Another chapter up, thanks for reading and the feedback!

C.J. just looked at Hoyt, her arms folded.

"Just tell me if this is good or bad news," she said, "because as I recall, I walked away from this after you told me you'd handle it."

Hoyt put a hand up.

"Rodrigo's still behind bars," he said, "but during the interrogation, he demanded to speak with an attorney."

"At what part," she said, "When you asked him for his social security number?"

"No we got that," he said, "but he cooperated until we asked him if he was working alone."

C.J. frowned.

"That's right, he mentioned a woman," she said, "but he never said who it was because at that point, the police swooped in to handcuff him."

Hoyt sighed as the elevator arrived and they walked inside it.

"They couldn't get anything out of him about that," he said, "because he just clamped up and demanded a lawyer."

"Did he make his call," Matt asked.

"Yes he did," Hoyt said, "but we didn't bug the phone."

"He probably called someone to get his attorney for him," C.J. surmised, "So he'll probably be lawyered up within the hour."

They all exited on the penthouse suite and were soon surrounded by the pack of secretaries. Matt had to sign some documents to clear a path through to the lounge.

Matt went to fix himself a Scotch because it had been that type of day. He asked Hoyt if he wanted one and Hoyt said he'd stick to coffee. C.J. poured herself some juice and they all sat in the lounge.

"That's not why I came here," he said, "to tell you that Rodrigo refused to talk."

Matt rubbed his forehead.

"So why then did you Hoyt?"

Hoyt paused.

"Because there are ties between Rodrigo and a well known mystery writer that we've uncovered."

C.J. nodded.

"You mean Courtney," she said, "Yeah she dropped by Houston's beach house the other night to tell us what she thought of Rodrigo."

"They worked together," Hoyt said, "something to do with her latest novel."

"I think she considers him her muse or something," C.J. said, "I always thought she was a little imbalanced."

"What do you mean?"

"Just that she got a little too much into her work," C.J. said, "like maybe she confused her mystery plots with reality."

"A common hazard of writing fiction."

"That might be," Matt said, "but if she had a plot inside her mind and then tried to bring attributes of it into the real world, then maybe she recruited Rodrigo to do that."

C.J. didn't like the idea of that. She didn't know how to reconcile that with Rodrigo's plan to spike her drink just to loosen her up, to bring the hidden passion out of her as he called it. But what if it hadn't been his idea? No, that would just be too crazy.

"I don't know Houston," she said, "That seems a bit farfetched even for Courtney."

Matt sighed.

"He also had ties to Serena Gambicci," he said, "She took private dancing lessons from him."

"You mean the daughter of the dead billionaire," he said, "the guy who blew himself up while christening a ship."

"The same one," Matt said, "She's been dropping by the office a lot lately asking me a favor."

"What kind of favor?"

Matt and C.J. exchanged looks and Hoyt sighed.

"Maybe it's better if you don't tell me."

"Much better," C.J. agreed.

Hoyt sipped his coffee.

"I might have to call her in for questioning," he said, "Do you have a way to get in touch with her?"

"I try not to remember," Matt said, "but I think the receptionist has contact information for her."

"Any other suspects I should know about?"

C.J. shook her head.

"This woman, she could be anyone out there."

Hoyt nodded.

"Possibly," he said, "But we've got to start with what we know and move outward from there."

C.J. heard her phone ring and looked at it.

"Excuse me for a moment," she said, walking into her office.

Both men watched her go.

"How's she doing," Hoyt asked, "She looks a lot better than she did in the hospital."

"Her doctor said her tests were much better," Matt said, "She's recovering quite well but it was quite a shock to her system."

"A shock to you too I gather."

Matt looked at him.

"I thought for a couple of moments there I might lose her."

"Well you didn't," he said, "She's a tough woman, too tough to let what happened keep her down for long."

"Well I'm making sure she doesn't push herself too hard just yet."

Hoyt chuckled.

"Does she let you do that?"

"Not easily, but I think it threw her through a loop too."

The lieutenant sighed.

"That drug was pretty potent and there's no way to know for sure how much she got."

Matt sipped his Scotch.

"Nearly enough to kill her," he said, "Another couple of minutes…"

"Don't think about it or it will drive you crazy."

Matt fiddled with his glass.

"She's so much a part of my life, I can't imagine her not being there," he said, "and then almost having to face that, to even think about it."

"She's been your close friend since childhood Houston," Hoyt reasoned, "It's perfectly natural to feel that way but she's still here and you need to be thankful for that."

"Oh I am," Matt said, "Make no mistake about that."

C.J. sat in her chair at her desk.

"Elise, what's going on," she said.

"I heard the police arrested Rodrigo."

Man that was certainly quick. The media must have picked it up right away.

"I know, I helped them do it."

"So you were the woman who stung him at the Zen Gardens," Elise said, "I didn't know that place was so hopping with action and intrigue."

"The patio is as good a spot as any to set up a bust," C.J. reasoned, "Plenty of plants for the cops to take cover."

Elise sighed.

"Why did you do something so dangerous," she asked.

"The police were right there," C.J. said, "They were ready to move in if they saw trouble."

"How did Matt take it?"

C.J. paused.

"Well for some reason he chose to meet with a new client in the same restaurant," she said, "So we kind of bumped into each other."

"That must have gone well."

"No, he wasn't happy about what I had done," she said, "but I let him know that it was something I just had to do."

"He's just concerned about you," Elise said, "and you gave him another reason to be."

C.J. leaned back in her chair.

"Why are you giving me such a hard time over this," she asked, "It's over now, Rodrigo's in jail and the police are trying to find his accomplice."

"He had an accomplice?"

"He did mention something about a woman."

"Did she have a name?"

"No…and the police came in then and took him away."

Elise sighed.

"Well that's a relief," she said, "That it didn't end tragically with you getting shot or something."

"Been there, done that a few times and I'm still here."

"I don't think you should press your luck."

C.J. felt exasperation fill her. Yes, she knew that Elise was just a concerned friend but really, she could take care of herself and if anyone tried to mess with her like Rodrigo, they would soon find out they picked on the wrong woman. She knew that about herself but others including Matt just had a hard time accepting it.

"Well Houston's gotten over it," she said, "We had a nice conversation about artificial insemination."

That caused Elise to gasp.

"Artificial…what…you mean when you go to a sperm bank?"

"Something like that," she said, "It has to do with a case we're working on."

"Phew, you had me scared there girlfriend," Elise said, "If you're ever going to do something so crazy, you'd better tell me first."

"Funny, that's what Houston said."

"Smart man," Elise said, "though I suspect his reasons are somewhat different than mine."

C.J. picked up a tone in her friend's voice.

"Meaning…"

"I'm a woman and he's a…man."

C.J. harrumphed.

"I know the difference," she said, "He just said it out of concern for me."

"Uh huh," Elise said, "I would say it out of concern as a fellow member of the sisterhood of single women, but he's coming from a much different place."

"Like where?"

Elise chuckled.

"Did you cheat your way through law school because I don't know what happened to your brain?"

"Elise…"

"Did it ever occur to you that Matt said that because he wants you to come to him before anyone else for what do they call it, a…donation?"

C.J. couldn't believe the words that had just come out of her friend's mouth.

"Elise, you really are crazy," she said, "He meant no such thing."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes I am," C.J. said, "I think I know my own best friend."

"If you say so…"

"Besides, he refused to submit a sample just today," she said, "and before you read too much into that, it was part of the case."

"Must be something crazy if submitting a sample is a condition of it," Elise said, "You do have a crazy career going there."

"Yeah this case has definitely been out of the ordinary," C.J. said, "but I'm doing it for a friend."

"Well then it's okay," Elise said, "A bit strange of course but okay."

C.J. sighed not wanting to have to explain it to her friend.

"So you got your dress for the Medallion Ball," she asked, moving on to a safer topic.

"Yep, I picked one up at that nice place on Rodeo Drive," she said, "I know it's splurging but it's a great occasion and it's for charity."

"I didn't get mine on Rodeo," C.J. said, "Just a small boutique, and I'm having it adjusted."

"You still going stag with me?"

"Of course," C.J. said, "It's getting too late to find a date anyway."

"You could go with Matt…"

"He's got a Rolodex of women in his office and more exes showing up this week, must be something in the water."

C.J. heard someone knocking on her door and looked up to see Matt.

"Elise, I'd better run," she said, "I promised Houston some reviewed and signed documents today."

She clicked off the phone and looked up at him.

"I'm sorry; I just got started on them."

He walked in and sat down in a chair.

"Don't you worry about them," he said, "You're still supposed to be resting."

"Houston, I'm fine," she said, "Much better. Even the doctor said so."

"I still don't want you working too hard."

She just shook her head.

"Houston I'm sitting at a desk reviewing merger documents, not out there running a marathon."

He smiled.

"That's a relief," he said, "But you still need to take it easy."

"I'm fine, really," she said, "In fact I'm going home tonight so you can have your own home back."

"I've enjoyed having you there."

"I know and it's been great," she said, "but I'm a grown woman who will do just fine on her own."

Matt knew that but he really had enjoyed the company. It was so great to kick back with his best friend and just have a good time. He hadn't missed not hitting a party every other night and was in no hurry to get back on that schedule.

"I can see that," he said, "and I'm sorry for any fuss I gave you about working with the cops."

"It's okay…I worry about you too when you do something risky."

He sighed.

"It just scared me when I saw you lying in that bad with all that equipment keeping you alive," he said, "I know we've both been down that road before too many times but each time…"

"It's still the same," she said, "I know, it's nothing anything you ever get used to, Houston."

Matt thought about that as he drove back to the beach house, his spirits dimmed because he would be back in an empty house. C.J. had mended enough to go back home and resume her life. That relieved him in a sense because she hadn't developed any fear of where she had taken her life particularly in the months when they hadn't seen much of each other. But it troubled him, her comments about having a baby through artificial fathered by some guy she never met except for the file she might read on him. Of course, she had only said that would be her backup plan if she never met the right guy. Who would be…

He got off of Sunset and grabbed the street heading to Malibu. He thought about calling C.J. to make sure she got home safely but wisely decided against it. She might accuse him of overstepping his boundaries again, about worrying when he had no cause to do so. He had always known her to be fiercely independent.

He loved that quality in her even when it frustrated him like now when he just wanted to make sure she was doing okay.

Last night, they had picnicked on the beach, spread out blankets on the packed sand, eating whatever they could fix up between them, beneath the stars. The crashing waves in the distance added to the atmosphere and relaxed them both as they talked about their experiences since they had moved to L.A. Reminiscing about the past, as they contemplated the future.

She looked beautiful with her wavy hair and her eyes sparkling as she laughed at his attempts at humor to lighten some of what he shared. Life hadn't always been breezy or generous and both of them had survived some formidable obstacles to get where they were now. Hopefully, now that Rodrigo had been taken off the streets, life would be better for her.

He had watched her laugh at their conversation and after they ate, they had kicked off their shoes and taken a walk on the beach, hands held together. And as they walked, he had thought about inviting her to go with him to the Medallion Ball. As far as he knew, she didn't have a date and neither did he so it would be perfect.

But wait, she would be going stag with Elise. She had assumed of course that he would just flip through this black book or Rolodex as she called it and pick out his date. So would the social columnists but as both of them stopped to look out at the last remnants of the sunset fading into purple, he realized he had found his date.

Still, she had really thrown him through a loop today. Sending his heart pounding with what she had done in the Zen Gardens and then their conversation on the drive back…

Now all he had to do was figure out how to convince her to go with him to the Medallion Ball.