The Queen and The Viper Read online

  “Peggy doll” he told her “your a peach” his eyes frankly admiring her, taking every single dimple and detail, especially considering it was framed as it was in a very thin kimono. Lovely bosom, little thighs, perfectly slender calves, trim ankles and dainty feet. Not even the made up dolls and pretenders, could hold a centre to her. Jack’s grin widened.

  “Doll, you know me. I’ll be careful that, you can count on. It’s the job. But they can’t put the scare on me. I’m after gold, the big boss and all the goods in this agency circus. You know I can’t quit it’s not my style. Not to mention a fat pay check and a pat on the back, not that it all matters. I have a lead pinched from the Contentment Agency, I intend to sniff out. Maybe that will get me to the big cheese and stop whoever is killing all these women.” Peggy quivered within she wanted to tell him, about her possible lead regarding the D.A., but didn’t. Jack wouldn’t admit it but he had enough on his plate. So Peggy decided to run it down herself, only telling him if it paid off. It was the least she could do after all, they were in this together. Thanks to a small bit of aid they had became friends, and later more than just friends. They had crossed that bridge from mutual to intimate. She admired him greatly, loved him not a little. She even thought if she was ever going to tie the know, settle down with kids. It would be with Jack. Even if she had to ask him, herself.

  Now the House Of Games wanted him dead, and were threatening his life because of the Danver’s case. The House of Games were infamous most recently their atrocities and smuggling of goods not to mention humans along the Pacific Coast and Hub City, had brought major newspaper columns not to mention a second wave of urban legends filled the precincts and streets. This defiantly wasn’t an idle threat though, already a private eye and a liberty detective had been been cruelly tortured by their hoods if the bull pen, rumours were true. Both men had their left hand cut clean off, and mailed to their wives. Another D.A. had mysteriously vanished without a trace. Now judging by the blatant form of this cowardly threat, delivered to Jack’s home yesterday. Was her Jack was to be next on their list? Peggy’s brown eyes were full of worry as she walked to the door with her man. There she lifted her soft red lips for Jack’s goodnight kiss. As she bent his dark haired head bent to the pale oval of her face. He clasped her tightly in his arms, she laughed softly at his hungry wanting's.

  “Your sweet Peg!” he repeated huskily gazing into her hazel eyes. The little adventuress thrilled to the touch of his hands and the caress of his long fingers. She couldn’t resit liking the masculine possessiveness of his embrace about her slim waist, as Peggy drew closer to him. Her perfectly angelic curves were flattened against him, and she experienced an emotion that was strangely new to her! She returned the kiss as his lips were pressed to the ripe contours of her delicate mouth.

  “It’s okay Peggy, I will only be a few days and you’ll see me around the precinct. Promise honey bee. It’s best for both of us to stay somewhere else, keep them guessing.” he whispered softly as he reluctantly released, her and opened the door to leave.

  “As soon as I’ve got a lead and chased it down it’s rabbit hole, I’ll let you know how I am via the P.W.B. that’s the safest way I think. I hope, Goodbye sugar plum.” and with that he was gone. Jack though wanted, no needed to believe that more than he wanted his Peg to. Frankly the threat now that it had sunk in, had defiantly shaken him up more than he wanted to let on.

  Peggy didn’t move for a while, her agile brain was going over every detail she and Jack had gained together about the House along with everything she knew on the Contentment Killings, as they now seemed to be linked somehow. Her perfect face was now grim, as she moved seductively and sensuously over the deep-piled rug. Procured one of the fancy cigarette’s Jack had managed to smuggle to her from the police evidence lock-up and lighted it Filling her lungs with a fragrant smoke rumoured to be the personal favourite of a certain British Monarch, she didn’t care about that though, she just enjoyed the perfumed elegance of European living. She began to pace back and forth with almost cat like grace. Her mind racing, her brilliant mind sorting and filing the information she had to hand, in the hopes of finding a tangible connection to both solve the case and protect her man!

  Jack’s lover was no simple dame. She was the furthest from what the normal socialite circles would call normal. As in the circles that mattered to Peggy through her city and the East Coast, she was known by another name ‘The Queen Of Spades’ and this queen was nearing thirty four. Which meant she was just to be majestic, with a perfect figure that would set men’s hearts ablaze as well as make and break a few hearts along the way. Her long golden hair and perfect face often crowned the socialite sections of all the major tabloids and broadsheets straight across the country. Yet know one was ever connected perfect little Peggy Ellen with The Queen Of Spades. Her old man, Michael Joseph Ellen was a British business man and philanthropist, who emigrated over hoping to grab a slice of the American dream, he soon over five years through his businesses became a shoe in for every election on the East Coast and had climbed the ladder the right way unlike his competitors. A shooters cowardly bullet had killed him in his prime, three years earlier. The news on the hush and the lie the law had chosen to take, was that the killer had been an employee of the sate political machine. A rather large trust find, and a chest over loaded with a wealth of wit, beauty and courage had been his ever loving parting gift to his beloved two orphaned daughters. Prior to her fathers murder Ellen had lived a fairly easy life, as she benefited from being the oldest and some would say prized daughter of political star Michael Joseph Ellen. She had graduated Berkeley studying law. Then spent a few years travelling in the Far East, it was there that a poisoned bullet had snatched her fiancé from her. Destroying her one true love, a man back then that she loved more than life itself! Small wonder that her life from that moment on had been dedicated to a campaign if justice and vengeance against the killers of both her lover and farther, no matter who they were.

  Ruthless and lost Ellen, craved danger from that point on, not caring about risks or her life. A prime example of this could be seen very early on in her mantle as The Queen, during a rather intimate friendship with a young buxom Indian princess in the capital. Where she took on single handily the cult known as Laal Ravi, or Red Sun and its death squads, and through everything she emerged victorious. At other times she was cold and clinical, in schemes aimed purely at foiling any activities of the authorities whom she blamed ultimately for her fathers murder. At the same time profiting here and there from their or other criminal groups schemes, most of which she just gave away to the needy or charitable schemes. Most recently however she found herself back in India, helping an associate in dealing with the Gesamt Deutschland. A group of very nasty German fanatics and renegades, who’d kidnapped a politicians baby daughter. Holding her for ransom, until her farther a U.S. citizen working for the embassy broke to their demands. One million dollars in U.S. military stock which was to be wired to a gentleman named Adolfus Hitler, a German upstart with a plans to reinvent his failing country by force if necessary. Sometimes some of her adventures were so arranged, as to bribe her dark inner bond, with her friendship and vengeance angels, and yet keep them both in toe out of all the angels she locked away inside those were the only two she allowed on occasion to come out to play. Only a few months back, she had stolen back a packet of rather compromising and fetish rich letters for a friend in a risky all or nothing blazing raid upon the penthouse of a criminal teen up-and-comer by the name, come club owner named Vic Renetti.

  Renetti had his fingers in many illicit pots and ties to a lot of other crime families in Central City not to mention in Liberty.

  A unique black ensemble with a white spade upon its bust as widely recognized as The Queen OF Spades costume, not to mention a domino mask to cover her perfect face and identity. Mentions of that mask alone made certain circles in her city shudder inwardly. No one seedy or even slightly close to crossing ‘that’ line wanted
anything to with this monarch of the night. Now as she paced about in her perfectly furnished apartment. Peggy was searching deep in her keen mind. Searching for some clandestine method to solve the Danver's case, aid her love and maybe save his life to. She even thought of maybe calling in a favour or two from the other masks and cowls that stalked Coast, Hub and Central Cities respectively. Maybe the Viper, Dr. Dream, or Lioness but would they be able to help she didn't know they all had their own cities to watch over Christ one of them was in another country entirely, none of them were hero’s as the pulps would like to make their pimply nosed comic fans believe. They were more the anti-heroes all with their own agenda’s and origins. But at the same time this queen knew if needed they would be there. But would this be one of them times she didn’t know. Her love this honest true cop, had confided in Peggy. Never dreaming that he would be freely giving secrets to the Queen! Without a doubt leading politicians (some Peggy’s sworn enemies) were rumoured to be members of The House Of Games, or so Jack believed. Especially since he had a long brewing hunch that predated Contentment, that this was true of Russell P. Dunham, District Attorney. Dunham’s re-election campaign was loud and in your face about The House problem. It was the Cities white whale and he made it sound like he was there Ahab. His press blanket his office was forcing down the cities throats were direct threat and protests, against al manner of their activities both legal and otherwise. Dunham cried long and hard for some scrap of evidence he could use to bring the full weight of the law upon them. Knowing full well that it was a pipe dream that would never come. He was just selling fresh air to the masses, as Jack often put it. In fact the very storm of his indignation was what perked the Lieutenant’s interest in the first place and helped him route out the Dunham connection. In wasn’t until much later, when the Queen had stumbled on to it, that Peggy to made the connection. It was that lead which she’d planned to tell Jack about that night. To tell him that his hunch had been right all along!

  Two days earlier, three at the most Jack had been at his favourite watering hole and more than a little drunk. Thanks to a bust gone sour, and well his woe’s were in dire need of a good and proper drowning, or so he told Peg. But that night by sheer accident the cop she loved, had stumbled on a House drop off, he knew it was them by the red hoods they all wore, which covered their face and heads. It was a dark spot in the west of the city well-suited to their campaign of torture and death. He hadn’t told a sole that night. But called a reliable friend in the D.A.’s office to help him obtain one of their in house detectives, to aid him in the House Of Games monster hunt, dropping a heavy hint that he promised results one way or another. That’s when he received new the detective had vanished and his possibly widowed family threatened at gun point outside their sons playschool. Match that with Jack’s threat and she’d hit gold. To Peggy right then all the numbers added up. With typical trademark courage and grit that only a veteran of the Central City streets could handle she knew he’d get his man, even if she had to help from the shadows. Yet all these facts worried Peggy, as she thought over the issues at hand. What a perfect chance to clean house, she thought, expose the crooked politicians and if her and Jack’s information was solid. She knew she’d have a good adventure to boot. A frown broke the perfection and clean lines of her lovely features, and a chain of European cigarette’s followed. Slowly overflowing from a quartz ashtray as she continued to pace the floor. The frown was still there as she peeled off the kimono from her shapely body and stepped into some silk pyjamas. When Peggy retired for the night, long worrying moments passed before she drifted off to her usual rich, yet dreamless sleep.

  Chapter Six

  It took a while longer. Longer than it should of. But it was bad luck what ever happened, happened to him at least. Yet by some miracle he managed to force his eyes open. One more than the other. Whoever had put him in this mess had given him a heavily blacked eye for good measure. That was nice of them he thought to himself he thought to himself. After a bit more effort Jack Malone came to. He was still hazy, his senses weren’t just numbed. They felt asleep the battered eyes of Malone hadn't quite adjusted yet. Blood or sweat at this point he couldn't tell which trickled down his head. But the agonizing throb told him it was most likely blood, he tried to wipe it with his sleeve but couldn’t. That’s when he felt it. Cold iron that was clasping his hands to the chair.

  What was going on? It was then in the limited light that the small room came into clear view, in front of him like a large eye was a fast moving monochrome disc, the spinning colours made the rooms captor begin to feel uneasy. Along with the hypnotic disc there was a constant high pitched buzz that as Malone became more aware of what was going on, became an ear piercing shrill. The combination had been there for him for him to drop his guard or so he could figure, either way it was sending him way of kilter. Whom ever was behind this was clever. Malone forced himself to focus and concentrate, which right now was harder than he thought. Yet Jack Malone was no cadet and this wasn’t his first rodeo. He was also sharper than most in his profession even if only he thought it. He glued his eyes to a spot on the floor and nothing else. The single spot became all that mattered, it was the be all and end all, he used it to drown out the sound and the blasted disc. Drowning out everything the cuffs, the pain, everything until he began to feel normal again. The few mental notes he managed to reclaim told him little to nothing other than he seemed to be trapped. Trapped to a chair and a heavy one at that, stuck fast in the centre of a big room. A heavy chair meant it couldn’t be broken Malone figured he was in a vast room maybe in a building. There wasn’t anything else to tell him other wise. Other than the vastness of where he was the only other thing of note was the shape of the room, for it was a crisp semi circle even if the walls seemed to have seen better days and mould of some sort was setting in.

  He couldn’t find a door either or anything that even resembled a window or way out. There was a vent though but unless he could shrink that would be no use to anyone. The limited light there was seemed to trickle down from a frosted dome above the stomach churning disc and no doubt that was bolted down so that was no use. Now despite Malone best efforts that disc was starting to hit its mark and take effect. Making the rooms sole captor uneasy. Now he had do just one thing continue to stay focused. He gazed down at the cuffs, twisting and pulling as best he could, he even tried to reach his knife in his ankle holster but it was no joy all he ended up with, was more blood and pain. But the pain was good, it was what he needed as with it came a steady flow of memories. Memories that had led him to this very point. The first thing he remembered was the sound of rain against his car’s little window. Then he went home for breakfast and a shower before work, he and Morgan were going to sniff that Bell character out. He remembered running a shower letting the steam fill his small bathroom. He took up his breakfast to his bedroom, so he could eat and wardrobe hunt. He took one or two bites and then. Then there was the dizziness. Drugged that had to be it.

  Someone had doped him good!

  Peggy, sorry to phone, I’d have come to see you but...Oh this is officer, sorry I mean detective Benjamin Morgan. Is the Lieutenant with you, I know your working together. If he is can you tell him to get here Costner’s with Commissioner Jordan and well Jordan wanted to see Malone about the Danver's thing and well he’s A.W.O.L…. What you saw him this morning… he was coming to precinct…. I know it’s not like the Lieutenant at all… WHAT! He was threatened...by who… The House of Games, Christ I will tell tell the boss. Don’t worry I will stay on it from here, you need anything, an update whatever just call. Don’t worry we’ll find him. I’ll speak to the Cap’ get a uniform or two on it….Don’t mention it. He’s my partner. Well we’re working together on Contentment… You think it’s linked to the threat… Bell...Johnson...I’m planning on seeing him today, Bell that is. I’ll see if I can shake anything off of him.

  Okay Peggy I’ll phone you later….Bye

  With the Lieutenant missing. Morgan
had no choice but take the lead on the case, Peggy was a woman, and whether she knew it or not, everyone had a hunch about her and Jack, and knew she’d be beside herself with worry. That’s women for you Morgan thought Costner appointed another detective to partner with him until Jack was found, and gave him a field promotion. More to impress Jordan than anything. Either way he didn’t care it was a pay-bump he chuckled as they drove towards the infamous. Morgan and this new guy Simon Robinson was driving to the infamous Portland Street, number 971, to see if Jack’s hunch was on the money when it came to Ashford Bell. It took the pair half an hour to drive the few short miles, to the old red brick that Bell called home. Morgan did his best to fill his new partner, in on everything that he knew and had happened up to that point. “So Ben I take it the play is to trap him, to stop him bolting then sit down for a nice chat.” his partner enquired playfully.

  “Got it in one Simon. We can do it too, there’s no back doors on this side of the block. So we’ll be fishing with dynamite if you follow.”