Taking Chances, by E. L. Van Hine and L.H. Nicoll

[mariez]

Good morning re-readers. The ABC people are gloating because they have passed us in views. Oh well, we'll just keep chipping away at our reading here.

Good Afternoon, Leslie and All -

Hey, maybe if you put the word out that it is "Sweet Thing" Jeremy Dupree Day at the re-read it will generate some views - especially after that J&N scene yesterday!!!

And speaking of Jeremy, had to jump back to this conversation in Chapter 48, which I thought was really interesting, especially in view of recent developments!

Ellery waited the requisite five minutes and then went to Wes’s office, walking in through the half-open door. “Told ya so.”

“Okay why’d ya pick him?”

“Because he has three years experience in the MP’s in an urban setting an he’s 26 years old an he can hold a conversation with an adult without stammerin.”

“Fair enough,” Wes scowled. “So tell me how ya do that?”

“Do what?” Ellery was finding it difficult to control his smug expression.

“Know ahead a time who’s who?”

“Cause I got the Shinin, Wes. Same way I tell who the queers are.”

“Uh huh. Remind me ta ask you next time I buy a lottery ticket.”

“Will do. Weld is gonna back em up, so Weld’ll get to do summat. Dupree says he did good in school, so you get half points.”

“Leave me alone, Ellery. I am already regrettin you comin back full time.”

Ellery smiled sweetly. “I am doin my level best.”

Hmmm... so Ellery believes he can tell who the queers are, huh?  I think your "Shinin" may be slipping, Ellery!   

I always love Wes and Ellery conversations!  I always love to hear Wes say "leave me alone, Ellery," or better yet, the classic "I didn't need to hear that, Ellery!"   

Thanks - Marie

[MaineWriter]

Good morning re-readers. Today, chps 51-55:

http://louisev.livejournal.com/41226.html

and it bit of witty repartee to start off the re-read...

Ellery knocked lightly on the half-open door then stuck in his head. “Avon callin, Sheriff.”

“Oh, hi. Come in.”

“I wanted ya ta meet my new sidekick,” he said, opening the door. “Jeremy Dupree, this is our Sheriff Wes Brown.”

Dupree took the hard handshake of Brown and then slouched into one of the two chairs by his desk. “You got plants I see, keeps oxygen in the room ya know.”

Wes beamed at Ellery. “You can tell my Chief Deputy that.”

Ellery rolled his eyes. “I thrive on carbon dioxide, it keeps me sharp. Listen Wes did you call yer Senator friend?”



L

[MaineWriter]

Chapter 52:

Ennis said nothing for so long that Ellery thought he should go on, then he hesitated.

“Ennis.”

“Whut…” he replied, his voice soft, hardly heard.

“You knew I was a police detective before we came over here an fucked the first time.”

“I know.”

“You knew my job had a element of danger to it.”

“I know.”

“So what’s different now?”

Ennis sat up, looking down at Ellery’s face as he lay on the bed, his eyes gleaming with unshed tears. “What’s different now is, if anythin were ta happen to ya now, I wouldn’t be able ta go on. You know what that means? An it was my idea for you to find out what happened ta Jack an now suddenly it’s a murder an there might be a murderer down there an he won’t like gettin caught. An I can’t live with myself if I sent you down there an something happens. I can’t.”

“Aw… Ennis, c’mere… c’mere sweetheart.” He reached out both arms, and Ennis caved in against him, his sob muffled against Ellery’s bare chest, hot tears stinging him. He pulled him in close, rocking him slightly. “I’m sorry, Ennis, it’s gonna be okay.”

“It ain’t. It ain’t gonna be okay,” Ennis replied, shaking his head against his body, then looked up at him, eyes red with misery. “I get in a tizzy cause yer half an hour late comin home an I think, better call the hospital. Maybe he got in the cell talking ta Bill an Bill beat his brains out. Maybe there was a robbery an he got shot. I can’t stand it Ellery… I can’t… stand it.”

Ellery smoothed his hair, feeling the damp strands under the dry blond curls, sifting through his hair in long, slow strokes. “I’m here now, sweetheart. It’s gonna be okay now. I promise.”


L

[MaineWriter]

Chapter 53:

“Out for some late exercise?” Wes said, putting a boot up on the door of the stall and leaning over it.

“Yeah. Doin some thinking.”

“Bout this Austin thing?”

“Yep.”

“I would say you an I are worried about the same thing, Ennis.”

“Oh?” Ennis didn’t look up, but found something worrying suddenly about Pal’s left foot and patted her fetlock to get her to lift it, inspecting the hoof for the beginning of a crack that he might need to trim.

“Yeah. I ain’t keen on Ellery trackin down a killer on his own, which is why I made em get someone ta back em up. An I done a couple of other things too. I’m pullin in a couple a favors down in Texas ta see if I can dig up some background info so that we can limit the field investigation down. I need Ellery here in Laramie. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t a promoted him. You hear what I’m sayin Ennis?”

“Yes sir.” He stood up, finally, putting a gentling hand on the mare’s back, soothing her.

“I am gonna ask Ellery to go about things a bit different with this, give it some time. We got time here, it ain’t like the case is really gonna get colder. If ya pressure him ta give it up he’ll hold on like a bulldog with a favourite bone. But if ya let me put the pressure on in the right places I can make sure he doesn’t stick his neck out.”

Ennis nodded, feeling that tightness in his chest loosen slightly. “You gonna make sure he doesn’t go do some stupid stakeout thing again an put himself in danger?”

“Yeah. That I can promise ya. I had a bit of a talk to em the other day an that is why he ain’t in Austin right now. You take care a my mares, an I’ll take care a yer Chief Deputy Ennis, that sound like a deal?”

Ennis gulped, nodded.

“See, cause he’s my Chief Deputy too, an I love em as much as you do, an I sure as hell ain’t gonna let anything happen to em just because he’s got an impetuous side.”

Ennis blushed hotly, casting his eyes down. “I appreciate that.”

“Now go home, boy, because he’s worried about ya.”

L

[MaineWriter]

Chapter 54:

He went back into the bedroom and changed into his normal black denims, leaving his shoes off, and pulling on a black t-shirt, then padded into the bathroom, looking in the mirror as he washed his hands and face, removing the traces of tears that had accumulated during his jittery hours of waiting. “Dumbass. Ya couldn’t just say all right sweetheart, I love you an respect yer wishes an I know yer scared. No no. You got ta be the hardass chief deputy first. You don’t think with yer dick, boy, you think with yer gun.”

He slammed the medicine cabinet door after taking his evening medicine, thinking that he really ought to eat, and having no desire to. He stood on the patio, door open, listening for the phone, and watched a brilliantly hued hummingbird flutter over the dandelions. He couldn’t go back to living alone, not after getting this close. Investigating Jack’s death had seemed like the right thing to do, something that would allow him to prove his love to Ennis and at the same time help him put down his ghost, to grieve what he had to grieve and move on. But things had gotten ugly. How much different it would all be if he had just come back with a brief nod and a brave smile and said “Yep, boy died from a tire blowout, right there in black an white just like they thought.” But Ennis’s suspicions had already told him it would not be that easy. It couldn’t be.


Ah, Ellery...

L

[MaineWriter]

And a little bit of hotness from chapter 54:

They had finished off the batch of doughboys between them and Ellery was gathering up their plates when Ennis said “C’mere.” He set the plates in the sink and came back to him, edging up to his bare knees. Ennis slipped his arms around Ellery’s narrow waist and began to tug on his t-shirt, tugging it up, baring his stomach, and pressed his face against it, hands already busy unfastening his belt and pushing his denims off his hips, fingers digging into the flesh of his ass, kissing him, nuzzling his navel with his nose and mouth, tickling with his tongue, then moving a hand around and grasping his cock and balls in his right hand as Ellery’s denims slid down past his knees. “Oh sweetheart yer gettin serious.”

“Damn serious,” he murmured, licking up his belly as far as he could reach, his left hand kneading Ellery’s ass as he toyed with his cock now, stroking it almost playfully. Ellery’s hands came down on his shoulders, his belt making a soft thunk onto the kitchen floor, and then Ennis looked up.

“You like that when I made ya come while I was puttin it in?” Ellery nodded, face flushing as he felt his cock surge from the memory he had just provoked, moaning softly as his hips rolled into Ennis’s stroking hand, back against the kneading of his ass, Ennis’s fingers wandering suggestively toward his sphincter as he squeezed.

Ennis stood up suddenly, his slight disadvantage in height more than compensated for the thicker mass of his shoulders and arms as he pulled Ellery against him, the towel falling, his cock throbbing against Ellery’s already rigid erection, and pulled him into a kiss whose searing intensity reminded Ellery of that night on the sofa, and he wondered if they were going to make it to the bedroom this time either.

But Ennis broke the kiss after several long minutes, disengaging his tongue from Ellery’s mouth, both of them panting. “Bed,” he croaked, and unclamped his arms from the bearhug he had been holding him in, and followed Ellery to the bedroom, eyes fixed to the movement of his ass and hips as he walked.


L

[MaineWriter]

Chapter 55:

Wes nodded. “I am just as keen ta see Ennis get this situation resolved as you are. But you ain’t the right man for the job. This is an Austin police matter an you fuckin well know it. But you can help out an from now on this is in an auxiliary capacity.”

“Shit, Wes.”

“Do you care more about your ego as a detective or more about Ennis?”

Ellery rose to his feet. “That is what I keep askin myself. Sometimes I know the answer. But you are bein fuckin goddamn heavy handed Wes an I want you ta know that.”

“That’s why I am the sheriff an you work fer me. Because keepin you my chief deputy is part a my job.”

“Yeah fuck you very much Wes.”

“Yer welcome, Ellery. Close the door when ya go out.”

Ellery walked out of Wes’s office and called Dupree into his office, slunk down behind his desk and sipped on his coffee. “Looks like you an I have not escaped the nightmare a paperwork. The undercover spooky spy portion of this assignment just got smaller an the dreary background check coordination part just got bigger. Cause Wes wants ta do things different.”

“Okay,” Dupree said neutrally. “I hope this isn’t because he doesn’t think I can handle it.”

“No it’s because he believed my theory that Worrell really is a killer an he doesn’t want me within five hundred miles a him due to his protective Sheriff-like nature which just happens ta not want ta see me end up dead.”


L

[MaineWriter]

And more from Chapter 55:

“Shit, Cantrell, you got further than I did the week a the incident.”

“Well it don’t satisfy me. What would satisfy me is a full set a prints on a murder weapon an a confession, but I’m picky that way.”

Weiss laughed. “Well I’ll try ta get em both, how’s that sound? You take care now.”

“My love to yer wife, I’m sure she’ll appreciate sleepin with you nights again.”

“Yers too.”

“I’ll be sure ta tell em.”

The slight hesitation on the line put a smile on Ellery’s face. Maybe with a little support on the paperwork side, Weiss could close the case. He hoped so, because if he didn’t, he might be tempted to start lying again.

L

[MaineWriter]

Okay, so I read ahead, but I couldn't resist, because chapter 56 is one of my all time favorites.

http://louisev.livejournal.com/42688.html

We have this:



and this:



and meat pies!

L

[MaineWriter]

Chapter 56:

Ellery was making a fresh pot of coffee when the door opened, and he stuck his head out. “Hey stranger. I came home early fer a change.”

Ennis lighted up with a smile, first at seeing him, then at the smell of the baking biscuits. “Yer makin doughboys.”

“Would it put too fine a point on it if I burned em or can we skip that part?”

“I’d rather eat em.”

“I got some fresh meat pies ta go with em too, you know, from that deli where they have the lean hamburger an all.”

Ennis came into the kitchen, rubbing up against him, leaning in a little for a kiss. “So what’s all this about?”

“It’s me apologizin to ya.”

“I thought we did all that last night?”

“Well no it was you givin me the ride a my life I thought. An I didn’t apologize properly.”

Ennis shrugged. “Okay.” He went over to the table and sat down, noticing that there were roses in a vase on the table. “Somebody deliver flowers or somethin?”

“Read the card,” Ellery said, pretending to check the pies and biscuits.

Ennis plucked the card from among the long stems and deep red blooms, and opened it.

“To my one and only true love, my deepest apologies, Ellery”

Ennis looked at the card for a long moment, his hand holding the card dropping into his lap.

“You know nobody never got me flowers before...”

“Aww well it’s about time then I guess huh?”

L