9
C.J. was back at her desk going over a couple of merger forms for Murray. She was trying hard to forget about her little run in with Roy Turner that morning. She still didn't feel threatened by him, just annoyed. His plan, according to her, was to simply bug her and try to scare her and if he really thought he'd succeed, he had another thing coming.
A bigger issue for her was the fact that she would have to tell Matt. She knew once she did, he would go off and hunt Turner down and probably physically threaten him. Sighing, she looked up at the ceiling, just hoping Matt could control his temper so she didn't have to appear beside him in court defending him against assault and battery charges.
She coughed a couple of times and felt like her throat was getting was sore. She swallowed hard and thought about running down to grab some drops from the little newsstand across the street. She grabbed her purse and headed out.
After picking from the two options available she handed the man exact change. As she turned around to cross back across the street she spotted Turner. He just looked up at her and waved from the other side street and then turned and walked away. It unnerved her but she just quickly made her way across to the other side as Matt and Roy caught up with her.
She walked up to her husband with his arms open for her and easily slid her arm around his waist as he did the same for her. He asked, "Whatcha got there?"
C.J. pulled out the cough drops and showed him but said, "My throat is just a little sore that's all. This should do the trick. Nothing else hurts."
Matt nodded and said, "Ok, so today is day one."
C.J. looked at him puzzled as all three got in the elevator and said, "Day one?"
Matt looked at her with a smile and said, "Yes, day one. Remember that legal document I had you draw up last year? The one I think you called the Overprotective, Unnecessary, Illness Addendum or something like that?"
She started to laugh as she said, "Oh yes, the one where I have three days to feel better or I'm legally required according to my work contract as vice president to see a doctor."
Roy looked even more puzzled and asked, "You made her sign a what?"
They both looked at each other and laughed as Matt gave his completely biased account of the events. C.J. interjected a couple of times to set the record straight, but Roy just stood there, shaking his head, chuckling.
Matt rubbed her back and asked, "Are you sure you feel up to going out and conducting this interview? Maybe you should take it easy if you aren't feeling well. You already went out to meet with a lawyer..."
C.J. looked down and Matt picked up on it and she knew it so she told him, "I didn't actually get to meet with the lawyer. She didn't send me the message...Roy Turner did."
She almost didn't want to look to see Matt's reaction, but she kept focused and saw him blink multiple times and felt him clench his fist ever so slightly. He asked, "What did he have to say to you? Did he threaten you in any way?" Matt was trying to keep calm and heed his friend and uncle's advice. She didn't need rescuing here. Although Roy Turner did need someone to knock some sense into him it sounded like and Matt knew he was the one most ready to handle that himself.
C.J. took a deep breath and told him, "He just wanted me to make sure I knew he wasn't happy about having to stay in jail because of me." She could feel Matt clench his fist even harder so she said, "They are idle threats Matt. He isn't even physically able to overpower me so you have nothing to worry about."
Matt ran his hand through his hair and told her, "I don't want that to even be something you have to think about". He closed his eyes for a second and looked back at his wife knowing what she was worried about so he just needed to calmly tell her what he was thinking. So with his hands rubbing her arms and looking her in the eye he told her, "I'm not going to go off and beat the man so you don't have to worry about me getting arrested. But I would appreciate it if until he moves on, you stay close to me. The man's a paroled convict you helped put away and worked to keep behind bars that has threatened you". He shook his head as he continued, "I don't care if the threats were idle, they were still threats and as far as I'm concerned, they were made against me as much as they were against you. I'm not going to let anyone hurt you. I'll..."
She sighed and told him, "I know you won't and I really don't think you have anything to worry about. Besides, let me explain how this would all go down, all little lesson in how the law works..." He looked irritated for a minute, but she kept going, "You threaten him or worse, hit him, then you go to jail on assault charges and he goes free. Then it doesn't matter how close you want me to you, we'll only be holding hands when we stand before a judge. Meanwhile, he's out running around doing what..." She sneezed again, "ever he wants to do."
Matt again put his hand on her forehead and said, "You know, you do feel a little warm."
She rolled her eyes and said, "No, I'm not, your hand is cold." To satisfy him she went down into the gym and took the thermometer and took her own temperature. It read 99.1. So she said, "See, its not high and I'm not running a fever."
Matt raised a brow and said, "Technically 99.1 is a fever..." the look on her face told him to back off for now and he knew 99.1 wasn't exactly that far from 98.6. So he continued with, "ok, fine...I'll drop it for now, but if your throat keeps hurting and if your temperature gets over 100, you are going to the doctor...alright?"
She agreed and then they heard Roy shout out that he was leaving to go find this Crazy John Witman and have a little talk with him. Matt shouted back to him, "Just be careful alright...you aren't back in the company and this isn't 1950."
Roy's response was, "Watch it, boy!" Then the elevator dinged.
Matt rubbed his wife's back and said in that low sexy voice of his, "Come on, let's go." Then he took her by the hand and walked with her to the elevator. They held hands until they got to his car when he let her go as he opened her door for her.
C.J. tucked her hair behind her ear as she asked him, "So are we going to see Amanda Calemon or Richard Romanes first?"
Matt answered, "I think we should go see Amanda Calemon." He put the car into gear and started to drive out of the parking lot. "Uncle Roy and I saw her in the..." Matt hit the brakes.
C.J.'s head went forward suddenly and she looked at her husband staring across the street. She asked as he made a U turn, "What is it, Matt?"
Matt's face betrayed his anger and he didn't answer her but sped across, causing a couple of cars to honk at him as he pulled over quickly and stopped. He slammed his door shut when he got out and C.J.'s eyes followed him until she saw that he was walking right toward Roy Turner.
"Oh no..." she thought to herself as she jumped out as quickly as she could to try to stop Matt from whatever it was he was going to do. "Matt..." she called out to him.
Matt didn't exactly hear her. All he could see was that convict waving to them as they started to drive out and blow a kiss to his wife. There was no way that slimy convict was getting anywhere near her and he apparently needed to hear that from someone...no he needed to hear that from her husband. The one that would kick his ass if he came anywhere near her.
Matt's rationale tried to reign in his emotions and to be honest, his rationale didn't exactly have the track record his emotions did when it came to C.J. However, he caught a glimpse of two beat cops he knew personally so he knew better than to just start laying into Turner, so he toned it down. He walked up right next to him and when Turner tried to walk away, a little scared perhaps, Matt blocked his path and told him, "Remember me? I know what you're trying to do and I'm telling you now, stay away from my wife, C.J. Parsons. I catch you near her one more time and you won't be walking away. Do we understand each other?"
C.J. caught up to Matt and put her hand on his arm as she said to him, "Matt he's nothing to worry about, really. Let's just go."
Turner smiled and said, "Better do what the little lady says, huh?" Then in a louder voice he said, "Well, well, well, trying to harass me here...I was just talking a little walk. I mean I know you're not happy that they let me loose, but really...you gotta back off." Then he laughed and said quietly to them, "Still scared huh...just remember...I am the murder machine. Maybe I didn't get to live up that reputation before, but its a whole new day."
He kept laughing and Matt started to move against him, but C.J. stopped him. He did get to fire off one warning, but the two cops came over, "I mean it Turner...you better stay away from her."
They explained briefly to the two cops as Turner left and they recommended C.J. file a TRO if she felt threatened. They also offered to patrol a little more closely around the block and make notations every time they saw him in the vicinity. Matt and C.J. both thanked them before Matt put his hand on C.J.'s back and walked her back to the car.
Before getting in, she reached up and kissed him. "Thank you for not getting violent with him."
He kissed her back and told her, "It wasn't easy. If Sammy and Luke weren't there...I love you, C.J. and I know, I know...if I get arrested for assaulting him, I go to jail and he stays free and then I couldn't protect you even if I wanted to. No need to give me the Law 101 lecture again."
She smiled and got in the car and he went around, getting in himself. In no time there were at Amanda Calemon's office.
It took a few minutes but finally the receptionist told them they could go back. She smiled as she greeted them, "Hello there...I'm Amanda Calemon, station manager...what can I do for you? Are you interested in advertising your agency on our radio? We have several packages..." She began the sales pitch as she led them in and walked around her desk.
She had started pulling out forms when Matt stopped her. "I'm sorry, but we really aren't here to discuss advertising..." he smiled at her even as her smile left her face, "we're here to discuss a former employee...Blaze Jackson? I'm sure you remember him..."
She interrupted him, "Yes, I remember Blaze..." she got up and started pacing. "What do you want to know?" She asked him clearly not happy.
C.J. spoke up, "Well we are trying to figure out who is trying to sabotage his and Laci's wedding plans..." She put it that way so she could gage Amanda's reaction and both her and Matt did notice she stopped pacing for a brief second with her back to them. She kept going, "We heard you were close to Blaze and were wondering if you knew of anyone who would do such a thing...you know, cancel their flower order, call and threaten them..." Her approach here was to not let it appear they suspected her, but were just asking for her help.
C.J. didn't get any further before Amanda looked back at her and shrugged, "I don't know who would do that. I know what you're talking about though. We all heard it, its been all just about anyone can talk about. The FCC got involved and every station manager and some of the lesser management staff had to go to a meeting because of it."
Amanda walked back over to her desk and sat down, "I don't know what more I can tell you. It wasn't my station the call came in on and they don't work for me." She started looking at papers on her desk.
Matt then spoke up to fish for more information, "Do you think Nick Peterson would do it?"
She looked up suddenly and it appeared had to suppress a smile as she said, "I don't know...maybe...he really seems to have a thing for that dumb blond Laci whats her name...I haven't seen him today, so I don't think you can talk to him about it now."
Matt nodded his head and then turned to C.J. and said, "Oh yeah, that's right...he was arrested...and he's in the hospital I think..." the two noticed Amanda didn't seem that surprised.
C.J. kept it going, "That's right, word around the courthouse is that they found something that belonged to Laci Summers...ah that's her name...among his things...oh wait, yes, it was a necklace I believe. They think he broke into her house last night, that he snuck out the hospital even..."
Amanda tried to appear uninterested and said, "Well, there you have it I guess. Now if you will excuse me..."
Matt interrupted again as he kept looking at C.J. having the conversation it seemed with her, "But that doesn't make any sense."
Amanda looked startled and said, "What...what doesn't make any sense?" She waited with great anticipation they could tell.
Matt explained, "Well, I mean he only has two days left in the hospital. Why leave the hospital and break into her apartment last night? Why not wait until he was out? His departure would certainly be noticed..."
Amanda chimed in, "Well maybe he felt he had to do it last night since Laci only spends the weekends with Blaze and he stays at her place during the week..." her voice trailed off at the end as Matt and C.J. both looked at her, "or so I've heard". She regained her composure and then stood up, "I am a really busy woman and I have work to so, so if you could just leave..."
The two looked at each other and Matt took C.J.'s hand and they walked out together.