Chewing Rocks (35 page)

Willem said, “No. Hold on. Now is not the time for business talk.”

Sno said, “When would be a good time, Dad? I only have now.”

Willem shook his head, “Don’t talk like that.”

With a flare of anger, Sno replied, “Why not? It is a fact I have to face her. You know what? I am glad we don’t have a way out of this. She tried to kill me. She almost succeeded. She has lied, cheated and tried to stab us all in the back. I am not going down without a fight. I may not come out of this the winner, but she is not walking away either. So this is my time, Dad. Everyone else will have their time later when old man Queene comes for his revenge. Just let me take care of my business first. I want to tear Queene Mines apart and I will start with her company first since it means so much to her.”

Willem said, “Sorry, Princess. I know you feel that way, but tearing those companies apart will hurt us more than it hurts her. Whyte Mining can’t handle that big of a jump in operations. We aren’t ready for that kind of growth. It would drive us into the ground if we tried to grow
so fast.”

He shook his head at Sno, “Queene Mines isn’t just an extension of Evelyn Queene. It is people; and some mighty good people
at that. Some are in this room and you know that. What do they do without jobs, without paychecks for their families? No. We keep all of those companies as is. We may change the name over the door and the letterhead on the stationery, but we are not going to hurt our friends just because they used to work for someone like Evelyn Queene.”

Sno
signed deeply, shaking her head, she said, “You’re right, Dad. I am sorry, I wasn’t thinking. I just got mad again and wasn’t thinking. And that makes me mad.”

Willem said, “So you agree? We don’t absorb them right away
? We leave them as separate companies but with our oversight?”

Sno nodded, “Okay, Dad. But are you sure you can handle that much more work?”

Willem said, “Vittie can help. She is a whiz at organization.”

Ernie spoke up, “
Yeah, you don’t worry about it. I can guarantee it’ll be easier working for the Whytes than Queene Mining any day of the week. Most of us will become profitable again by just cutting out Queene Mine’s office policies and red tape. For me, it will be just a matter of where I send the monthly and quarterly reports. At least working for Whyte Mining means we can quite buying substandard equipment.”

Vittie nodded, “Listen,
mi hija, it won’t be near as difficult as it sounds to run them. They mostly have good staff.”

Sno shouted glee
fully, “Ha! I told you I would look up that phrase ‘mi hija’. It is Spanish for little daughter. I told you not to call me that.”

Vittie shouted back with a grin. “Soon,
mi hija, very soon!” She wiggled her ring finger showing off the new engagement ring.”

Sno laughed and grabbed her in
to a hug, “Really? That is good news. You know, I didn’t think I was ready to see Dad with someone else, but you’re okay for an earther.”

Willem pulled Sno over to him
and kissed her on the cheek. “Are you really okay with this?”

Sno smiled, “Yeah, Dad. I am good with this. Vittie is learning. She’ll grow into being a good citizen someday.” She hugged him and whispered in his ear. “I love you Dad and now I don’t have to worry about leaving you alone.”

Willem pulled away. “Don’t you talk like that, Princess!”

Sno shook her head, “No, Dad. I don’t see any
way out of this with Evelyn Queene. She has this coming and I wouldn’t have it any other way than to be the one to give it to her. She may be good, but I can promise you I am going to take her with me.”

Sheriff Bob stuck his head in the door. “Sorry to interrupt folks but Evelyn Queene has stated she is concerned Sno won’t show up. I apologize, but I do have a
job to do. We go now or I have to forcibly lock Sno up to keep her from running.”

Sno held her hand
s up to stop the protests from the crowd. She was suddenly angry again and decided that being angry right now might not be a bad thing. “She thinks that I am going to run from her? I am on my way; you can tell her I am looking forward to this. You tell her to get her fat earther rear end ready because I am not waiting until the deadline. I am coming now!” Sno was shouting and pushing her way through the crowd. She actually beat Sheriff Bob to the door.

Sno fumed the whole way to the jail compound. She knew she should be worried, but she wasn’t. She was just so angry
that another Earth woman had messed with her life. She was almost at the gate when she realized she was alternately cussing Evelyn Queene and her own mother for running off back to Earth.

“Good
,” she thought, “I can kill two birds with one shot.”

Sheriff Bob unlocked the gate. “Just Miss Whyte and I go in. Everyone else stays out. The only person in the compound is Miss Queene. I will set this up and then leave.”

Sno snapped, “Good. I don’t need anybody getting in my way. Come on, Sheriff Bob, move it.”

Sheriff Bob shook his head, “Don’t be in such a rush to die, Sno. This woman is dangerous.”

Sno looked at him, “Yeah, I saw those red panties and bra she was wearing. That made her look dangerous alright.”

Sheriff Bob said, “I mean it. She is wired up and ready to go. This
is not a hair pulling tussle after a party.”

Sno said, “I am not stupid, Bob. This is for all the marbles. You say your piece and then get out.”

They had reached the women’s tent in the compound. Sheriff Bob put an arm on Sno. “Wait here.”

She shrugged him off. “Keep your paws to yourself, old man.” She shouted into the tent. “Queene
! It’s time you dragged your saggy earther bottom out here. I got business with you, so come on or I will come and drag you out by your scraggly bleach blonde hair.”

Queene stepped out of the tent. “It is not time, Sheriff. I have another forty minutes until I get to shoot this idiot.”

Sno spat at the woman, “Time is a-wasting, earther. You may shoot me. In fact, I have been told that is the only possible outcome.” She pointed at the middle of her own chest. “Right here. You shoot me right here. I may die, but I promise you this, Queene, I am tough enough to live long enough to take you with me.”

Queene sputtered, “What?”

Sno said, “You heard me. I am ready to die. What about you? Are you ready to go with me?”

Sheriff Bob said, “Enough. We’ve got three ways to do this. One is face-to-face fast draw. Two is back-to-back turn and fire at ten paces. Three is that I give you your guns at opposite ends of the compound and you catch as catch can.”

Queene said, “No. She will shoot me in the back.”

Sheriff Bob said, “No to which? The last one? Okay, Miss Queene it is still your call. Do you want to do options one or two?”

Queene said, “I want option two…no…option one. I want to do the fast draw. Yes, I definitely want to use my speed.”

Sno grinned showing all of her teeth. “That’s it then? Good. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Queene said, “No. Wait. I changed my mind. I want to do option two.”

Sheriff Bob shook his head. “Option one is the choice. I am not going to stand here and watch you change your mind all day. You made your choice, now deal with it. I have two handguns
, each with one bullet only. I will give you each your weapon and then leave the compound. Once I am back on the street, you are free to begin whenever you feel like it. Ready?”

At Sno’s affirmative nod he pulled the bullet out
and showed it to Sno. It was a low powered round made of high impact plastic that would shatter on a hard surface. He slid the bullet back into the chamber. He eased the pistol into the front of Sno’s pants. She shifted it slightly until it felt more comfortable.

She nodded at Sheriff Bob.

He nodded back and said, “Ten paces that way.” Sno turned and began a slow march. He pulled open the second weapon and showed Queene the bullet and re-chambered it. “Miss Queene, you go ten paces that way and-“

Before he could finish, Queene
grabbed the pistol and fired at Sno’s back. Sno went down face first into the grass.

Sheriff Bob knocked the gun away, but it was way too late. The woman’s speed
was amazing. He turned to rush to Sno, but she was already levering herself up from the ground.

“Man! That stings
,” Sno said. She twisted around to peer over her shoulder and winced at the pair of holes in her butt. “Not only is that going to bruise in the morning, but you just ruined my favorite pair of pants. And damn! We had better call the Doc. I am bleeding like a stuck pig from where that thing went in and where it came out.”

Sno pulled the gun from her waist band, cocked the hammer and advanced on Queene.

Queene squealed and tried to hide behind Sheriff Bob. “It was an accident. It went off by mistake. You can’t let her kill me.”

Sheriff Bob slapped Queene across the face knocking her to the ground. “If she doesn’
t kill you then I will. You had her dead to rights but you just figured to back shoot her? You think just because you are rich and beautiful you can do anything you want, is that it? I won’t help you, Queene. You have used me too often. Not this time.”

Sno s
miled coldly, “Get out, Sheriff Bob. I don’t need you here and I can’t put this bullet in her brain unless you are out. That is your rule, remember?”

Sno stood there not moving, pointing the gun at Queene’s head.
Sheriff Bob turned and slowly walked towards the gate.

She grinned
and looked down at the woman in the grass, “I guess you got nervous thinking someone was going to stand up and shoot back, didn’t you? I imagine that having someone ready to shoot back at you is not quite the same as shooting at paper targets was it, Queene?”

Queene whimpered, “You can’t do this. I know you can’t.”

Sno almost laughed, “Can’t? It wasn’t that long ago I put a knife into one of your employee’s brains. I figure pulling this trigger is going to be a whole lot easier and a whole lot less messy. At least, less messy on my part, although I do imagine this will mess up your perfect hairdo. Besides, you shot me in the butt!”

Queene
said, “Money. That’s it. I will give you money. All you want.”

Sno did laugh this time. “Money is not the answer. I have already taken everything you own on Ceres
and you have nothing to offer me.”

Queene
begged, “Yes, but our Ceres holdings are only a small fraction of our total worth. I can offer you twice as much, no, three times as much. Please just let me go.”

Sno laughed, “Let you go? You just shot me in the b
utt and you are begging for mercy? How does that work? Let you go? No. I need to put this bullet into your heart except I don’t think you have one. Let you go!?” Sno hesitated a moment. “Let you go? Yeah, why not!”

She snapped the hammer back on the gun and turned toward the front gate. Sheriff Bob
had not quite gotten there.

Sno shouted, “Hey, Sheriff Bob. Come here a minute. Don’t worry Queene, I can’t shoot you yet
. At least not until the sheriff gets out of the compound. No. Don’t move. I might just do it anyway for the experience of shooting someone.”

Sno stood waiting until Sheriff Bob got back.

“What?” He asked.

Sno shook her head. “I got a free shot coming right?”

Sheriff Bob nodded. “Yes. Anytime after I go out the front gate you have a complete and legal right to shoot Miss Queene wherever she tries to run,” he looked carefully at Sno and asked “or not?”

Sno said, “No. I think I am going to shoot her.”

Queene squealed and back crawled away before sprawling in the grass and crying.

Sheriff Bob looked at Queene and then back to Sno. “Okay. Then what is the question?”

Sno grinned, “The question is when. What is the time frame that I have to take my shot?”

Sheriff Bob shrugged. “Anytime. That is your call.”

Sno grinned bigger. “Okay. I am going to shoot Evelyn Queene but not now.” She handed the gun back to the Sheriff. “Send her home, Bob. Make sure she knows that if she or any other member of the Queene family sets foot on my planet I am going to take my shot then. Is that good?”

Sheriff Bob smiled. “
That sounds good to me. I think old man Queene may be happier with that outcome than if you put holes in his daughter.”

Sno laughed, “You know, I don’t really care how anyone named Queene feels one way or
another. I think I feel better about not killing her.” She poked Sheriff Bob in the chest, “You better make sure she gets off planet fast and safe. I would put her gag back in. I am not the only one she has been nasty to since she got here.”

Sheriff Bob nodded, “Yes, Miss Whyte, as you wish.”

Sno looked at Sheriff Bob. “We aren’t in arbitration now. Why Miss Whyte?”

Sheriff Bob grinned, “Well, Miss Whyte, as you are now the richest young woman on the whole planet, I was wondering if we could talk about
funding for my next election campaign?”