Our BetterMost Community > Creative Writer's Corner
Taking Chances, by E. L. Van Hine and L.H. Nicoll
belbbmfan:
hello rereaders! :)
today's chapters: 26 - 30 http://louisev.livejournal.com/82055.html
chapter 26 The Wrath Of The Sheriff
Ellery looked at Joe, went to the door, made sure it was closed. “I think it’s someone in Marigold’s office an he played with the custody book, or it was Amos himself.”
“You think he took the book an put an entry in it?”
“Custody clerk ain’t gonna look twice at an assistant D.A., Wes,” Ellery said.
“They got procedures down there. I want this... J.J.Jakes... I want ta talk ta him about this.”
“He ain’t on. He’s on swing shift.”
“Which means he comes in at three. I’ll call Grimes an tell em to come up with Jakes when he comes in, an have the day guy cover. I will handle this personally, Ellery. I don’t want you involved, for obvious reasons. This is interdepartmental.”
“Meanwhile we got a rifle that ain’t Worrell’s rife. Or ain’t the rifle Worrell was found with at the time he tried ta kill Ennis at your ranch,” Ellery said.
“You know that for sure?” Wes rubbed his eyes. “This is gettin worse an worse.”
belbbmfan:
and more from chapter 26.
“Wes, has my car been released? I got ta call somebody to get it fixed an stop usin Ennis’s truck. He is gonna beat me black an blue when he gets the truck back and finds I wore the clutch out.”
“Yeah, it has. Go ahead an take care a that.”
“I also need ta bring em to the doctor for followup on his back.”
“Sure. That leaves... what?”
“Any clues from Allen’s wife in Cheyenne about his investigation or the person he had photos of.”
“His lawyer, too,” Wes said.
Joe spoke up. “I can look into those, Ellery can take care of his car an bring Ennis in to see the doc.”
“Thanks, Joe, it is good of you to help out considerin how much overtime you booked in July an in August so far.”
“That’s what we do here, help out,” he smiled equably, and Ellery shot him a grateful look and went to his office to call Ennis. Joe stayed in Wes’s office and closed the door, emerging several minutes later.
“You talkin to the boss about me huh Joe?” Ellery called from inside his office, setting the phone down.
Joe drifted over and poked his head in the door. “I told em yer overworked, overwrought, not thinkin straight, an if someone doesn’t step in an help out yer gonna blow a gasket, an Ennis gettin kidnapped hasn’t even penetrated yer head yet. An when it does you might need some time alone ta get shitfaced and empty a few magazines at the shootin range.”
“Nice a you ta put in a good word for my morale, there, Joe,” Ellery said soberly.
“Anythin for a friend an colleague. Just don’t miss my boy’s weddin.”
Thanks Joe :) :-*
MaineWriter:
Hi everyone,
Life interfered a little bit for the re-reading. Sorry about that! Fabienne, thanks for keeping us on track...
From chapter 27, an interesting exchange that I had forgotten about:
“Sure, not a problem,” Dupree started his car, an older model Pontiac of the same vintage as Edna’s Bonneville, and followed the El Camino out the driveway and the few blocks to Natale Chevrolet, where he pulled up before one of the service bays and hurried in to leave his keys, then joined Dupree in his car.
“This is a little ol’ lady car, Dupree,” he commented, getting in. “And neat as a pin. Now I am wonderin if you are queer.”
Dupree snorted. “You can ask my last girlfriend if I’m queer, she’d reply “You mean Jeremy Octopus?”
Ellery laughed. “You shouldn’t grab on the first date, Dupree, only queers can get away with that.”
“You pretty much got together with Ennis on the first date didn’t you?”
“It took half a bottle a Glenfiddich, an it had been a fuckin long time fer both of us Dupree, it’s different. But yeah, if ya boil it down.”
MaineWriter:
More from chapter 27:
“I suppose you aren’t into ranchin."
“My daddy ran pretty far away from ranchin, actually,” Ellery said. “An that was a long time ago for me.”
“Cantrells, yeah, I bet my Daddy knew yers or at least yer granddaddy. Sublette an Fremont counties, is where he had his ranches, as well as some big acreage in Montana.”
“Don’t go spittin out names an places, boy, I tried ta put that out a my head when my daddy died,” Ellery said, shaking his head in warning, a cloud passing over his face.
“Sorry,” Sevigny said.
“This goes a long way ta easin our minds there, Brad, now that we know yer name really is Brad.”
“I don’t want ta have nothin ta do with my family anymore. Not after my daddy treated me like he did when he found out I was queer.”
“I can understand that, you ain’t alone in that. I’m glad my daddy didn’t live long enough ta see my heart get broken by somebody who wasn’t a girl.”
Sevigny gave him a sympathetic glance. “At least my daddy don’t hate me enough ta cut me off from my trust fund, that would hurt the family pride.”
“Of course it would.”
“I imagine yer trust fund was bigger than mine though, cause mine is shared with five brothers and sisters.”
“Let’s leave me trust fund out a this, we came to ask you questions, Brad,” Ellery said brusquely.
“Sure.”
MaineWriter:
Chapter 28:
“Thanks Wes.” Ellery left the phone booth and walked back from the corner of the apartment building to his truck. Sevigny was standing nearby, and he smiled as Ellery approached.
“I was wonderin where ya went,” he said.
“You got somethin else ta tell me?”
“Ya coulda used the phone in my apartment ya know.”
“It was connected to the computer I thought,” Ellery said, dodging the real reason.
“I have two telephone lines.”
“Oh. I’ll know next time I got ta call in a warrant.”
“You gonna arrest em? Prescott I mean.”
“Well, my associate is, yes, if we can find em.”
“You… serious about that guy you are with, Chief Deputy?” Sevigny asked.
“That would be a personal question, Brad,” Ellery said, raising an eyebrow.
“Yeah, it is I spose.”
“And I’m not answerin personal questions about my personal life, so you can dispense with the rest of em.”
“Well I was just wonderin… cause I think you are just the hottest thing on two legs, if ya don’t mind my sayin so…. Ellery. That Ennis don’t know how lucky he is.”
“I do mind yer sayin so, so from now on you can just think it, all right?”
Sevigny pouted. “Don’t take compliments too well do ya?”
“I’m here ta take statements, not compliments, Brad. You have a good day now, an stay indoors so ya don’t get spotted by members a that Brotherhood a the Cross.”
“Fine,” he turned away and walked back up the walkway to his apartment. “You have a good day too, Chief Deputy,” Sevigny tossed over his shoulder.
Ellery gave him a tight smile and climbed into Ennis’s truck. “Hottest thing on two legs, I guess he likes legs,” he said to himself.
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page
Go to full version