Ellec
Ellie
"And sir do you mind not calling me Miller?"
"Why?"
"Well, I don't really like the surname thing, I prefer Ellie,"
"Ellie?...Ellie...no,"
She's always liked it. Ellie. The soft E at the start and the hard E at the end; the right balance between pleasant and steely. That, and the fact that it's a fairly common name (she knows at least two other Ellies) means that it doesn't have connotations. People aren't expecting a certain type of person before they meet Ellie Miller, and she likes that ambiguity. It helps with separating work from home and friends. They named their oldest son in the same way; something simple and nonspecific, with a longer version too if he wanted to use it (although in event he hadn't- he's almost always Tom not Thomas, just like she hasn't been called Eleanor for years). A name which doesn't lump him with any singular association or stereotype. When the second baby came along they went with the slightly more adventurous choice of Frederick. It was a little regal-sounding, but he's always Fred or Freddy at home, which has the same blank-page-ness as Ellie and Joe and Tom. Ellies and Joe and Toms and Freds could be whoever they wanted, and it just so happened that this Ellie is a Detective Sergeant, she thinks to herself proudly.
Ellie likes spelling of her name- capital E, then the two Ls, line for the I, swirl for the E, then a dot on top of the I. It's quick to scribble on Christmas cards or school trip forms. El, she likes too, from her husband or her close friends or a colleague in a rush. Ending a vowel, "Ellieeee!" carries if someone's calling after her. That extended E carries vague memories of playing games with her sister on the beach and of school sports, and now of parents getting her attention in the playground or acquaintances calling from across the street. And of course, warm associations of Joe drawing out the vowels in a gasp as they make love.
Her name's only connotations then, are her husband, her sons, her friends and her settled life. But within "Ellie" there's "Lie"- and she's starting to worry that the security her name represents has been that all along.
Alec
"I can call you Alec tonight, not Hardy or sir? 'Here's your dinner, sir',"
"Ah, I don't like Alec, I've never liked Alec. Alec,"
"You can always choose another one,"
"Yeah, but why does everyone use first names so much, like they all work in marketing or summin' like that ? I mean, if you look at a person, I look at you- you know I'm talking to you. I don't need to say your name three times to congratulate myself on remembering it, to create some...what, false intimacy?"
He's never liked it. Alec. It doesn't sound right. It's a name which isn't confident in itself. The consonants are stringy. When people read his name aloud they expect Alan or Alex, and the C catches them by surprise. Ale-cuh. Sounds like someone choking. Cuh. Alec was barely in double digits when he stopped caring about getting post addressed to Alex Hardy. The Al isn't much better either; people have a tendency to Americanise is into Ayle. Ayle-eh-cuh. That added Y doesn't suit him, it's too cheerful. That's one of the problems with Alec- the obvious association is Alec Baldwin, all American comedy and LA tan. Alec Hardy is Scottish scowl and Paisley pale (if he gets a sodding tan from bloody Broadchurch he'll punch a wall. Bloody sunshine). He's a DI not some wanker funnyman, 'funny' being entirely subjective there.
Alec's an unusual name, which doesn't help. There aren't other Alecs he could be confused with, not like the hundreds of Steves, Davids and Robs people have in their address books. "It's Alec, isn't it?". "Yes, you're the Alec". "I remember you. Alec." He sticks out like a sore thumb while the Mikes and Chrises and Johns of the world can be forgotten and muddled up along with the Steves and Davids and Robs, and the Neils, Marks and Tonys...so many ordinary names and he's lumbered with Alec.
Hardy he likes much better. Hardy. It's simple; easy to spell, easy to say. Short and staccato off the tongue. He likes the hard- appropriately- D sound. It's a strong name. Plus, "Hardy" sounds okay in most accents. His; Hard-eh. London; Harrdy. American; Harrrdie. Dorset; Hyre-dy- actually that one he doesn't like so much, but he doesn't like most things about Dorset.
This murder case is battering Hardy but it won't beat him. He'll let it kill him so long as it doesn't beat him. Sometimes he wonders wryly if the real reason he joined the police was so that he could introduce himself as DI Hardy, and not sodding Alec. Detective Inspector Hardy. He's going to live up to that name.