Steele Discovering the Past
Episode Ten


Once she realized that she was alone, Laura paused by the table where Eileen had left the letter. Picking it up, she studied it in thoughtful silence until she heard Remington asking, "Laura, where did you put that overnight case?"

She turned toward the bedroom and went to the door, envelope behind her back as she watched her husband packing a suitcase, selectively laying certain items aside- apparently to be packed in the aforementioned overnight case. "I put it in the closet," she told him. "What are you doing?"

"Packing for Catalina. Mark told us that we could have the helicopter tonight if we preferred, remember?" he reminded her as he moved toward the bathroom. "And the house is ready- all it is needs is us."

Laura stepped closer to the bed and quickly lifted the clothes to place Michael O'Casey's letter to his grandson inside, then covered it with the clothes again. She knew better than to try and coerce Remington into reading the letter now. Later, when he was ready, he would read it. And she wanted it to be there when he was ready.

Remington returned as she smoothed the clothes. "Are you going to pack? Once I'm done here, I'll call Mark and let him know about the change in plan."

Laura went to the closet and pulled out both the small overnight case and her own suitcase, and started piling things into it. Glancing up, she noticed Remington watching her with an amused smile. "What?" she asked.

"Just- admiring your- style of packing a suitcase," he commented. Laura frowned. "Everything else you do is neat and orderly- almost obsessively so-yet you toss your clothes willy-nilly into a suitcase with almost no regard for their appearance once you reach your destination."

Laura grinned knowingly and returned to the closet once more to retrieve an item. "Thank you for reminding me- I would have forgotten all about it." She held up a portable clothes iron before stuffing it inside the case along side her clothes. Flipping the case closed, she fastened the clasps, then stood up. "Ready." A small pile of toiletries lay on the bed alongside his to go into the smaller bag.

"You're amazing," Remington said, shaking his head as he came around the bed to her side. "Took you all of five minutes to pack that case."

Laura glanced to his suitcase. "And you're still only half done. Why don't *I* call Mark while you finish?"

Remington pulled her into his arms and dropped a kiss on her upturned lips. "An excellent idea, Mrs. Steele. I shouldn't be too much longer."

"I'll call Fred, too," she told him. She went to the telephone and started to dial Mark's number. "Oh. I thought we weren't going to tell anyone about this weekend?" He looked confused for a moment. "How did Eileen know we were going away?"

"Ah. She mentioned getting together this weekend- I had to tell her something. And I didn't to get off on the wrong foot with my own mother by lying to her," he explained, putting the toiletries into the small bag before turning his attention back to his case.

Laura laughed. "We're only going to be gone for two days, Mr. Steele," she pointed out. "Why do you need six changes of clothes?"

"Always be prepared for any eventuality," Remington said. "That's my motto."

"I thought that was the Boy Scouts," she told him, dialing the rest of the number.

"Laura, considering that everytime we've tried to get away together, NOTHING has gone according to plan, I just feel safer knowing all the bases are covered."

Laura turned her attention to the telephone as Remington's old friend Mark answered. "Hello, Mark. It's Laura-…" She watched Remington as he finished packing, making sure that he didn't find the letter as he worked. She hung up the telephone. "The helicopter's at the heliport, fueled up and ready to go."

"Good." Remington closed his suitcase and locked it. "What about Fred?"

She picked up the telephone again and called the chauffeur. "Five minutes," she informed Remington as he put the cases on the floor.

He drew her into his arms. "Five minutes, eh? Enough time for this, at least." He gave her a long kiss that promised much more to come. Laura twined her arms around his neck, prolonging the kiss. "I could have lost you today," Remington said, holding her close. "I'm still not ready for that. I don't think I'll ever be."

"I don't think Walters or whatever his name was would have killed us," she said. "It was too easy for him to just disappear again- killing us would have made that harder to do." She looked up at him. "Why didn't you tell me that you weren't sure about Tony's death being real?"

Remington pulled away to pick up the suitcases and carry them into the living room. "You'd already been through enough," he said.

"You were trying to protect me again."

"Of course I was, Laura," he admitted, and immediately saw the frown of disapproval on her face. "Dammit, woman, you'd been kidnapped, then held at gunpoint, and despite what you say, I think John Walters would have killed anyone he had to in order to make his escape. Admit it. You were shaken by what happened."

Laura hesitated. "Yes. Yes, I was shaken. But I don't need -"

"Anyone to protect you," Remington finished, knowing the line by rote. "I know." He took his hands in hers and looked into her dark eyes. "But it just so happens that I love you. And I wasn't going to risk you being hurt anymore than you'd already been hurt. If that's wrong, then I'm sorry."

Laura shook her head slowly. "No. It wasn't wrong. I guess I'm still getting used to all of this." She frowned. "Do you really think Tony's alive?"

Remington shrugged, and lifted the cases again, nodding toward the door. "I don't know. He might be. Even if he is, I don't think we'll need to be worried about him for some time." Laura closed the door behind them, turning the key in the lock before she took the smaller case from him. "Now, why don't we make an agreement not to mention Antony's name or anything other than you and I for the duration of the weekend, eh?"

Laura smiled up at him as the elevator doors opened. "I think I can manage that," she assured him.

###

Tony Roselli turned his head to look out of the windows across the room. Bars. There were bars on the windows. And the glass had a layer of wire in it. High security wing of a government hospital, he figured. Pulling himself into a sitting position, he winced as the pain spread from his chest. "Damn."

"Stay still and that won't happen," Harve Jackson said from the doorway.

"How bad is it?" Tony asked.

"If you mean the trouble you're in, we're not sure yet. If you mean your injuries, you were lucky. Bullet missed the vital organs- Doctors said you should be up and about in a couple of days."

"And then? Prison?"

"Like I said, it's still being checked into. I need to tell you that you don't have to talk to me, Tony. I mean, you have the right-"

"I know my rights, dammit, Harve," Tony burst out. "I didn't know he was a full agent. The records showed him to be a sleeper. How the hell was I supposed to know-?"

"You know procedure, Tony. The moment Walters contacted you, you should have notified the Agency- let us know what was going on. Hell, we might have agreed to the plan-"

"And would have taken Walters into "protective" custody," Tony agreed. "Something he refused to consider. He said that he didn't know enough for that to be necessary. I guess my biggest mistake was that I believed him. I was younger- less experienced, remember?"

"I know. And that will be taken into account. But I wouldn't expect to be welcomed back with open arms. And I WOULD be worried about Walters' bosses in the KGB coming after me, if I was you."

"Damn." A thought occurred to Tony. "Laura. What happened-?"

"If I were you, Tony, I'd forget all about Laura Holt-Steele. She and her husband just left for a long weekend in Catalina- and they deserve it after that stunt you pulled."

"Another mistake," Tony, admitted. "Won't make the same mistake again."

Jackson looked at the man for a long moment. "Tony, I'll go and let you get some rest- but I want to leave you something to think about. If Walters' KGB friends decide to take you out- or capture you to see if Walters told you anything, then anyone you're involved with will be in danger as well. Including Laura Steele." He turned toward the door. "Oh, there are two agents outside, just in case you decide to try and get out of here."

"No problem," Tony said, wincing again as he moved. "Don't think I'd get very far, anyway. And don't worry about Laura. It's over."

Once the door closed behind Jackson, Tony pulled the IV tubes loose from his arm, and slowly sat up on the edge of the bed, fighting off a wave of nausea as he did so. No way was he going to wait around here while a bunch of desk bound idiots made a decision about his future. The problem was- getting out of here.

He smiled as a hazy memory from his first few hours in this room surfaced. If his luck held out, it just might work. Returning to the bed, he pressed the button for the duty nurse, and told the man that answered that he needed some more pain medication.

"I'll be right there," he said.

Tony got back into the bed, burying the broken IV tubes under the white sheets, then waited. His luck was still in play. The male nurse entered the room, his expression grim. "What seems to be the problem, Roselli?" he asked, moving around to investigate the IV.

Once he turned his back to inspect the connection to the bottle, Tony rose up, wrapping the IV tubing around the man's neck and pulling. The nurse struggled, trying to free himself, but finally went limp.

Tony withdrew the needles in his arm, and then set to work removing the nurse's drawstring pants and shirt…

The effort made his wound start to bleed again, but Tony ignored the spreading stain on the white gauze bandage, ignored the growing pain in his chest. He had to get out of here, find Laura. He wanted to make her understand that he still loved her- and to give her one more chance to come away with him.

He went to the door, opening it slightly, just enough to see who the agents were that Jackson had left on guard. Going back to the telephone, he dialed a number. "Yes. This is Jackson. I need to talk to the men I have stationed at Roselli's room."

Tony waited a moment, then returned the telephone to its cradle before going to the door again. Opening it a crack, he heard the desk nurse telling Harper, "Jackson's on the phone. He wants to talk to you two."

"BOTH of us?" Harper asked.

"That's what he said. Burton's in there with Roselli. He'll make sure things are okay til you get back."

Harper exchanged a glance with his partner, then both men turned to follow the desk nurse away. Tony cautiously stepped into the hallway, taking the other direction. Getting out of here now was going to be a piece of cake, he thought, fingering the security card he'd taken from Burton's unconscious body.

"Catalina, here I come," Tony muttered as he took the door to the stairwell.

###

Harper and his partner returned to the room, shaking their heads. "Wonder why he hung up?"

"Who knows. Probably got another, more important call," Harper said. "Better see if Burton needs any help in there. He's been in there a long time." Opening the door, Harper called out, "Everything o.k. in here?"

The only response was a muffled groan. Roselli wasn't in the bed- and the groan came again from the other side. Pulling his weapon, Harper moved carefully around to find a groggy Burton laying on the floor, wearing only his underwear. "Damn! Pete! Call Jackson! The bird's flown the coop!"

###

 

Remington took the cases from the helicopter and smiled. "See? I told you that I could get us here safe and sound."

"At least this time you didn't leave me to land it by myself."

"Laura- I was trying to catch a crazed killer," Remington reminded her. "Would you have preferred to have been the one to jump out of the helicopter onto a speeding motor boat?"

Her dark eyes narrowed. "YOU are just lucky that they didn't' ask for your pilot's license once you talked me down," she told him.

"And who says I don't have one?" he returned, going to the desk to ask for a cab to be called for them.

"DO you?" Laura asked.

"Really, Laura. Do you think that Mark would simply loan me his helicopter if I didn't have a license to fly one?"

That assurance didn't reassure, Laura decided. "Considering that I know next to nothing about Mark, except that he's another of your old "friends" from your mysterious past-"

"I'll tell you all about how I happened to meet Mark," Remington promised her, gently shepherding her toward the taxi stand and into the waiting taxi. "Just as soon as we get to the house."

###

Tony used the card to open the various doors, stopping once to gather a fresh supply of gauze and tape, then sighed in relief as he exited the hospital via a side door.

The relief was short-lived, however, as he noted the black car that was coming up the drive. Jackson was back- apparently alerted to Tony's escape. Tony hid until Jackson and his partner was inside the hospital, then ducked to the side of the black Ford, glancing inside. He laughed softly as he saw the keys dangling from the ignition. "You're slipping Harve," he muttered, opening the door and then starting the engine.

As he turned the car onto the street, Tony began trying to decide what his best option for getting to Catalina- and to Laura was going to be. His hands tightened on the steering wheel. This time, he'd make sure that Steele didn't get in the way.

###
The house was on the beach, with a glass wall in the back that overlooked the ocean. "Your friend Mark is apparently very successful at whatever he does," Laura commented as Remington carried their cases through to the bedroom.

"He's an investment counselor, acutually," Remington told her, stopping as the telephone began to ring.

"I thought you said this was an unlisted number?"

"It is." Laura placed a hand on the phone, and Remington frowned. "Laura- don't," he begged.

She smiled at him as she picked up the phone and pulled the cord from the wall. "Any other phones in the house?"

Remington started to laugh. "Come here."

###

Harve Jackson frowned into the telephone. "No answer. Guess they're not there yet." He glanced at his partner. "Get someone out there ASAP, Glenn. Have then keep an eye on things- no contact with the Steeles unless Tony shows up. No reason to disturb their weekend unless we have to, I guess."

"Why are you so sure he'll go to Catalina, Harve?" Glenn asked.

"He's obsessed with Mrs. Steele," Harve said in a grim tone. "And with everything he's gone through these last few months, an obsession like that could turn nasty." He looked around the empty hospital room, then went to the window. "You've really done it now, Tony."

###

In a dingy motel room, Tony redressed his wound, and changed into the clothing he'd found in a second hand place. Thank goodness he'd learned years ago to keep cash stashed in safe places just in case of a situation like this one. But it wasn't enough for what he needed to do. He grabbed the bottle of bourbon that he'd bought and took a long swig, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. He couldn't stay in LA long. They'd be looking for him. By now, his picture was probably up on every Post Office wall from here to San Francisco. And between here and Catalina.

Combing his mind, he began to think back over everyone he knew in the area who might be able to get access to a boat- or someone who could fly him out there.

Or someone who might be willing to help him- if he could convince her that he was sincerely sorry for everything he'd done…

###

Eileen finished reading her father's letter again, and was folding it when the telephone rang. Hoping that it might be Remington, having reconsidered and read his own letter, she answered it quickly. "Hello?"

"Hello, Aunt Eileen."

"Antony?" she sat down. "Are you all right? Remington told me that you-"

"That I was dead? My former employers wanted everyone to think that I was. But I'm fine. I need to talk to you. To apologize and try to explain-"

Eileen was wary of her late husband's nephew. "Really, Antony, after what you did- kidnapping Laura that way-"

"If you'll just let me explain, Aunt," Tony said again. "I know what I did was wrong. Look, I need your help. You've helped me out before-but I guess blood family comes first, doesn't it?"

He sounded so much like the lost little boy she remembered, that Eileen found herself suggesting, "Could you come here, Antony?"

"No. Come downstairs and get a cab, take it to Banker Street. The Villa Genoa Motel. Room 10. Thank you, Aunt Eileen. Hurry, will you? I really need to talk to you. To explain everything before I leave town."

"Leave town? Antony-"

"Just get here, okay? The Villa Genoa Motel on Banker, room 10."

"I'll be there," Eileen promised, wishing as she hung up that she had a number where she could reach Remington and Laura. But she did have another choice. Digging through her purse, she found a business card and dialed the number on it.

It took several rings before the other end was answered. "Hello?"

"I woke you, didn't I, Mildred? I'm sorry."

"Eileen?" a groggy Mildred asked. "Is something wrong?"

"I'm not certain. I need some advice…"

To Be Continued---


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Original content ©2000 by Nancy Eddy