CHAPTER 12

"Okay, Matt. Is it coming in loud and clear?" Uncle Roy had slipped into Michael Osterhouse's home and was planting miniature cameras in various locations. Matt was in the van outside checking the reception. "It's just fine, Uncle Roy." He looked up and down the street. Osterhouse wasn't due home for another couple of hours so they weren't expecting any problems.

"Hmm. Very interesting." Roy had gone down the steps to the basement.

"What's interesting?" Matt was waiting for the signal from the next camera to be activated.

"How many folks do you know that have formaldehyde around their homes, Mattlock?" Roy continued looking around the basement. "I don't see anything else suspicious down here. I'm going back upstairs to finish up. Is the camera working?"

"Yes, sir, it sure is." Matt turned on the next monitor.

"Okay, I'm going up to check out the bedrooms." Roy climbed the stairs, went through the hallway, and entered the bedroom on the right hand side of the hall. "Everything looks normal here." He opened the closet and looked through the contents. "Nothing unusual." He set up another camera on a shelf in the corner where it would pick up movement in the greatest part of the room.

"That one's working fine, too." Matt turned on the last monitor. He scanned the street again, but saw no activity. "Let's get this finished up, Uncle Roy."

"Alright. Matt, does this Osterhouse fella have a wife or a girlfriend?" Roy sounded slightly puzzled.

"Nope, not so far as we know. Why?" Matt adjusted the volume on his headphones.

"Because this is a woman's room if I've ever seen one." Roy looked around, then went to the closet door and opened it. "There's a walk-in closet filled with women's clothing. And there are two black wigs on the dresser." He set up the last camera in a good location behind a piece of artificial ivy.

"Yeah, I can see them, Uncle Roy. Get us a little sample of hair from those wigs and come on out of there. We'll give CJ a call. Maybe she can find out something about the woman in Osterhouse's life." He wondered if the wigs could possibly match the synthetic hair that he had found at the third crime scene. Once again he looked up and down the street, but again there was no activity.

Uncle Roy snuck out of the back of the house and walked back down the driveway to the street. He strolled on up the sidewalk and around the corner. Matt started the van's engine and a minute later went around the corner and up a couple of blocks to pick up Roy.

"Okay, Boy, that house is set to broadcast." He slid into the front seat. "Who's got first watch? I hope you, because I have another date with the widow tonight. She's cooking dinner for me." He smiled at Matt.

"Well then, in that case, I'll take the first shift." He took Roy back to the office and dropped him off, and gave the samples from the wigs to CJ to give to Hoyt for testing. He kissed her goodbye and got back in the van, then stopped by a hamburger joint and got some food for the long night ahead. He sure was wishing that his friends the Novelli's were still living in Los Angeles. It seemed like forever since he had had some of Mama Novelli's lasagna. He looked over at the bag filled with cheeseburgers and fries somewhat sadly.

A couple of hours and a couple of cheeseburgers into the stakeout, Matt was bored. Osterhouse had come home, microwaved a TV dinner, and washed a load of laundry while eating dinner in his boxers. He then went online and spent most of the evening surfing the web. By 10:00 he was in bed. While watching the monitors in the van, Matt dialed his home number. CJ answered on the second ring.

"Hi. Whatcha doin'?" Matt could just picture her in that slinky little blue…then he thought Best not to think of that right now.

"Well, I thought I would get caught up on a few things around here. I've done two loads of laundry, swept, mopped, and cleared out the dishwasher. Real exciting, huh?" She had been trying to keep busy, thinking it would help to pass the time, but all she had thought about was Matt.

"Better than watching this guy eat a TV dinner in his boxers." He was really missing her. It was their first night apart since their marriage about six weeks ago.

"Oh, by the way, Bo and Lamar are back from Texas. They came by for supper tonight." She had never been so glad to see the pair of cowboys who helped out Houston on the ranch.

"Well, good. Now I won't be so worried about you tonight." At least there was somebody nearby if she needed anything. He just wished it was him instead.

"So what did you have for supper? No, wait, let me guess…uh, cheeseburgers from Patty's." She knew Matt's habits while on a stakeout.

"Yep. Not really what I wanted. I've been sitting here daydreaming about Mama's lasagna." He heard a noise coming through the surveillance equipment. "Oh, great, this guy snores. That just made my night so much more pleasant."

CJ laughed. "Well, maybe his snoring will keep you awake."

"I miss you." He couldn't believe how lonely it was in the van. It had never bothered him before. But then he'd never been married to the sexiest woman in the world before.

"Miss you, too. Maybe you won't have to watch this guy too long. I haven't been able to find out any information on whether or not he's got a girlfriend. The public records don't show any marriage license for him, so there isn't a wife or ex-wife in the picture." She hated his being gone tonight.

"Well, guess I better let you go. Are the doors locked?" He worried about her being there alone, well, except for Bo and Lamar down at the bunkhouse.

"Yep, locked 'em up after Bo and Lamar left. I'm fine, Matt – except for missing my sexy husband. Don't worry about me." She knew he was smiling on the other end of the line.

"Love you, CJ. Good night." He REALLY missed her.

"Love you, too, hon. Be careful. 'Night." She hung up. Now what was she going to do? Clean out that closet in the bedroom? No, not without Matt. She smiled as she thought about their attempts to work on the closet. She wandered around the house, finally landing in Matt's recliner. It still smelled of his favorite cologne. She inhaled the aroma, closed her eyes and thought about Matt.