C.J. had to put her head down so she could concentrate on breathing for a minute, she was laughing so hard she was almost crying. Just looking at Matt slowly picking himself up off the mat by the mechanical bull, and rubbing his, well you know…which looked almost as wounded as his pride. He walked gingerly back to their table. "C.J. why didn't you tell me that thing could go that fast?"
"Well Houston, I thought for sure after you tamed Gutbuster, this little mechanical thing was no match for you." C.J. came back with and they both broke into laughter.
"Yeah, well, clearly I've lost a step or I'm just getting old. I'm not sure which is worse." Matt said as he reached for his beer. "I am having fun though, I don't think I've laughed so hard and felt so sore at the same time in a while."
C.J. took another drink of her own beer, "Me neither and the barbeque isn't that bad." As soon as she said that she caught the expression on Matt's face and recovered quickly, "Now I know its not real Texas barbeque, but in a pinch I think its just fine. I mean only you can make the real deal in California, I know that." She made a cross my heart gesture and that got another one of those smiles from him that made her suck her breath for a second.
"Ok, so now that I've proven I can withstand pain a lot better than I can withstand the bucking of that bull, what's next?" Matt asked.
"Well, I was thinking we could have a few more beers and maybe head home for the night. Its already midnight, oh, now I'm the one sounding old." She laughed right along with him again.
Matt looked back over in the corner where two new undercover officers were watching C.J. now. "Ok, well, how about I let your bodyguards over there drive us home." He said as he tucked a lose strand of hair out of her face and behind her ear. She loved it when he did that, and his eyes, she could lost in them forever.
"Ok….listen Houston….I had a really great time tonight. I wanted to forget about everything for one night and I thought you needed to do the same. But tomorrow, we need to talk ok? After I get back from the courthouse," she said softly as she put her hand on his cheek this time.
Matt took her hand and looked right in her eyes and told her, "you know if you want me to be there, I can be. Even if they don't let me inside, I want you to know I'm here for you, whatever you need." Then he squeezed her hand and they walked out together.
Later that night, she still found sleep alluding her. She knew Matt needed to recover from losing Elizabeth. He just seemed to be taking her leaving way too well. Maybe there was something she didn't know? She doubted that because they always shared everything…wait…well almost everything. She still hadn't told him all about Robert yet. That would surely come out in the morning, and she would have to relive it again. That was on her mind as she took one last drink of brandy for the night, just to forget and maybe help her sleep.
Robert had been busy himself on this night. He waited until Ms. Mason finally made her way home. The quiet of the darkness almost intoxicated him as he imagined instead it was one C.J. Parsons fumbling with keys to open the front door. He had everything he needed and was already set up for her arrival. The door opened and she reached for the light switch, but the light didn't come on.
"What the…." Martha Mason said as she flipped the switch on and off and on and off to no avail. So she continued in, closed the door and that's when Robert lunged at her, pinning her to the door with his hand over her mouth, in his other hand, a knife.
"Make one sound Ms. Mason and it will be you last" Robert hissed and then he threw her on her dining room table, which collapsed under her.
She was shaken up but tried to scream when Robert got on top of her pulling the rope hard around her head around her mouth so she couldn't scream. Then he tied her wrists together and then punched her hard in the face. That knocked her out and as she lay there he ran his hand across her face, where he had just left that nasty bruise, "Oh yes, C.J. you will feel exactly the same, won't you". He then tore off her clothes, brought her to and then raped her. The rush of adrenalin that ran through him as he did that made him want to do it again, and he did. After as this woman Robert had never even met until tonight shivered in fear and pain, he leaned over and told her he had a message. "Mr. Zoyer misses you."
Her eyes widened out of whatever shock she had been in, but it didn't matter. Robert took his bat and began beating her with it. Zoyer had said he wanted one major bruise for every month he had sat in that jail cell. After she had betrayed him two years ago when they were sleeping together and he accidently let it slip in a heated moment what his plans were to make money on that real estate deal that she then took to the feds. No, Zoyer had waited for this, and no one could suspect him, after all, he was in maximum security. After leaving a sufficient number of bruises, he took out the knife and stabbed her exactly twice, as instructed, before finally delivering the death blow, a rope around her neck that he used to literally squeeze the life out of her. With her death Robert sat up, gathered his things, the gloves, the condoms and the rest of his equipment, wiped everything down he touched the way he was told to and blew Ms. Mason one final kiss goodbye, feeling confident now, he was ready for C.J.
The rain was really coming down this morning. C.J. parked as close as she could to the courthouse, but she still got partially drenched as made her way to the door. She found Hoyt soon enough and before she knew it they were before the judge. Robert wasn't there but 3 of the top lawyers in civil rights and constitutional law were there along with the D.A. Judge Harmago didn't appear to be in a very pleasant mood either.
He walked in, a rather large man in his judge's robe and sat down behind his desk. "Ok, I've read the motions and am ready to hear arguments, but please, I'm a busy man. Let's cut to the chase. No undo rhetoric, ok?"
The 3 defense attorneys almost spoke on top of each other. "Your Honor, our client's civil rights were clearly violated. It's a textbook example of Entrapment. On top of that, our client was video recorded without his consent or even knowledge. Given this blatant attempt to circumvent the U.S. Constitution by Ms. Parsons and Lt. Hoyt, and the willingness to overlook such offenses by the D. A.'s office, we respectfully request that the entire case and all subsequent evidence discovered as a result of such actions be completely thrown out by this court and any changes against our client dismissed."
A second attorney went further, "We also wish to advise the court to reprimand the D.A. working in this case, but most especially Ms. Parsons, as she, acting as an officer of the court, knowing beyond what an ordinary citizen would know about the law, did intend to violate the civil rights of another citizen, that being her ex fiancé Robert Tyler the defendant. We feel she should be permanently disbarred. Given the severity of her actions and the fact that future citizens…." The judge stopped him right there.
"I said arguments, not rhetoric…Ms. Parsons, do you have anything to say on your own behalf." The judge then motioned to her and looked at the other three, basically letting them know whose turn to talk it was.
"Yes, your honor. While it is true I was in a relationship with this particular defendant at the time of the incident, if anything that would have convinced me to try to keep him out of such potentially liable behavior. We were still seeing each other at the time of the arrest. I merely gave him information on the location of a woman he supposedly helped rescue 10 years ago in Pennsylvania after being kidnapped." She tried to explain but got interrupted by Defense attorney 1.
"But you knew your partner, Mr. Matt Houston, P.I. would be waiting at the exact location you have my client." He almost shouted out.
Judge Harmago banged his gavel again, "Let her finish! Or I will throw you out, I think Mr. Tyler can represented by only one attorney, don't you? And I think I can ask these questions myself?" Turning back to C.J. he said, "Go on, but please do address the question as I was wondering myself."
C.J. regained her composure, "Yes your Honor. I was aware that Lt. Hoyt had agreed to allow Mr. Houston and his uncle Roy Houston to use said hotel room to see if Mr. Tyler would arrive. It does appear however, that these three attorneys are assuming that I wanted Rob…..Mr. Tyler to threaten the woman that was the subject of operation. I was in fact dressed to resemble that woman, and I can assure you, I did not want my own life in jeopardy. Unfortunately that was not what happened, Mr. Tyler presented a loaded weapon, one for which he did not have a license or permit for. Any officer, should he have seen Mr. Tyler that afternoon would have discovered that weapon themselves. At that point Mr. Tyler had already broken the law. On top of all that, Lt. Hoyt we believe had enough evidence on Mr. Tyler that a judge would have issued a search warrant anyway. We humbly ask that you review the evidence collected prior to the taped confession before you make a final decision."
Judge Harmago spoke up, "Lt. Hoyt, do you have such evidence that you can present to this court today?"
Hoyt spoke up, "Yes I do your Honor and I would like to make one further request. We would ask the court to hold Mr. Tyler in custody until this all cleared up."
At that point the 3 attorneys in unison objected shouting out, "He's already had his rights violated" and "he's the real victim here" and so on. The judge just began hitting his gavel.
"Hold it! Now Lt. Hoyt, on what grounds do you make this request?" he asked.
Hoyt cleared his throat and the D.A. at this point spoke up, "On the grounds that we believe Mr. Tyler intends to commit two major felonies while he is out, both directed against Ms. Parsons."
Harmago needed clarification, "What felonies exactly and what causes the D.A. to think this?"
Hoyt then spoke up himself after seeing C.J. standing there looking down at the floor not really wanting to relive this, "Rape and murder your Honor. We found a journal…"
Attorney 2 interrupted "a journal found as a result of a faulty search and seizure."
The gavel again…Harmago had just about enough…"So you are saying, Lt. Hoyt that you found a journal that indicated Mr. Tyler planned to commit these crimes against Ms. Parsons." Hoyt nodded, "Given the nature of the discovery of this journal I can't grant an arrest warrant, but I can issue a restraining order against Mr. Tyler. If he doesn't plan to harass or harm Ms. Parsons, then he shouldn't feel it's a violation of his civil rights." At that point the judge looked straight at the 3 lawyers for the defense. "I trust you will thoroughly explain to Mr. Tyler how serious I am about this TRO. He violates it once, he goes back in, are we clear? I'll rule on the admissibility of the evidence next week and determine if there was enough for me to grant a warrant. Adjourned."
The three attorneys nodded and all left the judge's chambers. C.J. walked out with Hoyt right behind her saying something when they saw Matt.
He looked at the three defense attorneys up and down and then walked over to C.J. and Hoyt. "So I gather Robert gets to stay out a little while longer."
C.J. and Hoyt just looked at each other and then she spoke up, "Yes, but only for the next week. I think we convinced the judge, we won a small victory." She said that trying to fake a small smile.
Matt's looked interested, "Oh and what was that?"
"We got the judge to issue a TRO, which means if he comes within 15ft of her, you let us know Houston, and by us I mean the police. He'll go straight to jail if he violates that, the judge was very clear on that." Hoyt explained.
"A piece of paper? You really that will stop him from coming after her?" Matt said, concern all over his face.
Hoyt knew this was coming, but hoped Houston would see reason, "Look I know, but its what we have."
"And I'm losing my babysitters right Hoyt?" C.J. asked looking down at the floor at her shoes.
Hoyt sighed, "Yes, I can't justify the expense now. But I have a feeling Houston isn't going to let you just run around now is he? Look, I've got to go, the office probably already has 20 messages on my desk needing my immediate attention. Catch you later." With that he left.
Matt just looked at C.J., knowing what he did now, his heart just broke again for her. "Come here" he said as he took her in his arms. He rubbed her back for a minute and then finally pulled away. He thought the case might distract her for a while so he brought that up. "One of us needs to go see Judge Newman to try to get some info out of him."
"I don't think I want to see another judge right now, how about I go see Ms. Mason? That should be an easy enough interview." C.J. said hoping Matt would be ok with that. She just wanted to get away from the courthouse right now and she remembered what Seth told her.
Matt looked at her and saw the weariness in her eyes. Maybe getting out and doing this one interview would be good for her. She could get away from the office, where Tyler was lurking around somewhere close, he just knew it, and it didn't involve being in the courthouse for now. "Ok, but be careful. I'll send some security men to catch up with you at her house."
He hugged her one more time and kissed her softly on the lips, she caught her breath. She shouldn't let herself get wrapped up in this although, it was incredibly nice. "Ok, I'll see you back at the office when I'm done." Then she stopped herself and looked him and said, "Interview him here, in the courthouse."
"Why?" Matt looked back at her puzzled.
She had to think of a reason fast, "Judges don't like being interrupted during the day and interrogated by P.I.s, trust me, it will go better if you stay here." Hoping he would buy that.
They parted ways, she ran back out to her car hoping to avoid getting drenched any more than she already was and he headed back in to find this Judge Newman. His interview would be ordinary, hers wouldn't.
