The Gypsy Queen: A Matt Preston Novel (Matt Preston Series Book 3)

by Paul Shadinger

  I was stunned to watch the change in the man before me. By the look on his face and the look in his eyes, it was obvious he had some serious mental issues. With his face all screwed up, and with the wild look in his eyes, I didn’t know if I was doing the right thing, but I needed to push on anyway. “I know about the boy whose mother when faced with a decision to marry the man who had impregnated her out of wedlock or bear that bastard child alone, willingly gave her son up.”

  His chin quivered and he shook his head back and forth. “Stop! Please stop.”

  I ignored his plea and continued, “I know the boy’s mother, when given the chance of marrying her new child’s father, gave up her son. The man who impregnated her refused to raise another man’s child. I know she chose that mean, ugly, nasty son-of-a-bitch over her own son. And as it turned out, it was a Faustian deal. I know she regretted it all her life, but the damage had been done. I also know it destroyed the boy.”

  I watched Roberts move his fingers slightly towards his keyboard again. I shook my head and motioned with my pistol for him to pull his hand away. I continued, “I know he became a sickly child because of the awful thing his mother had done to him. I also know as the boy grew up, he swore vengeance against the woman who abandoned him, and against the stepfather who was nothing but evil to both of them.” I softened my voice. “Jack Roberts, I know how it turned you against the world. I know how angry you are.” I watched tears running down his cheeks.

  I said, “I also know you got away with murdering your stepfather. And between us, I wonder if I wouldn’t have done the same.” I could see in his eyes he was stunned I knew about the murder of his stepfather.

  “How? How did you learn about this? How did you find out?”

  “I didn’t. I guessed from what I read, and now you just confirmed it.” He hung his head. “Nobody ever suspected it was anything but an accident that killed him. You got away with it, didn’t you?” I saw him mouth the word, “Yes!”

  “Then it was your mother’s turn…”

  He cried out, “No! Please stop. Not that!”

  There was no stopping. I had to see if I could make him understand why his program was twisted. That it was conceived by a twisted mind and should never be implemented. “You changed your mother’s medicines around so she would be given the wrong ones and it did what you wanted. It killed her.” Tears were streaming down his face and I felt awful for what I was doing, but I also knew I had to continue. “See, Doctor Roberts, I do know about you. I know all about you.”

  His voice was a whisper. “Shut up. Don’t say another word.”

  I ignored him. “I understand your pain, but is it fair to take out your pain on all mankind? Did you really hate her that much? Really?”

  “Yes! I hated her that much. I hated the bitch with every breath I took. Do you know what my biggest regret is? I regret I wasn’t the one to do it. I wish I could have been the one who gave her the medicine. I wanted to see her take it and watch the bitch die.” His voice was starting to rise and I noticed his hands trembling.

  Roberts screamed, “I hate her. I hate her because she chose that foul disgusting stranger over me! Over me, her own her son. She chose that asshole over me. Because she was pregnant and thought no man would ever want her, she turned her back on ME! I’m her son and she left me behind like, like some piece of trash.” Roc Doc’s body was trembling as he shouted at me, “Hell yes I’m bitter! Wouldn’t you be?”

  He started to rock back and forth. He sounded like a little boy. “But I got to see him die. I watched as his eyes got all big and stuck out. I watched him gasp for air. I got to tell him why he was dying. I told him what a rotten person he was and as he fell to the ground I got down on my knees and I said to him, ‘neener, neener, you’re going to die.’ And I watched his body shudder as the life left him. It was beautiful.” His voice was almost a shriek. “It was beautiful. I just wish I could do it again.”

  I didn’t like the way this was going. Maybe I’d taken him too far. I’d promised John I wouldn’t shoot him and now that I’d met the man, I realized I didn’t want to. I felt sorry for him, and I was also tired of shooting people, but he was getting distressed and the tormented sound in his voice frightened me. I was getting worried he might reach out and push the enter key in his unstable state.

  He sounded a little calmer when he said, “I didn’t have any say in the matter, I didn’t get any choice. I had no say! It was all decided for me! Then I had to go and live with my grandparents. That was just great! Do you know that old woman was a religious old nut who wanted me to be the next great tent evangelist of our day? And Pops, hells bells, all he ever wanted to do was go fishing. I think it was just to get away from that crazy old woman. Boy, was she ever bitter about how I turned out.”

  Jack laughed and the sound of his hysteria was growing again. One push on the keyboard. Just push the enter button on the keyboard and his program would start the end of mankind. Once the Russian computers were aware Silent Sentinel was running, that there was a Black Hand program in play somewhere in the world, theirs would automatically start. The doomsday program would start running and anyone else who had a similar program would be triggered and this would introduce the end. I had no way of knowing how much The Gypsy Queen had been able to infect the program. I knew she was excellent at hacking any program, but how much had she been able to undo Roberts’ crazy scheme?

  Jack started laughing. “Look what I had to deal with, living with that crazy old woman. She packed me off to some nutcase religious school in the South. Look at what my life was like. I didn’t choose that. I didn’t want that! I want somebody to pay. I want somebody to pay for my pain!” He screamed at the ceiling, “I want somebody to fucking pay.” He seemed to calm himself and he leaned back in the chair. He smiled at me in his grandfatherly way and asked, “What did you mean by your first question, ‘why?’”

  I wanted him to think about something else. I had to get his mind off what he perceived as the worst childhood any boy ever had to live through. I asked him, “Didn’t you think somebody was going to eventually come looking for Melissa? Are you asking me why I’m here?” I couldn’t believe it “Didn’t you consider others would also be curious about her as well as the other men you had working for you?”

  “It doesn’t matter. What I’m about to do is what matters.”

  “No! Why do you feel so superior?”

  “I have the ability to make sure there’s never another war.”

  “Bullshit,” I said.

  “No really.” And then it struck me exactly what I was looking at. His grandmother had gotten her wish. Before me was the old-time country preacher giving out his brand of salvation. He was saving the whole world from itself. He knew better than all the rest of us. He thought he was truly saving the world.

  The problem as I saw it was once you give computers the ability to decide if we live or die, it’s all over. Really. Do we want machines running our lives any more than they do? His twisted idea was flawed in so many ways, yet in his mind he was the savior of the world. We had to follow him because he knew the truth. He was the truth. We had to drink his Kool-Aid.

  His hand hovered over the enter key. He smiled at me and said, “All I have to do is push the button and the program is launched. There’s nothing anybody can do about it. There is no way to turn it off and mankind is safe forever.”

  I saw his hand tighten and I knew he had made the decision. He was going to do it, he was going to push the button. He had left me no choice. I aimed at the keyboard and pulled the trigger. I watched his right hand and arm head snap back as the bullet struck the keyboard and it exploded. I just couldn’t shoot him, it wasn’t my decision to take his life. All I wanted to do was end his threat. I could see the look in his eyes asking why I did such an awful thing. He was only saving the world.

  I’d missed seeing his other hand drop and when he broug
ht it up, he had a pistol. “Drop your gun,” he demanded.

  I could see the keyboard was shot, no pun intended and he wasn’t going to be able to launch the program from the computer in front of him. That is, if I understood how computers worked. I watched as he pushed a button and I saw a tray slide out. He picked up the disk that was inside of the tray, put it in a plastic folder and then started to rise. “Don’t move until I leave. If you do, I’ll shoot you,” he said.

  He reached the door and as he closed it behind him, I heard a click. I got up and moved my aching body to the door. I was right, it was locked. On this side there was no place to even put a key even if I did have the key. I was devastated. I could feel tears of frustration running down my face. I’d had both Roberts and the program within my grasp and I’d lost them both. My leg throbbed and I wanted to be out of this wretched place.

  I fished my cell out of my pocket and entered John’s number. He answered his phone, “Where are you?”

  “I’m sitting in Roberts’ office. I had to shoot his keyboard but he’s alive. Before he left he opened a tray and took out a disk, I assume it was Silent Sentinel. I’m wounded and I can’t walk. I need somebody to come and get me.”

  I got back to the chair and when I tried to sit, I felt myself slip from the chair and there was nothing I could do to stop it. I hit the floor. “Help. Apple, I need help. Now!” And the world went black.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  The room was dim and from the smell, I knew I was in some sort of hospital. When I moved my arm, the intravenous feed sticking into my arm got my attention. I looked to my left and saw two bags hanging from a rack and I wondered what they contained. When I moved, I discovered two things. The first was the leg where I had been stabbed felt really warm and the second thing was I needed to pee. That was reaching a critical point. I felt around on the bed and found the little device to signal for the nurse. She must have been close by because it was only seconds before a stout black woman came bustling in. “How do you feel Mr. Preston?” she inquired.

  “Not bad. I feel no pain, I just really need to go to the bathroom. Can you help me get there?”

  “You really should use a bedpan.”

  “Look, I’ll make you a deal, let me use the real potty and if I’m ever asked, I’ll lie for you. I just hate using a bedpan.”

  She took pity on me and smiled. “Come on honey, let’s see if you can stand up first. Then we’ll see how far you can make it.” She pulled the covers back and helped me stand.

  I used the IV stand to help myself along and rolled it beside me as I took her arm with my other hand. I noticed the name on her uniform, ‘Elenore Green.’ When we got to the door, I turned and looked at her, waiting for her to go away and let me do my thing. “Oh no, you’re not going in there alone and fall down and then get my butt in trouble. You don’t have a thing I haven’t seen before. Now hush up and go. I’m a busy person.”

  “Elenore,” I pleaded.

  She pointed at the toilet and demanded, “Go! Now! Or I’m coming in there and holding it for you.”

  I quickly turned and I know my neck was red with embarrassment. After I finished, I fumbled putting things away and as Elenore helped me return to bed she asked, “Now, that wasn’t so bad was it?”

  “No! I guess—where am I?” I asked.

  Elenore must have been a frustrated comedian. “You’re in the hospital honey.”

  “I know that, Nurse Green. What I meant was which hospital and where is it located?”

  “If that was what you wanted to know, why didn’t you ask that way?” She smiled at me and winked. “You’re in a secret location and Admiral Orchard’s people brought you in.”

  “How long have I been here?” I asked.

  “This is the second day.”

  “And when do I get out?”

  “Honey, do I look like a doctor?” She gave a hearty laugh. “The doctor will be coming by in an hour or so and you can ask him. Now, are you hungry?”

  I was hungry. About the time a skinny tuna fish sandwich with a limp piece of lettuce arrived, the doctor walked in. I set the sandwich aside. It was a lot more important for me to see about getting out of the hospital than eating that poor excuse for a sandwich.

  He had me roll onto my tummy and I felt him uncover the back of my leg. He made a humming sound as he pressed down on my wound. I grunted and he apologized. He stepped around so I could see him. “It looks good and it’s healing nicely. I am going to have Nurse Green wrap your leg again with a new bandage. You can have the stitches removed in about a week. Once Nurse Green has your paperwork finished, I see no reason you can’t go home. Do you have anybody to call? We can’t let you leave on your own.”

  I thought of Orchard and told the doctor I would get somebody to pick me up. He handed me a prescription for pain and he reminded me the stitches needed to be removed in a few days. I thanked him for his efforts.

  Elenore carefully wrapped my leg and then showed me where my clothes were stored. I thanked her for everything and when she left, I called John on my cell. We exchanged pleasantries and I told him I had been released. I could leave but I had to have somebody pick me up. He told me Lois was on her way. Once Lois and I were together, she headed for the airfield. “I assume you want to go back to Seattle?”

  “Like you can’t believe. Thanks. Are you coming with?”

  “No, but I’ll be along in a few days. You need to go and rest. Stay off the leg as much as possible. We need you healthy.”

  “Yes, Doctor Lois.” She laughed and smacked me on my shoulder.

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  Back in the day as they say, a bar world was dark and smoke filled, but now the dive I was at was just a dimly lit, smoke free joint. But the atmosphere was still kind of romantic.

  And what am I doing in a dimly lit bar that should have been filled with cigarette smoke? Well, I’d been back from my visit to the hospital for several days and I’d developed a major case of cabin fever. When my poker buddy Tubs called me because his keyboard man was out sick, and they had a gig, he begged me to come and sit in with his group. It was no secret he didn’t have to beg too hard. Between wanting to get out of my apartment, and a chance to sit in with the band, I jumped at it. Playing with Tubs and the boys was right up at the top of my bucket list. I was in heaven. I really can play the piano. Since I sit to play, having a bum leg wasn’t going to slow me down. If I had to, I would just take a couple more pain pills.

  As I said, back in the good old days the joint would have been smoke filled, but since we have allowed our government to turn us into a nanny state, smoking is now against the law in public establishments. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t smoke and I like it that smoking has been banned, but I’d rather have seen the change be pocketbook driven rather than legal. By that I mean, if I owned a bar and wanted to allow smoking, I could. If I found that people no longer came to my bar because of the smoke, it would be up to me to change it, not the law. I don’t think it’s the government’s place to tell me I can’t have smoking in my bar. I should be allowed to have anything I want in my place—fornication on the tables if that’s what people want to do. Well, maybe not that, but you get my drift. If nobody came to my place, I’d need to change some rules. But things are what they are and now some of the ambiance is missing. A dimly lit, smoky bar with hot music is now just a memory.

  We had finished one set and Tubs introduced Jasmine, the singer. During the day, Jasmine works with Sharon at one of the hospitals up on Pill Hill but she also has an amazing voice. I love listening to her sing. She named off three sexy torch songs she wanted to do and we started off, with Tubs on drums and Crazy Earl on bass. Both kept the beat slow, nasty and very sensual while Jasmine, Curtis the sax player and I played with the melody, back and forth. All of us were busting our balls to make her sound good and we were cooking with gas. As we were finishing up the song,
all the lights went out except the one shining directly on her. Jasmine hit her last note and then the room went totally black. The place erupted into pandemonium. People were clapping, screaming and pounding on the table. There was no doubt she was a hit. She’s been told many times she really needs to start a singing career, but she wants to be a nurse and only sing occasionally. What a shame.

  The four of us had kicked into something a bit less mellow and when I looked out across the audience I saw a bald head with a shiny stripe down the center. It was Bullwinkle. I noticed he was with an attractive woman and the way she was hanging on him it was obvious she was really diggin’ on him. The way she kept touching him and leaning against him made it obvious if he played his cards right, he was going to be a happy camper later in the evening. The two of them seemed to be in their own world and were whispering into each other’s ears. Finally, the tune ended and the house lights were raised a little. Tubs announced a break and as I stood from behind the piano. Bullwinkle happened to look up and he spotted me. His mouth dropped open and I saw shock register on his face. He reached out and grabbed his date’s hand and pulled her to the exit. I felt bad. I don’t know what his problem was, but the meeting had been totally chance and they seemed to be having such a good time. I didn’t want to be the one responsible to break that up. Bummer.

  After our break, we played one more set and Jasmine sang along on a few numbers. We ended the evening with the song Fever and Jasmine added some lines of her own lines that were rather torrid. The crowd loved it and we finished to a screaming, standing ovation.

  I had a drink with the band and Tubs thanked me several times. I kept assuring him it was my pleasure and any time he needed, or wanted me to sit in, just call and I was his man.

  I left the bar and hobbled down to my truck. When I was just about there I heard a voice call out, “Preston!” I knew it was Bullwinkle. Since I had no idea if he was armed or not, I slowly lifted my arms and held my hands so he could see I was unarmed.