5

Bo and Lamar just kept laughing which was starting to annoy Matt. "I'm glad you fellas are enjoying all this." He said as they sat on benches in the cell and he leaned against the door made out of bars.

Bo then said, "Oh come on...surely you didn't think when you after that Owen fella that old Sheriff Nelson was just gonna let you walk out of that bar now, did you?"

Matt just sighed heavily, looking up, knowing they were right. Lamar then said to Bo, "Oh he's just upset because he didn't get to talk to his best friend last night. Always was sour as a lemon when he couldn't talk to his best friend, the one that's gonna have his hide for his bar fight last night." The two chuckled some more.

Matt then turned around and walked back over to them, "Now you know she won't buy that I was alone, right?" The smiles quickly left their faces as Matt's got bigger. "Did you two really think I was the only one she was going to have a talk with later?"

Lamar then said much more softly, "She's gonna get us back for this, isn't she?"

Matt raised his eyebrows, smiled and nodded at the same time. The other two just took a deep breath and looked at each other. Bo then said, "Well, I reckon we'll have to tell her what all has been goin on."

Matt then shook his head, "No, until I find out more I'd rather not worry her with this or make her relive something painful. She doesn't talk about her life before Texas and I don't really want her to have to remember something that's going to hurt her all over again. I think, since I've known her, that we've only visited her parent's gravesite twice." He shook his head again and said, "It was hard on her, both times. I made her promise after that first time that if she ever went again, she would tell me and let me go with her. It literally made her sick, both times. No, until I know exactly what we're dealing with here, I don't want to put her through that."

The other two nodded as a young deputy came over with keys telling them, "Its time to see the judge. Watch your manners. He's not happy he had to cancel his day off and come back in from the lake where the fish were bitin."

Matt asked, "Judge Salinger isn't still sitting is he?"

The deputy smiled as he opened the door and said, "Yep he is, just had a big birthday, turned 75. You knowing him I'm guessin isn't going to work in your favor."

Matt smiled politely and nodded as they were all let out of the cell, down the hall and to the courtroom. Waiting for him, Bo and Lamar was one of his many corporate lawyers from L.A. His uncle had done a good job at finding the one who studied law at Baylor so at least he would be familiar with Texas law. The young attorney smiled nervously and stuck out his hand, "Mr. Houston, I know we met at the Christmas party last year but I just wanted you to know what an honor it is to represent you here, I..."

Matt put up his hand and smiled, interrupting him he said, "I'm sure it is, but there probably won't be much for you to do. The judge and I go way back in a manner of speaking. I'm sure he'll give all 7 of us a talking to, probably fine us all and then release us. I do appreciate you coming all the way out here and will definitely compensate you well."

Owen and his three guys came in next and sat down at the same table. Clearly hungover he spouted to Matt, "You're lucky those cops got there when they did. I was just about to lay into you." Matt just stared him down which made the lawyer nervous. It got worse when Owen then added, "So you married her huh? Well, how's it feel having my leftovers?"

Bo, Lamar and the lawyer caught that look in Matt's eye and all three grabbed his arms to keep them at his side. The lawyer whispering, "They're only words, he's trying to get you to do something so the judge will focus on you and not him. I'd wager he's been before this judge more than once."

Matt looked back at his lawyer who suddenly sounded much more Texan and less corporate than he did just seconds ago. He was about to say something else when they heard the "All rise" from the bailiff.

Judge Salinger slowly made his way in, roughly taking the folder from the bailiff and saying something none of the others could hear but were all sure was his way of expressing his displeasure at being called in.

Then he bellowed, "Well, well...Mr. Richardson...can't say that I'm surprised to see you before my court...again," he emphasized. Then he squinted over his glasses as he read the report and looked at Matt, "You though...you I am surprised to see. I was thinking I wouldn't see you before my court. Been keeping up your business in L.A. So nice to see someone from these parts do so well like that. Makes me real proud, yep real proud. Such success, but then again, I always knew it was there."

Matt then smiled and said, "Why thank you judge, I don't know what to say, I..."

The judge lost his smile quickly and interrupted, "I'm not talkin about you! I'm talkin about your better half, Miss Parsons. Hell of a clerk and lawyer. You're damn lucky to have someone like her around. If memory serves, she saved your sorry hide more than once in this very courtroom."

Bo and Lamar had to try really hard to hold down their laughter and hide it from everyone, but especially Matt who just looked at them annoyed. "Yes she did, your honor, she..."

He interrupted again, "How on earth she ended up with you I don't know. Smartest legal mind I'd seen in a long time. Not many can do as well as she did at one of the most prestigious schools in the country, work under F. Lee Bailey and become as well known in the Law Review as she has. I'm always looking out for her articles, like that one last year on circumstantial evidence, citing all those cases and precedents. Where is she? The only bright spot to my losing my fishing time was the prospect of getting to see her if only to bail you out again." The judge clearly was looking around for her.

At that point the lawyer from L.A. spoke up, "I'm sorry Your Honor, but Mrs. Parsons-Houston is still in L.A. conducting crucial business in recent murder investigation serving as representation for the family as they settle all legal matters relating to the deceased estate. My name is David Matheson, I..."

The judge interrupted again, "David Matheson, you wouldn't be related to Doug Matheson would you?"

Matt just watched all this as his lawyer smiled and said, "The one and only Your Honor. From what I hear you and he used to find yourselves in a courtroom very similar to this and for the same reason."

Judge Salinger took a deep breath and nodded, "Yeah, your granddaddy and I saw our share of bar fights. Only we held to the cowboy code. You don't just fight for the fun of it."

Before he could go further David interrupted again, "That's all that was going on here. Your Honor if you read the arresting officer's report and statements made by all three of my clients..."

The judge then stopped him by holding up his hand. He turned and read the report, then cleared his throat. "All right, well seems as though we have dual charges between all the parties, not surprising and not my job really if you two idiots want to go out and beat each other even more senseless than you already are. The property damage though does fall within my jurisdiction." He sat the file down and said, "Mr. Richardson, Mr. Houston, please approach."

The two men with David and the prosecutor and appointed defense for Richardson who really hadn't said much did just that. Judge Salinger then started with Owen, "Both you men seem responsible for about $2000 worth of damage..."

Owen tried to interject, "He threw me..."

The judge put up his hand again and interrupted, "Now Owen if I didn't see your face in here every time some poor girl broke up with you, I might be inclined to believe anything you have to say!" His voice got louder almost with each word. He continued, "Now, gentlemen, it doesn't seem to be all that complicated. We have damage in the amount of $2000, it doesn't matter who started the fight, you both kept at it. So I say we split the damages...Hang on..." He then looked back out and spoke up louder to the owner of the bar, "Fimple?" The man nodded, "You sure its $2000?"

Fimple nodded and added, "I gotta get 5 new tables and about a dozen chairs. Those don't come cheap and I have to drive all the way in to Katy to get them. You know how much I hate drivin all the way into the city."

The judge nodded and then said, "Now then, as I was sayin, you split the damages. Your sidekicks over there can do some community service for a couple of weeks pickin up trash off the side of the road and helping Fimple here get his tables and chairs by driving in themselves to pick them up so he doesn't have to."

They both seemed to accept that and thanked him. As they started to turn around the judge stopped them by asking, "Now according to the cowboy code, only real acceptable reason for fighting in a bar is defending the honor of a female. Was that what was goin on here?"

David then turned back around and said, "Yes Your Honor. Just like when you and granddaddy got in that big fight in Waco, Mr. Houston here was just defending the honor of his wife, that Ms. Parsons-Houston."

The judge sat up a little straighter and said, "Owen, the boy here speakin the truth? You saying ill of Miss Parsons?"

Matt started to correct the judge with her full last name when David took his arm and shook his head.

Owen responded, "We dated back in a day and I guess Mr. Houston and I don't see eye to eye sorta speak over it."

The judge squinted at Owen and then said, "If what happened between you two is what I think happened between you two, you best not find yourself before my court again." He then turned to Matt and said, "You tell that wife of yours she's sorely missed down in these parts and keep making us proud. Now all y'all get out of my sight so I can get back down to the lake before the fish all move on."

Hoyt had just gotten back in and didn't even see them there as he was only focused on getting to the antacids. After popping the first two and sitting down, he saw them. "What do you two want?" he asked both tired and irritated. C.J. and Roy looked at each other and he just sighed before continuing, "Listen I'm sorry...its been one very long night, or two nights, depends on how you look at it. This singer case is a real tough one..." At that point both C.J. and Roy seemed about to say something so Hoyt just held his hand up and said, "Let me guess...you have a new client or clients and their probably male and knew Macy Raven."

C.J. then spoke up, "As a matter of fact we are trying to help them sort through all of the inheritance issues..."

Hoyt laughed, "Inheritance issues? You mean find out who killed her, right? And then sort through who gets what out of that estate of hers that is bigger than the national budget of some nations, don't you?"

Roy then said, "Yes, but the bigger issue is who gets custody of that little girl of hers. I don't think anyone wants this to drag out too long for her sake."

Hoyt conceded that and then said, "You're right, no one wants the one innocent person in all this put through any more trauma than she's been put through already. At least she wasn't home at the time of the murder of her mother..."

C.J. suddenly put her head down as she closed her eyes. Putting both hands on her forehead she took two deep breaths and listened to the others continue. Hoyt was saying, "...that would have been much worse." Both Roy and Hoyt then noticed C.J. so Hoyt asked, "C.J., you ok?"

She didn't look up but nodded her head. After taking another deep breath she sat up, squinting and said, "I just have a migraine I guess. I felt so much better this morning, but its back. Excuse me." At that point she got up and started out the door to get to the bathroom quickly where she threw up. After splashing water on her face and pulling herself together again she went back to Hoyt's office.

Roy was talking, "All we want is to take a look at the report. Come on Michael, one little look won't hurt."

Hoyt sighed and then handed him the folder as she walked back in. "Here, knock yourself out. Blunt force trauma to the head and a broken neck sustained during the fall. That staircase had over 30 steps and she hit each one. Bruises all over her body that match with the way the test dummy was thrown down it. If it wasn't for her age and all the other 'inheritance issues' we might be calling this an accidental death."

Roy, still reading the report then asked as he looked up from it, "What's this about oil on her body?"

Hoyt answered, "Its a body oil, lavender to be precise. Seems as though she had just gotten a massage shortly before her fall." Then he looked at C.J. and said, "You ok?"

She nodded and then said, "Lavender is relaxing. When Matt had me going to get all those massages I would get them to use it. Its very nice."

Roy then asked, "Relaxing enough to get your guard down?"

C.J. was still rubbing her forehead but said, "Its not a drug, no, but if you just go with it, it might help you sleep. Some people put little drops of lavender essential oil on their pillow. I don't really see how it could be used to commit murder."

Roy then rubbed her back after he and Hoyt looked at each other then said, "Well, now that we know what's in the autopsy report, why don't we head back to the penthouse. You can lay down again and I can pick Matlock up from the airport. Then we can brief him and decide how to proceed from there."

Hoyt told them, "We've brought in the widower twice and he's sticking to his story. All the others are too. Funeral is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon in an exclusive ceremony. If the widower is one of your clients, you'll probably get an invite. We'll be on scene to keep tabloids away. Let me know if you need anything else." They nodded to each other and Roy drove C.J. in Matt's car back to the office and let her sleep on the couch again while he took the chopper to go pick up Matt.