opened it. "Deed?" Unfolding the legal document she began reading and the shock on her face gave way to a smile and tears as she looked up at Matt. "This is why you really went to Houston."

"Well…part of it. Somebody's gotta get this guy away from work more often." He motioned to Hoyt and then leaned over as CJ wrapped her arms around his neck pulling him down into a hug.

"Thank you, baby." She was laughing and crying.

"What in the world is it?" Kathy took the papers and looked at it. "Another ranch?"

"It's not just any ranch." Michael watched as the lawyer wiped away the tears.

"It's Uncle Errol's old ranch." CJ blew her nose.

"Wow! So you're going to make the Houston Ranch even bigger."

"Not necessarily." Houston wiped away a couple more tears from CJ's face. "I've got a feeling that the new owner may want something else running on it – horses maybe?" He smiled as she nodded.

"That's what I always dreamed of doing." CJ gave a laugh. "Wow! I wasn't expecting that. It's…" A loud explosion rocked the ground.

"It's over at the freight terminal." Hoyt reached into his bag for his pistol as Matt bundled his family into the SUV. "Y'all go on home. Love you." The PI gave CJ a quick kiss and removed his holster, two vests, and badge from his gear bag, tossing it inside before following Hoyt. The sound of the LAX fire units responding could now be heard as the two pounded across the pavement and another explosion sent a ball of fire and debris up into the sky. As he pulled up even with the lieutenant Matt tossed him one of the vests and they put them on as they continued. Another explosion rocked the area. When they drew nearer they could see two XPRS delivery trucks in flames as the fire crews began flooding them with Monnex, quickly bringing it under control.

Airport police had responded to the scene as well and gave the two friends strange looks. "Who in the hell? Houston – is that you?" One of the officers approached the pair.

"Hey Pritchard."

"And Lieutenant Hoyt, right?" They shook as the airport cop holstered his weapon. "Wasn't expecting anybody to come in from that direction."

"I just landed." Matt pointed over his shoulder. "Boy that Monnex is sure putting it out."

"Huh?" Pritchard looked at him like he had lost his mind.

"Potassium allophonate." One of the fire engineers overheard him and grinned. "I'm working with the Fire Marshal now – sorta. Got a couple more classes to finish."

Another siren stopped abruptly and another friendly face appeared although looking surprised to see the PI and lieutenant. "Houston, what in the heck are you doing here?"

"At the moment I'm irritating Pritchard." He gave a laugh, shaking the hand of ATF Agent Mitchell Gunterson.

"Michael…" The agent shook the cop's hand. "Guess I better get to work and try to figure out what happened here. Talk to you later."

Turning back the way they had come, the pair started across the pavement. "We didn't think this through…" Michael took off the vest. "What are we going to do for a ride?"

"I doubt if they've gone too far." Houston laughed and both men pulled out their phones and called their wives. "Mine's on the way back."

"Mine, too; think she missed me?"

"Nah."

Later that evening Matt was down at the barn grooming Cricket. "Girl, you're really getting big." He rubbed his hand down the horse's side; she was due to foal in about eight weeks.

"What is it with you and pregnant females?" Mitchell's voice announced his arrival.

Standing up and looking over the top of the horse the PI grinned as he spotted the ATF agent being escorted down by Tilly, the half Blue Heeler/half Husky who Matt described as one of the best security devices ever made. "What can I say? Some of us just have a way with the ladies." Cricket's mate Jasper nickered.

"Did that horse just laugh?"

"It's entirely possible; he has a good sense of humor." He began working on the mare's feet. "I see you've met Tilly."

"Uh huh, Michael was right – Catey Rose has one hell of a bodyguard. Scared the crap outta me."

"Jasper…" The stallion's ears flicked forward as he listened to the cowboy. "…I apologize for blaming you for that smell." Both horses nickered.

"You three are real comedians."

"We try. So did you come for the routine or did you have something on your mind?" Moving around the front of the horse he received a nuzzle and kiss, stopping to give her a jaw scratch before lifting her right front hoof and cleaning it.

"Those explosions this afternoon…" The agent approached Jasper and began patting on him as Matt cut his eyes over, grinning. A few months earlier the stallion would only let Houston touch him. After a lot of training he was one of the best the cowboy had ever seen. "We've been trying to keep things quiet – didn't want to set off a panic."

"But they weren't the first. There have been a couple of others lately – St. Louis and El Paso." Standing up with a grimace on his face, Houston popped his back, gave a sigh of relief and went toward the last hoof.

"Yep."

"Lemme guess here…" He continued picking the mud out of the hoof. "Today the first explosion was the only bomb; the flames set off the second and third truck: they were purely coincidental."

"That's how it looks."

"Any idea what caused the first one?" Picking up a curry comb he started at the top of Cricket's neck and moved down toward her shoulders, rubbing in circular motions and loosening up the dirt.

"Just like St. Louis and El Paso - zit meds."

"Benzoyl peroxide."

"Don MacLemore said you were good."

"Been talking to him, huh?" The PI grinned. MacLemore was the Fire Marshal. With a brush, he began getting rid of the loose dirt.

Mitchell leaned forward looking at the mare. "She looks like she's going to sleep."

"Spa treatment. She gets a massage after she's clean." He saw the flicker of indecision on his friend's face. "It's a joke, city boy."

"I knew that."

"So you've got zit cream bombs going off."

"Yep." He watched as Matt continued the curry combing and brushing.

"Got any idea where the packages originated?"

"The one in El Paso came from Kansas City – at least we think it did."

"And St. Louis?"

"The same. We've got folks on the ground there working it from that end."

"Guess it's too early to know for sure about the one today, huh?"

"We may not be able to find out…what happened today was worse than the other two. They just damaged a couple of packages that were still on the trucks while they were out on their routes. The one today…well, you saw it."

"Uh huh…hope your Aunt Gracie isn't in too big of a hurry for that girdle she ordered." The look of pure mischief on his face set off the agent who was leaning on the fence for support. "Oh God…you're not right."

"Just now figuring that out are ya?" He walked over to the agent. "Hold this for me." Handing over his phone he went back toward the barn and pulled out the hose. "Might want to step back a few feet."

"Does she get upset?"

"Nope…" Matt hosed the mare down and then put the hose on the ground and winked at Gunterson, his back turned to the horse who picked it up in her teeth and began dousing the cowboy.

"You gotta be kiddin' me."

"Nope…she does it every time." Turning back around he took the hose back and put his forehead on Cricket's, giving her a jaw scratch. "That's my baby girl there." She reached up and kissed him again watching as he went back to the barn to put the hose away and came back with a towel to dry her off. "So – back to the zit bombs."

"What do you think about them?"

"If memory serves it's only happened to XPRS."

"That's right."

"Unhappy employee or former employee? Are they having any labor relations problems? An unhappy customer?"

"We've been checking all those angles. They're investigating two possibles but neither one really sounds like they would have the smarts."

"Doesn't take much smarts these days – just an internet connection." Houston finished drying the horse, put the towel on the fence to dry and walked toward the pasture gate, Cricket following along behind him. "Give Mitchell a kiss." She stopped and took a swipe at his cheek as he stood there in surprise. "Alright, y'all behave down here tonight." He gave the horses gathered along the fence a round of pats and then turned back toward the house taking the phone from the agent who was wiping his face with his sleeve. "Don't let her see you do that – she'll get offended." From the pasture the mare raised her head and let out a whinny as she looked at Gunterson. The PI chuckled as he started up the hill.

"I don't believe…" Gunterson looked back over his shoulder as she did it again. "Sorry…"

Matt started laughing again. "So what do you want me to do? Run a check on every pizza-faced kid in Kansas City?"

"No, just think about who it might be…this is just getting worse." His tone was completely serious.

"Alright. Let's go get a beer and think a little bit."