12
Back at the penthouse offices of Houston Investigations Matt stepped off the elevator, used the lock out option and went up the steps to the main part of the office locking the doors behind him. Hoyt was kicked back on the couch watching the feed from Party Central and looked back over his shoulder. "No excitement?"
"Nada." Glancing at his watch the PI thought about CJ and the kids. They would be landing within the hour.
"You know you could go home and spend some time with them." Michael had immediately known what he was thinking about.
"No. We need to get this bastard before he tries to kill somebody else." Cutting his eyes over to his friend he grinned. "Are you getting psychic in your old age?"
"Nope. Just know you." Both turned their attention back to the monitor. "And there he is. Looks like they're loading a truck." Ebner and the man that he had caught the ride from were loading folding chairs and some other equipment and then left.
Matt leaned forward and checked the tracking device on the box truck. "So let's see where they're headed." They were silent as the red dot flashed on the screen and moved south and then west. "He's on I-5." The dot continued moving west then onto I-10 and almost forty five minutes later stopped on Strathmore Drive. "It's a sorority house at UCLA." A worried look was exchanged. "Prime targets everywhere."
"Uh huh. Which one is it?"
"Sigma Rho Xi." The PI scratched at the whiskers on his face. "But…" He got up and began pacing around. "He's been killing at night. At least here. Don't know about back east."
"True." Both men looked toward the doors as the elevator chimed. "I believe your better half is here." He watched as Houston went up and over the couch reaching the doors just as CJ unlocked them.
"Hey…" He pulled her into a big hug. "I thought you were going to the ranch."
"I decided you might need some help." Pulling him down for a kiss, her arms arms tightened around his neck. The cop just shook his head, grinned, and went back to watching the monitors. In a minute the pair joined him on the couch. He noticed Matt seemed a lot happier than he had been just five minutes before.
"So you decided he needed more supervision, did you?" Michael grinned as she swatted at him.
"Well, since you can't seem to stay out of trouble either somebody had to keep an eye on y'all." She happily settled into Matt's arm and looked at the screen. "Who's at UCLA?"
"Ebner." Matt explained their surveillance efforts.
"You've been busy. So I guess about all we can do now is watch and wait."
"Pretty much." He pulled her closer, glad that she had come to the office.
"So glad you could make it." John Whitaker stood as Tamara Placer approached the table at the chic eatery not far from LAPD headquarters. As he helped her up to the table most of the nearby patrons were watching the pair.
With a fake smile plastered on her face the reporter spoke. "I certainly hope that you've come up with a solution to the problem."
"No." He saw the look of anger that momentarily flitted across her face before the smile automatically reattached itself. "I believe that it is going to take some help from you to get things straightened out. But since a certain person happens to be in town…" He stopped as the waiter approached. They ordered and sipped wine as both thought over the situation before he continued. "I wonder if his wife is with him? Or by chance maybe he's seeing someone? Maybe if we can cast more doubt on him it will take some of the heat off of me."
"Well, if you'll recall there's that little piece of paper that gets in my way here in California." She had thrown an absolute fit when Houston had gotten a restraining order against her that kept her away from his home, office, and at least fifty feet away from him anywhere else. It had taken her very high-priced lawyer to keep her from being jailed after she had violated the terms; Channel 12 had immediately terminated her contract.
"But I'm sure you have other ways. Maybe one of your co-workers could help out?"
Placer took a sip of wine and considered the idea. "I suppose it's possible." After a little more consideration, she began to smile. "Now that I think about it, I believe that I know just the person to use."
Back at Houston Investigations, CJ had convinced both men to try to catch a nap since it appeared that most likely Leon Ebner wouldn't be likely to strike until nightfall. Michael had decided to head home to grab a shower and the suggested rest before coming back in a few hours. Matt stretched out on the couch with his head in CJ's lap and was asleep within a couple of minutes. Although she had tried to wheedle out of him what had been going on that he wasn't telling her, he continued to deny that there were any problems. After the last few months she couldn't help but worry.
The afternoon passed slowly with Ebner and Rivera making another trip back to the sorority house, the second trip consisting of carnival concession equipment like cotton candy and popcorn machines. Out of curiosity she looked up Sigma Rho Xi's MugBook page and saw that they were going to take part in a fundraiser the following night on the UCLA Intramural Field. Entertainment would include carnival games, an auction, as well as clowns and face painting. Bet the creep is going to be performing.
Michael turned back up at 6:00 and had a seat on the couch where Houston was still zonked out. "At least he isn't snoring."
"Not now." CJ couldn't help but snicker. "Guess I better wake him up. I've got dinner on the way." She reached down and began to gently rub his cheek, a grin spreading across his face before he took her hand and pulled her down toward him even while his eyes were still closed. "Easy, Cowboy. We've got company."
"Well, hell." He opened his eyes and stared accusingly at the cop who broke into an easy laugh.
"You can get all lovey dovey after we catch Ebner."
The phone on the end table buzzed and CJ picked it up. "Hi, Eric….Uh huh, we're expecting them. Thanks." She hung up and prodded her husband. "Supper is on the way up if you'll go take care of the elevator."
He grunted as he got off the couch, smoothing the back of his hair down as he went toward the office doors. In a couple of minutes he was back carrying a large bag from Sabrina's and the three settled in on the couch to eat as they continued to watch the surveillance feed.
"I figured you boys have probably been eating nothing but fast food the last couple of days. So now you can eat some veggies. And of course there's cheesecake."
"Mmph." Matt tore into the chicken and dumplings that she had ordered for him as did Michael. All three kept an eye on the various tabs open on the monitor.
After polishing off his dinner plus dessert, the PI stood up and began pacing around. He would like to be able to plant some critters on the grounds of the sorority house but knew that security was pretty tight and anyone out of the usual would attract unwanted attention. They had eyes on Leon Ebner about as good as they possibly could and now with CJ helping there were four of them involved. With the tracking device on the truck from Party Central they would hopefully be able to keep anyone else from becoming his victim. He was brought out of his thoughts as CJ took him by the hand and urged him out onto the patio.
"So…" She had a huge smile on her face. "I took the test this morning…"
"Uh huh. And?"
"You're going to be a daddy again."
He pulled her to him, wrapping his arms tightly around her. "I love you, Babe." They shared a kiss.
"Think you can make a prediction?" She took his hand and placed it on her belly.
As Michael watched the pair from inside a smile covered his face. So there's going to be another one. Good.
Matt closed his eyes as he concentrated. CJ stood holding her breath. He had been right each time she had been pregnant. She had no doubt he would be again. A surprised look covered his face.
"What?"
He shook his head slightly and got a more serious look before a shocked expression surfaced. "Oh, my Lord."
"What?"
"Oh, boy."
"What?!"
"You aren't going to believe this." He started laughing as she reached over and smacked him on the arm. "Babe, there's two of 'em in there."
"No."
"Yup. Not sure what, though."
"Twins...again?"
"Yup." He pulled her in close, brushing her cheek with his thumb. "Think you can handle it again?"
"I can. But I wonder about Sheila?" Both started laughing.
"She might demand combat pay." They looked up as Hoyt came out to the patio.
"Well - what is it? I know there's a bun in the oven."
"No - there isn't." CJ grinned as did her husband.
"Bull. I saw..."
"Might want to have a seat, pard. There's two of 'em in there."
"Oh, dear sweet Lord!" He sagged against the doorframe as the pair began laughing. "Sheila is going to kill you two." Shaking his head he went back into the office and had a seat on the couch going back to watching the monitor but glancing up to see the pair sharing a kiss. "Lord, have mercy on the universe. Maybe it's girls. That wouldn't be so bad."
