CHAPTER 2
"I'll have the double stack, bacon, and hash browns. And could you add jalapenos?"
"Yes sir." The waitress left to put in the order for the two men.
"How can you eat those things this early in the morning?" Hoyt made a face.
"I'm from Texas." The PI grinned as he picked up his coffee cup. "So what were you and Oxford butting heads about?"
"You mean other than the fact that I got called out of bed for the fourth night in a row? He had the duty tonight and they couldn't reach him. He was supposed to be at the office. Dispatch couldn't reach him by radio or cell either."
Houston put down the cup and looked out the window. "Does he drink?"
"I didn't smell alcohol but it could be vodka I suppose. I'm writing him up when I get back to the office." Both were quiet for a minute. "You know, I've worked with difficult people before, but not like him. Nobody likes the guy."
"You used to be difficult to work with." Matt looked at Hoyt over the coffee cup. Hoyt rolled his eyes. "Why did you hate me so much? Because of Vince or the fact that I forgot and wandered into your office?"
"Well…" Michael thought back on it. "There was the legend of the Novelli-Houston team that I had to compete with…" Both cracked up. "AND you wandered into my office." He got serious. "But to be perfectly honest part of it was prejudice." A shocked look came over the PI's face. "You were a rich, white, Southerner and just a little too good to be true. Not to mention too damn slick." Michael laughed.
"So what changed your mind?" He thanked the waitress as she set the plate down in front of him.
"CJ was part of it. She just…" Hoyt searched for the right words.
"Made a very good buffer and kept the peace between us." Matt grinned.
"Yeah, that but…I don't know. She made you seem more human instead of like a TV show super detective."
Matt completely lost it at that point, drawing stares from fellow customers who didn't seem to find much to laugh about in the early hour. He wiped away tears as Hoyt laughed with him. After calming down he looked back across at the cop. "You know that was a really dark time for me. It was a relief when you finally lightened up."
"I'm sorry, Houston. If I had known what you were going through finding out about your biological father…"
"You wouldn't have changed a thing." Matt cracked up as he dove into his breakfast.
"Probably not." Michael nodded and started in on his own breakfast.
After parting ways with the lieutenant Matt went to his own office and made coffee before sitting down in front of BABY, as he called his computer. He looked up Charles Darnell Perkins, the victim in the apartment. Perkins was sixty years old and had worked as the maintenance man at the building for five years. From what the PI had seen he had done a good job.
Not finding anything on the man in newspaper articles, Matt looked into his family life. He had four sisters: three living in St. Louis and one in LA. After writing down her contact information he sat and thought. Somebody had killed the man and tried to cover up the deed with the fire and not too well. Matt refilled his coffee cup and headed out onto the patio and watched as the faint light of dawn tried to take over the murkiness of the dark sky. The killer had done a bad job all the way around and Matt got the impression that the arson hadn't been his first choice. Perkins' body had been found several feet away from a pool of blood. He thought that the killer had first thought about moving the body to another location in which case wrapping the body in the quilt made sense. For some reason it appeared that he had changed his mind, but not removing the quilt protected the body somewhat from the fire.
Matt sat down in one of the patio chairs and propped his feet up on the wall. He tilted his head back as he thought about what he had seen that morning.
"Hon…" Two hours later CJ walked out onto the patio to find her husband asleep. Chris was with her.
"Aww…he's sleeping so good. Maybe we should leave him alone for a while."
"He didn't get much sleep last night. He got called out to help Fred." She glanced up at the sky where clouds were moving into the skyline. "Maybe the rain will hold off for a while." They turned and headed back inside. As she sat at her desk half an hour later, the lawyer-turned-PI heard a loud clap of thunder and started out to get Matt, who was coming in from the patio at that very moment. "Rude awakening?"
"Uh huh." He rubbed his eyes as he poured a cup of coffee. Taking a sip he reached for his wife and pulled her into a hug that quickly turned into a kiss. It was then that they heard Michael's voice.
"Alright now you two – don't get too carried away in here." Matt didn't break the kiss but instead gave the cop a rude gesture which was greeted with laughter.
"Good morning." CJ grinned as she turned around.
"See, that's why I like her more than you – not to mention she smells a lot nicer."
"I'm about to remedy that." Matt walked out from behind the bar and headed for the steps down to the gym.
"I wanted to talk to you about the Perkins case."
"Then you're going to have to go downstairs." Looking back over his shoulder the PI added, "You can still go up and down stairs can't you, Gramps?"
"Funny, PI. I may have to add to that list of reasons why I disliked you." He followed along behind the man as CJ rolled her eyes and went back into her office.
"You're just a hater." Matt took off the ball cap and shirt, then his boots and socks before heading back to the shower.
"How am I supposed to talk to you while you're in there?"
Matt had turned on the water and stripped out of the rest of his clothes, closing the shower door behind him. "Come on back here. Maybe the steam will get rid of some of those wrinkles." He snickered as he reached for the body wash. "Besides – it never stopped Vince. You know – the old Novelli–Houston team?"
"Shut up, PI." Looking around, the lieutenant's tone changed completely. "Man, this is a nice setup."
Matt looked out over the door. "You've been in here before haven't you?"
"Just to the john." Hoyt pointed over his shoulder.
"Anyway, what about Perkins?" The PI continued his shower.
"He was a straight arrow – no record, no parking or speeding tickets – nothing at all."
"Has his sister in town been notified yet?"
"No, I thought you might want to go with me and interview her."
"Okay." He turned off the shower and grabbed the towel off the door, drying off before wrapping it around his waist and stepping out. Walking back around to the closet followed by Michael, he pulled out a pair of jeans and a white button-down collar shirt before pulling open a drawer and retrieving underwear and socks. "So he doesn't have a record. I didn't find any mention of a wife or kids anywhere, did you?"
"No." Hoyt had wandered back out into the gym area as Matt got dressed. He grunted as he attempted to lift a barbell. Matt walked out fastening his belt and sat down on one of the weight benches as he pulled his socks on. "Don't give yourself a hernia, Gramps."
The cop – who hadn't realized that the PI had walked in – jumped as Matt snickered. "Oh, shut up."
"So can you make it back upstairs or do I need to get a rope?" After putting on his boots, Matt put his wallet, keys, and cell phone in his pockets and started back up the steps.
"One of these days, PI." Hoyt followed his friend back up.
"Here you go, hon." CJ handed her husband a fresh cup of coffee in a travel mug.
"Thanks, Babe. Be back in a little while. Love ya." He gave her a kiss on the cheek. Turning towards the elevator he looked back over his shoulder. "Come on, Gramps."
