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The next day, Mackenzie and Howie had no chance to do much of anything besides send each other fond glances in passing. The boys were kept busy with wardrobe, choreography, and sound checks. Mackenzie had worked all morning on lighting, before being turned loose for the remainder of the afternoon, prior to the concert. She now sat in her bunk with her laptop. She scrolled through her mailbox, stopping at a letter from UncleSam2000. She opened the letter, and read what Marty had to say. Grimly, she tucked the email into her ‘saved’ file, before exiting the online mail room. Mackenzie took a deep breath, wondering if she really wanted to do what she was about to.
Remembering the user name and password that Lou had given her, she logged on to the nursery web site. The same icon as before was positioned in the lower left hand corner of the site. She clicked on it, and waited for the dialogue box to appear. When it did, she cautiously typed in her user name and password. Crossing her fingers, Mackenzie pushed ‘send’. Several moments passed before the former web site was stripped away to reveal an entirely different one.
“Oh my God....”
*****
The man paced beside his computer desk. Sweat was beginning to form on his forehead, and he kept wringing his hands behind his back. “Think, think, think.” he chastised himself. But the only thing that kept running through his mind was the news that he had just received from his informant. “Damn chain of contacts.” he muttered. One of his many ‘associates’ had sent him an email which delivered bad news. Some one had gotten wind of a snoop who was attempting to uncover one of his own many shady business dealings. His man’s tracker had almost caught up with the meddler, but at the last minute, they had escaped him. Emitting a deep, menacing growl of frustration, the pacing man swept his arm across his desk, sending the papers, pens, and disks crashing to the floor. He glanced down at the mess, then resumed his nervous actions.
*****
Mackenzie starred at the screen in disbelief. She couldn’t tear her narrowed eyes away from it. She blinked once. Twice. The web site in front of her was for New Leaf Enterprises. A nursery site? No. A web link to the black market. Scrolling down, she took in the buyer’s user names that were listed, and the items they had to buy, sell, or trade - many of them illegal in most of the free world. A list of links was featured prominently. They read: Artillery, Armored Vehicles, Explosives, Gases, Industrial Secrets, Prostitutes, Precious Jewels, Technology, Valuables, Weaponry, Other. Mackenzie was stunned, she sat there motionless, her mind racing. Why would her father have been involved in something like this? New Leaf Enterprises was not the kind of thing that a man like her father took part in. Or was it? Disgusted, Confused, and Angry, Mackenzie turned away from the computer.
*****
Howie walked swiftly towards the tour bus. Their last sound check had just finished, and he was planning on finding Mackenzie, hoping to spend some time with her. Since their date the night before, he hadn’t thought of anything else. Howie could still recall the feel of her in his arms and her sweet smile. Just as he reached for the door handle on the bus, the portal swung open. Mackenzie tumbled out into his arms.
“Whoa! Are you okay?” he asked, helping her regain her balance. It was then that he noticed her tear stained cheeks, red eyes, and distressed expression. “What’s wrong??” he inquired worriedly. Mackenzie’s response was to shake her head, pull from his arms, and run toward the venue. Howie fought the urge to follow her; she obviously didn’t want to talk to him. He pushed back the sting of rejection, then boarded the bus. No one else was present, so he decided to lay on his bunk, and ponder what could have possibly made the nutmeg haired, green eyed beauty, cry. Just as he was about to settle on his bunk, he caught sight of her computer, abandoned on her bed. The strange thing, was that it was still turned on and displayed a web page. Howie came closer, and peered at the screen. His brow furrowed in a frown as he read the lines of print on the monitor. Howie’s frown deepened the further he read. When he reached the links, his eyebrows rose, and his mouth dropped open. Intrigued, Howie sat on Mackenzie’s bunk. The words he read barely registered in his shocked brain.
He paused from reading, in an effort to let everything sink in, when he glanced at the other items strewn at the foot of the bunk. He reached out a shaky hand, and picked up a yellowed newspaper clipping which was ragged around the edges. Howie’s eyes focused on the headline. “Software Tycoon Dies In Mysterious Car Crash.” Below that, in smaller print, was “Police Suspect Foul Play”. His mind racing, Howie disregarded Mackenzie’s privacy, and seized her duffle from it’s position underneath the bunk. Rummaging through her things, he finally found what he was looking for. The picture of Mackenzie and her parents emerged. Glancing from the photo by the article, and the framed one in his hand, Howie realized that the man in each was the same. As this sunk in, he began to scan the article.
October 17, 1995. Michael Ross, the president and founder of a well known software company, collectively known as ‘Mobey Enterprises’, was discovered dead at exactly 3:16 am. He and his wife Miranda, were the victims of a car crash, in which police suspect foul play. The brake lines of their rental car were found disconnected, seemingly cut with a standard pair of wire cutters. Police state that the rental appears to have been tampered with extensively, a number of it’s systems off line. The Ross’ are survived by their 19 year old daughter, Mackenzie, who is currently attending Chicago University. She was unavailable for comment, however, Marty Cusack, a close friend of the family’s, reports that Miss Ross is devastated......
Howie didn’t bother reading the rest of the article. He felt betrayed. Everything that Mackenzie had told him was a lie. She was the heiress to a fortune. Mobey Enterprises, though not the largest computer software corporation in the country, was still sizable. She probably had more money than all of them put together! And the web site.....what was that about? Was she actually involved with the black market? Anger welled up within him. Just then, the tour bus’s door opened, and Mackenzie appeared. Howie stood up abruptly, his offense clearly marked upon his face.
“You lied to me.” he stated forcefully. Mackenzie was stunned by the hostility in his expression. Her eyes darted to her bunk. She took in the laptop, web site, picture, and newspaper clipping. It didn’t take her long to figure out the source of his anger.
“I didn’t want to.” she finally stated softly. “I had to.”
“You HAD to?” Howie shouted. “You didn’t HAVE to do anything. Mackenzie, why? We -I- took you in, saved you from whoever that creep was, gave you a job, let you stay here with us. So you repay us with lies? And what about all those clothes AJ bought you? You must have thought it was a real good joke, huh? Is this a game to you? Do you like to go around pretending you’re poor, when you really have millions stashed away somewhere in a bank account?” he raged. Mackenzie could take no more.
“Shut up!” she finally yelled. “You know nothing of me, what I’ve been through! You don’t know what’s going on! You’re jumping to conclusions, which you have no right to do! If I supposedly have millions saved up out there, where is it? Huh? You seem to know everything, so I’d really appreciate it if you’d fill me in, because I have no idea.” Mackenzie buried her face in her hands, while deep sobs racked her body. Howie starred at her, shocked at her outburst. After a moment, he closed the distance between them, and tried to pull her into his arms. She wouldn’t let him. He tried again, forcing her head onto his shoulder, and holding her tightly. She gave up, and leaned into his embrace. Howie murmured comforts, and stroked her hair. Finally, she wrest away from him, and grabbed her duffle.
“I’ll be out in a few seconds.” she said fiercely.
“NO.” he said firmly, taking the bag from her hands. “Sit down, and explain. I have a right to know. Besides, how am I supposed to help you if you don’t tell me?”
She scrutinized him, then let her shoulders droop, and perched on the edge of the bunk. He settled in next to her, and waited. At last, she began to speak in a low voice.
“I was 19. Everything was perfect in my world. I was happy. Mom and Dad decided I should go away to college and get my business degree, so that I could help run the family software company.” she raised her eyes to his, “You were right about one thing. The company was profitable, and I technically would be the heiress to a sizable chuck of cash and assets. Technically. What I told you before was true. My parents did die in a car crash. The only thing I didn’t tell you was about the tampering done to the car beforehand.” Mackenzie gestured toward the newspaper clipping, then continued. “Unbeknownst to any of us, our family lawyer was working for ‘the other side’. He arranged the paper work to show that my father was in debt, to another large company. To pay off the debt, the other company was allowed to seize control of my father’s corporation, Mobey Enterprises. That left me dirt poor, with no where to live because our house had been repossessed, and no where to go. I have no other relatives. So, I began to work my way through life. I started getting odd jobs where ever I could. I would travel by bus or train to a new city and new opportunities every few weeks. Then I got the idea to go to Europe. So I did. The cost of living is cheaper over there, and I got by. While I was in London, about six months ago, I received a tip from another nomad about this guy who had found ways to take over other people’s fortunes under the guise of legality. Two years ago, he had taken over an American software company, and made off with the inheritance of the family’s only survivor, a daughter.” Howie’s eyes widened at this announcement. Mackenzie nodded. “Upon hearing this, I started to search for other clues about the identity of the man, assuming that when he was working for my father, he was using a false identity. I dug into his background, and current activities. It was then that I got wind of New Leaf Enterprises.” she said, motioning toward the web site, still displayed on the laptop’s monitor. “That brings us up to speed. I am still trying to learn more about this man, hoping that I will eventually be able to avenge my father’s death. If I also recover my inheritance, so much the better. Every day, I get a step closer.”
They sat in silence for a moment, before Howie finally spoke. “You forgot one thing.” In response to her questioning look, he added “The man chasing you that day. Who was he?” Mackenzie was awashed suddenly with memories.
When her eyes refocused, she said softly, “Someone must have found out about the questions I was asking. All I know, is that he was sent after me.” Her explanation riddled his spine with chills. Unshed tears welled up in her eyes, and Howie wasted no time pulling her into his embrace.
“It’s all gonna be alright. Shhh. It’ll be okay.” he murmured.
*****
Two hours later, Howie glanced over at Mackenzie’s sleeping form and sighed. He felt deep regret for the conclusions he’d jumped to. His gaze shifted back to the laptop’s screen. He kept scrolling down the page. Since Mackenzie had cried herself into exhaustion, he had been pouring over the web site, searching for clues. Howie had also, once again, invited himself into her black pocket organizer to look at her notes, as well as invaded her email files. Slowly, he was beginning to understand her situation. Mackenzie’s forecast was grim. Howie hoped that he could be the one to ease the heavy burden that rested upon her frail shoulders. Glancing at his watch, Howie quickly shut down the computer, and stowed everything into Mackenzie’s black duffle. He stooped over her still figure, and pressed a kiss against her soft hair. Right then, he had a concert to perform, but later......later he would talk to Mackenzie.
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