Chapter 3---Here's the latest installment of my FF story from the past. I hope you enjoy it and thanks for the comments!
Elizabeth and Ginger parked their car and then walked into the art museum. They moved through the different rooms which housed the different exhibits from all over the world. Not surprisingly, Ginger hovered near the sculptures including a rendition of Michelangelo's David. Elizabeth just rolled her eyes at her friend.
Ginger posed next to "David" in a way that almost made Elizabeth pretend she didn't know her.
"Remind you of someone you know?"
Elizabeth just shook her head at her friend and stepped away.
"Get your mind out of the gutter," she said.
Ginger rolled her eyes.
"You're going to have to really work hard on the ground you lost with Matt."
They approached a life-sized sculpture of Alexander the Great's horse.
"He seemed receptive to what I said," Elizabeth said, "but then I started worrying about the danger he faces and it shows."
Ginger clucked her tongue.
"What am I always telling you," she said, "Well, you've got to find a different topic of discussion the next time you spend time with him so you don't go into a panic."
"I know," Elizabeth said, "I'm not going to mention his job, not once at dinner tonight. I know I can do it."
Her friend nodded approvingly.
"Just keep feeding him gentle reminders of how he fell in love with you in the first place," she advised, "and he'll be putty in your hands."
Elizabeth nodded.
In the distance, a man stood watching them as another one joined him.
"Are you ready to go," Matt said, poking his head in C.J.'s office.
She looked up from her computer.
"Is it time already," she said, stretching her arms.
"We'll run by the museum and meet them."
She pushed the files aside.
"I'm game," she said, "I want to take a look at the pre-Columbian art exhibit."
Matt looked at her.
"The one that Connie Ling acquired for them," he said, softly.
She nodded.
"She spent a year on the phone trying to get it," she said, "It's too bad she didn't live long enough to enjoy it."
She walked towards him and he put his arm around her shoulder as they left the office.
Ginger looked at the corridor and saw the two men standing next to each other. Elizabeth followed her line of vision.
"What are you looking at?"
"The two men standing near the hallway," Ginger said, "The tall one's quite an impressive physical specimen."
Elizabeth sighed and looked at her watch. She didn't think he was anything special although there was no accounting for Ginger's taste in men.
"Matt's supposed to be here pretty soon," she said.
"You know C.J.'s coming too."
"I know that and I don't have any problem," Elizabeth said, "I don't want Matt to think I'm insecure about his relationships with other women."
Ginger kept her eye on the two men while listening to her friend.
"Gotcha," she said, "I wish I had my binoculars."
"Why?"
That guy is positively magnetic," Ginger said, "He must not be from around here."
"Why don't you go and ask where he is from?"
"Maybe I will," Ginger said, sashaying away from her friend towards the men.
Matt wove his car through traffic to get to the art museum. But the evening commute was at its peak and the cars inched along down the street.
"At this rate, we'll make it just in time for happy hour," C.J. said, laughing.
He smiled.
"Feeling better?"
She looked at him.
"It was nothing Houston," she said, "I should be asking you that."
"C.J., I'm feeling much better," he said, "I just wish I had some lead on the shooter before he hurt someone else."
She sighed.
"Houston, I'm sure the police will find him," she said, "Jason and Hoyt are doing their best to find and bring him in."
He looked out the window not doubting that but feeling frustrated anyway.
"So your friend Gracie is coming down to check out our city," he said, changing the subject.
C.J. brightened.
"Yeah, she's flying in tomorrow," she said, "We were planning on having a girl's weekend. It's been a while since we've seen each other."
"That sounds…interesting," he said, "Don't you…girls usually talk about guys at these things?"
She chuckled.
"Sometimes…but we talk about other things."
He nodded.
"That sounds safe."
She ran her hand through her hair.
"Houston, I'm not going to kiss and tell…"
"Interesting choice of words," he said, "except it was more than that."
She threw him an irritated look.
"Did you happen to mention to Elizabeth about what happened in Tahiti?"
He didn't have to look at her to sense the anger as well as other emotions in her voice.
"No I didn't," he admitted, "but I've been thinking about it."
That shocked her.
"What…Why?"
He watched her carefully this time even though she tried to seem unfazed by his admission.
"I need to be honest with her," he said, "but I needed to be honest with myself first."
"Houston, she loves you," she said, "I think she wants to get your wedding back on track. Isn't that what you want?"
He sighed.
"When did I say that?"
"You don't have to," C.J. said, "She wouldn't be waiting for you at the museum if she didn't think she had another chance."
"She did ask me to think about getting back together," he admitted.
C.J. didn't look surprised, he noticed but he found it difficult to read her and wondered if that were deliberate on her part.
"I haven't given her an answer," he said, "in fact, we haven't really discussed it because we keep getting interrupted."
"You need to make time."
He raised his brows.
"Why is this matter so much to you?"
After looking at him, she shook her head.
"It's not my business Houston," C.J. said, "if you want to work it out with her, that's between the two of you."
"Then why are you pushing this," he said, as he turned down a tree-lined street.
"I'm not doing anything like that," she retorted, "You need to decide what you're going to do with your relationship or you're going to regret it. I know you. If you don't make your decision, you'll always wonder about what could have been."
He sighed, thinking, I'm already doing that.
Ginger sidled up to the taller of the two men and flickered her eyelids. He turned to look at her, puzzled.
"May I help you with something Madam," he asked.
She smiled.
"You have manners and great looks," she murmured approvingly.
"Excuse me," the man said.
"Hans, she's probably just lost and looking for the information desk," the second man said, "It's down the next hallway in front of the Pop Art room."
"I'm not lost," Ginger said, "I just was looking at this breathtaking art on display here and then I saw someone that was its equal."
Hans looked more confused
"Madam, I'm sorry we are busy," he said.
Her smile dimmed.
"Busy doing what," she asked, "Are you artists?"
Hans looked at his partner and they both nodded.
"Yes indeed," Hans said, "Franz here prefers tapestries but I like sculptures myself."
She furrowed her brow.
"You seem to be favorable to Michelangelo?"
Hans nodded.
"He's a very talented artist," he said, "A man of his era, who took blocks of marble and dared the life force underneath to come through just using his fingertips and some tools of course."
"That's one way of putting it," Ginger said, nodding, "I would say that he captures the human body…form very exquisitely."
"Yeah well, Franz and I have work to do here," Hans said, "Nice talking to you, Madame."
She started to leave then turned around.
"Would you like to have drinks some time…"
"It's almost closing time," Matt said, looking at his watch as they parked near the museum.
"We'd better hurry then," C.J. said, leaving the car.
"C.J, you and I need to have a talk," he said.
She started walking faster.
"No we don't," she said.
He pulled her arm so she would turn around and face him.
"Yes we do."
"You decide how your relationship with Elizabeth is going to go and then we'll see what happens next," she said, as he opened the museum door for her.
She looked around, impressed.
"I haven't been in here since Connie died," she said, "They've really did a lot of renovation. A shame she couldn't see it."
"At least her killer was brought to justice," he said, "because you wouldn't stop until he was caught."
"Houston, I got shot by the Triad members," she said, "You did most of the work."
"You made it easier when you told me you were okay," he said, "I was really scared there for a while in that waiting room."
"I know the feeling," she said, "I feel that way when it happens to you like last night."
He didn't miss the sadness that flickered across her face. As they passed the Ming vase collection, he turned to look at her.
"C.J. I was fine last night," he said, "but I don't think you believe that and I don't know why."
She hesitated for a moment.
"I can't explain it," she said, "I don't know where to start and I don't think I should."
"Why not," he said, "What was so different about last night?"
She just looked at him, emotions mixed on her face and then they headed towards the sculpture room.
"C.J…"
Ginger and Elizabeth saw them and walked right on over. C.J. just sighed when she saw them, frustrated at the questions Matt had asked her. She welcomed the diversion.
"You finally got here," Ginger said, "We've walked past every exhibit in the entire museum."
Elizabeth smiled.
"We worked up quite an appetite," she said, "I'm ready to go."
"C.J. wanted to check out the pre-Columbian exhibit," Matt said, "then we'll head out to this barbecue place that just opened."
They began heading towards the hallway when Matt saw something suspicious about of the corner of his eye.
"C.J…look over there," he said.
She automatically looked over to where two gentlemen were fiddling with a glass case.
"Do they work here?"
"I don't think so."
Ginger checked them out.
"Oh they're just local artists," she said, "I spoke with then not too long ago."
"Then why are they fiddling with the security casing for that feline statue," Matt asked.
Elizabeth looked at him, seeing the glimmer in his eyes.
"Oh please Matt, don't tell me you're going to confront them."
C.J. scratched her head.
"Houston, be careful."
"I'm just going to ask them a few questions," he said, walking over to where they stood.
Ginger threw up her hands.
"Why doesn't he just call security?"
Elizabeth sighed.
"I don't know, Ginger," she said, "I hope he doesn't hurt himself again."
"He won't," C.J. said, and walked over to join him.
The two men looked up at them and stepped away from the case.
"Excuse me gentlemen," Matt said, "Do you need help with anything?"
"You don't work there," Hans said, "We're just checking out this statue a bit closer. It's no concern of yours."
"Is there any reason why it should be?"
The two men looked at each other.
"No…we're just curious about the inscription on the base," Hans said, "We want to get a closer look."
"I don't believe them Houston," C.J. said to Matt quietly.
He didn't either.
"Look, if you don't step away from the case right now, I'm going to call security," Matt said.
"You can't tell us what to do," Franz said.
Hans smiled at his partner.
"This gentleman is just overly concerned about this relic," he said, "but there's no reason to be."
Suddenly C.J. saw a flash of movement.
"Houston…"
Ginger and Elizabeth watched the proceedings from a distance.
"I guess Matt's putting some fear in the both of them," Ginger said.
"I don't even want to watch," Elizabeth said, turning away, "I just know something bad is going to happen."
"I think one of them's going to make a move on him," Ginger said, "but I'm still putting my money on Matt to stop them in their tracks."
"Your money," Elizabeth said, incredulously, "Just a while ago, you were flirting with them."
Ginger waved her hand.
"Oh that," she said, "Harmless fun."
Elizabeth rolled her eyes.
"Well this isn't harmless," she said, "These men could be armed just like the guy in the restaurant and Matt could wind up getting shot again or worse."
Matt saw it too and knocked the silver handgun out of Hans' hand before he could aim it at them. Hans reacted by knocking both C.J. and Matt to the ground and then running off with Franz just behind him.
"Omigod," Elizabeth cried, "They assaulted them."
"We'd better go help them," Ginger said, as they ran over to assist Matt and C.J.
C.J. felt like she had the wind knocked out of her but seemed all right otherwise. She felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Are you okay,"
She looked over to see Matt eying her anxiously. She nodded and he helped her to his feet.
"You'd better get after them," C.J. said and Matt took off in pursuit.
Ginger walked up to C.J. clucking her tongue.
"Why the hell did you tell him that," she said, "He just got stitched up last night after someone shot him."
C.J. sighed, wrapping her arms around herself, rubbing her arms with her hands. She had said a silent prayer for him like she always did but didn't feel like sharing that with a woman who was driving her crazy. So she kept her response simple.
"Ever try stopping him?"
Elizabeth just stood there, trying to hold onto her composure.
"If he gets hurt again, I don't know what I'm going to do."
"He won't," C.J. said, "He can handle these guys but I'm going to call security to pick them up."
Matt ran after Hans and Franz through the museum. When a security guard saw the pursuit, he yelled in surprise at them but when Matt yelled out what happened, he called for backup on his radio and joined in the chase. After a few seconds, Matt's side began to throb and he hoped his stitches would hold. Two more security guards joined them when they passed the basket weaving section.
At some point, Hans and Franz decided to split up and so several guards went after Franz who headed towards a staircase and Matt and the original guard focused their efforts on running down Hans who stayed several strides ahead of them and after they pursued him up a crowded escalator, he pulled ahead even further. Matt dug in deeper to make up the lost ground. Hans reached the outer doors and pushed them open.
The sunlight hit Matt in the face as he followed Hans out into the manicured gardens surrounding a collection of Rodin statues. Hans disappeared behind a row of hedges and Matt plowed through the rose garden to try to cut him off. He saw Hans sprint towards a high wall and ran faster until he reached him and grabbing him, tried to pull him down. Hans struggled and turning around, started throwing punches that Matt dodged.
Hans fell on the ground on top of Matt who along with the security guard tried to pin Hans down on the ground.
Several other security guards and C.J. came running out into the gardens.
"What about the other guy," Matt asked as he stood up and rubbed his jaw.
One of the guards shrugged.
"He might have gotten away."
C.J. rushed up to Matt.
"Are you okay," she said.
He nodded. She looked at him, almost afraid to ask.
"Your stitches?"
He checked his side.
"Still there."
Ginger and Elizabeth approached them and saw some security guards drag Hans away. Ginger shook her head.
"Who would have thought?"
C.J. rolled her eyes.
"Looks can be deceiving," she said, "I bet when they check out old Hans through Interpol, they'll find a record of unlawful art acquisitions a mile long."
"Meaning he stole them," Elizabeth said.
C.J. nodded.
"Houston and I did a couple cases involving stolen art," she said, "Most of the time it was a front for some other crime like smuggling."
"So Matt caught a bad guy then," Ginger said, "Good for him."
Elizabeth shook her head.
"They could have been very dangerous," she said, "What if he'd been hurt? He should have let the police handle it."
"He's just fine," C.J. said, "and the police will handle Hans and his partner if they find him."
She walked over to Matt when she saw their friend Lt. Hoyt enter the garden. Hoyt threw them a weary look.
"You again," he muttered, "Houston, when are you going to let us handle these crimes in progress?"
Matt looked over at Hans who stood between two LAPD officers handcuffed and not looking too happy.
"Hoyt, it happened right in front of me," he said, gesturing with his arms, "Did you expect me to ignore it?"
"Jason told me about what happened the other night and how you got shot up by a guy when you placed yourself in a dangerous situation where you didn't belong."
Matt narrowed his eyes.
"What, you expected me to just let a thug pull a gun on C.J. and get away with it?"
"You got shot for your efforts," Hoyt said, patiently, "and the perp did get away with it."
"So there's no word yet on who that person is or why he's brandishing guns at people in public place,," Matt said.
Hoyt frowned at him.
"No, not as of yet," he said, "and we tried every database there is out there."
"I know," Matt said, "C.J. and I tried Baby and came up with nothing."
"We'll find him Houston," Hoyt said, "We usually do. It just takes time and patience. You've got to let us do our job."
"Hoyt, we know that you're doing your best," C.J. said.
Hoyt looked at the both of them, totally nonplussed.
"Well thank you for the vote of confidence," he said, before walking away.
"Houston, why are you giving him such a hard time?"
Matt looked at an irritated C.J.
"Why do you say that," he asked, "I've just got a lot of questions and very few answers here."
She just shook her head at him.
"Come on," she said, "We'd better head out and get some dinner."
The barbecue restaurant which had just opened was as impressive as the reviews promised. The four of them picked out a booth in the corner near the bar and ordered their food.
Elizabeth looked around carefully before she had even taken a seat. Ginger saw her do it and patted her shoulder.
"Don't worry," she said, "It looks like we might be able to eat uninterrupted unless there's a bar fight that Matt has to break up."
"Relax ladies," Matt said, "I think we'll have a nice quiet dinner tonight."
C.J. listened to him but wasn't sure. After all, she had thought the Karmic Garden had seemed like a nice, up-scale establishment and Matt had wound up bleeding on its floor. She sipped her iced sweet tea slowly.
"Matt, that was some great work you did," Ginger said, "dashing to the museum's rescue and you looked so sexy doing it."
C.J. looked up, wondering if she heard Ginger right while Elizabeth's face grew paler.
"Thank you…Ginger," Matt said, as their food arrived.
"Don't you agree, Elizabeth?"
Elizabeth looked up from her plate.
"What," she said, "Oh I think Matt was very brave but my heart was in my throat the entire time."
Matt looked at C.J. who had started eating as if she weren't paying attention.
"Do you have anything to say?"
"I'm glad you caught the guy," she said, "and I'm glad that you're okay."
Ginger snorted.
"I think this calls for a toast," she said, "to our great and very sexy hero in the flesh."
She raised her glass. The others just looked at her.
"Ginger," Matt said, "I just did what any other person would do in that situation."
"Don't be modest Matt," Ginger chastised, "You went above and beyond what most men would do, and not many fill out a pair of jeans like you do."
Elizabeth flashed a look of annoyance at her friend.
"Come on Elizabeth, you know I'm right better than anyone here," Ginger said, and then flashed a look at C.J., "well almost anyone."
Elizabeth raised her hand.
"Ginger…"
The other woman spun her head around indignantly.
"What's your problem," she said, "I'm just complimenting your ex-fiancée, not making the moves on him. I would never do that."
Elizabeth sighed.
"I never said you would," she said giving Ginger a funny look, "but you're making him uncomfortable."
Ginger studied Matt and that made him uncomfortable.
"I'm just fine," he said, "It's all in a day's work."
"A very busy day," C.J. added.
He nodded.
"Most days are much slower paced. Spending hours in a cramped car doing stakeouts or spending a lot of time interviewing people for background checks."
Ginger chuckled.
"Oh Matt don't be so modest."
His brows rose.
"Really what I do isn't worth all that fuss," he said, "You should focus it on the real heroes out there."
"Oh I do," Ginger said, licking barbecue sauce off of her fingers, "but that doesn't mean I don't have anything left over for brave and modest men like you."
"Ginger, I think you've gotten your point across," Elizabeth said, "Can we just change subjects?"
"Okay, okay," she relented, "but that just leaves us with politics and religion."
C.J. found herself zoning out the conversation, feeling really tired. She leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes and suddenly found herself back there.
Matt held her close as they danced beneath the moonlight, just the two of them.
"You're a mighty fine dancer Ms Parsons," he said.
She smiled and looked up at him.
"I have a great partner," she said, "who knows all the right steps."
He kissed her forehead just below her hairline.
"How 'bout trying some new ones?"
She looked at him and he bent over to kiss her lips, pulling her even closer to him.
"How 'bout," she said, pulling even closer still while running her hands across his back.
C.J. blinked. She saw the other three looking at her. A wave of self-consciousness warmed her face.
"Did you fall asleep," Ginger said, folding her arms.
C.J. sat up suddenly.
"No…no," she said, "I just wanted to relax for a few moments."
Ginger looked skeptical.
"You definitely looked relaxed for sure."
C.J. flashed her a look.
"Well, I was relaxed," she said, "Past tense."
"C.J.," Matt said, "I really think you need to take a couple of days off."
She crossed her arms.
"I told you," she said, "I'm feeling perfectly fine. Just a little tired, that's all."
He looked doubtful.
"Are you sure?"
Her cheeks started to flush.
"I'm sure," she said, "Although Gracie's coming in tomorrow so maybe it's a good time to take a holiday."
"Who's Gracie," Ginger asked.
"A good friend from college," C.J. answered, "She's from the Bay Area and wants to see how the other half lives."
"I could show her how to paint the town red," Ginger offered.
"No thanks," C.J. said, "We're going to spend most of our time unwinding from our lives and catching up."
"That sounds pretty nice," Elizabeth said approvingly.
"Sounds boring," Ginger sniffed.
"Well take as much time off as you need C.J.," Matt said, "You've been working very hard."
"Yes I have," she said, "and a few days away from that rat race will be nice."
And it was indeed nice, C.J. thought as she lay on the beach near Malibu eating chips and drinking Iced tea, while Gracie told her about life in the Bay Area. Okay, it wasn't Tahiti but it was a lot less complicated, the afternoon was beautiful and her friend was great company.
"So I've talked enough about myself," Gracie said, "What about you?"
C.J. paused.
"There's not much to say," she said, "I've been working a lot since we got back from vacation. Traveling a lot."
"You look tired," Gracie noted.
C.J. nodded.
"It's this non-stop grind," she said, "Getting on and off air planes in different cities and rushing off to do depositions which sometimes are enough to put me to sleep."
Gracie lay back on her towel.
"So how was Tahiti?"
She thought about it, trying to figure out how to put it into words.
"That good," Gracie said, dryly.
C.J. shook her head.
"No, it was a lot of fun," she said, "It's one of my favorite vacation places. It's just that this trip was… different."
"How so?"
"You know Houston's my best friend, right?"
Gracie nodded.
"Yeah and he's been so for years," she said, "He invited you on this trip. It was supposed to be his honeymoon with his fiancée but they broke up."
"He invited me, I went and we had a great time," C.J. said, "A really great time."
Gracie looked at her carefully as C.J. picked up her tea and sipped it.
"Did you…you know…"
C.J. looked away for a moment.
"Not in the beginning, but on one of the last nights, we went out to dinner and dressed up to go to this really nice restaurant… We had a great time like we usually do and we went out dancing afterward and then after that, we did some dancing on the beach…Alone."
Gracie smiled.
"Which one of you made the first move?"
C.J. looked at her puzzled. Gracie snorted.
"You know what I'm talking about."
C.J. fidgeted with the strap on her swimsuit.
"He did when he kissed me," she said, "but I did later, when I took him to bed."
Gracie's eyes widened.
"Ohhhh…"
C.J. threw her a sharp look.
"He was perfectly willing," she said, "and we had a nice…couple of days…and nights."
Gracie chuckled.
"Time kind of stood still," she said, "Only two of you in the world…"
"Actually 'nice' might not be the right word for it," C.J. said, "It's hard to find the right word."
Gracie held her hand up.
"I get the picture," she said, "So you two get together at last…"
C.J. gave her another one of those looks. Gracie collapsed laughing.
"Come on, C.J., you knew this was going to happen someday, that you two were going to come to your senses and get it on."
"No I didn't…Well maybe," she said, sheepishly.
"So then what?"
C.J. furrowed her brow.
"I told him on the day we left to go home that I didn't want to ruin what we had together," she said, "Our friendship."
Gracie sat up suddenly.
"What?!"
The look on her friend's face made C.J. almost wish she hadn't told her.
"After all that, you let go of him," Gracie said, "I hope at least you let him down gently."
"Matt had just been jilted by his fiancée who he loved," C.J. said, "He still had to work through his feelings about that and…"
"You didn't want to be the woman that he worked through those feelings with," Gracie concluded, "before he moved on to someone else or back with her."
C.J. ran her hand through her hair.
"I might come out of it not just losing a lover but a friend," she said, "I didn't want to risk that."
"That's almost understandable," Gracie said, "except that you're not even sure he wants to move on to anyone else."
C.J. sighed.
"His former fiancée is back in town," she said, "and he told me she wants to get back together with him and get married as if nothing happened."
"And has he gotten back together with her and are they heading back towards the altar?"
C.J. shook her head.
"But he's reluctant to tell her that he's choosing to move on," C.J. said, "I think he's not clear on that part himself."
"Maybe he's just trying to find the right way to do it to spare her feelings."
"Maybe," C.J. said, "but even so, that doesn't mean there's a future for us."
"You won't know until you talk to him," Gracie said.
"I'm not even sure what I want," C.J. said, "It's all gotten so complicated."
Gracie chuckled.
"You do know that's how relationships often are," she said.
"Of course," C.J. said, "But this is different…"
"Because it's your best friend," Gracie said, nodding, "That might make things better. I mean, come on he's a great looking guy who obviously thinks the world about you and if he lights your fire..."
"But…"
"No C.J., it's time you got your act together and went after what you really want."
Matt walked into the penthouse from the elevator and saw Roy reading the newspaper on the sofa. His uncle looked up at him and put the paper down.
"Matlock, what happened to you?"
Matt looked down at his mud splattered clothing.
"I was on a stakeout and got out of the car to get some burgers and someone drove too close to me while I passed a mud puddle."
"Just another day at the office," Roy quipped.
"Funny, real funny," Matt said, "Say, have you heard from our new client who owns the exotic animal collection?"
"Oh he called Chris this morning," Roy said, "I was going to meet with him this afternoon unless you want to handle it."
"I was thinking of going home and taking some work with me," Matt said.
"It's not the same without C.J.," Roy said, "I hope she's having fun visiting with her friend."
"Why wouldn't she," Matt asked.
Roy shrugged, noting the tone in his nephew's voice.
"No particular reason."
"Gracie's the perfect antidote for making sure that C.J. has a good time," Matt said, "She was quite the party girl in college."
"She seemed nice," Roy said.
Matt went to pour himself some scotch.
"She and C.J. were sorority sisters," she said, "She was out of state when that Laurel and Hardy pair were trying to kill C.J. and some of its other members so it's been years since I've seen her."
"Hopefully, she'll be just what C.J. needs to feel more rested," Roy said.
Chris walked over to them.
"What is it," Matt asked.
"It's Jason on line 2," she said, "I think he's got some news for you."
Matt shot a look at his uncle and went to pick up the phone.
"Hello, this is Matt."
"Jason," he said, "I just thought I'd call and tell you that we're still looking for the perp who shot you."
"That's reassuring," Matt said, "Any leads yet?"
"Nothing," Jason said, his voice steeped with frustration, "We're working our databases really hard but no go."
"Well, tell me if you do find anything out," Matt said, "I've come up dry on this end too."
"The purse snatcher you apprehended made bail and disappeared," Jason said, "and those art thieves are keeping mum until their high-priced well-suited attorneys show up. I'm thinking syndicate action here."
"Wouldn't surprise me," Matt said, "Maybe they're dealing with the black market."
"That statue they were after was worth some pretty pennies," Jason said, "But the museum put up more security in case there's a repeat visit."
Matt nodded.
"Thanks for the followup," he said, "I really appreciate it. I'll pass it on to C.J."
"How's she doing," Jason said, "She looked beat at the restaurant."
"She's out having fun with an old college friend," Matt said, "I gave her strict orders to relax and not think about work for a few days."
"Good luck," Jason said, "She loves her career too much to take it easy."
"Don't I know that," Matt said, as he hung up.
Roy looked at him thoughtfully.
"Go home and do some relaxing yourself," he said, "Chris and I will handle things here."
Ginger and Elizabeth sat at an outdoor table at a local restaurant.
"So what's your plan," Ginger asked, stirring her drink.
Elizabeth sat still for a moment.
"I don't know," she said, "I think he's really considering whether or not he wants to get back together. I should give him a little space."
"Nonsense," Ginger said, "You should strike while the iron's hot. After all, there are many other women out there who would like to sink their claws into him."
Including herself, she didn't add.
"I don't want to force the issue with him," Elizabeth said, "I'm still working hard on trying not to get upset every time he runs off into a dangerous situation."
Ginger shrugged.
"I think you're doing better in that area…in the past day or so."
"I think so," Elizabeth agreed, "but I need to spend more time convincing him that I'm willing to accept everything in his life including the dangerous side."
"You better get on it then," Ginger said, "Before your window of opportunity closes."
"I can't rush things," Elizabeth said, "I want to do this right."
"Then you better have a plan," Ginger said, "because a man like him won't sit around for very long waiting for you to come to your senses."
Matt parked his car and then walked into his beach house. He got a beer out of the refrigerator and went to sit on his deck with a stack of papers. He didn't like the administrative part of his business but it went by faster if he left his office and surrounded himself with the right environment. The ocean breeze rustled through the azalea bushes and odors of nearby barbecues wafted, attracting flocks of seagulls and he leaned back in his chair and got down to work.
He found his mind wandering as he went through each file and pushing his mind back towards his work proved difficult. A lot had changed in the past day or so, what with Elizabeth reappearing in his life with her vivacious sidekick, Ginger. Elizabeth, the woman that he had almost married but who had walked away from him now wanted him back. But did he want that?
On his wedding day, he did. He had woken up that morning, sure that by day's end, he and Elizabeth would be heading off on their honeymoon to Tahiti as man and wife. Instead, he had invited C.J. to fly out to the tropical island on his Lear Jet for a week at one of the most romantic spots on earth. And by week's end…
He shook that thought away and picked up another folder.
The doorbell rang and he got out of his chair to go answer it. He saw Ginger holding a bottle of wine.
"I hoped I would catch you here," she said, "Your uncle told me you'd taken the rest of the day off."
"I just brought some work home," he said, as she waltzed right in, "I'm catching up."
She looked him over from top to bottom.
"You should be relaxing," she said, "You just got shot two days ago and you've done nothing but run after bad guys since."
"I feel much better now," he said, "It's all part of the job."
"Oh don't be so modest," Ginger said, "You've done society a great service in the last couple of days taking some sociopaths off the street."
Matt smiled, looking at his drink.
"Elizabeth told me that you took a shine to one of those 'artists'"
Ginger sighed, putting the bottle of wine down on a table.
"I had no idea he was actually a master criminal."
"Actually, if he had been one, he never would have been caught," he said.
She tilted her head.
"Why do you under play the important work that you do?"
He studied her, knowing that she was making another play for him again. Well, maybe he'd play along for a while.
"Why do you make me into some kind of superhero," he asked, "I mean it's flattering and all but there are a lot of much braver people out there…"
"All you need is a cape," Ginger said, "and you'd be ready to go."
"I like what I do Ginger," Matt said, "I get paid good money to go out and make the world a slightly better and safer place for my clients and then I come home and I sleep well."
"Alone?"
He sipped his drink.
"That's really none of your business."
"Elizabeth really has a thing for you," Ginger said.
He put his drink down.
"I thought that you did," he said, "I mean that you've been flirting with me since you first came into my office two days ago."
She chuckled.
"Oh that was harmless fun."
He raised a brow.
"It wouldn't have been for my desk."
She smiled widely.
"I would have bought you a new one."
He looked at her for a long moment and she grew hopeful.
"You are a handful for someone," Matt said, finally, "but not for me. I like my women low maintenance."
Her smile fell off of her face but she covered it well.
"Oh, I can do that," she said, "I mean it's not exactly me but I could try."
He folded his arms.
"If you're such a close friend of Elizabeth, why are you making passes at me in the first place?"
Ginger plopped herself on his sofa.
"Because you and Elizabeth broke up," she said, "and you're so damn sexy, I'd be betraying my own better instincts if I didn't."
"Look, you're very beautiful and maybe if you caught me a few years ago, I'd be up to maintaining a more active social calendar but that's not who I am."
She purred up at him.
"You're not in a relationship right now are you?"
He picked up his drink again.
"Well no," he said, "but I'm trying to be fair and honest with Elizabeth about whether or not we have a future together and…"
Ginger sighed.
"I think we both know you don't," she said, "The only one who doesn't know it yet is her."
He narrowed his eyes.
"Why do you say that?"
She studied him more carefully than she chose her words.
"You've got your eyes on someone else."
That floored him.
"I don't think…"
Ginger got up again and started pacing.
"What I don't understand is why you're not together with her."
Now Matt was confused.
"Who are you talking about?"
She rolled her eyes at him.
"Your so-called business partner."
Her words stunned him and when she read his eyes, she had her answer.
"You and her got together in Tahiti, didn't you?"
He just stared at her.
"Now I know that you won't kiss and tell because you're a gentleman and all that," she continued.
"I try to be," he said, "and my private affairs are none of your business."
She nodded.
"I see, you've just answered my next question."
"Which is…"
She waved her hand at him.
"Never mind that," she said, "It doesn't matter because you're clearly not together now."
"No we're not," he said, finally, "So don't go running off to share your theories with her."
She went to the wet bar and poured herself a drink.
"Matt, I might be attracted to you," she said, "but I really do care about Elizabeth and I don't like you playing with her feelings."
He looked at his drink.
"I haven't been," he said, "I just don't want her to think that it's some shortcoming on her part that caused us to break up."
"That's sporting of you," she said, "She's built up her feelings to think that you're going to marry her and you'll both live happily ever after."
He looked at her pointedly.
"Without any help from you, of course."
"Matt, if I gave her any hope, it was because of the signals you were sending," she said, "You're the one who's going to have to decide what you really want and what you're going to do about it."
C.J. and Gracie walked away from the food stand with some fried fish and fries.
"This should hit the spot," C.J. said, "You can't live on salads all the time."
Gracie eyed the delicious food.
"I'll break my diet for once," she said, "Live a little."
"I can't believe I'm actually starving," C.J. said, "My appetite's been up and down the past couple of days."
Gracie took a careful look at her, as they sat down underneath their umbrellas.
"C.J…"
Her friend turned to look at her, mid-bite.
"What," she asked.
Gracie tried to find a way to broach a difficult subject.
"When you and Matt…you were using protection weren't you?"
C.J. looked at her surprised. Gracie never did beat around the bush.
"Well…of course," she said, "It might have been spontaneous but I would never go to bed with a man without making sure I was protected."
Gracie shrugged.
"Then it's probably nothing."
C.J. looked at her, sharply.
"Gracie…I'm not pregnant."
"I'm sure you're not C.J. but you've been tired and not eating well from what you've said."
"I'm just travel weary," C.J. said, "That doesn't make me pregnant."
"No, only a man can do that and you've been with one in the past two months."
C.J.'s face flushed. That was indeed true and it had been more than once but she had been very careful. No, she couldn't be pregnant. It just wasn't possible. After all, if she was, she'd just know, right?
"I can't be," she said, more softly.
Gracie rubbed her shoulder.
"You should take a test and find out," she said, "if only for your piece of mind."
C.J. nodded, still thinking it was impossible.
"I'll think about it."
Gracie furrowed her brow.
"Do you worry what his reaction would be if you were…"
"Pregnant," C.J. finished.
"Will do you?"
C.J. thought about it for quite a while and Gracie waited patiently.
"I don't know how he'd react. He'd be shocked," she said, "He's getting back together with his ex-fiancée. If I were…pregnant, that wouldn't fit in his life very well."
"You'd work it out I'm sure," Gracie said, "You're not the first couple to be in that situation."
"We're not even a couple," C.J. reminded her, "I'm not sure what we are now."
"You're best friends," Gracie said, "I know that. He would never let go of that easily. I remember what he used to be like in college."
"It would be a big upheaval to his life," C.J. said.
"He'd get over that fairly quickly," Gracie reasoned, "I think this is what he's always wanted."
C.J. nodded, slowly.
"He always did want a family being an only child," she said, "but not right now and he's planning his life with someone else."
"Maybe," Gracie said, "Maybe not."
C.J. shook her head.
"I don't know if I'm ready for this," she said, "It's such a responsibility."
"Don't put yourself in that situation until you've taken the test," Gracie said. "When you have the results, then you'll think about what to do."
Matt sat back on his deck, trying to get Ginger's visit out of his mind and back to his work. He listened to the surf moving up on the beach as the tides began to rise. The breeze had picked up a bit and Matt spent most of his time watching the sail boats glide across the water on their way to the horizon. He loved sailing but he knew he was benched until he got his stitches out.
Ginger's words had struck a nerve. He knew she had him pegged when it came to his feelings about her friend but what had really unnerved him was her comments about his relationship with C.J. He thought back to the conversation that they had before getting on the Lear Jet to go back to L.A. after their week spent on his honeymoon. He knew the moment she had gotten out of bed, the bed she had shared with him that she had begun to create some distance between them. He knew why she did it; he just didn't agree with their contention that what had happened between them jeopardized their long-standing friendship.
He had tried to convince her otherwise but the more he tried, the more steadfast she was in putting that wall between them. Everything still appeared to be the same between them but was it?
He sipped from his drink as he looked back at the beach, where people played volleyball on the sand and children ran around building sand castles and looking for shells.
His phone rang, interrupting his thoughts. He picked it up.
"Hello," he said.
"It's Elizabeth," the voice said.
"Well hi there," he said, "What can I do for you?"
She hesitated.
"Matt," she said, "I want to talk to you. Can we meet?"
He needed to talk to her too.
"Sure thing," he said, "Why don't you come out to Malibu? We can go for a walk on the beach and then head off to this great restaurant right on the edge of the sand. Great view of the ocean."
"I know the sunsets are beautiful Matt," she said, "Okay, I'll head right on over."
"I'll be waiting," Matt said, "I'm almost finished up here."
The truth was, he had never really gotten started with his workload but knew on a day like this, it would have to wait until his life settled down.
"See you later," she said, before hanging up.
Matt hung up too and looked thoughtfully at the phone. He knew he had to be honest with her but realized that would be impossible without hurting her. Still, her pain would only grow, the longer he waited to tell her it was time for both of them to move on.
Elizabeth got off the phone just as Ginger entered the hotel room.
"I'm going out on a nice walk on the beach with Matt and then we're going to dinner," she said, "You'll have to entertain yourself tonight."
"I think I'll manage," Ginger said, smiling.
"I think this might be it," Elizabeth said, "I think tonight we'll make some progress in getting back on track with our relationship and our wedding."
Ginger didn't feel too sure about that.
"What makes you think that," she proceeded cautiously,.
Elizabeth was too busy looking through her closet to notice her friend's tone.
"Well, there's nothing more romantic than a walk on the beach with the man I love," she said, "and that's kind of a sign don't you think?"
Ginger waffled.
"Maybe…but I'm not so sure about this."
Elizabeth frowned as she turned to look at her.
"What do you mean?"
Ginger took a deep breath.
"He had an affair with her," she said, slowly.
Elizabeth stopped mid-track.
"You mean, C.J.?"
Ginger looked away, nodding.
"It happened while they went off on what was supposed to be your honeymoon."
"Are you sure?"
"I asked him about it and he got really evasive," Ginger said, "told me it was none of my business."
Elizabeth harrumphed in relief.
"Oh that doesn't mean anything," she said, "Matt just doesn't like to talk much about his relationships with women, especially her."
Ginger sat on the bed.
"Well whatever they had changed," she said, "I know that they crossed that line past friendship."
Elizabeth shrugged.
"But you pointed out, they're not together right now," she said, "so I can forgive him for sleeping with her in Tahiti."
"I think she's the one who curtailed it," Ginger said, "not him."
Elizabeth waved her hand.
"He's said nothing about having a relationship with her now or then," she said, "so I think you're jumping to conclusions."
"I'm not," Ginger retorted, "Call it a gut feeling."
Elizabeth frowned.
"You don't have gut feelings."
"There's always a first time for everything."
Elizabeth smiled.
"I really believe it's me he wants," she said, "and tonight we'll be closer to getting back together. I just know it."
Ginger looked at her doubtfully but didn't say anything having run out of words.
C.J. just sat there soaking up what Gracie had said to her. She knew her friend had to be wrong about what might be causing her symptoms. She couldn't be…in fact, she couldn't even say it or think it. And she knew that Matt would have the same difficulty wrapping his head around it as well. One little test would clear all of this confusion up soon enough.
"You still can't grasp it," Gracie guessed.
C.J. looked at her.
"I'm on the Pill," she protested, "I can't get pregnant."
"No form of birth control is entirely fool-proof."
C.J. rolled her eyes.
"I know that," she said, and then her eyes grew serious, "I had a close call last year."
Gracie leaned up on her elbows, shielding her face from the setting sun.
"What do you mean," she said, "Don't tell me you were…"
C.J. shook her head.
"I thought I might be, right after I broke it off with Robert," she said.
"Loser boyfriend who turned out to be a murderer for ratings kind of guy," Gracie said.
That was one way of putting it, C.J. thought.
"I was…late and not feeling well and I thought I was pregnant," she said, "I never felt so alone in my life. I mean, they had just hauled him off to prison. Until Houston found out and helped me through it. Even took me to the doctor for a test."
"And it was negative," Gracie said, "what a relief that must have been."
"Of course it was," C.J. said, "but Houston offered to support whatever decision I made and help me in any way he could."
"He's a nice guy who cares about you," Gracie said, "Are you surprised?"
"I know he meant it," C.J. said, "And I know if the test is positive this time, he'll be there with me, but I don't want him to mess up his chance to be happy."
Gracie snorted, impatiently.
"Why do you assume that he would be unhappy?"
"I didn't say that," C.J. said.
"You won't know until you talk to him about it."
"There's nothing to talk about," C.J. said, "at least not yet."
Matt and Elizabeth walked on the beach, watching the people splashing in the waves and the surfers seeking out the perfect waves. The sun sat on the horizon, turning the sky a shade of different colors.
"It's beautiful Matt," Elizabeth said,
"That's why I moved out here," Matt said, "To be near the ocean."
"I can see why," she said, "It must be very soothing to hear the waves crash on shore at night and wake up to them in the morning."
"It can be," he said, watching her.
"I'm glad that we're spending time together," she said.
"You wanted to talk to me about something."
She smiled at him.
"I just wanted to tell you how much I appreciate you giving me a chance to spend some time with you," she said, "We've never really had a chance to talk after canceling the wedding."
He looked back out at the ocean.
"I thought we said everything we needed to say."
She stopped and looked at him.
"Not everything."
"Elizabeth…"
She put up her hand.
"I know this isn't what you expected," she said, "but I still love you and I want to marry you."
He ran his hand through his hair.
"What made you change your mind?"
Her face softened.
"When I was in Mexico, I did a lot of thinking while Ginger was out having fun," she said, "I couldn't enjoy myself after what I just done to you, to us."
He kept listening. He just couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"Elizabeth…"
She held up her hand.
"Just let me finish," she said, "I've wanted to come and tell you this for so long."
"Okay, I'm listening."
She took a deep breath before continuing.
"I sat on the balcony looking out into the ocean for hours, just thinking what I could have done differently. How I could have been different. The whole thing's my fault."
Matt sighed.
"Elizabeth, it's no one's fault," he said, "We're just two different people who are trying to hold onto who we are."
"We're not all that different Matt," she protested.
"Maybe," he conceded, "but you were right in that if we did get married, we might end up resenting each other."
She looked taken aback.
"Matt, I never meant it that way," she said, "I was feeling hurt and I was scared when that deranged man crashed our wedding."
"I know and I'm really sorry that happened," Matt said, "I had no idea Robert Tyler had plotted revenge from his prison cell."
She nodded.
"I know that," she said, "and I was way too harsh on you about circumstances of fate that you couldn't control and I'm sorry about that too."
"There's no need for that," he said, "If it hadn't happened that way, it would have been over something else and it probably would have hurt us much more down the road."
She waved her arms.
"Matt, you don't know that," she said, "We might have made it work."
He looked at her confused expression and a wave of sadness moved through him.
"I know we could have made it work," she continued, "We…I just didn't try hard enough."
He stepped closer to her.
"You can't blame yourself," he said, "We're not the same people."
"Oh Matt…"
"A lot's changed in the past two months," he said.
"My feelings haven't, Matt," she said, "I still love you."
Gracie got up and shook her beach towel.
"So why don't we head over to our old haunt?"
C.J. looked up at her.
"You mean that place on the beach," she said, "Their crab cakes aren't as good as those at the Cod but the salmon is great."
"You're so lucky to live where there's so much sun," Gracie said, with a sigh, "I left a fog bank up north."
"But San Francisco is so gorgeous," C.J. said, "It must be a great place to live."
Gracie studied her.
"You're not thinking about moving are you?"
C.J. looked surprised.
"No, not that my life hasn't gotten confusing enough but I think I'll stick it out down here."
Gracie chuckled.
"You'd never be able to leave Matt behind," she said, "You're too much of a team."
C.J. shook her head.
"He might be working out things with Elizabeth," she said, "and if that's true, then their wedding will be on track soon enough."
"You'll still work together."
"Maybe not through the agency," C.J. said, "He was willing to give up his career for her before their wedding. Maybe he's going to promise her he'll do that again."
Gracie shook her head.
"I can't see Matt doing that," she said, "It's too much of who he is. You and he built that agency from the ground up."
"I know," C.J. said, "but she's never going to accept the dangerous part of his life no matter what she says."
"And he can't shield her from them if he continues working as an investigator," Gracie finished.
C.J. nodded.
"She was very upset when Houston got shot the other night."
"You can't blame her," Gracie reasoned, "It must be pretty scary to have the man you love get shot."
C.J. ran her hand through her hair.
"Yeah…"
Gracie looked at her.
"C.J. what do you want?"
C.J. rubbed the bridge of her nose, thoughtfully while Gracie waited patiently. Finally, she looked up at her friend and smiled.
"I want to get my hands on some of that salmon."
Matt and Elizabeth sat in a corner booth and ordered from the menu.
"I heard the yellow tip is just marvelous," Elizabeth said, handing the waiter the menu.
"I'll take the swordfish," Matt said.
Elizabeth looked around the decorative setting.
"This place is so nice," she said, "It's got such atmosphere."
"We've been coming here since we moved out here," Matt said, sipping some beer.
Elizabeth's smile froze on her face as she reached for her wine glass.
"You mean you and C.J."
He looked up and nodded.
"We work together Elizabeth," he said, "and sometimes we play together."
"Meaning…"
"We share some of the same interests," Matt said, "We both like to fish."
Elizabeth stretched her arms out.
"Oh, that," she said, "That sounds harmless enough."
Matt narrowed his eyes a bit.
"Meaning…"
Elizabeth fiddled with her napkin.
"Matt…I know you and her are very close."
"We've always been close since we've known each other," Matt said, "She's my best friend, you know that."
Elizabeth nodded.
"Of course I do," she said, "It's just that Ginger said…"
His brows lifted at the memory.
"Ginger said what?"
Elizabeth looked at him uneasily.
"That you…she got together when you were on our honeymoon trip."
Matt's eyes widened a bit.
"Where did she get that idea," he asked.
Elizabeth shrugged.
"She just told me that you kind of implied that something had happened between the two of you."
Matt sipped his beer.
"Ginger did come to my place and try to grill me on my personal history."
The waiter brought some a wine bottle to the table and refilled Elizabeth's glass.
"Ginger's kind of inquisitive about the people she meets," Elizabeth said, "I'm sorry about that. I hope you told her it's none of her business."
Matt looked at his glass.
"I did," he said, "Not that that discouraged her."
"She did say that she didn't think you and C.J. were still together," Elizabeth said, "so it didn't work out then."
Matt just stared at her.
"Not that I'm interested in hearing all the details," Elizabeth said, "I don't really want to know."
"Elizabeth…"
She smiled.
"Let's talk about something else."
C.J. and Gracie had sat in their booth by a window which gave them a view of the tree-lined street filled with boutiques and ordered their meals.
"You sure you don't want a margarita," Gracie asked, "They come in six flavors."
C.J. laughed.
"I think I'll stick to club soda and lime," she said.
Gracie frowned.
"Are you worried that…."
C.J.'s face flushed.
"No, I told you there's nothing to worry about," she said, "I still feel a little jetlagged."
"We got to stop by the drug store and get you one of those tests on the way home," Gracie said, "just to be sure you're not pregnant."
C.J. rolled her eyes as the waiter brought them their food.
"Looks delicious," Gracie said, "You come here often?"
"Houston and I come here at least twice a month," she said, "usually after we go sailing."
"You spend a lot of time together?"
C.J. furrowed her brow as she took a bite of her salmon.
"Not much lately."
"You sound like you miss that," Gracie said.
C.J. thought about it.
"I do," she said, "For being so close to each other like we were in Tahiti, we're farther apart now."
Gracie leaned forward.
"Why don't you get together and talk with him?"
C.J. looked at her hands.
"He's busy trying to get back together with his fiancée."
"Matt, I can prove it to you," Elizabeth said, "if you'll just give me a chance."
"Elizabeth…"
He ran his hand through his hair.
"No Matt, I know that we can work out the problems in our relationship," she said, "If you just give us a chance."
"We can't relive the past," Matt said, "I think we both need to move forward."
She smiled broadly.
"Exactly," she said, "We need to start over."
He hesitated, looking into his beer glass.
"I don't know if we can."
The smile dropped off of her face.
"What do you mean we can't?"
"My life is always going to be filled with danger and unpredictability," he said, "I can't change that and I don't really want to."
She looked surprised.
"We've been through that already," she said, "I'm prepared to accept that part of your life."
He sighed.
"Just give me a chance," she said, moving closer to him.
Before he realized it, she'd reached over to kiss him on the lips.
Gracie had been returning from the bathroom when she saw them in an embrace.
"Small world," she mused, going back to her table.
C.J. smiled at her friend as she sat back down.
"You'll never guess who I just ran into," Gracie said, taking a sip of her margarita.
"Who?"
"Matt and Elizabeth," Gracie said, "They are sitting in another booth."
C.J. shrugged.
"This is one of his favorite restaurants," she said.
"They looked like they were having a serious discussion," Gracie said.
"I'm sure they were," C.J. said, "I think I'm going to try some dessert."
Gracie's eyes widened.
"For someone who's said she's had a poor appetite, you're certainly making up for lost time."
"The cakes are pretty delicious here," C.J. insisted, "especially the pineapple."
"I'm game," Gracie said, "Like I said, I don't diet on holidays."
C.J. sipped her club soda.
"You look fabulous," she said, "but then you always have."
"Why thank you," Gracie said, with a smile, "but I think it's the scenery that's so beautiful around here. I always wanted to live near a beach."
"Houston always wanted to, which is why he bought a house on the Malibu coast," C.J. said.
"Maybe when I get old enough to retire…"
Suddenly, they both heard a crash and the window next to them shatter raining down shards of glass on their table. They instinctively ducked and covered their heads as something landed on the floor next to them. Smoke wafted up towards them and C.J. turned towards the window where she saw a tall thin man gaze at her for a moment before taking off on foot. She then turned to see flames licking the remains of a bottle.
Gracie's eyes widened.
"Is that what I…"
C.J. nodded.
"A Molotov cocktail."
Gracie swung her head around.
"What the hell?"
C.J. got up and ran to get a fire extinguisher from a nearby wall and then deftly sprayed it at the fire that started to move towards the base of the table. She doused the fire and a waiter came running into the room.
"What happened?"
She pointed at the floor.
"Someone clearly doesn't like this restaurant," she said, "Have you received any threats lately? Any customers complaining or did you fire anyone?"
The waiter shrugged.
"You'll have to ask the manager," he said, "I got to get him."