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

[MaineWriter]

Chapter 93:

“Oh darlin... if my head weren’t comin off my neck I’d have you down here gettin fancy right now...”

“Don’t worry about that... you feel better?”

Ennis nodded, moving his head as little as possible.

“You take an aspirin?”

“Four of em.”

“You gonna be all right?”

“Yeah. Maybe you could get me one a them ice packs you got in the freezer.”

Ellery slid out of bed, patting his thigh. “Sure enough, you take it easy.” He went to the kitchen and returned, wrapping the pack in a towel to cushion his face against the cold, and knelt beside him, setting it gently against his forehead and cheek.

“Ah, damn.... that feels better,” Ennis said, smiling weakly.

“You need another suck or somethin, you just let me know, boy,” Ellery said, retrieving his brace and refastening it.

“Will do. Just hold me now Ellery. Got ta rest a bit.”

Ellery rested his head against Ennis’s shoulder, reached over and turned out the light. He lay awake for an hour as his arousal waned, listening to Ennis’s breath deepening into the slow rhythm of sleep. In the morning, he was going to give that little bitch Leon a piece of his mind.

[MaineWriter]

Chapter 94:

“He knows what car I drive, an said that the ones who killed Wilkes were gonna blow away every queer boy in the county.... an they are watchin me. Sevigny has been watchin me, maybe from somebody else’s room at the dorms, maybe from a coffee shop across from the station, I dunno, but he said queers are bein hunted.”

“Well shit, this sounds way too much like Worrell an his ilk don’t it?”

Ellery nodded. “An I swear to god if Worrell has got henchmen goin around shootin queer boys an I can make a tie between em then the whole goddamn kit an kaboodle are gonna face capital charges for conspiracy an hate crimes.”

“Ellery... this is real bad. You realize this boy is sayin you got a target on yer back.”

“Yeah I know. An I can’t tell Ennis this either.”

“It means you go to the weapons locker right now an put on yer body armor. Dupree too.”

“Oh shit.”

Wes smiled grimly. “It’s part a the job. An make sure you got an extra magazine in that holster a yours.”

Ellery went to the weapon locker, got out his vest, and Dupree’s, and dropped it on his desk as he waited on hold for the State Police dispatcher. Ellery stripped off his dress shirt and put on his vest, wandering back into his office to go through his messages again, then called Ennis as he put his shirt back on.

The phone rang ten times, and no one picked up. “I can’t believe he is feedin the birds.”

Wes came out of his office. “Edna’s on her way down there in bout half an hour, she’s takin the biscuits out.”

Ellery nodded. “I’m goin ta County, be back in a half hour. Dupree, be ready.” Dupree nodded, pouring a coffee as he sat on hold, and Ellery took a brisk walk to visit Leon Sebastian in the basement of the courthouse.

[MaineWriter]

Chapter 95:

“Well, Leon... hopin ta get my attention. You tryin fer that free whisky on the house by bashin Ennis in the face?”

“He called Sammy a name.”

“Who the hell is Sammy?”

“You know, my boyfriend. Sammy Lang.”

“Oh... Lang. You mean like Petunia, or Sweet Pea or something like that?”

“Something like that,” he crossed his arms. “Yer prejudiced, yer fuckin em.”

“It’s my bar. An lo an behold, this is my jail too, Leon. An as luck would have it, I am really fuckin busy today so we’re gonna have ta hold ya till tomorrow fer yer arraignment, ain’t that a pity?”

“You can’t do that! I got my rights!”

“Sure we can. The D.A. is overworked and understaffed, I got a high priority case ta work on an there just ain’t nobody here ta process you boy. You picked a bad night ta bash Ennis in the face, Leon, so ya better sit tight.”

“Fuck you Ellery, you are always so superior an high an mighty an you ain’t nothin but just a college educated drag queen in waitin, you in yer blue lizard boots.”

“Bet you’d like a pair just like em wouldn’t you, Leon? Let me tell ya somethin. The next time you are out on the street, an you look crosseyed at me or Ennis, one or the other a us is gonna make sure you end up with a nice big shiner as big as the one you gave Ennis last night. An that is a threat.”

“Police brutality!” Leon cried shrilly, and his voice faded as his eyes lit on the grinning blond guard.

“Did I hear a breeze whistle past my ear?” the guard said in a singsong voice.

“Oh that was Leon... he really sings nice.” Ellery turned around, and banged the door shut as he left.

[MaineWriter]

Chapter 95:

“Carol we’re goin ta Interview 2. Dupree can you get this poor boy a muffin an a coffee an maybe... a facecloth an towel?” Sevigny grinned, and Ellery led him down two doors into a roomy conference room, sinking into a chair.

Ellery sat down and took out a cigar. “I hope smokin don’t bother you.”

“Hey, can I have one a those?”

“Cost ya a dollar,” he grinned.

“Cuban ain’t they?”

“Ain’t you just the cleverest thing?” Ellery said, finding the mischievous smile charming. He pulled out a second cigar and offered him his lighter, and Sevigny puffed on it then inhaled.

“Yer definitely queer, I can tell that too,” Sevigny said, his eyes, though tired, flashing with recognition.

“Yeah well, yer about a decade too young an way too smart fer me so let’s move on. What’s yer real name?”

[MaineWriter]

And the ultimate cliffhanger ending!

He nodded. “That’s how I knew. No straight police detective ever asks that kind a question unless he knows what kind a question ta ask.”

“How very perceptive.”

“But now that I met you a course there ain’t no doubt.”

“Dupree, he ain’t got no doubt.”

Dupree nodded. “Okay I’m impressed.”

“Okay Sevigny, what about him?” he raised his chin, looking at Dupree.

Dupree blushed.

“Nope.”

“I think you got somethin there, boy. Now we’re gonna have ta take a formal statement, and we’re gonna call up our artist. Dupree, give em that washcloth so he can wash his face at least.”

There was a knock on the door, and Wes waved his hand at Ellery as Dupree handed Sevigny the washcloth and towel and he unbuttoned his shirt. “Sorry ta interrupt, Ellery.”

Ellery went over to the door and out, closing it behind him.

“Ellery, Edna is over at the house now. There ain’t nobody home.”

“Truck there?”

He nodded. “The back door was forced, Ellery. There's a cruiser on the way.”

The color drained out of his face. “Oh my god.”

[MaineWriter]

That cliffhanger ending ended "A Second Chance." However, for those who are on the re-reading journey, I am assuming you'll want to dive right in tomorrow with "Shelter from the Storm," right?

Five chapters a day, same as our usual routine.

In the meantime, another picture story....

WHERE O WHERE ART THOU ENNIS?  (by MaineWriter)

I think we should all keep our




or perhaps, call on



to pray to



to bring



home safe and sound to



in the little home they share together



When Ennis is home, safe and sound (soon, we hope!) they will be able to eat




and play with




and maybe even with




And when they get to that point, life will be nothing but



This story brought to you by



who in real life looks like this

[mariez]

"Where O Where Art Thou Ennis?"  -    How funny is that!  Thanks!

And look at you, Leslie!  You are Nancy Drew - so cool in that convertible!  I'm so jealous!   


In Chapter 91  we also learn the fate of Jim "High Beams" Allen:


“I’ll go in. I got ta get used ta this.”

“I’ll settle my Texas burger a bit, thanks,” Ellery said, and Dupree followed Flaherty to the exam table where he had cleaned up the face of the victim for photographing.

Dupree gulped as he looked down at the grey, sunken features. “Oh shit,” he said softly, then waved at the window, and Ellery got to his feet.

“What is it?” He opened the door and pinched his nostrils shut, breathing shallowly as the thick odor of decay hit him.

“I can’t be a hundred percent, but... ain’t that Jim?”

“Jesus Christ,” Ellery said. “Yeah. That’s Jim Allen. Or the man who called himself Jim Allen.“

Ah, the plot thickens!

Marie

[belbbmfan]

I love these picture stories. Very funny! Maybe we (well, not me, i'm thinking more creative people! ) could do that again for the new laramie tales.

Nice picture Leslie, and a classy car!

On with book 4 

[MaineWriter]

And so, we dive in with Shelter From The Storm, chapters 1 to 5 to get us started.

http://louisev.livejournal.com/75525.html

Half an hour later he entered the yard of one of Wes’s neighbors, sat down on his porch step and pulled off his boots, emptying out pebbles. One of the ranch hands spotted him and came out of the paddock, face growing pale as he neared, seeing the garish bruise on Ennis’s face, his filthy shirt hanging off him in shreds, his sunburned, dirty face.

“What the hell happened a you, boy?” said the man, lean and aging, his hair sparkling grey with sweat and emerging sunlight. He helped Ennis back to his feet.

“Ran inta some rough types, jumped out a their truck.”

“We got ta get you cleaned up.”

“I got ta call the sheriff. Can I get some water?”

“Sure enough,” the man said, and ran into the house, Ennis following him with a slow, stiff gait.


L

[MaineWriter]

Chapter 2, Ellery, the frantic husband...

After a tense, quiet drive in Wes’s Oldsmobile, they drove up a long, winding driveway to a cattle ranch south of Brown Horse Ranch. “This place is the Wilde cattle ranch,” he said. “Old man Wilde ran this place till he died... don’t know who owns it now.”
Ellery made a small noise, plucking at his lip.

“Settle down... yer gonna spook Ennis actin like that.”

“Actin like what?” Ellery asked, stirring from his brown study.

“Like a frantic husband.”

“I am a frantic husband.”

Wes reached over and patted his shoulder. “Well cut it out. Ennis is gonna be pretty spooked when he thinks about what happened to him, an we’re gonna have ta run em up to the hospital ta get checked out. Jumpin out of a speedin pickup truck onto asphalt does not leave a man unmarked.”

“You have such a calming demeanor, Wes,” Ellery said.

“Just pull yerself together.”

“Right.” He pulled up in the yard, and Ellery opened the door before he set the hand brake, causing Wes to scowl at him. Ellery strode rapidly across the porch. The door was open.

“Hello?” he called, and Wes, behind him, said “It’s the Sheriff.”

Ellery walked in the door, and lying on the sofa in the front room, was Ennis, looking cleaner, but still ragged and beaten. He was bare to the waist, had a cold cloth on his head, and bandages on both knees, as well as a large gauze patch on his back. When he saw Ellery he struggled to sit up. “Oh ... Ellery,” he said, his voice choked.

“Don’t get up sweetheart, it’s all right. We’re gonna bring ya ta the hospital.” He came over to the sofa and Ennis straightened to a sitting position and launched himself to his feet, breath hissing. As the rancher and his grey-haired hand came in from the kitchen, he slipped his arms around Ellery and pulled him close.

“I’m all right darlin, I’m all right. I got away.”

Ellery pulled back and put his hands on either side of his head, looking into his eyes, his own breath catching. “Thank god fer that.” Behind them, Wes cleared his throat, but neither of them moved from the embrace until he set a hand on Ellery’s arm.

“Let’s bring em up an have a doctor look at em.”