Chapter 74: A Hidden Cost
(Saturday, October 21, 1984)
Ennis came out of the bedroom and grabbed his coat, not looking at the youth, now handcuffed on the sofa. “Tony said they could come at noon, that gonna work?”
Ellery nodded. “Good.”
“We need ta ... take evidence photos or somethin?”
Ellery shook his head, not explaining. He glanced over – Esteban was watching him. “Could you do me a favor, Ennis?”
“What?” Ennis took his hands out of his pockets, trying to act relaxed.
“Could you get me my pills – the Percodan.”
“Oh shit. Yeah. Yer back –“
“Runnin didn’t agree with me,” Ellery said. “An I don’t feel like it’s a good idea ta get up just this minute.”
Ennis rushed in the bedroom, his own angry mood forgotten, and returned with the pills, and got a glass of water for him. “Do ya mind gettin some water for the kid?” he asked as he accepted the glass and the bottle. “Some aspirin might help.”
“Okay.” Ennis returned to the kitchen and returned with an aspirin bottle and another glass of water for Esteban.
“Wouldn’t mind one a those,” Esteban spoke suddenly, nodding at Ellery’s prescription bottle.
“Well you ain’t gettin one. Givin ya one a these is a felony.”
As Ennis set the water glass down, Ellery tossed him the key to the handcuffs, and Ennis unlocked the handcuffs. Esteban shied slightly from Ennis as he approached, but Ennis’s temper had cooled to a taciturn silence.
“So now that ya got the right ta remain silent, ya want ta tell me what made ya throw over yer career workin for Mel just ta come over an spray paint my house an act like a nine year old with bad upbringin?” Ellery said, then gulped down the pill with a mouthful of water.
“Don’t be actin like ya don’t know,” Esteban retorted. “I’ll bet ya yer Sheriff knows.”
“If he does then he’s the only one, cause I haven’t got a fuckin clue what you’re talkin about.”
Ennis glared down at Esteban, holding the handcuffs. “You watch yer mouth, boy.”
Esteban fell silent.
“Ennis, let em talk. So what is this about your Daddy made you throw it all up in the air – you can’t be but twenty, twenty-one... an now, ain’t no way Mel is gonna keep you on, not with this...”
“It don’t matter,” Esteban shrugged. “People like – people like you gettin all the commendations an promotions... there ain’t no opportunity for the rest of us kind anyhow.”
“People like me?”
“You know what I mean, Chief Deputy Cantrell...” the words came out as a blurred sneer through swollen lips. “Your kind.”
“I’ve known your daddy a long time, boy, I ain’t never heard him talk about me bein a kind. We got along real well. He couldn’t a taught you all this.”
“He changed. But you don’t know about that, do ya? After he got shoved off ta Cheyenne – you don’t know cause you never saw em afterward,” Esteban replied cryptically.
“That weren’t none a my doin neither, boy. What I can’t figure out is what has all this got ta do with you becomin a common vandal though? Breakin my windows, paintin my house. What did I ever do ta you? Or my kind, as you put it.”
“Yer the detective – I guess yer gonna have ta figure that out yer own self,” Esteban retorted, unrepentant. He gulped down the rest of his water. “Ya can put the cuffs back on now,” he said to Ennis.
Ennis gave him a nasty smile and yanked his hands back, the cuffs clicking shut with a rapid move of his hands, and he took the cup, retreating to the kitchen. From his posture, Ellery could tell Ennis was getting riled up again. Good thing he never had any sons, Ellery thought suddenly. From the clink of glass, he knew Ennis was cleaning up the smashed patio door.
“So who was yer accomplice when ya first came by on Thursday?” Ellery asked, taking another sip of water, his throat still parched from the dash in the cold air.
“I got the right ta remain silent,” Esteban replied curtly, narrowing his eyes.
“Yes ya do. But we ain’t decided what ta do with ya yet.”
“He ain’t responsible,” Esteban shot back.
“If he was here helpin you write ‘Die Queer’ on my house he sure is.”
Esteban did not reply, but smiled unpleasantly.
Wes’s Oldsmobile pulled up in the yard. “Ennis, Wes is here.”
Ennis put his head through the doorway, looking first at Esteban, and set down the broom he held, opened the door and went out as Wes came up the walk.
“Mornin Ennis. Ya caught a live one did ya?” Wes asked, offering his big hand. Ennis shook it, nodding.
“Yup. He broke the patio door. I called yer guy Tony again an he’ll be here in a couple hours.”
“Good. Nobody got too badly hurt?”
“Well, see for yerself.”
Wes leaned in close and dropped his voice. “Don’t worry – ya don’t get charged for beatin somebody up who’s throwin rocks at yer house.”
Ennis smiled tightly. “Thanks – wasn’t sure about that.”
“Take it from the Sheriff, boy.” Wes stepped into the door. “Little breezy in here, Ellery, you put on your air condition?”
“Yeah somethin like that. Forgive me if I don’t get up, Wes.”
“Larry,” Wes said, looking at the bruised youth handcuffed on the sofa.
“Hello Sheriff.”
“What the hell a you done, boy?”
“Caused a little trouble,” he replied, visibly intimidated by Wes’s presence towering over him in the room.
“Want some coffee, Wes?” Ennis asked.
“Sure, that’d be great. I just inhaled my breakfast and didn’t get a chance ta savor a mornin cup.”
“It’ll take a few minutes, all I made so far is decaf.”
“I can wait. We’re just gonna have a little talk, me an Larry here. I thought when I gave you a recommendation ta go work over in Mel’s office things were lookin up for you, an you were gettin things organized ta go ta law school. Now what’s this about?”
“You know what it’s about, Sheriff,” he said, gesturing with his chin and giving Ellery a narrow look. Ellery gazed back at him steadily.
“Why don’t you explain it so we all know then,” Wes said, easing down next to him.
“Why don’t you take off these handcuffs? Yer Deputy here thinks that all bruised an bloody I’m some kind a threat.”
“I told em ta put you in cuffs. I want ya ta know yer under arrest an that vandalism is treated seriously here in Laramie, an not just because a who it is you vandalized.”
“You told em to?” Esteban blinked slowly.
“Yeah, I did. So we’re gonna talk a little bit an then we got ta decide if Chief Deputy Cantrell here is gonna press charges or not.”
“If? There’s a question?” Esteban stared at Ellery.
“It ain’t every perpetrator gets a personal visit from the Sheriff, boy,” Wes said softly. “Just the sons a the men who served under me who might be goin through somethin personal.”
“You might say it’s somethin personal,” Esteban replied, voice sharpening to impudence once more. Yer Chief Deputy Big Shot is responsible for my daddy losin his job.”
“Oh, how do you figure that? My Chief Deputy hasn’t been workin with your daddy for almost ten years now,” Wes said. “He started workin down in Cheyenne when you were still in junior high school.”
“Cause a him!” Esteban jerked his head at Ellery. “An cause a him, he lost his job up here in Laramie, an lost his job in Cheyenne too.”
“What a ya mean?” Wes asked, surprised.
“He ain’t workin there no more – he got – put on leave an they put em in a program.”
“What kind a program?” Ellery sat up, wincing at the spasm in his back. The medication had not yet begun to work.
“An alcohol rehab program,” Esteban shot back. “An he had no problem with drinkin before you came along an got em transferred down ta Cheyenne where everybody thought he was a faggot.”
“Larry –“ Wes said, his voice now stern.
“He wasn’t the one who was the faggot, was he, Chief Deputy Faggot?” Esteban raised his voice.
Ennis loomed in the doorway. “You say that again in this house an I swear –“
“Ennis you stay right where you are,” Wes said, standing up. “I’m takin this boy inta custody. Larry, get up.”
Ennis took a step into the room, and Ellery shook his head. “Ennis.”
“Ya better take em out...” Ennis said, his voice a low, dangerous growl. Esteban rose to his feet hurriedly, and Ellery propelled himself out of the chair, interposing his body between Ennis and the sofa.
“I’ll handle this personally, Ellery,” Wes said, opening the door. “Come on, son. You made a bad mistake just now.”
“Thank you Wes,” Ellery said, letting out a slow breath. He watched the door close behind Wes as he walked Larry Esteban out to his car, then headed for the bedroom at a slow limp. “I got ta lie down.”
“Darlin –“ Ennis said, moving toward him. Ellery waved him off.
“Get yerself under control. I’m gonna need yer help about now, Ennis.” Ellery limped into the bedroom, unloading the pistol as he went.
Ennis turned away, eyes stinging. “Okay.”
Topic: Taking Chances, by E. L. Van Hine and L.H. Nicoll (Read 3170071 times)