The Queen and The Viper

by Adam C Mitchell

  The yellow cab was gone. For a few moments there was not even a hint of human life, then her sharp eyes picked up the outline of a man standing in the shadow of a tall tree. Even as Peggy watched him, a second man – a short, fat fellow – eased out of the trees and joined his taller companion. Peggy clocked the two silhouetted men have what looked like a whispered conversation, but their words did not reach to the caped crime-fighter. However, their intention was more than obvious, as both men tall and short drew their guns, seemed to examine them briefly then stuff them back into convenient pockets. Peggy sized them up. The short one – Lei, the tall one Rué and despite the poor light he could tell the second one was vicious, simply by the way he moved, and despite his short build carried his head low like a bull. As Peggy cautiously moved a little closer she couldn't help but lock onto Rué’s eyes, as they seemed to cradle fear! Making the normally brave woman’s blood chill. It was plain to see it was Rué was the violent head of the duo, an it wasn’t much of a leap to think, with the right amount of fear Rué could push Lei to do all manner of things. Defiantly Rué was the muscle and Lei was more than likely the brain’s or drifter of the two.

  Rué suddenly stepped into the clearing and approached the cabin. Lei drew his gun, bracing himself against a nearby tree and covered the cabins veranda. Peggy’s teeth bared in a cold smile. So that was it? Rué was going to lure her out while Lei ambushed her from an ambush! She melted back into the trees and silently made her way to a spot directly back of the stubby little gunman. Then she eased forward—.

  Charlie Lei’s first sign of misfortune came when Peggy pressed the Queen’s Bite’s cold muzzle against his short sweaty neck.

  “Not a sound!” Peggy Ellen reached forward and removed the gun from the oriental man’s trembling fingers.

  “Now, be a nice chap and call to your partner and tell him to come back here!” She increased the pressure of the gun on Lei’s neck. “Any tricks, mug, and I’ll part your hair from the inside!”

  Charlie Lei nodded, terror stricken. He lifted his voice and spoke huskily.

  “Hey, Rué, come here a minute.”

  Rue glanced back, hesitated and then started to retrace his steps. When he reached a point halfway across the clearing, he suddenly jerked to a stop. Perhaps some primal crook-sense or instinct warned him of danger, for his hand suddenly streaked towards his pocket. Thankfully retirement hadn’t dull her senses to much and Peggy saw it coming, quickly pistol whipped the side of Rué’s head, with one solid blow. Jumping into the open the second Rué fell to his knee’s.

  “Don’t try it Rué!” she warned drawing her muzzle to meet his gaze.

  The kneeling gunman flung a curse at the caped crime-fighter and brought his gun up shooting. Peggy shot first, and high. Before she got in a second, a slug from Rué’s gun tore into her leg, spun her halfway around and dropped the Queen onto her hands and knees. She rolled over, braced herself with one elbow on the ground, and squeezed off two sleeper rounds in quick succession. Rué bit the dust, before he even hit the ground!

  Peggy rolled over hastily, expecting trouble from Lei, but the short little crook was clinging groggily to a tree, trying to wipe his former partners blood from his eyes and mouth. Peggy got to her feet, as the rich red from her wound stained her dress. She leant on a small sapling to steady herself and test the leg, but thanks to the wound it was numb and wouldn't take her weight.

  She broke Rué’s gun and thought the trigger out into the under growth, and re-drew the Bite, turning the muzzle on Lei “Snap to it pal,” she rasped harshly “Amble out there and grab your nasty little friend, he’s making a mess of the view, bleeding everywhere. How rude. So go on get him and drag him into the bushes here, as we may have company soon. Step lively honey.”

  Charlie Lei wavered for a moment, wet his thick lips and looked directly at the Bite. Peggy let her thumb toy with the hammer. That made the short man snap to, mumbling something as he made his way to his former partner. Lei hesitated a long time before he could bring himself to touch his dead pal, but after about a minute or two he caught Rué by the ankles and dragged him into the surrounding trees.

  “Now,” commanded the wounded Queen. “We’ll go into the cabin and have a nice little chat after all your my guest and its awfully cold out here. So get going darling, before my finger gets twitching.”

  Lei moved with surprising haste, Peggy broke off a branch to serve as a make-shift walking stick and hobbled after him. Each step shot acid like stabs of pain through her entire leg, and the pain got worse when she hobbled up the four steps to the veranda, for she had to keep her eyes glued to Lei. But at last she made it and pushing herself into the cabin, the second time since her arrival, dropped into a chair next to the door. She let her eyes settle muse-fully on the scared features of her captive. Charlie Lei stood with his back to a small table in the centrer of the cabin’s main living room. He was close to forty with rat like eyes that shifted constantly, as if they were always thinking, always scheming, never resting. His broken yellow nose was criss crossed with lumps, as if it had been broken many times and never really healed right. His cheeks gaunt as if half starved seemed to complete the weasel or rat like visage. Periodically opening his mouth to speak but hesitating and shutting up.

  It was Peggy that broke the stillness.

  “Charlie, darling, I’m not going to drag this out or sugar coat it okay doll. I’m going to ask you some questions and I want some smart answers. First, who sent you and the stiff after me, and who ordered the hit on Jack Malone?”

  The Queen’s prisoner wagged his head “You got it all wrong lady, we weren’t going to bop off this Jack feller. You got us all wrong lady. This was a stick-up see, We saw you pass down the state highway an’ tailed you—”

  Peggy’s gun roared, drowning out Lei’s words. He gave a shrill bleat of terror, and clawed at the fleshy part of his leg and toppled to his face. Peggy voice went cold and surgical, a hint of anger creeping its way through with every word.”Now, now Lei that didn’t hurt two much did it? But darling it’s a small taste of what’s to come if you keep feeding me that load of bull. Now if my hunch is right, your boss knows who I am under the mask, so by going after Jack you go after me and well that’s not very nice. Didn’t your mother ever teach you it wasn’t nice to mistreat a lady, so please talk okay doll. Now I happen to know you picked up my trail down in the city, about the time I met up with Detective Parish, so who sent you, Lei?”

  The wounded hood sobbed, dragged himself to his hands and knees, then crawled toward the caped heroine, like a cur dog. “S’help me, I don’t know,” he whined. “Rué got the orders from a third person, Rué’s dead now an ——”

  Peggy leaned forward. She cupped the kiss in the palm of her gloved hand and struck the hood across the left side of head. Lei yelped in agony, and again fell to the floor, this time with added grovelling.

  Peggy straightened “I know different, so talk or I’ll shred you to ribbons, got it, I have no hesitations in killing you; none what so ever your boss sent men to my home, came after my man that crossed a line. So for the last time – who sent you two gorilla’s after?”

  Charlie Lei, slowly lifted his head and stared at Peggy through a veil of blood “I can’t,

  s,help me! He’d kill me-” Peggy raised her gun, muzzle jamming hard into the wound left in the man’s head, “Okay doll, if you’d rather have it now.” she thumbed back the Kisses hammer. Lei hesitated until he heard the second click of her gun, then terror took him over. “wait” he bleated. “I’ll talk!” His head fell forward into his arms and he sobbed like a school girl. Sobbing out the name so huskily that Peggy could hardly make out, without leaning forward to catch it.

  “Pelham——”

  Peggy’s mouth contracted, Jack was bang on the money she thought.”Why?” he rasped at Lei.

  “He wanted Jack dead for the bank job!” choked Lei. Peggy let out a satisfied grunt, leaned back and contemplated the man on the floor.
So her man’ guess was correct Pelham was up to his neck in it. Pelham had made a deal with those two rats to take out her man. Her masked scowl deepened. What good was this information. If she returned Lei to the city, the rat would deny everything the moment he was in police custody, and even if he didn’t the police still wanted the Queen for her not quite legal activities as a vigilante come caped crime-fighter. Plus she knew even if all went in her favour it would still be the word of a known crook against that of a police official, even if he was a rat himself. Peggy knew legally speaking she’d need more than just slim words obtained via ‘not quite legal’ means, to get all this to court and in the light of day. Peggy pulled herself erect, hobbled across the cabin and picked up the telephone. She pulled it as far as the cord would allow, then kicked it across the floor towards Lei.

  “Hey rat, listen up” she commanded grimly, “Get those those ears open and listen up, I want you to make a call, a very important call.”

  Lei lifted his head and stared. His caped captor canted her head toward the telephone. “get your ass over there pal. Call Pelham now! Tell him Rué shot me, but that he got hit as well. Heavily suggest to our dear friend, that you have dug up something of vital importance and ask him, to come out here. The idea Mr. Lei is, that unless Pelham comes to this cabin, you my little friend wont last till morning.” that last words Peggy uttered ran sheer fear down Lei’s back, causing Lei to choke. “You want me to lure Pelham here? My God for a dame your stupid, you don’t know what your asking!”

  Peggy squinted along the barrel of her revolver “Have you seen what happens when they take you to the morgue, my dear friend? They rip you open down the middle, stick a water hose where the sun don’t shine to wash out your insides. But if I shot you in the head for instance, the good doctor will cut off your skull to see where the bullet went. Then they’ll—”

  “Can it doll” screamed the petrified Lei “Cut it, I’ll do it!”

  “There’s the phone, Charlie” Peggy hinted dryly.

  Lei inched toward the phone on his stomach. His sweaty fingers fumbled with the receiver as he did his best to remove it.

  “Easy sugar, easy” cautioned Peggy “I’ll hold you responsible doll, if Pelham doesn’t show up, so sell it well, don’t let that dumb idiot smell a rat!”

  It was then the real Charlie Lei, made an appearance the slimy weasel who’d walked in was gone, leaving in its wake a snivelling sobbing coward, who’s sobs were getting louder as he shuddered convulsively, then took down the receiver. Then Lei, in broken sentences jerked out the number of headquarters, but by the time he got the inspector on the wire, he had managed to pull himself together.

  “Boss, it Lei. I don’t want to talk over the phone, see, but can you come up here right away?” Lei shot a sideways look at his warden, who’s thumb was now playful tapping the hammer of the Bite, the shutting his eyes to block out the vision, took a breath and carried on “We- Rué got her, and put him out cold, he’d tied up here. But that’s the thing you better come. I found something; see I – yeah, we’re in a cottage near the nature reserve you can’t miss it.” He choked out the directions for reaching the cabin, then slowly cradled the receiver.

  Peggy grinned cynically, she was tired wanting to go home, but not till the deed was done, and her man was safe, and out of the cross hairs. “So, he’s coming?”

  Lei shuddered. “Yeah, he’s coming” he sobbed again and dropped his head into his arms.

  When the noise of a speeding car reached the cabin a little over a hour later, the stage was set. The Queen of Spades stood back of the entrance door, leaning on the top of a chair. Charlie Lei, still trembling with terror, hunkered down low in another beside the central table, that faced the front door. Brakes angrily dug into the gravel outside, then the roar of the motor died. A car door slammed, echoing through the small cabin, like an orchestra's crescendo.

  Lei, mumbled something, as the Queen wagged her gun at him. “Easy, sugar” she whispered blowing him a kiss. “Easy.”

  Heavy footsteps pounded up across the veranda, paused then for a moment then the door swung open. “Well, Lei where is he?” demanded the inspector. The Queen reached out, slapping the door shut with the free hand. “Somewhere safe honey, but I’d like a little chat with you if you don’t mind. No- don’t reach for your metal, trust me you wouldn’t make it, let alone fire off a shot, before I put a hole in your skull!”

  The uniformed inspector swivelled like a corned hobo For a brief instant he seemed like a prize buck in the headlights of a oncoming car, then he slowly raised his hands in surrender.

  “what the hell is this!” he snapped

  “This,” Peggy told him dryly “is a show-down. Lei here has been telling me some interesting things, Inspector, things that corroborate some old-time suspicion’s of mine. A mutual friends to for that matter.”

  “Your damn fool, Spade. Or should I say Mrs Malone. Yes I know who you are, under the mask so lets please skip the amateur dramatics shall we.” with that Pelham shot Charles Lei, a venomous look, then turned his manic look on Peggy “You damn fool Malone!” he hissed “Put down that gun like a good little girl!”

  “You're right Pelham, I am a damn fool” Peggy admitted “But this little gun stays pointing at your manhood until we settle a few points of interest. First, I'd like to know what excuse you have for putting these low grade goons on me?”

  Pelham shrugged off the question “your crazy, you have no proof!”

  “Haven't you heard the Queen Of Spades is a vigilante crime fighter according to the law, so I act and don't need proof. According to the press I'm a criminal, and criminals just act on instinct. So spill. So I'm curious, and I'd imagine my husband would be to if he was here, damn curious. For instance. We're both curious to know what happened to Anthony Rogers and oddly enough at the exact same time Christie and Harmsworth hit the bank. Then just out of thin air you appeared just as my husband was leaving? Peggy's playfully mocking smile now turned to an angered scowl “And lastly, Pelham I'd like to know why you deliberately tried to take off my beautiful husband head.!”

  “We don't take bank robbers alive,” growled an angered Pelham “not after they kill a innocent watchman.”

  Peggy sniffed. “But you weren't supposed to know that Steven's was dead when you walked in there. That's another tiny detail I'd like to clear up with you, if you don't mind. The killing of Steven's. Christie and Harmsworth didn't. My husband didn't so who did?”

  “You can't talk your way out of this one Peggy neither can your husband, you'll both get the chair.”

  The Queen grinned dryly. “I'm not going to do the talking, neither is Jack, Inspector. Lei here, for instance knows a lot of interesting thing.”

  Pelham swung his head in thought. Lei winced before the cold glitter of those lifeless icy eyes. “S'help me, chief, I aint-” he choked to a full stop. Peggy hefted her gun, “Well coward make up your mind. Don't be shy now- this is a nice, friendly get together. Now what do you know about his business-?”

  Lei pulled himself erect, his fingers tightening around the back of his chair. “My God, you, you wouldn't murder a man in cold blood?”

  “Don't be a fool!” rasped the inspector. “She's bluffing, had to be!”

  Peggy smiled as she pulled back the hammer of the Queen's Bite, and in the silence of the wooden room, two distinct metallic clicks were heard. Charlie Lei's voice rose to a sudden shriek.

  “Bluffin' hell I ain't gonna die Henley. I ain't I tell ya—”

  Peggy had hoped to provoke the truth back out of the tangled mess. She well knew Pelham's vicious temper from the stories her man had told, let alone the abuse reports she'd read while defending someone, and she had also counted on Lei's fear of death to form some kind of verbal explosion of some sort. But she had to take a second, did she hear right? Did he say Henley! She thought shocked and what happened in the next few minutes amazed her into inaction. Lei was trembling from head to foot. “You got me into this He
nley you and him—” he shrilled “She'll shoot me down like a dog. I won't die for you - s'help me, I won't I tell ya—”

  Peggy swung her eyes to Pelham to see how the latte was taking it, when he just started laughing manically. “Oh, what's the point of this little game, hey Peggy. After all that's all life is at the end of the day. A series of games wouldn't you say. Win or lose that's life right... it's all just one big House Of Games!” she watched as the man she believed to be Inspector Pelham began to reach for his face. She watched Amazed as he began to peel of his skin in front of her, shocked as the face she knew, began to change to a face she wish she could forget! Before she could let that relevance sink in, Lei suddenly broke his bindings and flung his chair at the direction of his captors. With one leg injured and unable to bear her weight, The Queen Of Spades propped herself against a chair in front of her. But a second volley of furniture from Lei knocked the chair from under her, leaving her only a second or two to roll to the left, so to avoid landing on their unborn child. The split second roll to the left sending her headlong to the floor. As she went down, she tried to swing her gun, but the man who was Pelham kicked it from out of her hand, sending it bouncing across the floor.

  Peggy cursed her own carelessness she had lost Bite, and the Kiss wouldn't do much good now, not in a real fight. She rolled over and tried to drag herself erect. Then she paused, seeing Charlie Lei make for her lost gun. Just as the crook reached for it, a roar filled the small cabin. Lei screamed noiselessly, then pirouetted sprawling himself into a corner. Peggy did her best to follow what was going on, a few second to late she saw it, the faux inspector was lowering his own service revolver and a faint dribble of smoke curled from its muzzle.