herself wishing she had stayed home, but it was too late for that and she wondered what would happen once her details were checked at the police station. A glance at her watch showed her that it was after midnight and she guessed it was going to be a long night. The journey finally came to an end in front of a darkened building. The small station looked all but deserted from the outside and there was no sign of activity once they were inside.
“Is no one home tonight?” she asked as the policewoman led her to the front desk.
“Skeleton staff on the weekends,” the cop answered and grinned. “There is only me and one other working this place tonight and I suspect my colleague won’t be back for a few hours yet. You’ll have peace and quiet to enjoy your stay.”
Morgan gave her details and answered the questions she was asked. She knew there wasn’t much point in lying and that it would only lengthen the process and she wanted to get home as quickly as she could. She was led along to a cell and dropped down on the concrete seat as the door clanged shut.
“How long will I be here?” she shouted after the departing cop, but no answer came back. She was going to shout again, but suspected she still wouldn’t get an answer so remained quiet.
She resigned herself to making the best of it and brought her legs up so that she could lie down. Again she wondered what was in store for her and guessed the cop would be going to look through the system for her details. It would show that she already had a couple of convictions against her name and she suspected that didn’t bode well for her prospects of avoiding a third. She closed her eyes and tried to rest, but the sense of trepidation made it almost impossible to relax. She sat up immediately when she heard the sound of someone approaching and looked to see the policewoman moving to stand in front of the cell.
“Well, well Morgan,” she started. “Who’s been a naughty girl over the last year or so? Your record sure makes for interesting reading.”
“Shit…,” the college girl cursed quietly.
“Two convictions for driving without a license and insurance,” the cop went on. “You should really have learnt your lesson don’t you think.”
Morgan sighed. “Yeah,” she agreed. “So what happens now?”
“A third offence?” the cop said. “You’ll need to go in front of a judge tomorrow.”
Morgan’s shoulders slumped at the realization that she wasn’t going home any time soon. “What’s the sentence likely to be?” she asked.
The cop shrugged her shoulders and reached to pull the band from her hair so that her hair fell across her shoulders. Morgan’s eyes narrowed as she watched and even considering the predicament she was in couldn’t help thinking that the cop’s face looked so much prettier with her hair down.
“Depends on the judge in session,” the officer went on. “If you are lucky it will be another slap on the wrist and a fine like the last two occasions. If you are unlucky and get a tougher judge, you might be looking at something worse for a third offence.”
“Ah fuck…” the college girl let out.
“Yeah…” the cop said. “From my experience I would say it’s a fifty/fifty call whether it’s a fine or…” She left the end of the sentence unfinished, but it was obvious she was referring to a custodial sentence.
Morgan sat down and put her head in her hands. The night was going from bad to worse and she wanted to cry. This can’t be happening she thought as the seriousness of her situation hit home.
“It’s not looking good for you,” the cop said to pile on the pressure. “Although…” Again a sentence went unfinished, but this time the college girl sensed a glimmer of hope in the unsaid words. She lifted her head from her hands.
“Although what?’ she asked.
“Well…, it’s a quiet night, with just you and me here,”
Dean Wesley Smith, Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Martin A. Lee, Bruce Shlain