Bullheaded

he recognized the face. “Jake? Jake Woods? You really did it.”
    “Did what, sir?” The cop was still suspicious.
    “Became a cop. You always said you were going to back in high school. Cody Grainger.” Cody held out his hand.
    The cop drew nearer and smiled cautiously but didn’t take his hand. “Yeah, I recognize you now. May I ask what you’re doing here, sir? Cody.”
    “Just a stroll down memory lane. I was telling a—friend the other day how I used to surf here. I’m home to visit the parents and it was quiet on the ranch, so I drove down here.”
    “Wait for me right there, Cody, if you would, please.” Officer Woods went to the restroom and opened the door and inspected the interior before coming back to stand at a safe distance. “Were you planning on meeting anyone here?’
    Cody started to get a little steamed. “Not a soul. Why the third degree?”
    “We have a curfew in Santa Rafael now. Beach closes at nine p.m. There was a lot of drugs and illicit sex going on in the restrooms, drunks setting bonfires on the beach, that kind of thing.”
    “Here?” Cody was so shocked about the curfew he didn’t even remember to act shocked about the sex. “Drugs? Back in high school there was a little grass going around, but I never saw any hard drugs down here on the beach.”
    “Times have changed and we’re not getting any younger,” Officer Woods said. “Would you mind if I just patted you down? For your safety and mine.”
    “Knock yourself out.” Cody got off the table and held his hands away from his body, all fleeting thoughts of friendliness for Jake Woods gone.
    Officer Woods was quick and professional about it. “May I look in your truck?”
    “It’s not locked,” Cody said sourly.
    “I would lock it if I were you, sir—Cody, the next time you’re down here.” Officer Woods did no more than glance inside and lift the mess of receipts Cody had stuffed into the center console to look underneath.
    It gave Cody a snide feeling of superiority to note Officer Woods had a bit of a donut going on around the waist. He wondered if Jake had felt jealous when he found out how in shape Cody was when he searched him.
    “Happy?”
    “You’re not feeling like harming yourself, are you, sir?”
    That was so crazy Cody couldn’t help laughing. “No way, I like myself way too much.”
    “Part of my job, sir. We get some swimmers out here. Sit staring at the water ’til they make up their minds to go in.”
    “In these boots? They cost a fortune. I’m not going wading in them.”
    “Guess you’re not suicidal then. I didn’t smell any weed or alcohol on you or your truck. Any weapons I need to know about?”
    Cody had to suppress a witty reply. “No, I’m unarmed. Just looking at the water.”
    Officer Woods seemed to relax a bit. “What are you up to these days?”
    “Bull riding.” Cody grinned expectantly.
    “Really? You were always crazy about riding something,” Jake said.
    It shook him a little that apparently Jake didn’t know who he was or anything about the NBR. And he was most definitely not impressed about the bull riding, if he even knew what it was. “Yeah, crazy me.”
    “Your mom and dad still got that pony ranch? How they doing?”
    “They’re doing great. Still breeding bucking horses for rodeo.”
    “Oh yeah. The rodeo. Well, Cody, I’m going to have to ask you to move along. We’ve got a curfew to enforce on the beach now. Wouldn’t want you setting a bad example for our teenagers. Consider this a warning. For the future, I’d stay away from here after dark if you don’t want to be inconvenienced again.”
    “Yeah, that’s okay. It’s not the same as it was.”
    “Nothing ever is.” Officer Woods stood and waited for Cody to start moving so he could follow. Apparently, despite knowing Cody from high school, he’d learned not to trust anyone. “Take care now.”
    “Yeah, you too.”
    Officer Woods stuck out his chest a little. “Thanks. In a dangerous job like mine you can’t be too careful. Take good care of the ponies.”
    Cody got in his truck and pulled out. It was clear Officer Woods wasn’t going to trust that he would leave without witnessing it. Somehow running into his old schoolmate gave him the feeling of mild annoyance he got when he ran into an old one-night trick somewhere.
    He drove into Santa Rafael to one of the dive bars for a beer or two. He was so far from thinking about finding some action that when it found him,