Laura, who was still sitting on the coach still reading gossip magazines, looked up and said, “Oh, Hi Minnie. Hi Webbigail. If you’re looking for Mr. McDuck, he left a while ago. Seemed really mad about something too, I don’t know what.” Then she shrugged and added, “I never could understand the upper-class.”
Minnie remembering what Vicky had said, about Laura hating the wealthy and not knowing exacting what to say, replied, “Oh…um…Thank you, Ms. Quackson.”
They stepped out into the parking lot, looked around and did not see Scrooge anywhere. Finally Minnie took out her cell-phone and called him, “Hi Uncle Scrooge we’re done and ready to go whenever you are.”
“Eh…Alright Minnie. We’ll bring the limo around in a moment.” Scrooge answered very unenthusiastically.
“What’s the matter?” she asked
“You’ll find out soon enough.” He replied, still not sounding happy.
As Minnie soon got off the phone, Webby asked, “Did you reach Uncle Scrooge? Is he coming to get us?”
“Yes, he says he’ll here in a minute.” Minnie replied
Then Webby remembered that Laura had said Scrooge was very angry when he left, and worried he might still be, “Is he still mad, like Victoria’s mommy said?” she asked
Minnie did not have time to answer her because the conversation was interrupted by the beep of a horn. Minnie and Webby turned and saw limousine had pulled up in front the spa, and keyed into its side was, STAY AWAY FROM MY GIRL! Minnie stared at it not wanting to believe her eyes, “Oh, Mickey…how could you stoop so low?” she whispered.
While Minnie was staring at the limo and thinking awful thoughts about Mickey, Scrooge got out. “It appears Mickey is even more angry at me, for spending time with you than I first thought.” He said
“Oh dear. I am so sorry Uncle Scrooge.” Minnie said, “I never thought Mickey would do something this destructive.”
“Aye, I never dreamed that a fine lad like Mickey would stoop to wrecking property.” Scrooge replied.
After they started on their way, Webby asked, “Uncle Scrooge, do you really think Mr. Mickey did that, ‘cause I don’t?”
“Aye dear, I do.” Scrooge answered, “As much as I hate to say it, I cannot think of anyone else who may have done it.”
“Well, I think it was Victoria’s mommy!” Webby exclaimed
“Laura Quackson? But why would she key the side of me limo?” Scrooge asked confused
“‘Cause she hates rich people! Victoria told us so.” Webby answered
“Well, Victoria did say that.” Minnie replied, “But why would Ms. Quackson key, stay away from my girl, onto Uncle Scrooge’s limo? Even if she doesn’t like him, that just wouldn’t make sense.”
Webby shrugged and said, “Because she’s mean, like Victoria!”
As soon as Minnie got home she called Mickey, “Oh Mickey, please don’t tell me you came to the Lucky Duck Spa and keyed, stay away from my girl, on Uncle Scrooge’s limo.”
“What the heck are you talking about?!” Mickey yelled into the phone, “I did not touch your boyfriend’s limo!”
“Mickey!” Minnie snapped. “How many time do to tell you, Uncle Scrooge and I not dating?!”
“Quit lying to me!” he shouted and hung-up.
As soon as Mickey had hung-up the phone rang again. He reluctantly answered it, thinking it would likely Minnie again. But, this time it was Scrooge on the other end, “Mickey, why on Earth did you key my limo? I never thought a kind lad like you would do such a thing.”
“I did not key the limo!” Mickey yelled.
“Now, don’t go and try to cover up what ye did. It is pretty obvious. We all know how angry you’ve been at Minnie and me for spending time together.” Scrooge said, then he added, “But suppose I can forgive you, if you pay for the repairs the limo now needs.”
Mickey, who was now boiling with rage screamed, “You old cheapskate! I never touched your stupid limo! And I’m not paying to repair it just ‘cause you’re too cheap to do it yourself!” Then he hung-up and threw the phone across the room.
As soon as Scrooge was the phone he collapsed in his easy chair. Webby noticed that he looked tired and sad. She, hoping to help him feel better, came running over, “Uncle Scrooge, do you wanna see my pageant dance?” she asked
Scrooge chuckled and said, “All right darling. Let’s see it.”
Her performance, even though it had a few mistakes, did cheer him up a little, and for a few minutes he forgot his problems. “Wonderful darling.” He said as he applauded.
When Webby was done with her dance she crawled up into Scrooge’s lap. Once she got comfortable she asked, “Uncle Scrooge, do you think I’m pretty enough and talented enough to win the pageant?”
Unsure how to answer her, Scrooge thought for a moment, then said, “Well…Um…I cannot say for sure that you’ll win. Of course if it were up to me you would. But remember what I told you when you entered this pageant; win or lose you will still be my beautiful wee lass.”
Not satisfied with this answer Webby asked, “But tell me, do you think I’ll win?”
Before Scrooge could think of what to say to her the evening news interrupted his thoughts. “Today the richest duck in world, Scrooge McDuck confessed his love for his sweat-heart, Minnie Mouse!” The news-reporter announced.
Scrooge and Webby looked at the television just in time to see it go to a clip of Scrooge saying, “I love her…Minnie and my relationship… is very valuable… much more valuable than money. She…is my…girlfriend.”
At first Scrooge was horrified, but as he watched the clip he noticed the surrounding looked very familiar. So he began to watch it carefully, all the while wondering who was behind it. While studying it he noticed that scene’s background looked very much like the waiting room of the Lucky Duck Spa.
As soon as video was done playing and the news channel broke for commercials, Webby asked, “Uncle Scrooge are you really in love with Miss Minnie?”
“Of course not dear!” he snapped, “Someone is trying to make me look bad, and they’ve dragged poor Minnie into the mix also. I do know one thing though, who ever is behind this was some how able to get a hold of the spa security camera tapes.” He said
“Or maybe they just have a cell phone that actually records videos.” Webby said, “Unlike, our old out of date ones, that you won’t get rid of, ‘cause it’d cost too much to get new ones.”
“Aye, that could be case too, I suppose.” Scrooge replied
Suddenly he recalled those very personal questions, about his relationship with Minnie, he had been asked at the spa. As he thought he remembered what Webby had said at the luncheon, about Vicky taking their photos, he also remembered her saying on the way home that Laura disliked the wealthy. “I wonder…” Scrooge said.
Then he darted to phone and called the news station, “This is Scrooge McDuck. Tell me who sent in that video of me you just aired?”
“Well Mr. McDuck she didn’t give her full name.” The receptionist answered, “The best I can tell you is her initials are L.Q.”
“Laura Quackson” he said
Meanwhile at Minnie’s house, she sat at her table feeling depressed looking the photos of her and Scrooge. “Oh… I never played in the money bin with Uncle Scrooge…so how on Earth did they get this photo of us?” She said to herself.
Suddenly Minnie realized that the photo she was staring at looked very familiar, “Wait a minute…” she said, “That looks almost like the picture that was taken of us for the Duckburg Daily Paper, at the grand opening of Splash World this summer.”
She raced over to her bookcase, took down her photo album, and began to look through it. Finally she found a photo, of her with her friends at the grand opening of the water-park, which she had cut out of the newspaper. She brought it over to the table and began to compare it to the other photo. She immediately saw, that except for the background being changed to the money bin and everyone else being removed from the photo, that the picture of them in the money bin looked just like the one taken at the one taken at Splash World.
Quickly, Minnie began to study the other photos. She noticed that the picture of them kissing also looked very familiar, much like some photos on FaceBook. So, she logged on to her FaceBook page and compared the photo to her profile picture, of her and Mickey kissing. Then, she got on to Scrooge’s page and scrolled through his pictures in till she found a photo of him kissing Webby. It was a perfect match for both.
Minnie continued to study the other photos. She noticed that in the picture where they were holding hands she and Scrooge were both wearing the same outfits they wore when they met at the mall. A slightly closer look showed her that the background was indeed the mall. “Hmm… Who would have been taking photos of us that day?” she said to herself.
While she was trying to think of someone who might have taken it, she remembered what Webby had said at the luncheon about Victoria taking their photos. “But why would Ms. Quackson want to make Uncle Scrooge look bad? It’s not like she’s a business rival.” She asked herself.
Suddenly she remembered what Vicky had said at the spa about her mother hating wealthy people, because she was not able beat them in pageants and become queen. “Of course” she said to herself, “Laura’s trying to make Uncle Scrooge look bad, so he’ll be so distracted by this scandal and clearing his name, that he'll quit the pageant. Because she’s afraid Victoria that will lose to Webby.”
Quickly she took out her magnifying glass and looked over the newspaper, hoping to find a name associated with the article. Finally in tiny print she found, author and photographer: L.Q. “Laura Quackson” she said.
Howard Ashman, a legend amoung Disney musicians
