No Strings Part 6

Morgan gave a quick, embarra.s.sed smile. "I don't actually have it with me."

"You don't carry your driver's license with you?" She shook her head. "Your traffic fines are just piling up, aren't they?"

"I don't see the point. Everybody knows me here."

"Do you at least know your number?"

Morgan bit her lip. "No."

Chief Daniels sighed, then tapped the form. "Okay. Name.

Morgan what?"

"Morgan's actually my last name. Everyone just calls me Morgan."

"I see. Then what's your first name?"

Morgan bit her lip again. "I'd rather not give you that information."

"Excuse me?"

"I just don't see that it's necessary. I mean-"

"You do understand that I have to file an accident report, right?"

"Look, why do we have to have all this formality? I mean, we had a little accident. n.o.body got hurt."

Chief Daniels tapped the form with her pen again. "See this?

Accident report. Makes this little accident official. It's not a matter of whether you want to complete it or not. It's kinda required by law."Morgan took a deep breath. "Okay, off the record?"

"No, not off the record. This is an accident report. It'll have to be filed with the insurance claim." She narrowed her eyes.

"Now what's your name?"

Morgan lifted her chin up defiantly. "M period. Z period.

Morgan."

"You have initials for names? Come on."

"It's a possibility."

"Shame you don't have your driver's license to prove it. But you're trying my patience, Morgan. M stands for what?"

Morgan leaned closer, her face only inches from Chief Daniels. "If you so much as breathe a word of this," she threatened.

"I'll...I'll..." She didn't blink, but Morgan could swear she saw a ghost of a smile cross her face.

"Name?" she repeated.

"Marietta."

Chief Daniels laughed. "All of that for Marietta? I thought it was going to be something hideous." She tapped the form again.

"Middle?"

Morgan pursed her lips. "Z." Good G.o.d, why haven't I had my name legally changed?

"Are we going to have to go through all of this again?"

"Why do you need a name?"

"Because the form asks for a name. It doesn't ask for an initial.

It asks for a name." She held the clipboard up. "See?"

"G.o.d, I swear," Morgan muttered. She pointed her finger at Chief Daniels. "You think I'm kidding, but I'm not. If anyone in this town ever calls me by these names, I will hunt you down."

"Are you threatening a peace officer?"

"Call it what you want." This time Chief Daniels did laugh and Morgan relaxed a little.

"Okay, Miss Morgan, please tell me your middle name. I promise I won't tell a soul."

"Oh, dear G.o.d, I can't believe I'm about to do this."

"Can it be that bad?"

"My father's mother died three weeks before I was born. Her name was Marietta. Then my mother's mother died two days before I was born. I'm sure it's what sent her into labor. They sc.r.a.pped the names they'd picked. Normal names. I could have been Jennifer. I like Jennifer. And they had Melanie picked out.

I could live with Melanie. But no, they felt the need to name me after them." She took a deep breath. "Her name was... Zula,"

Morgan finished in a whisper. Again, the twitch of a smile from the sheriff.

"Zula?"

"Shh! Not so loud," Morgan said, quickly looking out the windows at the handful of onlookers.

"You're telling me no one in town knows your name?"

"And I'd like to keep it that way."

Chief Daniels stared at her, finally putting the clipboard down. "How long are you going to keep up this charade?"

"Not telling anyone my name is hardly a charade. Everyone calls me Morgan. They always have. There's no-"

"I'm talking about this accident. A rookie cop with no training could tell Googan ran the stop sign and hit you. I want to know why you're covering for him."

Morgan leaned back against the seat and let her breath out.

Yes, like she'd told Googan. Even an idiot would know. And apparently Reese Daniels wasn't an idiot.

"He was afraid you'd fire him."

"And so you agreed to lie for him?"

"I didn't want to but he looked so scared. I mean, I thought he was going to start crying. And really, no one was hurt."

They both looked up as Sammy Morris drove past them in his dilapidated old tow truck.

"How far were you going to go with this lie? I mean, were you going to file a false insurance claim? Have the government pick up the tab for the accident?"

Morgan looked at her, speechless. She hadn't actually thought that far ahead.

"That part didn't cross your mind, huh?"

"No."

"Okay, give me your real statement please. I'll have Eloise file it with the county's insurance."

"Eloise? Oh, no. She can't possibly see the accident report."

"And why not?"

"If she finds out my name, the whole d.a.m.n town will know."

She pointed out the window at the onlookers. "I know you haven't been here long, but surely you've realized by now that the source of the town's gossip is Eloise and Berta."

"And Berta would be who?"

"She's Charlie's secretary. They're childhood friends, born and raised around here. And there's not a thing that goes on in town that they don't know about." She motioned with her head.

"See Eloise standing over there by Stella's Beauty Shop? That's Berta beside her."

"Why in the h.e.l.l is everyone out in the street?"

Morgan smiled. "It's been two years since we've had a fender bender. This'll hold them for a week or so, especially when they find out I tried to take the blame for Googan because he's scared of you."

"Is he really scared of me?"

"Most of the town is scared of you. It's not like you're Miss Congeniality."

"And he thought I was going to fire him?" She smiled.

"Good."

CHAPTER TEN.

Morgan stomped her boots on the mat before going inside.

She smiled sheepishly at Berta. "I'm fine," she said before Berta could ask.

Berta motioned to Charlie's office. "He wants to see you."

"Does he know?"

"About the accident or the cover-up?"

Morgan rolled her eyes. "There was no cover-up. I was-"

"Lying for Googan." Berta shook her head disapprovingly.

"And yes, he knows."

"I swear," she mumbled. Nothing in this town was a secret.

She paused at his door and he looked up from the newspaper he was reading. He folded it neatly and pointed to the visitor's chair.

She swallowed nervously, then sat down. It wasn't the accident she was worried about. It was Mona. Charlie hadn't mentioned a word about his daughter since the little scene in the office the other day. In fact, Charlie had pretty much avoided her. And she him."Are you okay?"

Morgan nodded. "Yes, just a little fender bender. Nothing serious."

"And the false statement Berta said you gave?"

"Oh, good grief." Morgan rested her elbows on her thighs and leaned forward. "Googan about peed in his pants. He was afraid she'd fire him. I mean, you should have seen him. He begged me to take the blame."

"I know," Charlie said with a laugh. "The chief already called me.""She told on me?"

"I think she was just making sure I knew the department wouldn't be held liable. And to say that she's not going to fire Googan, although I understand he got his a.s.s chewed out."

Morgan relaxed as she sat back again. "I'm sorry, Charlie.

I thought he was going to start crying." They sat quietly for a moment, the silence lengthening. Finally, she cleared her throat.

"You ready to talk about it?"

He folded his hands together on his desk as he stared at her. "I've decided it's not any of my business." When Morgan would have spoken, he held up his hand. "Not that I pretend to understand any of this. I mean, she's practically engaged. But she told me she likes to-"

"Sleep with women," Morgan finished for him.

"I just don't get it. Do you?"