CHAPTER 6
"Good night, Chris. See ya tomorrow." Matt held the elevator for his secretary as she boarded.
"Night, boss." Chris dug in her purse for her keys.
CJ was behind the bar pouring drinks. She, Matt, and Uncle Roy were about to declare war on a couple of pizzas that had just been delivered.
Matt took a bite of his first slice. "Mmph. It's good, but it sure isn't as good as Mama's." CJ nodded her agreement. They both missed Mama Novelli's great Italian cooking. Her son Vince was Matt's best friend who had been forced to take early retirement from the LAPD after being severely injured in a shooting. The Novelli's now lived in Hawaii and Mama was enjoying the success of the restaurant that they had opened there.
"Ah, Rosa Novelli, now there's a great lady!" Uncle Roy smiled. CJ and Matt exchanged glances and looked at Roy questioningly. In response Roy said, "A gentleman never tells!"
"Uncle Roy, you better treat her right or Vince will string you up." Matt looked shocked.
"I always treat a lady right, boy." He picked up another slice of pizza.
After stuffing themselves, the three sat down at the poker table and read through the autopsy reports. CJ was the first to finish and made a few notes on a legal pad. Matt and Roy finished at about the same time.
"Well, gentlemen, I'm not a doctor but I don't believe a head injury is likely to cause cardiac enzyme levels to be elevated." CJ tapped her pen on the table.
"And Amos didn't receive any drugs during or after his surgery that would cause that either, yet there they were." Matt looked at Roy.
"Oscar didn't receive anything like that either." Roy was angry. "What I don't understand is why this didn't trigger any alarms with the M.E.? Because they were all old?" He got up and stalked out onto the patio. Matt started after him.
"Let me talk to him." CJ walked past Matt and out onto the patio. Roy was leaning on the wall watching the traffic below. She put her arm around his shoulders and gave him a squeeze.
"It isn't right, CJ. You can't tell me that all of this could just be chalked up to being old." Roy was so mad he was shaking.
"I'm with you on this, Roy. And so is Matt. One hundred percent." She rubbed his back. He turned and gave her a tight hug.
"You know, if Matt hadn't wised up and told you that he was in love, I might have just swept you off your feet myself." He chuckled as he held CJ at arm's length.
"But I did so hands off pal. She's MY lady." Matt smiled as he walked out onto the patio with three shots of bourbon. "I propose we drink a toast to your friends, Uncle Roy. Then we take the night to think up a plan to vindicate them." All three raised their glasses in a toast and swallowed the shots of bourbon.