Once upon a time, Peggy Sue Thomas was a Las Vegas beauty queen known for her fiery red mane and millionaire husband, the owner of a Kentucky Derby-winning thoroughbred. These days, though, the 46-year-old former Ms. Washington stands accused of first-degree murder for a cold-blooded killing on Whidbey Island the day after Christmas 2003. Thomas allegedly helped her onetime boyfriend, James Huden, put a bullet in the head of Russel Douglas as part of a murder-for-hire plot. She has pleaded not guilty to the charges, but the bizarre case has caused quite the stir on typically tranquil Whidbey, where Thomas was raised. Huden was found guilty July 23; Thomas will go on trial as his accomplice in November. KEEGAN HAMILTON