Part Four--the latest part of this fanfiction is up. I hope you like it. Thanks for the comments and for reading!
After Elizabeth released him from their kiss, Matt looked at her confused.
"Elizabeth…"
She shook her head with a smile.
"Just think about it Matt," she said, "Please, that's all I ask. Give yourself a little bit of time."
He sighed, watching her watching him for an answer. He had none to give her that would make her happy.
"I don't know if it's going to make any difference," he said, "We can't recapture what we've lost."
She ran her hand through her hair.
"Oh Matt, just give yourself a chance to think about it apart from all the chaos in your life."
Suddenly, the odor of smoke hit him and he looked around. He saw the manager walk quickly by towards the front of the restaurant.
"Excuse me Elizabeth," he said, getting up.
She just sat there shaking her head as he ran off again.
Matt reached the front of the restaurant and his eyes widened.
"C.J., what are you doing here?"
She folded her arms looking at him.
"Probably the same thing you're doing," she said.
He thought back to Elizabeth kissing him and doubted that.
"What happened?"
She shook her head.
"A guy threw in a Molotov cocktail right through this window," she said, "It just missed us."
"Not quite," he said, gesturing to her arm.
She looked at it and noticed a stream of blood running down from just above her elbow.
"I didn't notice that," she said, "It doesn't hurt."
He grabbed some napkins off of the table.
"Here, press these against your elbow," he said, handing them to her, "To stop the bleeding."
She nodded holding them on her injury.
"Thanks," she said, "but really, I'm okay."
"You might need stitches," he said, "so maybe we should call for help."
"Houston," she said, "I don't need an ambulance for a little cut."
"I didn't need one for a little bullet wound," he countered, "but someone who was worried called one and I'm going to return the favor."
She sighed and sat down in her chair just as the waiter brought over a man who looked like the manager of the restaurant. He asked her what happened and she told him. Matt looked at him pointedly.
"Do you have anyone who might want to harm you or your business," he asked.
Mixed emotions crossed the man's face and finally he nodded.
"We fired a waiter who stole money from the till last week," he said, "From your friend's description, it sounds like him."
"I called the police and they're going to be coming to take a report," Matt said, "You'll have to tell them everything you know about this ex-employee."
The manager looked at C.J.
"If she needs stitches, there's an urgent care clinic just down the street," he said, "They've sewn and patched up quite a few of my workers."
Gracie nodded.
"I'll take her there," she offered.
"I'll meet you," Matt said.
C.J. protested.
"We have to stay long enough to talk to the police," she said, "I'll be fine until then."
He looked at her arm where the blood seeped through the napkins.
"We need a towel," he said.
The waiter went to find one. Sirens echoed in the distance and then became louder. Matt saw several police cars turn into the parking lot and officers getting out of the vehicles. A waiter handed him a towel and he gently wrapped it around C.J.'s arm.
"You feeling okay," he asked.
She nodded.
"It's not like I got shot or anything."
"Matt, what's going on," a familiar voice said.
He looked up and saw Elizabeth standing just behind in the growing crowd around them.
"It's okay," he said, "but C.J.'s hurt her arm and we're going to take her to a clinic nearby."
She nodded blankly.
"Do what you have to do."
They all wound up at the clinic, which fortunately had few patients waiting for services and so C.J. saw a doctor when she arrived there. The woman looked at her arm carefully then shook her head.
"Crazy person must have done that," he said, "but it's not too bad. Clean it out and threw a couple stitches maybe."
"It's not bleeding as much," she protested, "I don't think…"
The doctor sighed.
"I'm a good seamstress," she said, "If you sit still the whole time, I won't leave a scar."
C.J. shrugged, holding her arm.
"I don't care about that," she said, "I have plenty of them already."
The doctor nodded.
"I'm going to give you some antibiotics and painkillers," she said, "No allergies to anything?"
"None," C.J. said.
"And is there any possibility you could be pregnant?"
C.J.'s expression froze. How could this doctor tell?
"Excuse me?"
"Are you pregnant, or might you be," the doctor repeated patiently.
C.J. hesitated.
"No…maybe."
The doctor raised her brows.
"Which is it?"
C.J. sighed.
"Maybe," she said, "I don't know for sure."
The doctor furrowed her brows.
"Maybe you'd better see your doctor to get a test done," the doctor said, "though to be on the safe side, I'm going to have to limit your painkilling options."
C.J. nodded. So it had just been a routine medical question after all.
"That will be fine."
Then she braced herself as the doctor prepared to stitch her up.
Matt sat in the lobby of the clinic with the others waiting for the doctor to finish. Gracie brought him back some water.
"It shouldn't take that much longer," she said.
He looked at his cup.
"It could have been a lot worse," he said.
"I'm sure she's just going to need some stitches and it will be much harder on the doctor than on her."
Matt smiled.
"Neither of us like getting hurt."
"You picked a funny profession then to avoid it," Gracie noted.
He looked at her.
"We both love our careers even with all the risks involved."
She nodded.
"I know that," she said, "C.J. doesn't want to do anything else but work with you investigating cases."
He sipped his water thoughtfully.
"She thought that was all going to change when I married Elizabeth," he said, "Of course that didn't happen."
"It's only because she cares about you Matt and I think she still worries that you'll turn your back on the agency if you get back together with Elizabeth."
He frowned.
"Did she say that?"
Gracie looked over and saw Elizabeth coming out of the bathroom.
"She's already told you that, Matt," Gracie reminded him, "She didn't have to say anything to me."
"Yes she did," Matt said, "but I'm not getting married to Elizabeth."
"Have you told anyone that," Gracie asked, "like the women involved in this situation what your plans will be?"
He rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"You're awfully interested in what's been going on lately."
She shrugged.
"C.J.'s been a close friend of mine from our sorority days," Gracie said, "and we've talked about what's been happening lately."
"Things have been a little…tense," he said.
She raised her brow.
"A little?"
"Maybe a lot."
She shrugged.
"You'll work it out," she said, "You always do as stubborn as you both are at times but she's got a lot of thinking that she's planning to do during her time off just so you know."
He furrowed his brow.
"Like what?"
Gracie paused.
"I'll leave her to tell you about it if she wants," she said.
Elizabeth walked over and sat next to Matt while he digested that.
"Have you heard any word?"
Matt looked up.
"No," he said, "The doctor is still stitching up her arm."
"C.J. is resilient Matt," Elizabeth said, "I'm sure she'll come out of this just fine."
Matt nodded.
"She usually does," he said, "but it doesn't mean I don't worry about her."
Elizabeth sighed.
"Of course not."
Suddenly, Ginger rushed into the clinic.
"I came as soon as I heard," she said, "Is C.J. going to be okay?"
"She's going to be just fine Ginger," Matt said, "So Elizabeth called you."
Ginger nodded and flung herself down on a chair.
"Never a dull moment," she said, "So someone actually threw one of those flaming…"
"Molotov cocktails," Grace said.
Ginger dismissed her.
"Oh whatever it was, at C.J.?"
"She wasn't the target this time," Matt said, "Some ex-employee had a grudge against the restaurant owner. He just picked the wrong window."
Ginger pursed her lips.
"Oh how unsavory."
Then she turned towards Gracie as if taking her in for the first time.
"You must be C.J.'s friend from college," she said, "One of her sorority sisters?"
Gracie nodded, suppressing a laugh at the sight in front of her.
"C.J. and I go way back," she said, "I'm here to make sure she does some relaxing."
"That's a tall order," Ginger said, "Good luck."
Gracie smiled sweetly.
"Thanks, I don't need it," she said, "C.J. and I spent a nice day on the beach. It was only at the restaurant that things got a bit…rowdy."
"I'd say," Ginger said, "So when she's all bandaged up, do you have any plans?"
"Plenty of ice cream and some movies," she said.
"That sounds…tame," Ginger said.
"We're adults now," Gracie said, "We left our partying days behind us…for the most part."
Elizabeth sighed.
"Ginger, what are you doing," she said and then looked at Gracie, "Really I'm sorry about all these questions from my friend here. It's been a stressful day."
Ginger snorted.
"I'm just getting to know her," she said, "No harm in that."
Elizabeth didn't seem so sure. Suddenly, Matt looked up and saw C.J. leaving the examining room holding onto her bandaged arm. He got up and walked towards her.
"You finished?"
She nodded.
"It's just a little cut," she said, "I don't know why they wrapped it up like a mummy."
"Did they give you any prescriptions," he asked, "There's a pharmacy just down the street."
She looked at him for a moment noting the concern in his eyes and then looked away.
"I didn't…want any," she said, "I think I'll stick to Tylenol."
His eyes widened.
"Are you sure," he said, "When the local wears off, it might be painful."
"No…I'll be fine," she said, trying to smile, "Really, it's nothing some ice cream won't fix."
Gracie smiled.
"I guess we'll be going now," she said, "We want to hit the DVD rental place before it closes."
Matt narrowed his eyes.
"So you're going to sit back and unwind with some movies," he said.
C.J. nodded.
"Those were our plans anyway," she said, "Girls' night in."
He looked at her a moment, in a way that always touched her. Then he reached out and embraced her tightly, taking care of her injured arm.
"Call me when you get home so I know you made it safely."
She nodded, her body still tingling.
"You go home and get some rest yourself," she said.
Elizabeth turned towards Matt.
"I guess Ginger and I will be going too," she said, "We need to continue our discussion."
He looked at her and nodded, rubbing the back of his neck.
"So maybe we can meet tomorrow for breakfast," she said.
"I've got a stakeout that's going to last until at least noon," he said.
"Okay, then we'll make it an early dinner," she said, "I'll call you later."
He turned towards C.J. after Elizabeth and Ginger left. She raised a brow at him.
"We're going to finish our discussion that we started at dinner…last night," he said.
"I didn't say anything," she said, "I'm going home before I get in any more trouble."
"You still owe me a conversation," he said.
She just looked at him.
"I know," she said, "It's just not the right time for it."
He nodded.
"Fair enough," he said, "Go home and watch some movies, eat ice cream but get some rest."
"I will if you will," she said, giving him a kiss on the cheek before leaving.
He touched his face and watched as she and Gracie left him alone in the clinic.
Ginger and Elizabeth walked to her car.
"I'm glad that she's okay," Elizabeth said.
"I could tell that Matt was, too."
Elizabeth gave Ginger a funny look.
"Of course he is," she said, "why wouldn't he be?"
Ginger paused, unlocking her car door.
"No reason," she said, "After all, they are very close."
"That may be," Elizabeth said, "but I know that he wants me. After all, we kissed during dinner."
Ginger's brows shot up.
"You did," she said, "That's interesting."
"Is that all you can say," Elizabeth retorted, "I think it's only a matter of time."
Ginger shrugged.
"Maybe," she said, "I thought it was strange that C.J.'s toughing out her injury without morphine or something stronger to knock out the pain."
"She's probably used to these types of things," Elizabeth pointed out, "After all, she's been shot at least three times while working with Matt."
"Still…" Ginger said, "Anyway, I think you'd better accelerate your moves on getting Matt to the altar. You just never can tell what's going to happen."
C.J. and Gracie hit the ice cream in C.J.'s kitchen, before getting ready to watch the first movie. As she had promised, C.J. had called Matt when she reached her house and reassured him she was perfectly fine.
"Where's the butterscotch," Gracie asked, "Oh I found it."
C.J. also found the chocolate sauce and whipped cream. Gracie lifted her brow.
"That's not just for ice cream right," she said, grinning, "You can't let it go to waste."
"That's for me to know…"
Gracie laughed.
"At least you have your sense of humor," she said, "You've got quite a lot on your plate right now."
"You mean ice cream?"
Gracie put her hands on her hips.
"I mean everything that's been going on. Matt getting shot, you getting injured by a Molotov cocktail and having to decide where you stand with each other."
C.J. sighed.
"There's nothing to decide," she said, "Matt's trying to work things out with his former fiancée."
"You don't know that C.J.," Gracie said.
"True," C.J. said, "But you heard what he said. He and Elizabeth have a conversation to continue when things quiet down."
"He also said you owe him one."
C.J. went straight for the Rocky Road.
"I can't talk to him right now," she said, "Things are just so complicated."
"Are you afraid to talk to him," Gracie asked, "I never thought I'd see the day."
C.J. just looked at her friend as if she were crazy, and then shook her head.
"Of course not," she said, "Why would I ever be afraid? It's just that…"
"It's different now since you've returned from Tahiti after sleeping together," Gracie said.
C.J. poured some chocolate sauce on her ice cream.
"Yeah that, and I'm sure not how to handle it."
Gracie looked at her thoughtfully.
"Do you have regrets about what happened?"
"Yes…no," C.J. said, "I'm not sure. I don't think so."
"Sounds like a multiple choice test rather than a yes/no question," Gracie noted.
C.J. shook her head then tried her ice cream.
"Those two days were wonderful. And he's wonderful. But maybe he regrets it."
"Do you think that he does?"
C.J. just looked up at her then pursed her lips.
"You'll have to ask him."
Gracie wisely decided not to pursue it and then tested the chocolate mint.
"Needs some butterscotch," she said, "Hand it over."
Matt kicked back with his paperwork at his house with a late night snack. Once he had returned home and heard from C.J., he was finally being able to settle down and focus on spreadsheets and financial balances. Not long after he started working, his doorbell rung. It was his uncle checking up on him.
"I was passing through the neighborhood and thought I'd make sure you were taking care of yourself," he said, walking past Matt into his living room.
"As you can see I'm back home and just finishing up some of the spreadsheets I started this afternoon," Matt said.
Roy nodded, indeed seeing that Matt had been busy.
"How's C.J. doing?"
"She's at home with Gracie watching movies and relaxing," Matt said.
"Did they catch the guy?"
Matt shook his head.
"But they know who it is," he said, "So they're out looking. It's only a matter of time until they run into him."
"How's Elizabeth doing?"
Matt sighed, running his hand through his hair.
"Ginger's probably keeping her up with her wild theories about myself and the women in my life."
Roy's brows rose.
"Oh?"
"She's pushing for me to get back together with Elizabeth," Matt said, "at the same time she's been trying to get together with me."
Roy chuckled.
"Sounds like a difficult life."
Matt gave his uncle a look.
"What do you mean?"
Roy just shook his head.
"You know exactly what I mean," he said, "My brother didn't raise a fool for a son."
"Uncle Roy, get to the point if you have one."
"Matlock, the way I see it is that you've got three attractive and intelligent women surrounding you and giving you a lot of attention and you're enjoying that."
Matt narrowed his eyes.
"Now why would you say that?"
"No reason, except that you've got them all arranged in a holding pattern until you make up your mind where they will all fit in together."
Matt sipped his coffee.
"That's not true," he said, "I've been working hard to keep my business going and my former fiancée walks into my office out of the blue after two months and wants to pick up as if nothing ever happened."
"She obviously cares a great deal about you."
"That was after her best friend Ginger came in my office and tried to seduce me right out of my suit on top of my own desk."
If Roy were shocked at Matt's revelation, he hid it well. Instead, he shrugged.
"So what," he said, "You're a healthy young man who's always had an eye for the ladies. I wonder where you got that from."
Matt threw him a look, and then picked up his file he had been working on.
"Matlock…"
He looked up at his uncle irritated.
"You forgot to mention the third woman," Roy noted, "That would be your long-time friend C.J. right?"
Matt hesitated.
"That's actually the most difficult part of this situation," he said.
Roy went to pour himself some coffee.
"I thought so."
Matt turned to look at him.
"What in blazes do you mean?"
The older man looked at his nephew and took a stab in the dark.
"You and she didn't come back from Tahiti the way that you'd left," he said.
Obviously his uncle had been doing some thinking, Matt thought.
"I guess you could say that."
"Did you have a fight?"
Matt leaned back in his chair.
"Not really," he said, "I'm not sure what you could call it."
"What would you call it," Roy asked.
"A disagreement," Matt said, "A difference of opinion."
Roy chuckled.
"You've disagreed enough in the past," he said, "Sometimes enough to shake the rafters. You come to an understanding after some cooling off time and you go on."
Matt shook his head.
"Not this time."
Roy studied his nephew carefully, noticing that the confusion he showed was out of the ordinary for him. Usually Matt was sure of what he wanted, when he wanted it and pursued it with a single-minded focus. And his pursuit of the women he wanted was no exception to that rule.
"And why's that?"
"Look, if you've got nothing better to do than come down here in the middle of the night, maybe you could help me with some of this paperwork."
"Sure," Roy said, "All you have to do is ask but I don't think that's where your mind is focused."
"It's where it needs to be focused," Matt said, "If I don't catch up on these spreadsheets…"
"Your business will be fine," Roy said, "Besides I suggested that you hire that cousin of Murray's to help you with your books."
"I know," Matt said, "and maybe I'll reconsider on that but for now, I said I'd finish these records."
"We have that stakeout tomorrow," Roy reminded him, "so maybe you should get some rest so you won't fall asleep in the middle of it."
Matt tried to stifle a yawn.
"It's been a long day," he said, "It's been a long week."
Roy tried to suppress his smile.
"It's probably going to get a lot longer before it's done."
Matt grimaced, knowing that his uncle was probably right.
Hours later, he sat cramped inside a sedan with Roy as they cased an office building. Roy took out the binoculars.
"So where are we focused," Matt asked.
"The first floor office with the medical insignia on it," Roy explained, "That's where they're holding some of the merchandise for the clientele who just arrived."
Matt took the binoculars and looked through them.
"They would need more space for this kind of merchandise don't you think?"
"Only if they did bulk deliveries," Roy said, "but I think they're only using this office for a holding place until each sale goes through."
"So you're pretty sure there's a transaction going down right now?"
"That's what my source said," Roy said, "They should be wrapping up the loose ends right now."
"I've got to get a closer look," Matt said, opening the car door.
"Be careful," Roy said, "You don't want to scare them off and we're not sure exactly sure what the nature of the merchandise is."
"I'll find that out too."
Matt got out of the car relieved to be out in the open air. Not that he minded spending hours in closed quarters with his uncle but he needed a break. And they needed to find out if an illegal transaction was going down before calling in the police. He made sure his gun was close as he crept across the street approaching the window, keeping himself just to the side. He made it to the exterior wall of the front of the building and peered inside the window, looking through the slits between the blinds which were partially drawn. He saw two men standing inside engaged in some sort of discussion he couldn't hear. Looking behind him, he saw that Roy had his binoculars trained on him. He nodded back to his uncle.
He saw one of the men disappear and then return shortly later with two knit bags in his hand. The other man cautiously drew one of the bags open and peered inside. He saw a couple of containers resting on the floor nearby.
His eyes widened as one of the men put on some gloves and pulled the creature out of one of the bags. The snake was long and colorful, trying to coil itself around his arm. Suddenly it lunged forward and the men backed up. Matt's heart shot up into his throat. He turned around to his uncle, nodding to him and signaling him with his hand to call Hoyt.
He kept next to the building, hiding just out of sight.
C.J. sat on the bathroom floor of her home with her hands over her eyes. Anything to avoid looking at it…or rather them. All four of them lying in a neat little row. She heard a knock on the door.
"C.J. are you still in there?"
She removed her hands.
"I'll be out in a minute."
"That's what you said 10 minutes ago," she said, "Let me in."
C.J. sighed and got up to open the door and let Gracie in. She sat back on the floor and her friend joined her.
Gracie's eyes widened at the sight in front of her.
"How many tests did you use?"
C.J. looked up at her.
"I wanted to be sure," she said, "but according to all four of them, I'm…not pregnant."
Gracie picked up one of the empty boxes.
"They're pretty accurate but you'd better go get a better test done by your doctor," she said.
C.J. ran her hand through her hair.
"I'm not pregnant," she said, "It's just stress. I've been going nonstop since I got back and as soon as I relax a little..."
Gracie nodded.
"You're probably right," she said, "but…"
C.J. shook her head.
"I don't have time to deal with this right now," she said, getting up, "I've got to stop by the office before we go to brunch."
Gracie stood up.
"Oh no you don't," she said, "If we stop by the office, we'll never get out of there before nightfall and then we'll never make happy hour tonight at that new place I've been dying to check out."
C.J. raised her brow.
"To celebrate you not being pregnant of course," Gracie said.
Sighing, C.J. thought you could take the girl out of the party but not the party out of the girl. Gracie had been the life of every party that involved their sorority. C.J. spent most of her free time studying but took time out occasionally to party down with her sisters. She had been working hard lately…
"Okay, we'll do brunch and then drop by the office," C.J. said, "I've just got to check my messages."
"Matt's going out on the stakeout until afternoon," Gracie said, "Do you want to hit the office before he gets there or plan a near miss?"
C.J. shook her head.
"No," she said, "I'm not trying to avoid him."
Gracie blinked her eyes.
"Of course not," she said, "He just thinks that you're taking it easy for a couple of days because you told him that."
C.J. snorted.
"Like he's been taking it easy since he got shot?"
"C.J., you know how men like Matt are," she said, "You have to tie them down to keep them from going out and pushing themselves too hard."
"Now there's a thought," C.J. said.
Gracie's eyes widened.
"Don't tell me that you…"
C.J. just threw her an exasperated look and went to go change her clothes to get ready for brunch. Gracie just watched her, shaking her head.
The police sirens filled the air as several squad cars parked across the street from the office building. Matt still hung onto the side of the building out of sight of the two men conducting business inside. He saw Hoyt talking to Roy who stood just outside the sedan and then Hoyt directed some of his officers towards the building.
Matt waited for them to catch up with him and they all stood by the door. He told them what he'd seen.
"Anyone a herpetologist around here," an officer said.
"They might be poisonous," Matt cautioned, "I couldn't see them very well."
"We'll proceed in cautiously," an officer said, "but someone call the L.A. Zoo for help on this one."
Several officers crept around the back of the building with their guns drawn while Matt and another stayed in the front. Hoyt directed them from several yards away, with his hands.
Suddenly, the officer opened the door and with guns drawn, he and Matt entered the building. The two men dressed in suits looked up at them shocked.
"All right, drop everything and put your hands out where we can see them," the officer yelled.
The two men just looked at them and dropped the bags, before turning around and trying to take off. Matt and the officer had anticipated their actions and they ran to grab them.
"Stop struggling," the officer yelled as one of the men grabbed him by the chin.
Matt struggled to pin the man he had grabbed on the ground, while ignoring the sharp stab on his side, where his second row of stitches were probably being tested. He briefly envisioned the doctor refusing to patch him back again if he had to return to the emergency room then he continued struggling with the man who laid flat on his back. Out of the corner of his eyes, Matt saw movement inside both burlap bags which had been dropped on the ground. At least, the men had complied with that order.
The other officers who had gone around the back came running through an entrance and soon joined in the fray. A moment later, two men were handcuffed but refusing to talk and the officers stood over them while Matt tried to recover his breath. Roy came up to him.
"How your stitches doing?"
"Matt grimaced.
"I'm afraid to look," he said, "but I think they're still there."
"Hoyt's sent a snake expert from the Zoo to pick up the…evidence."
Matt looked over at the burlap bags and noticed that they looked a little flat.
"Uh, Uncle Roy, we might have a little bit of a problem here."
Roy also looked at the burlap bags.
"Don't make any sudden movements," he said, "Reptiles are only attracted to moving objects. If we remain still, we'll be fine."
"If you say so."
"Hoyt said they might be kraits," Roy said, "very poisonous. Can drop a man in a minute flat."
"Uncle Roy," Matt said, "Thanks for sharing that."
Both men just stood inside the office, looking and listening for any signs of the missing snakes.
Ginger and Elizabeth left the store in Beverly Hills with sacks of merchandise in their hands.
"I think I maxed out some plastic," Ginger said, "but I feel better. How about you?"
Elizabeth flipped her hair back.
"I hope that Matt's stakeout is going well," she said, "I can't wait to see him at dinner tonight."
"If you wear one of the outfits I suggested, you'll look smashing."
Elizabeth frowned.
"I'm not sure that's the look I want."
Ginger patted her on the shoulder.
"Sure it is," she said, "You want something that will knock every protest out of his mouth and have his attention focused on you."
Elizabeth stopped walking.
"You seen to think that he would protest or that his mind would be elsewhere," she said, "Why is that? Everything seems to be going so well."
Ginger hesitated.
"I…agree," she said, "but you need to step up your game dear."
"This isn't a game," Elizabeth protested, "at least not to me. I really want him back."
"I know that," Ginger said, "but it's been two days and you're still no closer getting him to the altar."
"This can't be done in two days," Elizabeth said, "Besides, I have a week and I'm sure that will be enough time to get us closer."
Ginger doubted it but didn't want to rain on her friend's good spirit. Besides she might be wrong.
"Look we'll head back to the hotel and get you ready for your evening tonight," Ginger said, "and we'll make sure you don't leave until you look absolutely perfect."
Elizabeth smiled.
"Thank you Ginger," she said, "and I'll be perfect. I'll be just what Matt needs his women to be."
Ginger rolled her eyes inwardly at her friend but then figured that if Elizabeth needed to be what Matt wanted to catch him, she would always start changing him after the wedding.
C.J. and Gracie entered the office from the elevator and before C.J. got far, Chris handed her a stack of messages. One of them was from Jason and she decided to call him first when she reached her office.
"C.J., I think we might have an ID on the man who shot Matt," Jason said, "But we're not sure."
"Great, who is he?"
"Clyde Jenkins," Jason said.
The name drew a blank, yet C.J. had recognized him on some level when she had first seen him in the restaurant.
"Who's this guy?"
"We don't know much about him yet," Jason said, "He's got few priors, mostly nickel and dime stuff."
"Shooting someone in public isn't even a two-bit crime," C.J. said, "He's moved up."
"I know that," Jason said, "But we're not sure this is his only name. Still, he's familiar somehow."
"I thought so when I saw him," C.J. said, "I'm not so sure now."
"I'll call you back when I find out more," Jason said.
She thanked him and then hung up the phone. Gracie looked at her expectedly.
"What did he say?"
C.J. looked through a stack of papers on her desk.
"They have a possible on Matt's assailant," she said, "but they need more information."
"Sounds noncommittal," Gracie said, "Can't these cops be more definite?"
C.J. bristled.
"Jason's doing his best," she said, "He really wants to nail this guy. So do I."
Gracie rubbed her arm.
"Matt's all right," she said, "Two days later and he's already running around getting into even more trouble."
C.J. chuckled.
"That's par for the course where he's concerned," she said, "He never takes his blows lying down."
The corners of Gracie's mouth rose.
"No, I'm sure he saves that position for other things," she said.
"Gracie…"
"At least you're not pregnant, though that's kind of a shame actually."
"What do you…, "C.J. started then thought about it.
"I always wanted children," she said, "but it's too soon and I don't want to be doing it alone."
"You wouldn't have been alone," Gracie said, "Something tells me he'd want an active role in raising his own kids unlike some men out there."
C.J. nodded.
"You know what I mean," she said, "Within the chronology of relationships, getting pregnant and having children isn't first on the list."
"No, it can't be unless you believe in immaculate conception."
C.J. looked at her pointedly.
"Are you making fun of me?"
Gracie shook her head vehemently.
"Not me," she said, "I would never laugh at a traditionalist but come on, a good looking guy like that who probably has great genes and looks great in jeans..."
"Your point being?"
"I'm just saying it's not the worst thing that could ever happen," Gracie said, "There's plenty of worse things out there than being an unmarried mother to be."
C.J. couldn't deny that. Still, it was not a future she had envisioned for herself back during the hours she spent studying at the library at Harvard School of Law.
"I know that," she said, "Anyway, it's all moot now."
Gracie chuckled.
"For now…"
"For a long while," C.J. corrected.
Grace just shrugged her shoulders.
"Now that we've settled that," she said, "Let's go out and have some fun."
C.J. smiled, liking the sound of that.
Matt and Roy looked around the office for any signs of the serpents but saw nothing.
"At least if they were rattlers, we could hear them," Matt said, "Give me one of those any day over some imported deadly and silent killer."
"Matlock," Roy said, "We're perfectly safe if we don't move."
"Well that's fine for now but at some point, we're going to have to get out of here."
A couple of officers entered the room. Matt held up his hand.
"There's a couple of deadly snakes running around loose," he warned.
"You mean crawling," Roy said.
Their eyes widened and they drew their guns.
"You're kidding right," one of them said.
Matt shook his head.
"Wait, I think I see some movement…there," the officer pointed to the corner near a desk.
"Be careful Clark," the other officer warned.
Matt watched as they headed over to the corner. Suddenly, something moved and he saw the officers jump out of the way and start shooting at the ground.
"I think I got him," the first one yelled.
"Great," Matt muttered, "Maybe we can all sit around a fire, have a barbecue and eat him."
Hoyt came running in.
"Hoyt…oh never mind," Matt said, "Just look out for a slithering Krait wondering around here somewhere."
Hoyt's eyes widened.
"The zoo herpetologist is on her way," he said, "She'll get them off of our hands."
Suddenly, Matt saw something coiling just above Hoyt's head. He pulled out his gun and aimed it at Hoyt.
"What are you doing Houston," Hoyt yelled, "Are you crazy?"
"Move a couple inches to the right," Matt said.
Hoyt stopped talking and quietly did just that. Suddenly he heard a pop and felt an object whoosh right by him and felt something drop onto his shoulders.
"Oh shi…"
He looked down to see the other snake lying dead in two pieces on the ground.
"I guess we're not going to need that snake expert," Hoyt sighed.
Matt shrugged. Hoyt looked at him sharply.
"You know how much those snakes were worth on the black market," he said.
"No Hoyt, I don't know. How much?"
Hoyt hesitated.
"You probably don't want to know. It's more than I make in a month," he said, "Let's get out of here."
Matt gladly left the building, satisfied that not only were two black market dealers in custody but he had accomplished that without messing with his doctor's needlework. Their clients would be happy to have their exotic animals returned once the police had inventoried their collection as evidence. He didn't think the owners of the two snakes lying dead in pieces on the floor would be nearly as happy.
Roy joined him at the sedan.
"That went well," he said, "Are you going back to the office?"
Matt looked at his watch.
"I've got an early dinner with Elizabeth later on so I'll stop by for a little while," he said.
"I called the office," Roy said, "C.J. found some more spreadsheets in her office but she catalogued them for you so your job should be easier."
Matt sighed.
"She's not supposed to be working," he said, "She's supposed to be relaxing."
Roy smiled at the tone of his nephew's voice.
"I'm sure she's fine Matlock," he said, "She and Gracie are out doing some site seeing."
Matt took one last look at the crime scene being processed by dozens of police officers.
"Let's get going," he said.
"Now this is the life," Gracie said, dipping her fork into some pasta at an outdoor café in Santa Monica.
"I told you it was a great place," C.J. said, "It's not Mamas but it's still good when you've got to have it."
Gracie looked at the people milling about around her.
"Lots of interesting people in this part of town," she noted.
C.J nodded.
"Not that we don't have plenty of atmosphere in the Bay Area," Gracie said.
"Of course," C.J. said, "and this place isn't that far away from the beach."
"Including Matt's beach house."
C.J. picked up some garlic bread.
"Why does that matter?"
Gracie paused.
"You're going to have to talk to him at some point about everything that's been going on," she said, "He has a right to know."
C.J. bit into her bread.
"Why? You know what the test read," she said, "All four of them."
Gracie looked at her patiently.
"But there's more to it than that," she said, "There's how you feel."
"There's nothing to say about how I feel," C.J. said, "Besides, when should we have this conversation? When he's out to dinner with his ex-fiancée?"
"He's not getting back together with her," Gracie said, firmly, "I didn't pick up anything really strong between them. Maybe she's trying to reel him in but I don't think that's what he wants."
C.J. started losing patience.
"Look, Houston has never had any hesitation of going after the woman that he wants," she said, "He's probably slowing down things a bit with her because she called off the wedding and he's being cautious."
"If you talked to him…"
"I don't want to lose him as a friend," C.J. said, "and I feel that something's changed between us already since Tahiti."
"Yeah, you became lovers, you learned things about him you never learned before, but that doesn't mean you can't also be friends," Gracie said, "Maybe even better friends once you get over yourself."
That got C.J.'s dander up.
"What the hell are you getting at?"
Gracie softened.
"I didn't mean that like it sounded," she said, "but you have an opportunity to build something with a man who looks at you and seems to like what he sees very much."
C.J. just looked at her, her jaw dropping.
"You look very cute when your cheeks get flushed," Gracie said, smiling.
"Just drop this," C.J. said, spearing her pasta, "because I feel my blood pressure going up and I've got a bread stick in my hand."
Matt sat in front of Baby trying with all the finesse he possessed to cajole some information out of the super computer. What he needed was C.J. who worked better with the computer than he did but she was checking out L.A.'s highlights with her friend. He would just have to make do without her to get the information he needed.
Roy walked in with his customary guava drink. Matt looked at it warily.
"You're really getting into this nutrition thing," he said.
Roy sat down next to him.
"It's good for you," he said, "You should try it."
Matt shook his head.
"I'll leave the fruit juice to you and C.J."
"She called earlier from the restaurant," Roy said.
"Is she okay?"
Roy studied his nephew.
"She's fine," he said, "She's out having a great time with Gracie but she wanted to make sure that you received the folders she put in your box."
"I think I did," Matt said, "I haven't really checked."
"Sounds like your mind's not on business."
Matt sighed and took a sip from his Scotch.
"It needs to be because I have so much work to catch up on," he said, "but I'm trying to figure out a way to let Elizabeth down easily and after doing some thinking, I don't think a way exists."
"Her heart's going to be broken," Roy said, "but she needs to know now rather than later."
"I care a lot about her, Uncle Roy," Matt said, "I just don't love her like I did and I'm wondering what that says about me."
Roy paused.
"Like I said earlier, you like the ladies," he said, "and every once in a while, one comes along that you fall hard for but it doesn't last."
Matt frowned.
"That's not really fair."
Roy continued.
"I was the same way myself until I met your Aunt Flo," he said, "There's nothing wrong with you just like there's nothing wrong with me. You just have to meet the right woman like I did."
"I really believed Elizabeth was it," Matt said, looking back on the computer screen, "I thought we'd get married and begin our lives together until she decided she couldn't go through with it."
"You could both get married now if you want," Roy said, "Nothing's stopping you if that's what you want to do."
Matt rubbed the back of his neck.
"That's not what I want anymore," he said, "It wouldn't have worked out. We're just too different and we want different things. Not going through with the wedding was probably a blessing in disguise."
Roy took another sip of his juice.
"But Elizabeth doesn't see it that way," he said, "She still wants to get married?"
"I think so Uncle Roy," Matt said, "and what I have to say to her is going to hurt her and that's not what I want."
"Of course it's not Matlock," Roy said, "You don't like hurting people. You spend your day helping them so it's not something you enjoy. But in this case, not telling Elizabeth what your intentions are will hurt her much more in the long run than telling her now."
"Doesn't make it easier."
"That's because you do care about her feelings," Roy said, "and I would expect nothing less from a nephew of mine."
"Thank you Uncle Roy."
"Life has a funny way of throwing curve balls at you," Roy said, "but it's filled with wonderful surprises when you least expect them and that more than makes up for it."
Matt nodded slowly.
"Even when you don't recognize them at the time," Roy said.
Matt started to say something but then stopped.
C.J. saw him out of the corner of her eye as they left the restaurant. He was standing in front of a building near a group of pedestrians.
"Look over there," C.J. said.
Gracie finished her coffee and then glanced over at the man.
"Who's he," she asked.
C.J. looked closer.
"I think it's the man from the restaurant the other night."
"The one who shot Matt?"
"Maybe," C.J. said, "I'm going to get a closer look."
Gracie's eyes widened.
"Are you sure you should do that?"
C.J. looked behind her.
"I'll be careful," she said, "He won't even see me."
C.J. walked slowly up to where the man stood outside a bank. Suddenly, another man came out to talk with him. She saw that the man looked nervous and began looking around. She turned her head to look back at Gracie so he wouldn't recognize her. Gracie just looked back shaking her head.
"Do you have it," C.J. heard the man say with a clipped accent.
"It's behind the building," the other man said and they both walked away in that direction.
C.J. followed making sure she kept her distance so they wouldn't see her. They turned into an alley and she tailed them. The two men stopped near a dumpster and against another building.
She crept up closer to watch them, holding her breath.
"Here it is," the second man took out a small box. The other man examined it and then nodded before handing it back.
C.J. stepped backward to get a better position and stepped on a discarded aluminum can. The noise attracted the attention of the two men and she made herself smaller behind the retaining wall.
"What was that," one of them said.
The other man looked around.
"Nothing," he said, "Now do you have the money or not?"
The other man appeared to go into his pocket but then C.J.'s eyes widened as she saw him pull out a silver gun and she knew for sure he had shot Matt with it the other night. She wasn't the only one to be surprised. The other man dropped the box on the ground and tried to flee, but the man with the gun grabbed him by his collar, pushed him on the ground and then shot him twice at close range.
C.J. almost jumped backward and then the man looked up from the man on the ground to her. She almost froze as he aimed his gun at her for the second time in about three days but since she didn't want to die, she dropped to the ground as bullets flew over her head. Bullets that would have hit her at point blank if she had remained standing.
Her heart nearly stopped as she heard footsteps crunching glass not far away from her. No doubt approaching where she hid to finish off the only witness to his latest crime. She tried to come up with an escape plan but knew she had to wait until he came closer to act.
She heard him nearing where she sat and stuck her leg out suddenly catching him off guard. Her foot came between his and he toppled down to the ground with a thud. She grabbed that moment and jumped up on her feet and ran out of the alley. She looked around for Gracie but couldn't see her. Suddenly, she hear sirens and saw the familiar sight of police cars stopping in front of the alley and officers jumping out with guns drawn. She just pointed to the alley trying to catch her breath.
Matt heard the phone ring and picked it up.
"Hello this is Matt," he said.
"It's Elizabeth," she said, "I just wanted to tell you how happy I am that we're having dinner tonight."
Matt hesitated.
"I'm almost done here," Matt said, "Just some more spreadsheets to add to some files."
"Take as much time as you need," Elizabeth said, "Ginger and I are going to hit the nail salon for some tune-ups."
Matt hung up the phone, his heart heavy. Chris walked into his office.
"Hi Chris," he said, "Did you find the files that C.J. left for me?"
She nodded.
"Hoyt's on the phone for you," she said, "Line two."
Matt furrowed his brow.
"Did he say what it's about?"
"Something happened in Santa Monica," she said, "The police are working with the county sheriffs."
"Sounds like something big," he said, picking up his phone.
"Matt, this is Hoyt."
"Well hello to you too," Matt said, "What's up?"
"C.J.'s down at the station," Hoyt said, "She ran into your bad guy in an alley."
Matt hid his shock.
"She was supposed to be out playing tourist with her friend," he said, "What was she doing in an alley?"
"Maybe you should ask her that," Hoyt said, "She's not exactly being cooperative."
"You're talking about the shooter right?"
"Whoever it was got away," Hoyt sighed, "but he shot up the alley pretty good and left a dead body behind."
"Oh God," Matt said.
"My words exactly," Hoyt said, "ID on the body said this guy was in computers. C.J. did say that she saw the shooting."
"I'm on my way Hoyt," Matt said, getting ready to leave his office.
C.J. sat in the waiting room with Gracie at the sheriff's station.
"They seem to know you here," Gracie noted, after another officer had greeted C.J.
"It's through work and not what you're thinking," C.J. said.
"You're pretty calm for someone who just got shot at," Gracie said, shaking her head.
"Been there, done that more times than I can count."
Gracie looked down at her hands.
"When I heard those shots, I didn't know what else to do," she said.
"You called the cops," C.J. said, "That was enough."
"C.J., what did you think you were going to do in that alley with that killer," Gracie demanded.
C.J. sighed.
"I just wanted to make sure he was the same guy who shot Matt and when I saw the gun, I knew."
"But then he tried to kill you," Gracie said.
"He missed."
"Fortunately, for you he didn't aim well," Gracie said, "but what you did was very dangerous."
"I know that," C.J. said, "But he's too dangerous to leave running around the city. He's shot at least two people in just a few days and those are just the ones we know about."
"L.A. is filled with dangerous people," Gracie said, "At least that's what we see on the nightly news up north."
Both women looked up and saw Matt entering the room followed by Roy.
"C.J., are you okay," Matt asked.
C.J. looked up at his worried face.
"Hoyt called you, didn't he?"
"Well yes," Matt said, "What were you doing in the alley?"
Gracie harrumphed.
"That's what I asked her."
Matt folded his arms and waited. C.J. just stared back at him.
"C.J., you could have been killed," he said.
"Just like you nearly were the other night," she countered.
"Hoyt said this guy murdered someone in cold blood."
C.J. sighed.
"I know that," she said, "It happened right in front of me."
"Now you're a witness to a murder," Matt said, "He might come after you to make sure you don't tell anyone."
"I saw him shoot you the other day Houston," she said, "but we just bumped into each other this afternoon."
"How likely is that in a city this size," Gracie mused.
"I'm not taking any chances with your safety," Matt said, "You're coming and staying with me."
C.J. stood up.
"What," she said, "I don't think so."
Matt set his jaw.
"C.J., this isn't about making your life difficult," he said, "This is about your safety."
"I've got Gracie staying with me," he said.
"It's a big enough beach house," he said, "You can both stay with me."
"I'm easy," Gracie said, "You know what I mean."
C.J. looked at her friend like a traitor.
"What is Elizabeth going to think?"
Matt frowned.
"What?"
"You know, your ex-fiancée who's come back into your life," C.J. said, "The one who might just want another chance with you."
"C.J…"
"No Houston," C.J. said, "What kind of message is this going to send her and don't even get me started on the field day Ginger will have with it."
"I don't care," Matt said, "Your safety comes first."
"I'm perfectly safe in my own home," she insisted.
Hoyt interrupted them. Matt and C.J. looked up at him.
"What are you doing here," Matt asked.
"This is a joint operation and I've been assigned to it," Hoyt said.
"Do you know who this guy is," Matt asked.
"It's Clyde Jenkins," C.J. said quietly, "or at least that's what he's going by."
Matt's eyes narrowed.
"How do you know?"
She sighed.
"Jason called me earlier and told me," she said, "but the name doesn't ring a bell at all and I know I've seen him before."
"Where and when," Hoyt asked.
"I don't remember," C.J. said, "If I did, I'd tell you."
"You haven't said much," Hoyt said, "Why not?"
C.J. looked at him and Matt.
"There's not much to tell," she said, "I followed him and the other man into the alley and they had a conversation and then Jenkins shot the other man."
"Not much is known about him except he worked in computer technology," Hoyt said.
C.J. furrowed her brow.
"There was a small box that they were looking at," she said, "At first, I thought they were drug smugglers but I don't think that's it at all."
"Maybe some other form of smuggling," Matt said.
Hoyt nodded.
"After that snake smuggling operation we busted today, I'm prepared for anything."
C.J. frowned.
"Who smuggled snakes?"
Matt looked at her.
"One of our clients told us when it was going down and we caught them in the act and Hoyt's guys busted them."
Hoyt shook his head.
"Not before the merchandise escaped and gave us a scare," he said, "Houston shot right over my head hitting one of those snakes."
C.J.'s eyes widened, then she put her hands on her hips.
"And when were you going to tell me about that?"
Matt looked sheepish.
"It all worked out well in the end," he said, "except maybe for the owner of those snakes."
"Were they poisonous?"
Hoyt nodded, before Matt could warn him.
"Deadly in fact," he said, "One ounce of venom could take out half a city's block."
She shook her head and then looked at her best friend.
"And you say I put myself in danger," she said, "You could have been killed so before you get judgmental with me, you should look at your own actions."
"C.J…"
"Don't 'C.J.' me," she said, "I took precautions just like I'm sure that you did and I will continue to do so."
He wisely decided to just drop it.
"We're going to be running extra patrols by your house," Hoyt told C.J., "Just in case he tries to find you."
Gracie looked at all of them.
"Is this like normal for all of you?"
"Thanks Hoyt," Matt said.
C.J. nodded and then looked up at the lieutenant.
"Am I free to go?"
He nodded.
"We might need to get in touch with you later," he said.
"That's fine," she said, "But Gracie and I will be out tonight unless you have a problem with that."
Matt said nothing.
"Okay, then we're going to go and get ready," C.J. said, "There's a jazz musician doing a show at a club and we don't want to be late."
"C.J. are you sure…"
She turned to look at him.
"Houston, you've got a dinner date with Elizabeth," she said, looking at her watch, "and I'm sure you're already running late so you'd better get a move on if you want to make up for lost time."
"Call me when you get back tonight," he said, "so I know you made it back safely."
She almost objected but after seeing his brows knit with concern, nodded instead.
"We'll be fine," she said as the two women left.
Matt and Hoyt watched them go.
"She's a grown woman Houston," Matt said, "She can take care of herself…most of the time."
"I could have lost her today Hoyt," Matt said.
Hoyt slapped him on the back.
"You didn't," he said, "and it will be worse if you try to pen her in."
Matt already knew that but he couldn't shake his concern that she might be vulnerable to being attacked by the shooter if he found out where she lived.
"Matlock, she's going to be fine," Roy said, "Maybe you should give Elizabeth a call."
"Oh yeah…I got to do that," he said, seeking out a pay phone.