Steele With a Twist 4: Allied Steele
Episode 1
"Harry, trust me."

Remington Steele looked at his father. "I don't know, Daniel. Seems to me that it's an awfully big risk. I mean, what if Laura decides to simply remove herself from the picture?"

Daniel sighed deeply. "Harry, my boy, you did ask for my help in convincing the young lady to marry you-"

"Yes, but it's been six months, Daniel," Remington declared fretfully. "And we're no closer to that point now than when we first began. I've spent a small fortune on flowers and bought her enough jewelry to open her own store. Not to mention all the wax from the candles in the candlelit dinners- and she's STILL just as stubborn on the issue as ever!"

"Which is precisely why it's time to pull out all the stops." Remington went to the window and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Harry, Laura cares about you. She just needs a bit of incentive to---push her in the right direction, as it were." Remington's sigh was loud in the room. "Harry, have I EVER steered you wrong on matters of a personal nature-?" Daniel asked, then winced as his son turned to look at him, one brow raised. "Besides our - difficulties about my deception," he amended. "From the moment I found you in Brixton, the most important thing in my life has been your happiness. Now," he picked up the telephone. "Ring her up and cancel dinner. Then go and change." He glanced at his watch. "You have to meet your date in fifteen minutes."

***

Laura replaced the cover on the pan and wiped her hand on a towel as the telephone rang. "Hello?" she said, resting the phone on her shoulder as she stirred the sauce.

"Laura, I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to cancel dinner-"

"Cancel dinner?" Laura questioned. "What's wrong, Harry?"

"Nothing. An old friend turned up on my doorstep and -"

"Bring him over," Laura offered. "I think I've fixed more than enough-" she said, surveying the cluttered kitchen. She'd give anything to be able to cook the way Harry did- neatly, easily.

"Don't think so. I think it would be best if we went somewhere else. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay," Laura said, frowning into the phone.

"And I'm really sorry-"

"That's okay," she said again, wondering who the "friend" could be. Probably another one from the old days who needed a little help that only Remington Steele could offer. Or a hand out- Harry was a sucker for old friends in need.

Laura sighed and looked at the stove. Too late to stop cooking, she decided. "Well, I guess I can finish it and then freeze it. Maybe I can reheat it some other time," she told herself. But her enthusiasm for the evening was gone.

Over the last six months, she'd found herself enjoying Harry's determined pursuit of her. Tonight had been her idea, a way to make him see that there was no reason for them to change their current relationship. Things were going wonderfully at work- she was getting recognition for her efforts with the Agency, grudging, yes, but the paper had used her name TWICE and gotten it right both times. No more "unidentified woman" or "Nora Bolt".

Laura smiled as she recalled how Harry had called the paper that had printed that last one and given them a piece of his mind. Pouring a glass of wine, she sat down at the table. It was going to be a long evening.

***

Remington exited the limo outside of L'Ornate and scanned the edifice of the building as Daniel joined him. "Well, do on, my boy," Daniel urged.

"Why don't you take the limo-" Remington suggested, but Daniel shook his head.

"It wouldn't do for me to be seen in the agency's limo, Harry. No, I'll take a taxi on to my next stop. You'd best go inside."

"I'm not much on blind dates, Daniel- How will I know who-?"

"Oh, I think you'll know," Daniel assured his son. "I told you, she's not a stranger. Now go on." He flagged down a cab and opened the door. "Go on."

Remington nodded, and then turned to enter the restaurant. Inside the maitre'd greeted him warmly. "Mr. Steele. Please. Follow me."

"Thank you, Pierre."

"Your friend has been concerned that you were not here as scheduled."

"Delayed with work," Remington explained, trying to look past the other diners to his regular table. Daniel had promised him someone that Laura was sure to disapprove of- and that promise had caused more than a little worry.

But the blonde who smiled at him was a surprise. "Hello, darling," she purred, accepting his kiss on her cheek before he sat down at the table. "I hope you don't mind, but I ordered some champagne for us," she explained as Pierre moved away. "After all, its not every day that a girl gets engaged, is it?"

Remington recovered quickly. "Felicia. What a surprise. I wasn't aware that you even knew Daniel."

"Oh, Daniel and I have known each other for years," she told him with a shrug of her pale shoulders that were visible above the sequined gown she was wearing.

He poured another glass of the wine for himself and refilled her glass as well. "You know, I wasn't sure Daniel was on the right track-" he confessed. "But I might just have to give the man some credit after all."

Felicia smiled as she touched her glass to his. "To Daniel, then. And to your associate- Lisa, wasn't it?"

"Laura," Remington corrected her, lifting his glass. He was beginning to think the plan might just work after all.

***

Across town, Laura was just turning off the burner under the noodles when someone knocked on the front door. "Just a minute!" she called, rushing from the kitchen to the living room and opening the door. "What happened?" she asked, opening the door. "Change your-mind? Daniel," she finished, glancing behind him.

"Hello, my dear," he said, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "I was in the area and thought I'd take a chance and pop in."

"Have you seen Harry?" she asked, stepping aside for him to enter the house.

"No. He wasn't home when I called. Why?" He listened. "Is something cooking? I seem to smell-"

"OHHH," Laura groaned, taking off for the kitchen again.

Daniel found her with a pot in hand, turning off the burner. "Am I interrupting something, Laura?"

"Not now. Harry was supposed to be here for dinner but he cancelled- something about an old friend being in town. When I saw you, I thought-"

"I know that Harry and I are closer than we were, Laura, but I hardly think he's ready to refer to me as an 'old friend'. What culinary delight were you planning to dazzle him with?"

"Nothing, really. Just-Chicken Alfredo," she said.

"I haven't had dinner yet," he told her. "And it so happens that Chicken Alfredo is one of my favorites."

Laura looked at him, then went to the cabinet and took out two plates, gathered silverware. "Then you can set the table. There's some wine in the fridge and another glass in the cabinet over there." She shoved the place settings into his hands.

Daniel hid his smile as she turned back to the stove. "Whatever you say, my dear."

He set the table, then returned to the kitchen where Laura was putting the chicken into a dish. "Anything else I can do to help?" he asked, taking the wine out and finding a glass.

"You can come back and get this if you want."

"You seem a trifle put out," he commented as he returned. "Was this evening important for some reason?"

"You know how he's been lately," she said, carrying a dish of green beans with almonds to the table.

"Harry, you mean?"

"Hmm. He's suddenly decided that he wants to get married of all things! Can you believe that?"

"I think you've mentioned it before."

"He sent me tons of flowers- and then bought me so much jewelry that I've been considering installing a full security system to protect it- all as part of some plan to make me say yes to becoming Mrs. Remington Steele."

Daniel poured the wine and then seated Laura. "And you're still not ready to do that, I take it."

Laura took a drink of her wine. "It's not that I don't WANT to, Daniel, it's just that- well, I'm not really sure that marriage is all it's cracked up to be. I mean, my own parents marriage was hardly the best example-"

"That may be true. But you can't judge all marriages by one bad experience," Daniel pointed out.

"I'm not. It's just that- I'm not sure that it's right for ME," Laura said.

"Then you don't plan on getting married ever?" he asked her, filling his plate.

"I didn't say that. Maybe, someday. But right now- why mess things up with licenses and vows and such? Why not just enjoy being together?"

Daniel sighed. "I'm afraid that my son is a very stubborn man, Laura. Once he sets his mind on a goal-he'll do whatever it takes to attain it. Look at what he accomplished when he decided to change his life and become Remington Steele. At the moment, he's decided that he wants to be married. I don't know how to detour him from that goal."

***

Mildred Krebs was already at her post when Murphy Michaels arrived at the offices of Remington Steele Investigations. "Good morning, Murphy," she said with a smile as she handed him a handful of message slips.

"Mildred. How's it going today?"

"Wonderful. Except that I think something's up," she confided, following him to the coffee machine that was sitting just outside his office.

"What do you mean?"

"Mr. Steele asked me to make sure that his calendar is light the next few days, that an old friend is in town-"

Murphy looked at her. "An old friend?" Steele's old friends had come to mean someone from his life before Remington Steele had existed, and usually spelled trouble. "Did he happen to mention a name?"

"No. But he usually asks me to let him know when Miss Holt gets here- he didn't even mention her today. And he's been on his private line most of the morning."

Didn't sound good, Murphy decided. The last thing they needed was another of Steele's old friends coming around, causing problems. "I'll talk to him in a few minutes."

"Okay."

"Um, IS Laura in yet?"

"Nope. She called, said something about a meeting with Mr. Jackson-"

"That's right. He wanted to talk to her about the security system for his company." He picked up the newspaper that was sitting on the edge of her desk. "Got two today, I guess," he said with a grin.

"Figured you'd prefer to see the news without having to wait for Mr. Steele to finish with the paper."

"News? Who looks at the news? I'm gonna do the crossword puzzle," Murphy informed her with a grin. "Let me know when Laura shows up, okay?"

"You got it."

Mildred stood there, here eyes on the door that led to Remington Steele's office. With a determined look, she picked up the hot water pot and a fresh tea bag and carried it over before knocking on the door once.

"Come in," he called out.

Mildred opened the door and saw that he was on the telephone. "Sorry, Chief. Thought you might want some more tea."

He nodded, waving her closer as he continued his conversation. "Really?... Sounds delightful ...Can you be there at seven? ...Excellent... I'll be waiting." He hung up the telephone. "Did you manage to lighten my calendar, Mildred?" he asked as she finished pouring the water over the tea bag.

"Yes sir. I've shunted all but the most important clients to Mr. Michaels and Miss Holt. You still have that meeting with Mr. Davisson at two, though. He was pretty adamant about dealing only with you when he called."

"That will be fine, Mildred." He opened a folder and started working on a report that he'd left the day before.

Mildred returned the pot to the warmer as Murphy came out of his office, nearly knocking her over. "Whoa!" she said. "Where's the fire?"

"Here," Murphy said, pointing to a small, grainy photo in the morning's paper.

Mildred peered at the picture, then read the caption beneath it. "Seen in a tete-a-tete last night at L'Ornate: Remington Steele and a blonde mystery woman. The two of them were sharing champagne and whispering, with no sign of Steele's usual companion, his associate Laura Holt. Is there trouble on the horizon for the daring duo of the detective world?"

Mildred looked at the blonde in question again. "I thought Mr. Steele was having dinner at Miss Holt's last night," she said. "Who is she?"

"Trouble," Murphy said.

"What's trouble, Murph?" Laura Holt asked.

Murphy locked eyes with Mildred, and he folded the paper and placed it under his arm as they turned to face the woman. "You know me, having trouble with the crossword."

"Ah. Maybe I can help," she offered, reaching for the paper, only to jump when Murphy grabbed it away from her.

"No! That's okay. It's not important. How did the meeting with Jackson go?"

"Very well," Laura said, frowning as Mildred almost tiptoed back to her desk. "What's going on around here?"

"Nothing," Mildred assured her, handing over the message slips with Laura's name on them. "How about some coffee?"

"Thanks, but I'm all coffeed out," Laura refused. "I think Mr. Jackson owns stock in a coffee plantation or something." She went into her office.

Murphy indicated to Mildred that she should follow Laura, while he had a little "chat" with their employer.

Mildred picked up a folder and tapped on Laura's door before entering the office. "I have the final report on the Michner case, Miss Holt. Mr. Steele said you had to sign it before we could file it."

"Put it there," Laura said, pointing to her inbox.

"How did dinner go last night?" Mildred asked in a curious tone. When Laura glanced up, she explained, "I heard the two of you making the arrangements before you left."

"Oh. It didn't. Mr. Steele had a friend drop in at the last moment and couldn't get away."

"Oh." Mildred hesitated for a moment, wondering what else she could say, then sighed in relief as the telephone rang, giving her an excuse to return to her desk. "Remington Steele Investigations."

***

"Okay, what's SHE doing back in Los Angeles?" Murphy asked, holding the paper out.

Remington glanced at the photo. "I rather thought I saw a photographer's flash last evening. Oh, well, so much for keeping things quiet, eh?"

"Steele, the last time the woman was in town, you and Laura wound up trying to steal a painting-"

"The Five Nudes of Cairo," Remington confirmed. "And we DID steal it, if memory serves. Felicia's in town for a visit. She's trying to get out of the life, Murphy. If I can help her do that-"

"More likely she's here to work a con and is trying to involve you," Murphy pointed out.

"Nonsense. You've barely spoken two words to Felicia, Murphy," Remington admonished in a pleasant tone. "I'm sure once you get the chance to know her better-"

"WHY should have even have that opportunity. Just how long is she going to be in LA?"

Remington shrugged. "As long as it takes, I'm sure. Murphy-" The intercom buzzed. "Yes, Mildred?"

"Daniel Chalmers is on line one."

"Just great. Chalmers AND Felicia?" Murphy groaned. "What next?"

"Ask him to hold, please, Mildred."

"Murphy, just go along, okay? Everything will work out." And with that cryptic statement, he turned to pick up the telephone. "Steele here... Daniel... I take it that you're in Los Angeles then?... Oh, my private line was tied up "

Murphy closed the door behind him and joined Mildred at her desk. "Well?" Mildred asked.

"Who knows? The man's talking in riddles. Tells me to 'go along' and that things will 'work out'. What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

The outer doors opened and they both turned to watch as the blonde entered the office with a proprietary gleam in her eye that troubled Murphy. "I'm here to see Remington Steele," she informed Mildred. "If you'd be so good as to tell him that I'm here-"

Mildred looked at Murphy for a clue as to what she should do. He nodded, then extended his hand to the woman. "It's been awhile. You probably don't remember me-"

"But of course I do." Felicia smiled disarmingly. "Remington has mentioned you. Murphy Michaels, isn't it?"

"Yes. Yes, it is."

Steele's door opened at the same time that Laura came from her office to see what was going on. He smiled at Felicia, studiously ignoring Laura, who seemed frozen in her office doorway. Taking Felicia's hands, he said, "This is a surprise. I thought we were supposed to meet at Tonio's for lunch?"

"I found myself at a loose end, darling," she explained, slipping her arm through his, "and thought I'd drop by and see if you could slip away early. I hope you don't mind."

Remington smiled indulgently. "Never." He looked at Mildred. "You said that my schedule's clear this morning, Mildred? Oh, I don't believe you've met Miss Krebs, Felicia. You know Murphy and Miss Holt, of course-"

Felicia smiled at Murphy, then moved ever so slightly closer to Remington as the two women's eyes met, Felicia's in triumph, Laura's in shock. Felicia smiled at Mildred "Miss Krebs. Remington's told me how important you are to the Agency. I'm very pleased to meet you."

Mildred stood there, staring disapprovingly at the way Felicia's hand rested on Mr. Steele's arm until Remington cleared his throat. "Mildred? My schedule?"

"Oh, um, yes. It's clear until two-"

"Then I'll see you at two. Ta-ta, everyone," he said as he opened the outer door for Felicia and himself to leave.

"THAT," Mildred declared, "Is a barracuda."

Murphy turned to Laura. "You okay?"

"Yeah, Murphy," Laura managed. "Just fine. I mean, what does it matter to me if Mr. Steele has lunch with an *old friend*?" she asked. "If you'll excuse me, I have some work to finish, since it appears our BOSS has better things to do." She turned on her heel and slammed the door, causing Murphy and Mildred both to wince.

"I think she's handling it- well, don't you?" Murphy asked.

"Oh, YEAH," Mildred replied darkly.

***

Laura picked up the telephone before she was in the chair and dialed a number. "Room 214, please," she told the operator. Picking up a pen, she tapped it on the desk while she waited for the connection to be made. "Daniel? ...We've got a BIG problem."

To Be Continued ...
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Original content ©2000 by Nancy Eddy