My long-range forecast -- chapter 38
Good afternoon everyone and sending special shoutouts to Darrell, Gary, Geoff, Mike, Rod and Wayne. I continue to rewrite and write more chapters of this story and I'm seeking any suggestions, constructive criticms or positive feedback you have about the story. Please send information to cjwilson328@aol.com. For those if you who have already reached out to me - my thanks! I'm working your ideas into future storylines.
CJ encounters an unpleasant experience at work, and fears for his safety and the safety of his circle and friends moving forward.
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I heard my alarm go off this morning and I had to unwind myself from Wally's tight encapsulation of me. I gave him a kiss and whispered "I love you, Wally." I saw his smile appear as he said "I love you more CJ." I went through my usual morning routine, and met my beautiful naked stud at the breakfast bar. I sat down with him to have a cup of coffee before I left for the day.
I said "is today going to be a busy day for you Wally?" He replied "yes, it is going to be another busy one sweetheart. I need to be at the one worksite at 4:30 am as we have more supplies being delivered. I may try to get out early though, and see if I can meet up with Alex, the architect and plumber concerning the patio and bathrooms. I'm not concerned with the bathrooms, but that wet bar on the patio may not be as easy as we're thinking. I hope I'm wrong, as I want to deliver as much as we can to Bailey and Aaron." I smiled and said "they're both reasonable people Wally. If the changes cannot be done economically, I know they will scrap the idea. If you are here early babe, I'd like to get some shower action with you this afternoon!" Wally smiled and said "I'll be here now! I need some CJ action also babe!"
I got my coffee and began my trip over to the station. Traffic was very quiet as usual for 2:15 am. I made my way to the station lot, and several cars were already there. I walked in and Nick, Angela, Carl and Trevor were in. I said good morning to all of them, and went to talk to Trevor. I said "good morning stud! What are you doing here so early?" He said "I'm going out on two stories today, and I want to get some research done before beginning this morning. Carl and I are going to head out around 6:00 am to get the first story moving." I cracked up and said "okay Trev, your ass is going to be dragging later today. Have a good day and hopefully we'll catch up later today."
I started my weather segment before working on any stories. The gulf is starting to become very active due to the extremely high-water temperatures. Two new depressions formed in the gulf over the last 24 hours. One is in the central gulf and most likely will head west into the Texas coastline. The second depression formed near the Cayman Islands and is now at the mouth of the gulf in between Cancun and Cuba. I included a map of the gulf showing the two depressions and will check the 4:00 am update to see if I need to make any changes.
I went over to Angela and said "by any chance are you sending me a story about the two depressions in the gulf this morning?" She said "I sure am! Let's plan on you doing this story right before we go to weather, does that sound fine to you?" I said "yes, that is good. Do you want me to do a gulf map first in my weather segment before going to any local statistics?" She cracked up and said "we have been working together far too long! You read my mind correctly, so yes please start off with the gulf map or radar first then go into Tampa Bay weather." I smiled and said "I've got it covered boss, send me the story when you're ready."
I finished up my weather segment and began my stories. I completed the tropical depression story first to use as the segway into weather. In total, Angela sent me eight stories to work on this morning. Three of the eight were carry-over stories from yesterday, so I was able to pull quite a bit of information and verbiage from the previously created stories. Just after 4:00 am, I checked the latest update on the tropical depressions. The one depression went to a named storm as Tropical Storm Harold. I modified my story and updated the graphic with the latest stats on the storm. The second storm was still churning, but not well defined yet. I added the stats to the gulf graphic and updated the current St Petersburg temperature. I told Angela "The weather segment is ready and needs to be loaded. I have six stories done and am finishing up the last two now." She said "perfect. I'll go ahead and load the weather now and you finish up the remaining two stories."
I finished up the remaining two stories, went to the bathroom and checked in with Angela for any last-minute changes around 4:50. She said "we may need to cut a story or two. If we do, we'll use them in the 5:30 and 6:00 shows. I'll let you know over the audio headset. If we cut any stories, I'll have you go straight to the gulf storm story then into the weather." I smiled, and said "sounds good. Thanks for your help this morning!"
I met Ross on the set and said "busy morning! I haven't even said good morning to you!" He cracked up and said "yeah, Angela had both of us fully loaded down this morning, didn't she?" The floor director gave us the one-minute signal. She soon did the five second countdown with Ross and he started with "Good morning to everyone joining us in the bay area this morning. Let's take a look at your St Petersburg in sixty for Wednesday morning." After the St Petersburg intro, the floor director gave me the five second countdown and I began with "It's hump day for all of us in the bay area this morning. Our local weather will be a repeat performance from yesterday, but the Gulf of Mexico became active overnight. I'll have more on this in the weather later. Jennifer ...."
Jennifer finished up her traffic intro, and Ross kicked off the first news story. The camera then shifted to me for my first two stories. Ross completed one additional story, and we went to break after. When we returned from the break, we were able to get six stories between the two of us in. We went to a break and Angela said into the audio line "CJ, go to Jennifer for traffic when we return. She will return to you and begin the tropical depression story. Walk to green wall when you see radar map appear and walk in from right."
I got the standby cue from the floor director and the camera light came on. I said "welcome back everyone, the time is 5:17 and let's head over to Jennifer for a traffic update." Jennifer went through her report and sent the show back to me." I began the story looking at the camera and said "The Gulf of Mexico became very active yesterday with two tropical depressions forming in the past 24 hours. One of the depressions has just been updated to tropical storm Harold in the 4:00 am update. Harold is located in the central gulf on the radar that you're viewing." I stood up and began walking while saying "Harold now has sustained winds of 50 miles per hour, and is moving to the northwest at 35 miles per hour." I entered from the right side as though I was now standing in front of the radar. I pointed toward the storm while saying "As you can see, there is now some developments with the storms appearing heavier on the northeast quadrant of the storm. If Harold continues on its current path, it will make landfall near Corpus Christi, Texas later today. I'll have another update for you at noon on this. Our second storm is just entering the gulf. Right now, it appears as a large cluster of thunderstorms with very little organization. Winds are at 25 miles per hour now, and this storm is projected to continue on a northerly track into the Gulf of Mexico today. Join me back at noon for another update on this storm, and tune into Daniel tonight for further updates. Taking a look at our weather in St Petersburg this morning...". I went through all of my information and began the seven-day and ten-day forecasts. As I finished the ten-day forecast, I was seated back with Ross at the desk. I said "Ross, it was only a matter of time before storm activity in the Gulf began with the extremely hot water temperatures. The Atlantic basin is still active as well with three storms which may impact the US coastline. It's that time of the year for all of us in Florida to begin monitoring any activity taking place that may affect us on the eastern or gulf coastlines." Ross said "thanks CJ and remember everyone, please follow these storms with CJ and Daniel today as they continue to monitor updates from the US Hurricane Center. We'll be right back after these messages."
Angela spoke into the audio system and said "looked great CJ, you did wonderful with perfect placement on the map." I smiled and gave a thumbs up to her and everyone on the set.
The first show ended, and I got myself some water before the second show. I returned to the set and Angela said "Ross and CJ, go with your first stories. We'll cover the missed stories in spots two, three and four. CJ, we'll do the same approach for the weather as we did in the 5:00 show."
We continued alternating stories between the four shows, and everything worked out well. The floor director gave us the final "cut" command and all camera lights went out. Angela came out to the studio and said "well done everyone! Ross and CJ, nice job on alternating packages in and out this morning. It went very smooth and looked wonderful. CJ, I don't know where you picked up that gulf radar, but it looked fantastic over the air. Please take a look at all four segments and see how you looked in front of it. I think we want to use it again in the future. We also need to see if the website you used has any local or other radar shots we may want to consider using."
Several of us decided to head to Cecilia's for breakfast. Nick drove us in the news van. Cecilia welcomed us and our Wednesday breakfast began. After we placed our orders, Nick started the conversation and said "I really liked mixing up the formats this morning. Maybe we should consider having 10 extra stories ready, and alternate them between the shows. I also liked how we had CJ transition from the tropical update story right into weather. I'm not saying we should do it every day, but it worked very effectively today for the story we were covering." I said "Angela, I did catch the 5:00 video before leaving for breakfast. I agree with you that radar site I used today is much better than the ones passed on to me from Melissa. I will look into the website more today and see if they have any local radars we may want to consider using." Nick smiled and said "I noticed that also, that radar was so much clearer than what we currently use, and it acted better when CJ walked in from the side." Angela smiled and said "I agree with both ideas. It will be more work to mix stories in and out, but it is a more desirable format for our audience. Bailey has already texted me twice saying he wants to see more of that mixed format occurring in the morning."
Our breakfast arrived, and the conversation continued as we all began to eat. There was no particular topics of discussion, but overall, it was just five good friends having a casual midweek breakfast together.
Everyone finished their breakfast and Cecilia got us all a cup of coffee to go. We paid our bills and exited the diner for our walk back to the station van. I was walking with Jennifer ahead of the others, when a middle-age man with snow white hair jumped out of the alley at our group. He looked like a hoodlum who wanted to rob us. I stopped in my tracks and said "do you mind moving so that we can continue to our van sir?" He looked at me with piercing green eyes and said "I will hurt you for what you have done to Vicki. You got her fired, and now my world is caving in." Angela said "oh God, I thought they locked you up. CJ step back away from him. He stalked Vicki several years ago. Get the hell out of our way Jasper. Vicki left the station; she was not fired." He got right into my face, produced a knife from his pocket and said "I will hurt you for what you have done you pretty boy weather man." I threw my cup of coffee at his face and tried to grab his knife but he slipped away from me and I fell to the ground. He began running down the alley and disappeared in the distance.
Ross pulled me up and said "are you okay CJ?" I looked at all of them and said "I'm fine, but who was that freak?" Nick said "his name is Jasper Jeffers. He stalked Vicki in her first year at the station. We had to get the police involved, and she got a protection order issued to keep him away from her. He was eventually arrested on drug possession charges, and he must be back out on the street now. We need to get back to the station and report this." I said "everyone, I am fine and there is no need to report this to the police." Angela said "yes CJ, there is. He obviously tracked us here today and pulled a weapon on you. He can also track anyone from the station who may be working on a story or doing a live remote. I know he scared the hell out of Vicki and she was relieved when he finally went to jail. If he is back on the streets, we need to issue a warning to all station associates since he is obviously upset that Vicki is no longer on the news."
We got back to the station and went into the newsroom. Betty and Bailey were in the room waiting for us. Bailey came up and said "CJ, what the hell happened to your suit? Your pants are both ripped out at the knees." I said "I was not watching where I was going Bailey, and took a fall." Angela spoke up and said "Bailey, that is bull shit. Jasper Jeffers is back and threatened CJ with a knife this morning." Bailey replied "well Betty, that explains the threatening letter received in the mail this morning. Angela said "oh God, he's repeating his stalking steps." Bailey said "yes Angela, I agree. Are you all okay and is anyone hurt?" Everyone said they were okay and I said "I'm fine Bailey, but I'm shaken up." Angela said "after he threatened CJ with the knife, CJ threw a cup of coffee in his face and tried to pull the knife away from Jasper. He pulled CJ down to the ground and took off running in the alley. We lost him in the downtown alleys."
Bailey said "are you sure it was Jasper?" Nick, Ross and Angela all said "yes it was." Nick followed up with "he has the same white bleached hair and evil green colored eyes Bailey." Betty said "CJ, I don't want to scare you, but this came in the mail today." Betty handed me a piece of paper with words cut out from magazines and taped to the paper. The message on the page said "I will harm CJ Walters for what he has done to Vicki Lake." I sat down in a chair and said "oh my goodness, has this ever happened to anyone at the station?" Bailey said "only Vicki, and it was resolved I thought. We need to contact the detective on the original case to inform him that our stalker is back. Betty, will you make a call to Detective Fullinger?" She replied "I will Bailey, and I'll ask him to come over if he can today."
Jennifer got me some water, and Bailey sat down near me at the desk. He looked at me and said "are you okay?" I nodded my head yes and said "just shaken up. That guy looked like such a freak Bailey. I was going to start throwing punches if he did not get out of our way." Bailey said "if this guy appears again threatening you, just start running or screaming loud and dial 911 CJ. Do not physically assault him, and until we know more make sure you're always with another person or in a group." Bailey looked at everyone around and said "the same goes for all of you. He may start stalking multiple people at the station. We all need to be on guard for this asshole! Spread the word, and hopefully the detective can get some pictures of Jasper so we can post them around the station."
Betty returned to the newsroom and said "Detective Fullinger is running a report on Jasper Jeffers and will be over in 15 minutes. He wants to view the mail that was received, and talk to CJ and anyone else who saw Jasper this morning. I suggest we all go to the large conference room, and I can have Mindy escort the detective there when he arrives." I looked at Bailey and said "you have appointments today, go ahead and get those done. I'm fine and have plenty of support here." Bailey smiled and said "no way CJ, I'm not leaving here until we have this situation fully reported. I told Wally that I have an emergency to resolve, and he is going to contact the realtor and push that meeting until later today. When Betty called me with the news, I dropped everything as I need to be here for you and the entire staff. We have got to nail this fucker quickly for all of our protection."
I did not think this was that serious until I saw the worried look in Bailey's face. He told everyone "Let's all go to the conference room. Nick, is Zach here today so he can cover for you and Angela?" Nick said "he is here. I'll track him down and tell him to start preparing for the noon news. Do you think I should get backup in place for Ross and CJ?" Bailey looked at the two of us and said "do you two think you can do noon news effectively today?" Ross said "I can take it Bailey. If CJ is still needed, just have me do the stories and we'll go with radar only at noon." I looked at Bailey and said "Trevor is here and in an editing bay if we need him." Bailey said "let's prepare for Ross and CJ to be unavailable. Someone get Trevor and find a replacement for Ross as soon as possible."
Bailey took Jennifer, Ross, Angela and myself to the conference room. Nick was getting Zach and the substitutes in place and joined us about five minutes later. Soon after Nick entered the conference room, Betty appeared with an unknown man to me. She said "everyone this is Detective Darrell Fullinger. Several of you have already met the detective." I took a look at Detective Fullinger and said to myself "holy shit! I can't believe I am turned on with what happened this morning, but that detective is one hell of a handsome man!" The detective was probably 6'5", muscular, hairy body and a nice full black beard. His head is shaved, and he has gorgeous blue eyes.
Detective Fullinger said "hello everyone, I remember most of you but I have not met Mr. Walters yet. I'm Detective Fullinger, but please call me Darrell." I said "thank you for coming over so fast Darrell, my name is actually CJ Skinner, as Walters is my stage name. I can also expand CJ for you on any reports which need filed."
Detective Fullinger started in and said "first, can I see the note that was received in the mail this morning." Betty produced the letter and handed it to Darrell along with the envelope. He said "thanks Betty. Who all has touched this from the station today?" She replied "myself and CJ." Darrell said "we'll take copies of your fingerprints to exclude them. My hope is that Jeffers was sloppy and left some fingerprints for us. I have a fingerprint unit on it's way Betty, and I told them to check in with the reception area when they arrive."
Darrell produced a picture and said "for those of you who were with CJ this morning, is this the man who confronted all of you?" Everyone acknowledged yes and I said "that's him Darrell, I will never forget those evil colored green eyes as well as that 80's style punk rock bleached hair." Darrell said "this picture was taken just six weeks ago when he was released from serving his drug possession sentence. I will need all of your names and addresses stating your positive confirmation of Jeffers this morning."
Darrell continued on and said "is Ms. Lake still in the area or has she moved already to her new residence?" Bailey said "she could still be in St Petersburg Darrell. She was scheduled to work all of this week, but due to her demands it was best for her to leave as of last Friday." Darrell said "we need to get her address and contact information. I will contact her shortly to find out if she is still in the area. Is there any reason to suspect her in creating this letter?" Betty said "I find that hard to believe Darrell as this certainly looks like the letters we received five years ago threatening Vicki at that time." Bailey said "she was upset about CJ replacing her, but I don't see her going this far Darrell. If anything, I bet she moved up her departure date and is on her way to San Francisco or already there."
Darrel's assistant and the fingerprint unit arrived. Betty returned with Vicki's contact information and Darrell said "my assistant Paula will take all of your information for you five, and Ben will take the fingerprints for Betty and CJ. Please excuse me for a few minutes while I contact Ms. Lake." I looked around the room and said "I'm so sorry this is happening everyone." Angela smiled at me and said "we're all okay CJ, including you. This is not your fault! It's an unfortunate event reminding all of us that there is a dark side of the television industry we often ignore. If Jeffers is behind this, we all need to be on alert until this is resolved."
Trevor and Carl came running into the conference room and Trev said "is everyone okay, I just heard what happened." I turned to Trevor and said "we're all fine Trevor, don't worry. Just help us out and get ready to do the noon news for us." Bailey said "Trevor, we still need to sort things out. There is a chance that everyone at the station can be stalked by the person whom has been identified by five individuals this morning. Just do us a favor, and keep this quiet for now. We'll be releasing more details to everyone very soon based on what the police find out for us. We really need you to step in and do the noon weather today." Trevor looked at me and said "I have you covered my friend. If I can do anything else for you, just come and get me." I smiled at him and said "I will Trev. Thanks for what you are doing now and we'll get more information to you later." Carl grabbed me and gave me a hug. He said "I cannot believe this happened. I'll go keep Trevor calmed down guys as I know he was pretty shaken up when he heard the news. What else can I do for everyone?" Bailey said "will you go check the video archives from five years ago? See if we have any video saved of Jasper Jeffers when he was stalking Vicki." Carl said "I'm on it, Bailey. CJ, you hang in there for all of us. I'm here if you need me for anything." I smiled, grabbed Carl's hand and said "thank you my friend. Go take care of Trev, and get us that video if we have it."
I saw Detective Darrell in the corner of the conference room taking some notes. He returned to us a few minutes later and said "Ms. Lake is in San Francisco as of last evening. She has had no contact from Jeffers and I advised her that he is most likely back in St Petersburg and making threats to the television staff for her departure. She has agreed to have me search her phone records, just in case she has been in contact with Jeffers and is lying to us. I doubt that she has been in contact with him, but I need to cover that trail as well. I also want to inform all of you that we have had three robberies in the downtown area over the past 72 hours. All three robbery victims describe the criminal with a description similar to Jeffers. I have units enroute to those three victims with a picture of Jeffers to see if they positively ID him from the photo."
I asked Darrell "do you have any idea where Jeffers is residing detective?" Darrell said "not at this time CJ. I did not even know he was back in the area until Betty contacted me this morning. I ran his arrest report and discovered that he was released six weeks ago from the Lake County Correctional Facility. Since he is now appearing in public and is possibly involved in several robberies, we can issue an APB on him in the St Petersburg and Tampa Bay areas. I'm also having the previous file pulled for investigation of any friends or relatives we may have talked with when he was stalking Ms. Lake. He will surface again CJ, and we'll be ready for him." I got very nervous as Darrell made his last statement and said "what if he appears again and I am by myself? Should I carry a weapon for protection?" Darrell said "if you desire CJ, you can purchase and file a permit to carry it, however that will take you about one week to clear."
Darrell continued on and said "if I remember correctly, Cecilia's is a hangout for the news crew, correct?" Several of us replied "yes, it is." Darrell said I'll have someone go there shortly and ask Cecilia and her crew if they have seen Jeffers around the area recently. My hope is that he remembered Cecilia's as the hangout for channel 2. If he is also conducting the robberies, he's short on cash and he will surface again CJ. Until we apprehend him, I suggest that you keep a close watch around your environment. Continue to go about your business and consider the following items: alternate your schedule if you can; make sure you're with people and not by yourself; notify your friends about Jeffers so that they are on the lookout with you. Bailey and Betty, if we have positive identification from the robbery victims, I want you to notify all of your staff about Jeffers so that they are aware in case he is not targeting CJ only. We'll also want your station to run a story on him with his photo and ask the public to report any sightings of him."
Ben, the fingerprint technician, spoke up and said "excuse me detective, but I have found three distinct fingerprint sets on the letter. I've eliminated Betty's and CJ's and I will cross match the third set against Jeffers previous records. I'm heading back to the station to do that now." Darrell said "thanks Ben. Please let me know as soon as possible what you find out."
Paula continued gathering all of our information, and had us write out a statement as to what happened to us at Cecilia's this morning. It was 20 minutes later when Detective Fullinger's phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and said "excuse me everyone, but I need to take this call." He stepped away from us and Bailey said "hey everyone, we're going to be okay. This idiot is back in our territory and CJ you are the unfortunate victim in all of this. I want us all to take extra precaution though until we get this criminal back where he belongs."
Detective Fullinger returned and said "I have some pieces of good news everyone. First, Ben confirmed that the third set of fingerprints on the letter do belong to Jasper Jeffers. Second, all three robbery victims identified Jeffers as the assailant who robbed them. Third, Cecilia's cook identified Jeffers as being at their location this morning. He was sleeping in the back entrance door, and the cook told him to get moving away from there. Based on all this information, we're going to issue a warrant for his arrest on a number of charges."
Darrell continued on and said "Bailey, can we get the staff together as soon as possible?" Bailey said "we're going on the air in less than 10 minutes, but we can gather everyone for a 12:45 mandatory meeting." Darrell replied "let's plan for that, and I will attend it. I'd like to speak to everyone if you will let me? We'll also pass out copies of Jeffers mug shot and post them around the station. We don't want to generate extreme panic, but it's prudent to inform your entire staff of this should they have an encounter with Jeffers as well." Betty said "Bailey, I will send out the email for the 12:45 meeting in the studio. You stay here and comfort everyone."
I'm not sure if I was in shock, or denial that this event is happening! I don't ever remember James mentioning anything of this nature happening to him. I smiled and said "I know Vicki was stalked by this man, but have any of you had something of this nature happen in a different town or station? I'm not trying to be nosey, but I'm having problems comprehending what all is happening today." Bailey smiled and said "CJ, I understand what you're going through. In my early days as a reporter, I did some investigative reports on some gangs involved in drug activities around metropolitan Atlanta. Some threats were made against me, but nothing physical ever came of the threats. Eventually the one gang was all arrested, and the drug activity decreased significantly. I was scared to death until it was over. This case is very different though in the fact that we have one individual who has an infatuation with a former associate. Even though everyone thought it was over, he re-appeared and you're his verbal target now as he believes you made Vicki leave. Trust in Darrell and his staff. They helped Vicki out tremendously, just as they are helping all of us out today. We'll get this guy nailed, and then we'll take him over to Alex's workshop where Alex can beat the shit out of him!" I busted out laughing, looked at Bailey and said "thanks boss, I needed that visual for a laugh today. Again everyone, I feel so bad that you're all wrapped up in this just because you were with me at the wrong time." Ross stood up and said "CJ, I believe I am speaking for everyone here when I say this has nothing to do with you so do not feel bad. I'm just so glad we were walking as a group and you were not by yourself. Once we get this guy locked up, we'll send Vicki an 8x10 of his new mug shots!" Again, I cracked up and was joined by a number of other friends in a hearty laugh.
The noon news completed, and people started gathering in the studio for the 12:45 meeting. Betty and Bailey started the meeting off with Betty saying "Good afternoon, everyone and thank you for attending this impromptu meeting. This morning, several members of our morning news team were threatened by a man in downtown St Petersburg. Everyone is all right, albeit very shaken up about the incident which occurred. I'm going to turn the meeting over to Detective Darrell Fullinger of the St Petersburg Police Department. Detective Fullinger has information he wants to pass on to all of us concerning this incident and what we need to do to ensure our safety in the near future."
Detective Fullinger went to the center of the stage and said "thanks Betty. As Betty mentioned, five of your co-workers were threatened by a caucasian male this morning near Cecilia's Deli. The station also received a threatening letter in the mail this morning. The target of these threats appears to be CJ Walters. However, we have identified the suspect as Jasper Jeffers who stalked Vicki Lake approximately five years ago. Jeffers was convicted on numerous charges and sent to jail. He was released approximately six weeks ago, and is now back in the St Petersburg area. Besides the threats to your co-workers today, he has also been identified as the suspect in three recent St Petersburg area robberies."
Darrel continued on and said "I'm not trying to create panic, but I want you all to be aware of Jasper Jeffers and your surroundings. Even though we believe he is targeting CJ, there is no reason why he cannot target anyone at this station. We're passing out copies of his picture now to everyone. If you see him while working or at your residence, please contact the St Petersburg Police Department immediately. Based on the information we have we are issuing a warrant for his arrest. If anymore information becomes relevant to share with all of you, I will do that through Betty. Does anyone have questions for me?"
Mitch the night anchor spoke up and said "Detective, can we do a story on tonight's news once the warrant has been processed? Darrell replied "that is a very good question and the short answer is yes you may do a story on Jeffers. Remember though he has been identified only and has not been found guilty. It's prudent though to make the public aware that the police are looking for this suspect."
Another reporter asked "Betty and Bailey, are there any extra precautions being taken at the station until Jeffers is apprehended?" Betty stepped forward and said "we are placing extra security guards in the main lobby area; the newsroom and one will be stationed in the associates parking lot 24x7 until the suspect is apprehended. When you're out on any work assignment please ensure that you have communication available to contact the station or the police immediately should you need assistance."
Once the meeting was over, Carl, Ronny and Trev came up to me. Ronny said "I'm not going to make any scenes here CJ, but are you okay, or are you shitting yourself?" I cracked up and said "I shit myself several hours ago when I had that punk threatening me face to face. I'm getting better now, but this is one side of television reporting that I never expected to face. I'm okay guys. Do me a favor though and let me tell Wally and Alex? I'm heading to the condo shortly. I don't want Alex freaking out on you Ronny, and I want to be the one to share the news with Wally." Trev said "do you want us to come along with you?" I smiled and said "Bailey is going to follow me back to the condo. If you want to stop over later, please do so. I may need you all to help me convince Alex not to kill this punk who threatened me this morning." Ronny grinned and said "he's going to go absolutely nuts. He will be watching you like a hawk until this fucker is apprehended. I'll be there later to help calm him down CJ." I smiled and said "you three watch out also. I don't know how long this Jeffers character has been following me. He may have seen me with one or all of you. There may be a target on all of our backs until we get this guy apprehended."
After I finished with the guys I went back to Detective Fullinger and asked "is there anything else you need from me detective, and can you suggest any advice on how to get through this?" Bailey heard what I was asking, and joined Darrell and myself. Darrell replied "CJ, I'm not going to tell you to relax, because you had something traumatic happen to you today. However, please remember we have uncovered so much information today already. The arrest warrant will be going out within 30 minutes, and at that time all police units will have the information in their possession. Try to go about your normal routine and just take extra precaution concerning your surroundings. Here is my business card. If you suspect anyone is following you, contact me or the police department immediately. If you speak to someone else, you can inform them I am working on a case in which you have been threatened by a criminal assailant. Does this help, or do you have more questions of me?" I said "I believe I am okay at this time Darrell. I have a good group of friends here at the station and at my condo complex. I will be on the lookout for Jeffers and if I see him anywhere near me I will contact the police immediately." Bailey asked "should CJ contact 911 versus your number, and you suggested to Vicki that she carry a whistle with her. Is that prudent for CJ now?" Darrell said "yes, contact 911 immediately versus trying to dial numbers. I think it's a good idea for CJ to carry a whistle until we apprehend Jeffers. Believe it or not, a whistle is one of the most effective tools available for creating noise to alert others as well as scaring off assailants."
Darrell continued and said "CJ and Bailey, I need to leave now. I will continue to reach out to both of you with any new information. We have good leads already today. Please take care, call me with any questions and watch being by yourself in the near future." I smiled, shook Darrell's hand and said "Darrell thank you for your help today. I'm nervous about all of this, but the information you have offered has been reassuring. I will reach out to you if I should have any questions." Bailey said "thanks Darrell, I appreciate you jumping on this case immediately for us today. Do you still enjoy an occasional cigar?" Darrell smiled and said "oh yes, I do enjoy my cigars any chance that I have to smoke one." I smiled and said "Darrell, when this is all over you have an invite to my party patio for as many cigars as you want to smoke with me!" He cracked up and said "it's a deal CJ. I promise you that Jeffers will come out from under a rock, and we'll be there to arrest him for you."
Bailey looked at me and said "don't bullshit me, are you okay?" I smiled and said "I'm okay. Thank you for dropping everything already on your plate and coming here today for me and the others. I appreciate your support, Bailey." He replied "I've got to take care of my head Muskie! I'm going to check in with the others and tell them to get out of here when they are able to. I'm going to offer them to take tomorrow off if they want to. The same offer is open to you CJ." I smiled and said "I'll think about it Bailey, but I believe I need to continue with my routine so that I will not dwell on the events from today." He smiled and said "I'll support you in whatever decision you make. Go grab a handful of Jeffer's picture, and I'll meet you in the newsroom in five minutes. I'll follow you back to the condo then."
I navigated my way back to the condo with Bailey right behind me. He and I went up to my place, and Alex, Aaron and Wally were meeting with the architect and plumbing contractor on the patio. Aaron saw us come in and said "I'm glad you two made it. We have some very good news on the patio bar, and we're just discussing bathroom design. Bailey, do you want to get caught up and join in on the conversation?" He looked at Aaron, pulled him in for a kiss and said "sure I will baby, that's the best offer I've had all day." I went over to Wally and said "hey my love, you stay here with everyone while I change." He looked at me and said "something's wrong, talk to me CJ." I smiled and said "later sweetheart and I will share some news with you, Aaron and Alex which you all need to hear. I promise, I'll be right back after I change."
I went into the bedroom, sat on the bed and began to cry. I'm not sure why I was crying, but it just came naturally to me. I told myself "What a fucking crappy day! At least you're surrounded by friends, your family and your lover. He took one look at me and knew something is wrong. We have really bonded over the past two months. He knows me, and I know him. CJ, get over this. Jasper Jeffers may never bother you again, or they may apprehend him tomorrow. It's all going to work out for you. Trust in the police, and lean on your circle of influence for help now."