Brokenhearted Beauty(Divine Creek Ranch 19)(44)
In shock, Leah somehow managed to school her reaction. “No. I just told you exactly what happened. Ask the lady in the store. She saw the accident and the security cameras will verify what I’ve told you.” The other driver kept yelling. To herself she muttered softly, “What kind of town is this?”
The deputy’s unibrow shot up and he put his hand on his hip. “’Scuse me?”
“Nothing, officer. That’s what happened. You have my information.” She crossed her arms and held her tongue. The deputy waddled over to the other driver.
“All right, Georgina, tell me your side of the story.”
Leah frowned when she realized that the woman hadn’t handed him any paperwork.
Oh, shit.
They knew each other.
The officer stood in front of the woman as she suddenly adopted an innocent demeanor. She put a hand on her cocked hip and thrust out her boobs in a move so blatant Leah wondered if she might put her back out. She rolled her shoulders as she spoke, obviously drawing attention to her lolling boobs and the deputy’s eyes were riveted. Georgina was speaking in tones too low for Leah to hear but she could read body language.
The deputy asked, “You got your driver’s license and insurance?”
More smooth talk from Georgina and Leah watched carefully as Georgina gave Deputy Dawg a come-on gesture with her chin and she looked down at his crotch and smiled.
“Oh, no fucking way,” Leah whispered softly.
She pulled out her cell phone and called the first person she thought of. The call connected and that blessed angelic, gravelly voice answered, “Thank you for calling Stigall’s Department Store. This is Evelyn. How may I direct your call?”
“Evelyn, it’s Leah. I’ve been involved in a minor car accident.”
“Oh, dear Lord. Where are you?”
Leah looked at the gas receipt and said, “I’m in Tuspita.” She inhaled and let out the deep breath and turned away to give their conversation a little bit of privacy. “I’m having difficulty with the person at fault in the accident and the sheriff’s deputy knows her. I have a bad feeling about this situation.”
“Leah, I think it might be a good idea if I call one of the Elder brothers. They’ll know what to do.”
“No. Don’t bother them.”
“Fine, then I’ll call Hank for you. Perhaps he can make a call that will help. What else can I do?”
She explained what she needed and said a prayer of thanks for Evelyn after hanging up.
Once she was off the phone, the deputy approached her, hitching his pants up under his belly again. As he walked, he dug his finger in his ear, looked at it and then wiped his finger on his pants. Leah shuddered.
The crazy bitch was still standing by her car and she had a smirk on her face, which she promptly wiped off when the deputy looked back at her. She puffed on her cigarette and crossed her arms under her boobs so they practically popped out of the neckline of the tank top.
“Mizz Woodworth, we have a quite a complicated situation here.”
“I don’t see where it’s complicated at all, Deputy. My vehicle was parked. She rammed into me.”
The deputy nodded slowly, condescendingly. “So you have said.”
“What about the witness and the security footage?”
“That camera is hooked up to a VCR that hasn’t worked in ages and old Mizz Anders in there is half-blind and going a little senile in the head. I’m gonna write up a report for you and you can report all of this to your insurance and you can be on your way—”
“No.”
He dropped his fat jowl and did a double take. “No?”
She pointed a finger at the other driver. “I want her insurance information because the only claim being filed will be against her insurance policy. That’s why we’re required to have insurance in the state of Texas, so the responsible party can pay for the damage. She is responsible.”
Don’t you back down, girl! She kept telling herself that, but her heart was hammering.
The deputy shook his head and put his hands on his hips as if she was just ruining his day. “Now, Mizz Woodworth—”
“Write your report if you have to and I want her insurance and driver’s license information. Senile or not, I want Ms. Anders’s statement included in the report, and I’ll need proof that security camera is inoperative. I’m sure the insurance companies will want all that information.”
The deputy stuck a finger in her face and said, “You just better reel that snippy tone back in, missy.”
“Missy? I don’t think so. You took an oath to enforce the law, so do it.”
The crazy bitch yelled, “Tell that prissy little bitch, Dicky Bob!” She cackled and sucked on her cigarette.