18

Matt came back up the stairs fidgeting with his tie with a smile on his face. "C.J..." His uncle walked over to him from the bar.

He smiled for a second and then said, "Here let me."

Roy reached out to fix the tie, but Matt stepped back and said, "No thanks, Uncle Roy. The only bright spot to my having to wear this stupid thing is the fact that my beautiful wife will have to help me fix this." He smiled but then noticed she appeared asleep on the couch. He furrowed his brow, "Is she asleep?"

He hopped down and noticed how sound asleep she was. Matt sat beside her and brushed the hair back from her face. Roy quietly said, "She just wanted to lay down for a second, but yes, she fell asleep right after."

Matt, being an investigator blinked a couple of times, took a deep breath and then asked, "What did you two talk about after I left to get changed?"

He looked at his uncle clearly irritated and Roy expected that. He told him, "Her parents."

Matt looked back at her for a second, clearly concerned and then told his uncle, "I thought I said I wanted to drop it. I agreed to do some research on what I found, without bringing her into it. Why would you go behind my back and interrogate her like that?"

Matt kept brushing his hand against her cheek, looking at her again. Roy told him, "I didn't interrogate her. I merely asked her if she had been thinking about them over the last few months. She told me she had. I think I may have just gotten an answer as to why someone would be interested in the house now."

Matt looked sharply at his uncle and then quietly got up and walked over to him, taking him by the arm into C.J.'s office, "What do you mean?"

Roy told him, "Did she tell you that she had to fill out forms so her doctor could get her parent's medical records?"

Matt thought for a second and then said, "She got my mother's records, but she didn't mention them getting her parents. I guess they would want her side of the family more maybe than my side."

Roy then said, "That means someone has been actively looking into her past. That was probably the trigger and that could mean..."

Matt took a deep breath, "That could mean that if someone didn't know where she was or thought she was looking into her past...they could feel threatened now."

Roy told him, "I told you...this could be more dangerous to ignore." They both looked back at C.J. still sleeping.

Matt walked over slowly to her. He very softly said, "I want to protect her from this, I really do. What is she going to have to face?"

Swallowing hard over and over Matt just looked at her. Roy patted his back, "Whatever it is, she'll have us there to support her. She won't go through any of this alone."

Matt nodded, the thought of her facing something akin to his kidnapping all over again threatening to overwhelm him. It was hard enough for him to face the man who kidnapped him years later, as an adult. C.J. would have to face something that Matt just knew in the pit of his stomach was at least as bad if not worse. It might even mean her remembering her parents dying and having to go to a funeral for both, the government stepping in and taking her as a ward and then all of the uncertainty of moving to a new state and essentially hiding out. What he wouldn't give to keep her from all that.

She began to stir later to find her husband drinking a cup of coffee, sitting on the couch by her, seemingly watching her sleep. Sitting up, she asked, "How long have I been out?"

He brushed the hair from her eyes as he leaned over, "Not that long. We should probably leave in about half an hour. You feeling ok?"

C.J. stretched for a second and then told him smiling a little, "I actually feel very rested right now."

Matt smiled a little and nodded, "Good...here..." He handed her a cup of coffee, "just the way you like it."

She smiled and took it but caught something in his eyes. After taking a sip she said, "Are you ok? You look worried, Matt."

Matt smiled, knowing he was caught and then looked down. After a second he looked back up at her and took her hand saying, "I just have a new case I think. I didn't want to get into it too much before we wrap this one up, that's all."

C.J. put her cup down with a confused look on her face. She asked him, "We have a new case? What's the new case?"

Matt swallowed and tried to smile at the same time, "I'm not entirely sure. Basically I have a friend..." He started to get a little choked up, "a good friend that may have something from their past coming back and threatening them now. I'll know more in a few days and we can talk about it then, ok?"

C.J. caught something in his voice and his eyes that filled her with dread. She told him, "You know you can tell me, Matt. I'll help you no matter who the friend is or what they need."

He pulled her into an embrace and held her tightly. "I know you will. You've always been there for me, C.J." He pulled back and looked into her eyes with his hands on her cheeks, "And I will always be there for you, no matter what." Before she could ask or say anything he took her back in his arms and held her for a couple of more minutes before they got up to head to the tribute.

As Matt drove he thought over and over again at what his uncle had told him. She didn't say much either as they drove, but after fixing his tie properly and him pulling her in for a kiss, she seemed to wake up more. Now she seemed to be staring out into space again.

Matt noticed and asked, "Is anything wrong, C.J.?"

C.J. blinked for a second and then said, taking his hand and squeezing it, "I was just thinking about my life before Texas. Uncle Roy asked me about my parents a little while ago and I told him about Dr. Samaras looking into our family histories. I don't know why, but it really hadn't dawned on me that I could use Baby to remember what they were like." She squinted and rubbed her head again, "I just don't remember them that well and I really want to. I might just need those memories when I'm a parent." She smiled at Matt and then said, "I know that my father loved me very much and my mother, I know that. I just don't remember why exactly I know that..." her voice trailed off and her face looked pensive.

Matt then asked, seeing the opportunity, "Do you remember the house you grew up in? You came to Texas when you were 9, don't you have any memories of living in a house before then?"

She thought for a second and then said, "I remember a brick house, a small brick house." Matt noticed her hand rubbing her head again almost subconsciously. She continued with a smile, "I remember a pink room with bows and..." She started taking deeper breaths, "I...uh...there was a...a...a lamp, a ballerina lamp." Her eyes got heavier as Matt pulled over to watch her more carefully. She didn't notice.

Matt squeezed her hand again, "C.J." he said softly.

She blinked again and then looked at him confused, "I'm sorry, what was I saying?"

Matt looked at her closely and said, "We were talking about your childhood, but I think maybe we should talk about it later. You don't look like you feel that well...as a matter of fact, why don't I just drive you back to the beach house and then go to this tribute, I..."

C.J. then seemed to regain her bearings, "No, Matt...I'm fine, really. We have a job to do here. I want to be there for Dove and its like you've said before, having all your suspects in one place makes things easier." Matt still didn't seem convinced so she told him, "Trust me, I'm fine."

Matt nodded and then got back on the road. Her response to her memories deeply concerned him. It really looked like she was blacking out again. Over and over in his mind he kept asking himself, 'How bad is this? How graphic was what she saw?' A more frightful thought hit him, 'what if whoever the murderer was had held her for a while, hostage?' He looked back at her as she laid back in the car, resting and felt his own anxiety level rise.

They got in to the tribute quickly enough to find Joshua Blake, Dove and Sandy Kennedy, the nanny all sitting together. They reserved two seats for them at a table. Joshua shook Matt's hand and said, "I know I'm not supposed to be out, but Darrin arranged for it. He said it wouldn't be right for me not to be here. I'm not singing with the band though, my lungs are still sore, but other than that, I'm just fine."

Matt said, "Well, if you feel up to it, then I don't see why anyone should keep you from being here."

C.J. then chuckled as she shook Joshua's hand, "Now why doesn't it surprise me that you would support someone getting out of the hospital early."

They both laughed and Dove spoke up, "Hi C.J.! Look what I colored...its a number 3, see I can draw a number 3..." Then she looked back at Sandy, "See, Nana Sandy helps me!" She presented to C.J. a trace the number paper with a 3 traced in green crayon.

Sandy told her, "This could be a long night and she will need something to do. Three year olds have lots of energy."

They all chuckled and it seemed the lights dimmed. Matt pulled out C.J.'s chair for her and put his arm around her shoulder as they sat together. The tribute started out with her band playing two of her hits without a singer. The effect was eerie, but that was the point, to highlight her missing.

Then each member gave their fondest memory of her. Most were humorous, like her sneaking out to get a favorite candy bar in the middle of the night while on tour in disguise or practical jokes she would play on band members. Larson, more tearfully than the others spoke of her commitment to the band and how she would drop everything to support one of them if they needed it.

Then came Sam Perkins who talked very briefly and tearfully of their marriage. Both Matt and C.J. noticed he avoided any reference to Dove. He spoke of their time together, practical jokes she would play on him, buying him things out of the blue and her commitment to her fans. He shared anecdotal stories about specific fans she would do special things for, like visiting sick children in the hospital or going to one girl's high school prom because she told Macy she was an outcast.

Although the majority of what he shared seemed sincere, it all appeared to Matt and C.J. that he was still selling his client.

Matt noticed something as each of the men went on stage. As the cameras would pan on Calindis each time someone spoke, to get the widower's reaction, no doubt, Calindis seemed to be focusing on an area just below the stage and directly in front of Blake. His seat table was next to Blake's and they almost sat side by side. He seemed nervous and would alternate between looking at the stage and Dove.

After The Bay Boys performed without Blake and they finally made it back to their seats, Calindis then got up to make his statement. It started out, "I can't tell you how much this means to me." He wiped a tear and looked as though he was holding back sobs. "Macy and I didn't have much time together, but I will never forget it...I..."

As he was getting choked up it seemed, he bent down and all of a sudden a shots rang out. The lights also went out at the same time as people screamed. Matt, who's arm was still around C.J. essentially moved his body over her taking both to the ground to shield her as the bullet seemed to fire in their direction.

When the lights came back up, just a second later, Matt turned C.J. over to make sure she was alright, but she seemed focused on the other side of their own table. At that point she screamed, "No!"

Little Dove was pinned under her nanny who was bleeding from the back. Dove didn't understand what was going on and was almost whispering, "Nana Sandy, Nana Sandy, get up..."

C.J., Matt and Blake rushed around the table. Blake got Dove up who was crying for Sandy and held her while Matt checked to make sure Sandy had a pulse. He told Hoyt and Roy who ran over, guns drawn, "Its weak but its there. Get an ambulance."

C.J. just knelt down in a trance, muttering, "No...no..." She looked up at Dove, "Not again." At that point she got up and started walking away.

She passed the EMTs as they came rushing in and Matt ran to catch up to her, "Are you ok?" He blocked her path, grabbing her arms, looking right in her eyes very concerned.

This time C.J. didn't respond, but kept staring into space, her eyelids getting heavier and heavier. She whispered, "I can't believe, I just...no...not again." At that point she blacked out herself.

Roy came over as Matt held C.J. unconscious in his arms. He laid her down and him and Matt looked her over to make sure she hadn't been struck by one of the bullets. In that split second he flashed back to her trying to hide her gunshot wound to the shoulder when he was trying to prove his innocence a few years ago.

Sandy had been loaded quickly on a stretcher and was already on her way to the hospital. The remaining EMTs came rushing in and offered to help with C.J. They checked her out but didn't find any wounds.

Matt rubbed his forehead as one of them told him, "She probably just fainted because of what she saw. A lot of people blackout at the sight of that much blood."

Matt knew that wasn't the case but watched them, holding her hand tightly as they put smelling salts up to her to bring her to. He kept looking back at Roy who was thinking the same things he was about all this.

She started to stir and Matt told her before anyone else could say anything, "I'm right here, honey. Just take it easy."

She looked around and then said, "Matt, I...wait a minute..." It seemed as though she just caught on to what happened, "what's going on? Wait...is Sandy ok? Is Dove..."

Matt told her, "Sandy is on her way to the hospital now. Dove is fine, she wasn't hurt at all. You just blacked out, so just take it easy for a minute, ok?"

C.J. looked at everyone focused on her. She cleared her throat and said, "No, listen really I'm fine. I don't know what came over me, but whatever it is, its gone now."

The EMTs left and Roy went to check on Hoyt. Matt told her, "Listen, I think I should get you home..."

C.J. stopped him and said, "No, Matt, like I said, I'm fine. Where did those shots come from and what happened to the lights?"

Matt told her, "I don't know. It all happened so fast." Then it hit him that Calindis had been looking in that general direction all night. He called his uncle back over who came with Hoyt. "Uncle Roy, can you get C.J. home? Hoyt, we need to talk." He pulled Roy to the side out of C.J.'s earshot and said, "And don't leave her. I'll be there as soon as I can."

C.J. was about to protest but Roy took her hands and told her calmly, "Come on, please, let me take you back to the beach house. You haven't been feeling well for a few days now." She relented and they left.

Matt and Hoyt got over to a corner and watched Calindis walking around on stage. The police had evacuated almost everyone else at that point. Matt told him, "Watch him. Now I noticed during the tribute that he kept looking over directly in front of Blake, looking very nervous."

Hoyt then speculated, "That's the general direction the shots came from. Our lab boys are collecting evidence now. There was a set up under the stage to fire a pistol in the direction of Blake's table. We are treating this as a second attempt on Blake's life. You think Calindis set this all up?"

Matt told him, "I do...Blake told me Calindis got him out of the hospital and made sure he was here tonight. When we revealed the paternity test results he got real upset when he learned Blake was the father, meaning..."

The lightbulb went on over Hoyt's head, "Meaning he would have to split the inheritance with Blake as the legal guardian of Dove, with her actually getting the bulk of it. So if I understand this right, Macy died as the result of an accident, but Calindis didn't want to share the inheritance with anyone."

Matt then said, "I think I have an idea Hoyt. I think I know just how to catch this would be killer." They talked for another half an hour, watching Calindis the whole time, noting that he seemed to have found a new friend.