Lynne and Bud were in private conversation when Exley turned to Garnet, who was finishing her glass of chardonnay.
"So Garnet" Exley said, leaning in towards her in a friendly manner "Are you working on any interesting cases in Anaheim?"
"Not yet I'm afraid" Garnet replied, tracing the rim of her glass with her finger "I wouldn't mind working on something big for once"
"Have you heard of the case with the mysterious vigilante?" he asked, her, leaning in closer "Apparently there is someone out there that is slowly working over every man in Giustino Siorgiovanni's racket"
"I have" Garnet replied, something flashing in her eyes just then "Are you working on it?"
"As a matter of fact, I am" Exley replied, smiling at her "It's a bigger case than I thought because all the leads I have are leading me to dead ends. And, since some of these incidents are happening in Anaheim, I was wondering if maybe we could pool our resources and work together on this."
"Sounds like a good idea" Garnet replied, nodding "I'm in…Two heads are definitely better than one"
Exley smiled, and then went on without batting an eyelash, failing to notice a flash of apprehension in her dark eyes.
"So how is this going to work?" Exley asked, pausing to take a sip of water "Shall we do it as a private collaboration or shall we pay visits to each other during the workday to figure this out?"
"Well since I'm not having any real working cases so far" Garnet said slowly "Maybe you can come down to Anaheim tomorrow and we can start working on some leads?"
"Sounds like a good idea" Exley agreed, nodding "What if I need to get a hold of you after-hours?"
"You can call me at home then" she replied, taking out a pen from her purse "I'll give you my phone number. I live alone in an apartment so you don't need to worry about prying ears"
With that, she wrote her phone number down on a napkin and handed it to him. He took it and quickly put it in his jacket pocket.
Lynne and Bud both looked over at them.
"What is this?" Bud demanded, arching an eyebrow in an amused manner "Talking shop already? Or do I sense a second date coming on?"
"Bud" Lynne scolded him, smacking his shoulder "Let them leave it between them"
"As a matter of fact" Exley said, flashing a broad smile "Garnet and I have decided to collaborate on a case involving both our precincts"
"You mean the vigilante case?" Bud asked, frowning "I hear this case is huge. I hope you guys can pull this off. The Nite Owl case was trying enough as it is. Let me know if you guys need any help"
"Will do, partner" Exley quipped, nodding "I hope to solve this one right the first time and that no more police corruption is involved"
Garnet, lost in her own thoughts and avoiding the conversation, failed to hear that last comment…