LITMIR.BIZ

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Jake swerved to pass a red sedan and barely missed a truck coming toward them in the other lane. Tires squealed, and the truck’s driver laid on his horn as Jake maneuvered back into their own lane just in the nick of time to avoid a head-on collision. He looked back again in his mirror and saw a hand holding a pistol come out of the passenger side of the SUV. The perp fired two more shots at them, and Jake swerved to miss the flying bullets. The car skidded on some gravel in response, but he kept control of the wheel. A plume of smoke rose near the asphalt as the tires protested. Despite his maneuvering, one bullet caught the back of the vehicle near the trunk, but the other went wild. The man fired another shot that missed and then pulled his arm back inside the window. Suddenly the SUV turned onto a side road, abandoning the chase. It didn’t take Jake long to figure out why—two police cars were coming up fast behind them, lights and sirens blazing.

      “Need some help, Deputy, or should we follow the perps?” asked the deep male voice that came over the police radio.

      “We’re good. Stay with the perps. We’ll rendezvous back at the Weaver apartment.”

      Mackenzie’s eyes rounded. “Are you insane? You want to go back there?”

      “Don’t you? The guys with the guns will be in custody soon, and we still need you to take a look around and see what’s missing.”

      Mackenzie sat up. She turned to look behind her and then brushed some of the broken glass off her shirt. She paused before answering, apparently giving the idea a great deal of thought. Finally, she nodded. “I guess so, if you think it’s safe. I mean, I want to see what’s left of the place, but I’m not too anxious to get shot at again. Being shot at may happen to you every day, but it’s a new experience for me.” She was quiet for a moment but then gave him a smile that surprised him. “It’s too bad I didn’t have my camera. This would have made some great footage.”

      Her comments made him smile in spite of himself. Spirit. That was what she had. A good dose of spirit. He admired that. She’d always had more than her fair share. Even though he found it appealing, however, her bravado wasn’t enough to change his mind about her video project. His smile disappeared. He was still adamantly opposed to her filming his team in action. He pushed thoughts of her movie to the back of his mind. Right now, all he wanted to do was focus on finding Carter Beckett and his cohorts and putting them behind bars. This lead had sent that case to the top of his list.

      He slowed the car and made a U-turn, and a few minutes later, they were back in her apartment, stepping gingerly over the charred remains of her end tables. According to the fire inspector at the scene, the blaze had been started in the kitchen and had spread into the living room. Unfortunately, it had damaged her desk and everything on and near it. Jake looked over at Mackenzie, wondering how she was going to cope with the loss of so many of her belongings. It was bad enough to have someone break in and ransack your apartment, but the fire had ruined some very expensive-looking equipment, as well. He felt bad for her. He didn’t know how he would be handling this kind of loss if he were in her shoes.

      * * *

      Mackenzie’s heart seemed to stop as she made her way into the damaged areas. Her flat screen TV had basically melted and was now a large lump of black plastic sitting on a charred wooden stand. The fire had gone up the walls and left black marks where her pictures had been hanging, and the tiled floor was littered with ash, soot and the residue from the fire extinguishers. A horrid smell of chemicals and burnt wiring permeated her senses and all of her belongings.

      Finally she turned and viewed what she had been dreading—the damage to her video and audio equipment. She had an office set up in one corner of the living room, and besides her desk, she had two large video monitors, an editing board and a computer where she did the majority of her work. To the left had been the audio equipment stacked in an adjustable shelving unit and to the right a large wooden filing cabinet had stood. It was now all a heap of twisted metal and melted plastic, totally destroyed by the fire. It was as if someone had poured gasoline directly on her equipment to ensure that it would burn.

      The loss was like a literal blow to her stomach, and she rubbed her abdomen absently as nausea spun and twisted inside her. She was thankful that the fire hadn’t spread into the bedrooms or other apartments in the complex, but the ruined equipment represented her livelihood, and she felt the loss keenly. She was insured, but it would take a while to deal with the insurance company and rebuild her setup. Fortunately, her video camera and lighting equipment were all stored at her assistant’s house. If those had been in the apartment today, her business would have come to a total standstill.

      “I’m sorry you lost so much.” Jake offered.

      Mackenzie nodded, appreciating his words, especially since he wasn’t a fan of her project. She took a deep breath and tried to focus on the positive. She had always been extremely self-sufficient and self-reliant. She would weather this storm, even though it seemed more like a hurricane. “Thanks. At least no one was hurt. That’s the main thing. This is all stuff. I’m sorry to see it go, but it is replaceable.”

      She said a prayer of thanksgiving. God would see her through this catastrophe. She still had much to be grateful for. It would take time and effort, but she would rebuild, and God would be there to help her along the way and remind her about what was truly important in life if she got frustrated by the process.

      Jake took a step in her direction. “I know it’s hard to tell with all of the fire damage, but the local police want to know if you can tell them if anything is missing. It might help us figure out why someone has targeted you.”

      “Okay. I’ll take a look around.” She stepped over some unidentifiable object on the tile and moved toward the bedrooms. Both were untouched by the fire. She opened a few drawers and pulled open the closets in the guest bedroom, but everything looked the same as when she had left it. She moved to her own bedroom and did the same checks. “I don’t know what they were after. There doesn’t seem to be anything missing.” Her eyes moved to the cherished picture of her and her brother, Jonathan, which was on top of her dresser, and she touched the corner of the frame. At least the photo had been spared.

      “That’s a great shot,” Jake asked, motioning to the photo of the two siblings smiling in the sunlight.

      Mackenzie turned at his words. “That was the day I got my braces removed. I was thrilled. Jonathan took me out to dinner to celebrate. It was a big day.”

      “I can tell. That’s a big smile.” He paused. “Look, you need to pack a bag—a bigger one this time, and I’d also take your valuables, just in case. You’ll need to stay at the hotel until we can get a handle on this.”

      Mackenzie shrugged. “I guess I’ll go back there for now, but I can’t stay there forever.” She went to her closet, pulled out a suitcase and started packing. A few minutes later, she heard Jake approach behind her.

      “Do you have any idea why someone would want to destroy your equipment?” Jake asked.

      Mackenzie folded a shirt and placed it in the suitcase. “No idea at all. None of this makes any sense. I’ve never faced any opposition to my work. The biggest problem I’ve had is competing bids with other production companies, and really that’s just part of the business and nothing out of the ordinary.”

      “The things Beckett said when he threatened you and the damage to the equipment make me think it does have something to do with your work—even if the answer isn’t readily apparent.” He leaned against the door frame. “Tell me about your last couple of projects. What were they about?”

      Mackenzie answered as she packed. “I started the year with a training video for the Southern Pines Pediatric Clinic, and then I did a couple of commercials for the children’s museum downtown. After that, I finished an overview of the governor’s literacy program and a series of productions for the state’s tourism campaign. My latest work was an hour-long documentary on homeless children and runaways.” She closed the suitcase. “Nothing I’ve worked on was controversial.”

      “Have you turned over all the final copies to the buyers?”

      “Yes,

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