Reining In (The Network) (11 page)

Chapter Twelve

Marlene was waiting for me at the airport when I arrived. I knew she would be there, but I was also surprised that she had left Mack’s side. Few words were spoken between us as we headed to the hospital. She was shaken badly, I could tell.

What little bit of information I got out of her was jumbled and confusing. Mack had been shot, several times, after walking in on what the police thought was a robbery in progress. Two men had broken into Mack’s office and were tearing the place apart when he walked in. Marlene had been the one to find him.

I pieced together the bits and pieces of information, and tried to come up with some kind of logical explanation. Mack didn’t keep money or valuables in his office. Anyone who was local would just know that. Whoever broke in wasn’t looking for valuables. They were looking for information. But who and why? Those were the questions that bothered me.

Mack’s main priority was the network. Even the corporate legalities were handled by the Valdis legal department. Mack wasn’t even a part of the legal department, and handled the network on his own. Secrecy was necessary, and Mack didn’t trust anyone.

So the question remained: what kind of information did Mack have that someone was willing to kill him over? I had my suspicions, of course. But they weren’t exactly grounded. I knew where Vyktor was and what he was doing, and I knew he was not personally involved in this.

The car stopped suddenly, bringing me back to reality. I climbed out and quickly followed Marlene into the hospital. I was impressed with her calmness. She was clearly upset, yet she was completely in control. As we climbed into the elevator, she handed me an envelope, then turned to push the floor button.

I opened the envelope, which held only a California driver’s license, bearing my picture on it. It read Khalida Shaw. “Relatives only,” she explained, not looking up. The elevator jerked to a stop and I followed Marlene out into the hallway. Two armed guards stood outside the ICU. I folded the envelope, stuck it in my pocket and followed Marlene towards the guards.

“We’re here to see Mackenzie.” She said calmly. The armed guard smiled at her, with a hint of sympathy in his eyes. He obviously recognized her, as she had surely been here since they had admitted Mack. Then his eyes fell on me and the smile disappeared.

“And this is?” he asked, curtly.

“This is Khalida Shaw, Mack’s sister.” She replied, gesturing for me to show him the license she had just given me. I held it up and the guard quickly grabbed it from me, first looking at me, then the ID, then me again. When he was satisfied that it was me in the picture, he handed it back to me.

“I’m sorry Mrs. Shaw. You know we have to be cautious.”

“Of course, Derrick. We do understand. Ms. Shaw here has come a long way and would like to see her brother now, so if you don’t mind….”

The guard stepped out of her way, and let us past. Once the door closed behind us and I was sure he could no longer hear us, I piped up.

“Mrs. Shaw?” Surely Mack would’ve told me. Marlene stopped and looked at me, blushing a little.

“We wanted to tell you, but, well…. It all just happened so fast, and there was so much going on. We decided we would wait until you came home.”

“So I guess that makes you my new sister-in-law?” The corners of her lips pulled into a hint of a smile. She looked so tired.

“And the armed guards?”

“I’m not entirely sure,” she paused. “I mean, they aren’t telling me everything. The police, that is. But I think they are worried that the men that did this to Mack will come back to finish the job.” Marlene stopped then, and grabbed my shoulders, forcing me to look straight at her.

“Khalida, the men that did this, I don’t think they were just some simple robbers. I think there was a lot more to it, that the police aren’t telling us. I don’t know what it is exactly, but I know that they must think these people are to be taken very seriously.”

I took a deep breath. I wondered how much of this had to do with the information Mack had been digging up for me. I needed to go to his office as soon as possible.

“I will take care of everything, I promise.” It sounded empty, forced, but it was the absolute truth. I would take care of it, one way or another. Marlene seemed only slightly relieved by my statement; her mind wandering to other things.

Although I knew what to expect, I was suddenly glued to my spot as I entered the room. Mack looked nothing like the strong, forceful man I had known all these years. Instead, he looked weak, and pale. There were IV’s and tubes coming out of every part of him. A ventilator was breathing for him, and the beeping that represented his heart was inaccurate to say the least. I could hear the real thing. It was weak.

My last moments with Raymond flashed through my mind, and I and I sucked in a hard breath. I closed my eyes, trying to block out the image, but could not. I nearly jumped when Marlene grabbed my hand, pulling me forward. How was it that she could be so strong and I could fall apart so easily?

After what seemed like hours of us sitting there in silence, Marlene finally spoke up. I was not totally prepared for the bomb she was about to drop on me. Her marriage to Mack was nothing compared to the surprises that lie ahead.

“Before the cops arrived, I went through Mack’s files, to see what, if anything had been taken.” She paused, waiting for the words to sink in, then continued. “Mack had told me what to look for, should anything like this ever happen. He knew what was coming, Khalida.” This caught my attention. If Mack had foreseen this, then he was into something serious.

“And what did you find?”

“There was one file missing.” She stopped, looking up at me, expectantly.

“The network.” I replied. She nodded. My heart sank. It might not have been Vyktor involved, but it didn’t matter. The information contained in that file was dangerous in anyone’s hands.

“Khalida, I think it’s only fair to tell you that Mack has brought me up to speed on a few of the projects that the two of you have been working on. Namely, you.”

Yeah, that one took the wind out of me. I knew what she was trying to tell me. She knew. She knew who I was. She knew what I was. It wasn’t that I didn’t want her to know. Mack loved her. He loved her enough to marry her. He loved her enough to tell her his deepest darkest secrets. I somehow felt the need to trust her.

But it was like telling someone, someone you want very much to be your friend, that you are a serial killer. It wasn’t something you were proud of. I had done terrible things in my life. I had taken lives, lots of lives. Not all of them were deserving. Not all were bad people who wouldn’t be missed. There were innocents; people who haunted my dreams.

I didn’t look up for a long time. I didn’t want to look her in the eyes. Instead, I waited for her to continue.

“We should go to Mack’s office. We can talk on the way.” She was out the door before I could even look up. She was right. I needed to get to Mack’s office. I needed to see it; to see what they saw. I needed to know if what they left with was what they came for.

I jumped up and quickly followed Marlene back into the hallway. I was relieved when she chose not to say anything until we got back into her car. I was always aware how people who didn’t seem to be listening actually were. “How much did he tell you?” I asked, trying to take control of the conversation.

“I’m not sure how much he hasn’t told me. I know about you, and the network. I’m not sure what more there is, really.” She paused and looked at me, her eyes pleading for answers. I knew what it was she wanted to know. Was all of this the reason that Mack was lying in a hospital bed, possibly dying? It was, I was sure. But how could I tell her that? I decided, instead to get some information out of her, which, if she knew anything at all, could shed some light for both of us.

“Has he told you anything about the most recent project I’ve had him working on?” I asked.

“A little. He tried to keep me away from it. It had him scared. But I think what he told me, he did to protect me. And you.”

“The man who killed Raymond, he told you about him?”

“Yes. But he didn’t tell me much. I got the feeling he was holding back on that one.”

“Nikolas, the man who shot Raymond, was the son of an important man.”

“Mack told me that. But he didn’t tell me much more than that.”

“Mack was working so hard on it, day and night. It was like he couldn’t stop until he found what he was looking for. He couldn’t let you down, you know.” She paused again, and looked over at me.

“He loves you, you know. He feels the need to protect you, even if it means putting himself in danger.”

“I know. I have never understood why. He is far more fragile than I will ever be.” Marlene smiled, then, wrapping her fingers around mine.

“You don’t get it, do you? He doesn’t see you as some invincible super-human. He sees you as his family. Like a little sister. It is instinct that makes him want to protect you. He can’t change that, even knowing what he knows.”

“I can’t say I blame him. Like I said, he’s told me a lot. I know all the things you’ve done. For him, and for the other members of the network.”

“They all feel that way, you know? The ones I’ve talked to. All of them would die trying to protect you.”

“You’ve talked to them? Who? When?” I was stunned. Mack was not the type to just introduce someone to the network. And aside from Mack, there was only two or three members at our local office.

“Mack had a conference with several members a few weeks back. Don’t be mad Khallie. He didn’t want to worry you. But he thought it was important to bring them in on what he knew. I’m sorry if my meeting them upsets you. Mack didn’t mean any harm, really. He just felt it would be better for me to know everything, in case….. In case something like this happened.”

She stopped talking then. I didn’t know what to say. Of course I wasn’t mad at Mack. I trusted him more than anyone else. But I was hurt that he hadn’t told me anything. We drove the rest of the way to Mack’s office in silence. I found myself wanting to tell Marlene everything, even the things I never told Mack. But I didn’t know where to start, so I said nothing.

Although it was part of Valdis Corporation, Mack’s office building was separate from the Valdis building. Normally, the buildings complemented each other perfectly; their architectural designs, flowing into each other. But as we pulled up, Mack’s office looked dark and empty. Police tape still crisscrossed the main entrance.

Marlene and I walked around to the rear entry. Marlene unlocked the door, while I took in the surroundings. I listened for anything at all out of the ordinary. I wanted to make sure that whoever had been here hadn’t come back. When I was convinced that it was safe, I followed Marlene inside. We quickly found our way to Mack’s main office. A wave of panic swept over me the minute the light came on.

The office was in shambles. The files were all pulled out of the cabinets and strewn across the floor. Books were pulled off the shelves; pictures ripped off the walls. They were looking for the normal hiding places, I knew; hidden safes, false walls, etc. They hadn’t found any. Mack was smarter than that.

I knew where they were, and I knew even the smartest of criminals would’ve never found them. I could tell from just a glance that they hadn’t been discovered. But Marlene had said they found the network file. How could they have found it if they didn’t find his hiding spots? As though she read my mind, Marlene spoke up.

“He had it with him when he walked in the door. He had been working on something. They shot him and they took it. That’s the only thing they took.” She paused, looking at me. “Khallie, I think it’s what they came here for.”

I was screaming on the inside, because, more than anything, I knew she was right.

Chapter Thirteen

I don’t know how long I had been lying there in bed, staring at the ceiling. It seemed like hours, even though I know at some point I had been sleeping. There wasn’t a clock in Mack’s guest bedroom, but I guessed it to be close to 5AM because it was still grey out. Not quite dark, but not yet light.

I had thought about going to my house and staying there, but decided it would be better if I stayed with Marlene. Not only did I want to be there to support her, but I also knew that she was probably my best and only chance of unraveling what had happened in Mack’s office. She was smart, and observant. If anyone would notice any small detail, it would be her.

I pondered over the things we had discovered in Mack’s office the night before. I had become so engrossed in my thoughts that when the phone next to me rang, I nearly jumped out of the bed. It rang again, and as I steadied my heart, I thought of answering it.

Just as I was about to pick it up, I heard Marlene answer. Her voice was muffled and low, and I could tell from the tired tone in her voice that she had not slept much herself. When it took on a more concerned tone, I sat up. I was dressed and ready to go before she even knocked on my door. It was Mack; I knew that. We slipped out the front door without so much as a word.

I drove this time. I knew that Marlene was too shook up to operate a car, especially after the sleepless night she had just endured. It was still early, so there wasn’t any traffic to slow us down. We pulled into the hospital drive in record time. As I reached for the door handle, Marlene grabbed my arm. Puzzled, I turned to her.

Her face was pale and her eyes tired and sunken. She had been crying at some point. Streaks still lined her face, and her eyes were still red. My heart sank. I wished more than anything I could go back and change the events of the past few months. Everyone I loved was in pain because of me. I sighed and was about to reach for the door again, but Marlene didn’t let go of my arm.

“Khallie?” Her voice was barely a whisper. I looked back at her, waiting for her to go on. She hesitated, looking around, as if she was trying to find the words. After a few moments, she finally looked at me, trying, I thought, to look resolved.

“Khallie, we need to talk, before we go up there.” I nodded, and waited for her to continue.