Meghan fumbled at the knobs and water gushed out of the shower faucet. There was no hot water, only icy cold. She knew she had no choice, though, and tentatively stepped into it. She gasped and shivered, a wet, bedraggled, miserable sight as she scrunched her arms in and reached for the soap.
Amy was surprised, annoyed, irritated, and worried, when she saw another police car flashing its lights behind the jeep. She'd only left Meghan and the other cop ten minutes earlier, and was no trying to find her way to Grandon, using a map.
She had never been much good with maps, and had little idea where she was. She had been driving very carefully, though, and for that reason was very frustrated as she pulled over to the side of the nameless road she was on. She was also worried about what this cop would say when he saw she only had a learners permit.
He strolled up to the jeep and smiled in.
"Hello there," he said.
"Uhm, hi," Amy said, smiling hopefully.
This cop was younger, and much better looking than the last one. He seemed nicer too.
"Could I see your licence and registration please, Miss!"
"What did I do!" she asked, handing them over.
"Well, it's not what you did, really, just that you've got a busted tail light."
"Uhm huhm. What's this!" he asked, holding up the permit.
"I know. I know," she said. "It's not my fault. My sister was driving, but some cop… I mean, a police officer arrested her for speeding, so I'm going to Grandon to get my parents to get the money for the fine."
"Well, that's all very well," he said with an apologetic smile, "but you can't drive alone with this, no matter what the reason."
"But I…"
"And anyway, you're going in the wrong direction."
"I am!"
"Yup. Tell you what, you follow me back to the station and you can call your parents from there."
"Sure," she said gratefully.
He got back in his car and turned around. Amy followed. They made a number of turns before heading into a small, dusty town and pulling up in front of a small green building that said POLICE on a sign. She got out of the jeep and followed him inside, looking around for Meghan.
"Uhm, can I see my sister!" she asked.
She was in a small room. There was a counter on one side, and a couple of desk on the other. The young cop led her up to the counter, where another cop, another young guy was sitting.
"Someone bring in a girl earlier!" he asked.
"Uh uh," the cop behind the desk said. "Nobody's been brought in today."
"But… but he was bringing her in to pay a fine," Amy said, perplexed.
"Was it a car like mine!"
"Huh!"
"Was he wearing the same color uniform, driving the same color car!"
"Uhm, now that I think of it, his shirt was brown."
"Ah, he was probably a county deputy then," the guy said. "Your sister would be in Derlidge jail."
"Oh."
"Say, I did get a notice from the county sheriffs office," the guy behind the desk said. "Said some thing about pullin' in a girl for speeding and finding drugs on her."
"What!" Amy blinked.
"Said, uhm, said something about, keeping an eye out for a black Jeep with another girl in it. That must be her," he said, looking at Amy.
"But that's crazy!" Amy protested. "Meghan didn't have any drugs!"
"I'm sure we'll figure it all out easy enough," the young deputy with her said, smiling reassuringly. "Probably just a mistake."
"It must be! Maybe it's not Meghan."
"Maybe so, but we'll have to search you anyway, and the jeep, just to make sure there's no drugs."
"There isn't!" she cried.
"I believe you, honey. But we got to check. It's rules," he smiled, shrugging apologetically. "Joe, why don't you check the car!" he said to the guy behind the counter. "We'll get this over with quick."
"You say so, Paul," the guy said.
"Why don't you come back here with me… Amy, wasn't it! We'll just get this done and then you can call your parents."
"But I…"
"It's okay, it'll just take a minute," he smiled, leading her gently across the room towards a steel door.
"We don't believe in drugs," Amy said, following him and looking around worriedly.
"Me neither," Paul said. He led her through the steel door and then down a small hall to a square little room. There was nothing in the room but a table and four chairs. He didn't lead her to the table, though, but instead turned her around to face the wall.
"Now I'm sure you've seen this on lots of TV shows," he said, still smiling in a friendly way. "You put your hands up against the wall and bend forward a little ways."
"But… uhm, aren't… I mean, aren't you gonna get a woman to do it!" Amy gulped, her face turning red in embarrassment.
"Wish I could, honey," he said, smiling and shrugging. "But we haven't got any women police. This is a small city, see. If it'll make you feel any better, I'm gay," he said, winking.
"Uhm…" She wasn't sure if it did or not.