Kathleen Tailer - Perilous Pursuit

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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, all except for the homeless children project. I just have a tad more editing to do before it’s finalized.”

“How did the fire affect your copies? Did everything get destroyed?”

Mackenzie shook her head. “The equipment is ruined, but I have two sets of hard drives where the files are stored. One was here in the filing cabinet and that is probably completely destroyed, but I have a second set I keep in a safety deposit box at the bank. I update the files weekly in both locations. I’ve always done it that way—just in case of hurricanes or whatever. I’ve been playing with the idea of using cloud storage, but I’m still exploring that. I’m not convinced of the security.”

Jake nodded and then motioned for her to wait when his cell phone rang. He turned to answer it, and her own phone rang at the same time. She recognized her parents’ number and hesitated. Could she handle a call from them right now? She hadn’t told them about the men breaking into her apartment yesterday, but it would be hard hiding the fire from them, especially if she wouldn’t be home for a while. She glanced at Jake, who was still deep in conversation, then back at her own phone, which was still ringing. Finally, she accepted the call.

“Hello, Dad,” she said on hearing her father’s voice.

“Mackenzie, I’ve got the best news for you!”

“Oh, really? What’s up?” she asked.

“Do you remember Miller from the advertising firm? I was talking to him yesterday and mentioned you were looking for a new job. He actually has an opening and would like to set up an interview! Isn’t that fantastic? All you have to do is give him a call.”

Mackenzie’s heart plunged. Neither of her parents felt that making movies constituted a “real” job, and they were constantly sending their disapproval her way, along with various job offers that they felt would help her settle down and take life more seriously. Mackenzie loved them both dearly, but she wasn’t about to give up her production company. She enjoyed her work and found fulfillment in the process. Her parents, however, couldn’t seem to understand. She was convinced that they wouldn’t be happy with her career choices until she was locked into a nine-to-five schedule with benefits and a hefty retirement plan. After Jonathan’s death, their pressure had increased rather than lessened. She was now their only living child, so all their hopes and dreams rested heavily on her shoulders.

“Thanks, Dad, but I’m doing fine with my current job. I’m really not looking for anything new right now.”