It was now close to two in the morning and I was yearning for a shower, but Reid wanted to go to Oxnard to the race track that Vera mentioned. Oxnard was a bit of a hike, and despite the late hour, we were crawling along the highway in bumper-to-bumper traffic.
Foxy had offered me his spot up front so that he could stretch out on the backseat and give his wife a call. Reid was on the phone with someone back at the station who was looking up the address of the Oxnard track. “Okay, great, thanks,” he said as he jotted down an address and hung up.
I picked up my cell and placed a call to Mac, who was driving the SUV behind us. I read him the address and hung up. I was fighting to keep my eyes open.
“So how about those Dodgers?” I said to Reid.
“What about them?” he asked grumpily.
“I don’t know. I was just trying to think of something to say.”
Reid half smiled. “You can say this sucks. That’s what you’re thinking, right?”
“No, this is awesome. I’m usually up this late anyway, this is my peak time.”
“Good, because we’ll be at this all night.” Reid said.
I paused then looked at Reid. “Okay, this sucks. Why can’t people get murdered during the day? Or why don’t they give you the night shift instead of making you work all hours? I mean, this is inhumane.”
“I get OT. What about you?” Reid said.
I laughed. “The guys do. They’re probably making my week’s salary in one night. We creative types are always punished.”
“That sucks,” Reid said.
Foxy was still on the phone, and I could hear him giggling with his wife. “I love you Sherry Pie…No, I love you more.”
I smiled and looked at Reid. “They’re high school sweethearts. It’s nice that they’re still so in love, don’t you think?”
Reid ignored me and focused on the road.
“Do you have anyone special in your life?” I asked.
“I thought I said no personal questions,” Reid said.
“Yes, you did say that.”
“No,” Reid said flatly. “I don’t have time for that crap.”
“You should try to make time. Before you know it, you’ll be my age and wondering where the time has gone.”
“I am your age – older actually. I’m thirty-two.”
I was surprised to hear he was older than me. I guess I thought he was younger because of his childish behavior. “Wait a minute – how do you know my age?” I asked.
Reid looked away.
“Detective – I asked you a question.”
“I profiled you. I pulled your ID while you were taping Foxy’s interview,” Reid said under his breath.
“You what? Isn’t that abuse of the city’s resources, Detective? Not to mention invasion of my privacy?”
Reid shrugged.
I felt my face getting red and hot. He had no right to do that to me. “What’d you find out?” I demanded.
“You’re pretty clean. You got picked up for shoplifting when you were eighteen.”
“That was a misunderstanding,” I corrected.
“And you had your license suspended after you threw a lit object out of your car window while driving in the hills,” Reid said, a slight smile forming on his face.
“So what? You smoke. I’m sure you’ve thrown your cigarette out of the car once or twice.”
“I don’t smoke that often – only when I’m really on edge,” he said, glancing over at me. “The report said that you actually hit the officer with the cigarette when you threw it.”
“He was hiding in my blind spot!”
“It also said he was riding a bicycle.”
“Do you have a point?” I asked. “That ticket cost me eight hundred bucks, you know.”
“Yes, that was in the report.”
“Well, at least it helped me stop smoking. I quit the next day. You’re probably the only person left in Malibu who still smokes, you know.”
“Shh!” Reid said, turning to make sure Foxy didn’t hear. “I thought that was private, big mouth.”
“Right, sorry.” I really was a big mouth but I managed to keep it shut for the rest of the ride.