2

C.J. sat in her office looking through depositions and other legal paperwork. She had responded to everything that needed her immediate attention and had been quite busy since Murray was yet to return after losing Myron. The occasional phone call from him in San Francisco and then later New York where the two were from originally put her and Matt at ease some. They had both worried about how he was coping but with each call he sounded better. Matt had told him that he probably had about 6 month's worth of vacation days stored up and that he should utilize all he needed.

In the meantime, that left C.J. with all the paperwork. As vice president she now took over essentially. The seemingly endless business papers that crossed her desk made her head spin. More than once she told Chris, "I think I understand Murray a lot better now. I can see where this would drive one half nuts and the sooner it gets signed, the sooner its out of my hair."

Chris had just chuckled and C.J. had just gone back to work. After finally getting through the first stack, C.J. decided to take a break and went out on the patio where Roy was reading the paper. "Anything good in there?" She asked.

Roy shook his head and then started to put it down as he said, "Not really. Same old, same old. Except for this..." he leaned over with the paper folded so C.J. could read the headline The Final Curtain Call under which was a picture of a popular singer, Macy Raven. "Seems as though her husband found her body yesterday afternoon at the foot of the stairs in their mansion. Police aren't naming anyone as a suspect yet but one unnamed source says it could be the biggest Hollywood mystery since Marilyn Monroe."

C.J. took a drink of the juice she poured herself and took the paper. "Huh, I don't think I ever listened to much of her music, but she's been in movies and is one of the biggest names in the business." She kept reading, "Wow, it says here that the police will be talking to her husband, two ex husbands and one rumored lover."

At just that moment they heard Chris scream/squeal. They ran back in to find her talking to four men in the lobby. Chris was saying, "I'm so sorry, but I just love your band. Please sign my message pad, please?" One of the men smiled, took the pad and signed it.

Roy and C.J. just looked at each other. Then C.J. said, "Gentlemen...can I help you with something?"

Roy then cleared his throat, "Well, C.J. I took the liberty of accepting a new case and these men are our prime suspects."

C.J.'s eyes went big but she caught herself quickly and said after plastering on a smile, "Will you please excuse us for just a moment?" She nodded to them as she led Roy back into the penthouse, closing the doors. "Uncle Roy, if you took a new case that's fine, but why would you just tell those four men out there that they are suspects?"

Roy smiled and said, "Because they are...I know it and they know it. Those are the husband, two ex husbands and rumored lover of our fallen rock singer. Seems she had a will that stated that if her death was by any thing other than natural causes, none of the men would inherit anything until the murderer was caught and then most of it goes to her daughter and her guardian, the father."

C.J. went from watching the men in the lobby through the glass to turning to Roy and asking point blank, "So you decided we were going to be the ones to catch the killer." He nodded with a smile on his face. She continued, "Uncle Roy, you just said that this was going to be the biggest Hollywood mystery since Marilyn Monroe."

Roy then said, "I didn't say that, the papers said that. I told them we could handle it."

C.J. just looked at Roy like he was out of his mind. After hearing the men arguing, sounding like they were about to come to blows she asked, "You mind telling me exactly how we are going to handle it?"

Roy told her, "Well...uh...back in the company we had a sting that we used to catch double agents." Then they heard more yelling and Roy seemed to wince when he said, "But that one really only worked with the older guys. I'm not sure it would do the trick here."

C.J. nodded her head, smiled and said, "Ok, well, why don't we bring our new clients in and see what we can find out." She took a deep breath and said, "Then I'll see what Baby has to say about them." She then opened the door back up and let them all in.

What she and Roy learned over the next 3 hours was that Sam Perkins, her manager and ex husband number one had absolutely no love lost for the fallen Macy Raven. He did, however, claim to be the father of Dove Raven, Macy's three year old daughter. The others expressed doubt at that as they said she never used birth control with any of them and since they all slept with her about 4 years ago, it could be any of them. Over and over Perkins kept saying that Dove should be the only person to inherit anything and that he was at least her legal guardian. Both Roy and C.J. wondered why Macy Raven had kept him as her manager.

The next suspect, ex husband number two Joshua Blake was the one Chris needed the autograph from. Lead singer for a newly popular boy band, Blake was the most recent ex. It appeared they met while his band opened for hers and they "fell hopelessly in love with each other." He expressed no ill will toward Macy and was the shyest of the group.

That shyness was in sharp contrast to Randy Larson, drummer for Macy's band. He emphatically stated that he would miss Macy terribly but then asked C.J. what she was doing for dinner that night. C.J. simply told him she would be talking to her husband over dinner thinking that would make him back off. Ironically, it didn't.

Then there was Darrin Calindis, Macy's current husband. Grief stricken, he appeared to hold back the sobs as he recounted how he found her yesterday afternoon. He had just returned home and found her at the base of the stairs. Roy and C.J. looked at each other over and over as it seemed he was putting on some kind of act the whole time.

After seeing each one out, C.J. then turned Baby on to do the research. Roy had left to go talk to an old contact he had from his teaching years that essentially had an honorary position at a local hospital. He had taught pre med classes while Roy taught some of the pre law criminal justice classes and they had shared an office. The plan was for him to see if this old buddy could help them figure out exactly who the father of Dove Raven was.

Roy knocked the office door. He heard, "Come in..." As he did his old buddy looked up as he adjusted his glasses from where he had been reading some file and squinting to see Roy walk in. He smiled big and said, "Roy, you old son of a gun, what are you doing here in my neck of the woods? I thought they put you out to pasture right after me?"

Roy chuckled and shook his hand as he had risen from his chair behind his desk. He said, "They did Winston, but I moved to L.A. a couple of years ago. My nephew and his wife live here and run a P.I. firm. I work with them now, uh, special consultant."

Winston nodded his head and said, "Special consultant, huh. Whatever you say...you wanna get some lunch?"

Roy told him, "Sure, but I have a question to ask you before I do...we have a case involving a question of paternity. Now I know there are completely open and legal ways to find that out, but sometimes...well...let's just say some big names were involved. Where would you recommend a family go if they wanted the best and most secure results for that kind of test?"

Winston thought about it for a second, "Well, Roy there are a number of places...but if its a security issue, I'd go with the lab right here in this hospital. They keep things tight. No tabloid is going to be able to bribe anyone here."

Roy digested that and then told him, "Sounds good. So, if I send them this way, you can take care of them?"

Winston smiled and said, "Of course Roy, whatever you need. Now, come on...the cafeteria reminds me of the canteen at that old university."

Roy stopped suddenly after Winston had put his arm around him to lead him out of the room and said, "We hated that old canteen."

Winston just smiled and said, "Yeah, but it does bring back memories...and there's a cashier that reminds me an awful lot of Rosie...remember Rosie?" Both men smiled and left together.

C.J. had just finished printing out all the data. She had spoken to Roy who updated her and Warren had come by to pick up Chris. After gathering her things she headed down to Matt's car.

She rode with him to the airport after he insisted, saying he was going to miss her terribly and wanted every single moment with her he could get. She, of course, agreed and then drove his car back. Even though her car sat parked beside his, she still kept driving the red convertible where she could still smell his cologne.

As she drove back she thought about how used to the car she was. Even before they married, they were so close to one another. He had keys to her car and her house and she had keys to his car and his house. Whenever he needed her car, he didn't really have to ask and vice versa and more than once she stayed at the beach house, or he stayed at her house if it was late and he didn't want to drive all the way to Malibu.

They had always been close like that, ever since they met back in Texas. Texas...she thought to herself, that was where he was now. Bo and Lamar had called and seemed very upset over something going on down on the ranch. It had something to do with some property nearby but when C.J. offered to go down there, they insisted it wasn't anything legal and that it was more of a man's thing.

She chuckled to herself as she drove. Bo and Lamar had always treated her as an equal and usually only pulled that, 'Its a man thing' when they wanted to do something that would get them in trouble, like the time they tried to make the world's largest margarita in Matt's hot tub in the office.

Still, she wondered what was going on. Matt had only told her that the two had told him it would have to wait a couple of days as some of the cattle were stranded on the wrong side of the river somehow. There was a creek that had separated her second cousin's property from Matt's that flowed into that river whenever they got a good rain. That little creek was always so peaceful and out of sight of the house they lived in.

Lost in her thoughts she narrowly missed a car that cut her off on the highway. She blinked a couple of times, grabbing the steering wheel hard and then took a deep breath before hitting the gas pedal back down again.

She got in the beach house and made herself a can of soup for dinner and then getting her bath. After drinking a glass of wine she heard the phone ring and reached over to hear her husband's voice. "I miss you..." was the first thing he said.

She smiled and asked, "What if Uncle Roy had been over here and answered the phone?"

He laughed and said, "Well I miss him too, just not in the same way I'm missing you."

She laughed and then told him, "He got us a new case."

Matt asked, "A new case? I'm out of town...why would he agree to take on a new case?"

C.J. took a deep breath and told him, "Matlock Houston, you know good and well that I am perfectly capable of handling a case myself. Besides its definitely got big legal issues attached to it. How's you 'man's thing' coming along down there?"

Matt didn't really want to get into the specifics yet. He knew why Bo and Lamar had kept it a secret now why they wanted him down there. Dredging up ancient history for C.J. would only hurt her on some level. They were going over to the old house tomorrow. Today when they went over, the found federal officers of some kind sealing things off and demanding Matt bring proof of ownership before allowing him on the property.

Matt thought finding that proof would be easy, it was simply a matter of record. However, finding those records proved more difficult and he had spent the better part of the day looking through his Daddy's old safe in the closet. He got distracted very easily though as he found little things from his childhood that Bill had kept and stored away. Some were pictures Matt drew as a child others were little things he gave Bill for Father's Day, Christmas and the like. All of them brought back memories and were harder to go through than Matt had anticipated.

Matt knew C.J. was waiting for an answer so he told her, "I've just been going through some things here. You know I never really cleaned out Daddy's room or anything. I went through his safe today. He kept a lot of business documents in there and a few other things..."

He could hear her sigh in a loving way on the other end before she said, "He kept everything you ever gave him, didn't he?"

He told her, "Yes he did...and a couple of things you gave him. He seemed convinced you and I would be together one day."

C.J. smiled and then told him, "He probably knew us better than we did. I miss him too, Matt. I know its not the same but..."

Matt swallowed and then said, "I think it is, at least its real close. You're the only other person who could know how I'm feeling right now. I love you so much, C.J. You have no idea..."

C.J. then told him with tears in her own eyes, "Yes I do if its even half as much as I love you." After another thirty minutes of talking, neither wanting to say goodbye to the other, they finally hung up so they could get some rest.