Harry entered his apartment and picked up the phone - then hung it up again. Calling Laura wasn't a good idea, he decided. The last thing he needed was to drag her further into this mess. Unbuttoning his shirt, he moved toward the bedroom to take a quick shower while he formed a plan of action - only to stop when the doorbell rang - a long, angry ring.
Diverting to the door, he opened it to find Laura standing there. She pushed her way past him. "Are you okay?" she asked.
"I'm fine, Laura," he replied, closing the door and watching as she paced the room. "I appreciate the concern, but I'm surprised that you're here -"
She stopped pacing and whirled to look at him. "You were nearly killed tonight by a man who's already killed once today -"
That caused Harry to frown as he realized she knew that he'd been kidnapped by Guttmann. "What?"
"Achmed Khalil died in front of my house earlier. Obviously *Sherman* did something to him before trying to kidnap Daniel and getting you instead!"
Harry sat down heavily. "Khalil is dead? How?"
"I don't know. There weren't any wounds that I could see. But whatever it was, he was able to drive to my house before it happened."
"Your mother-?"
"She's fine. She's probably still cleaning my bathroom," Laura muttered, and Harry gave her a funny look, to which she shook her head and waved her hand in the air. "Long story. We called the police to report the body before going into that warehouse."
"You were there with Daniel?" he questioned.
"Yes. I was trying to figure out the best way to get you out of there when Daniel suddenly told me to stay put and stood up."
"Daniel went to you," he realized.
"Yes! He came to me after that goon kidnapped you. I can't believe that you just - left him there that way!"
"If I'd known about Khalil's death, I might not have," Harry admitted. "As it is, Guttmann isn't planning on allowing Daniel to live once he has the painting in his hands."
"So what are we going to do?" Laura wanted to know.
Harry sighed, and smiled his most charming smile. "Steal the painting, of course."
Laura's jaw dropped and her eyes widened. "Are you out of your *mind*??? We're supposed to *prevent* that kind of thing!"
"Laura, in case you've forgotten, Guttmann is holding Daniel hostage until we deliver the painting to him. Now, Daniel might not have been the best bloody father in the world, but he *is* my father," he declared. "And I'll be damned if I'm not going to do whatever I can to get him out of this mess."
"A mess he created," Laura pointed out, and quickly backed away when she realized it had been a mistake. "You're *not* going to steal that painting. I know you're worried about Daniel, Harry, but you have to think this through -"
"I *have* thought it through, Laura. Why do you think Daniel came to me in the first place?" he asked.
"Because he wanted you to help him steal it," Laura replied. "Daniel told me everything on the way to the warehouse," she explained. "And now he's getting *exactly* what he wanted: to lure you back into that life."
Harry sighed and shook his head. "Laura, I have no desire to - 'return to that life' as you put it. I'm more than content with my life as it is at the moment. But if my returning to that life for a brief moment can keep Daniel alive, then that's what I'll do. It's a two person job, but I'm not asking you to help me or become further involved - all I'm asking is that you not try to stop me."
"Daniel insisted that it's a two man- person job," Laura told him. "That's why he wanted your help. If he couldn't convince you, he was going to have to rely on Sherman for assistance, and he knew that it wouldn't go well."
Harry gave her a hopeful smile. "Then you'll -"
"Help you. It goes against my better judgment, and I know I'll probably never forgive myself, but I also know that my *mother* would never forgive me if something were to happen to Daniel and I didn't do what I could to stop it."
"Ah yes. Your mother *was* rather taken by Daniel, wasn't she? Almost as much as her daughter is taken by his son, perhaps?" he questioned, moving slightly closer.
"That remains to be seen," Laura replied with a return smile.
"Ah, well, I'll just have to keep trying, won't I?"
"I'm looking forward to it," she told him. "Now, what do we do first?"
"Rally the troops," he told her, moving to a note pad on the table beside the telephone to. "Arrange for Murphy and Bernice to be at the office first thing tomorrow morning," he told her as he wrote.
"Murphy and Bernice?"
"We're going to need supplies, Laura," he told her. "Rope, grappling hooks, electrical equipment--" He tore the paper from the pad and held it out for her to take.
"And here I thought you could do this with only your wits," she teased, glancing at the list. "What is *this*?" she asked, indicating the fourth item on the paper.
"Diversion," he told her, moving to open the door. "Off we go. I'll see you at the office at 7."
"Seven?" Laura repeated, clearly doubtful. "I thought you told me that you never get up before 9 unless it's unavoidable?"
"Apparently it is."
"I'll believe it when I see it," she informed him cheekily, touching his cheek with her fingers before leaving the apartment.
Harry watched her into the elevator, then returned to his apartment, glancing at his watch. "I wonder what time is it in Zurich?" he wondered aloud as he headed toward his office door.
It never hurt to have a back up plan in place…
=============================================
"*There* you are!" Abigail Holt said as Laura entered the house.
"Mother! What are you doing up so early?" Laura asked.
"Early?! I haven't been to *bed*! Are you aware that the police found a man dead in a car in front of your house???"
"A dead man?" Laura repeated with what she hoped was a guileless blink. "Really?"
"They said that they would be back later to talk to you about it since you're a private detective. They seemed to think that it might be connected to a case you might be on."
Laura sighed. Wonderful. Now she'd have to think of a lie to satisfy the police. First lying to the authorities and then stealing a painting. What had ever happened to her nice, orderly life, she wondered silently.
"What happened to Daniel?" Abigail wanted to know.
Laura refused to hesitate before answering. Any sign of hesitation, and her mother would pounce. "He's helping on our case," she lied easily. "That's why he came by last night. To give me a message from Mr. Steele." That was the truth, in a way.
"Just where *were* you all night?" her mother demanded to know.
"I was *working*, Mother," Laura said, moving toward her bedroom. "Now, if you don't mind, I need to make some phone calls, take a quick shower and change clothes."
"You're *not* going to rush out again after just getting home, are you? I mean, really, Laura. I came all this way to see you -"
Laura grabbed the phone, hoping that it would end the inquisition. Dialing Bernice's number, she waited forever it seemed before the receptionist answered. "Bernice, it's Laura . . . I know. I'm sorry. But I need you at the office in two hours . . . yes, I know it's Saturday, but it's important . . . Thanks." She hung up and then dialed another number. "Murphy - I hate to do this, since I know you were up all night, but I need to see you at the office in two hours."
"Can't it wait, Laura?" he wanted to know.
"No, it can't. I'll see you then."
Hanging up again, Laura started unfastening her blouse, ignoring her mother who was still hovering just inside the bedroom. "You're not going to leave without having breakfast, at least," Abigail insisted.
"I don't have time, Mother. I'll grab something on the way to the office."
She could feel the disapproval drilling into a spot between her shoulder blades as she finished undressing. Grabbing a robe to put on, she moved past her mother and went to the bathroom.
A hot shower sounded like the best remedy in the world for the tension that seemed to be overtaking her faster than a speeding semi-truck.
===============================================
"He's going to do *what*?" Murphy asked, his voice rising. "And you're *helping* him?"
"Murphy, it's the only way to gain Daniel's freedom," Laura pointed out as Bernice entered with a box marked "Good Morning Donuts".
"And you trust him?"
"Let me guess," Bernice interrupted, setting the box on her desk. "You're discussing *him*."
Murphy shook his head. "Damn it, Laura! You can't *do* this! It's illegal! You could lose your license if anyone catches you."
"Catches her doing what that's illegal?" Bernice wanted to know.
"Murphy, he knows what he's doing. He learned from Daniel -"
"Who obviously doesn't know what he's doing, since he failed the other night," Murphy reminded her.
"He *meant* to fail!" Laura insisted. "He knew that Mr. Coxworth would want added security, and then he could recommend the agency, knowing that Harry would find a way to take care of things."
Bernice, tired of being ignored, put two fingers in her mouth and blew loudly, causing the other two people in the room to finally acknowledge her presence by turning to actually *look* at her. "Okay, fill *me* in. I'm the latecomer here. All I've gathered so far is that Daniel Chalmers is back in town - and that he's asked Mr. Steele to do something on the shady side of things."
"Laura's gone crazy," Murphy told her. "He wants to steal the "Five Nudes of Cairo" from the museum tonight. And she's agreed to *help* him!"
"Is that true, Laura?" Bernice asked.
"Yes," Laura answered, expecting the moue of disapproval on the other woman's attractive face. "But the only reason I've agreed is because the man that was forcing Daniel to steal the painting is holding Daniel hostage until we bring it to him."
"I still say it's crazy," Murphy insisted, shaking his head.
"You know, Laura, he could be right," Bernice pointed out. "What if 'Harry' was in on it from the beginning?"
"He's *not* a thief," Laura said.
"Not anymore, you mean," Murphy interjected. "His record -"
"Look, if you'd rather not help, Murphy, I'll understand. You too, Bernice. Murphy's right: this could be dangerous for the agency. Maybe it's best if he and I do it alone." With that, she turned and headed toward her office.
"I never said I wouldn't help, Laura," Murphy declared, following her. "If you think I'm going to leave you to do this alone with him without watching your back, then you're worse off than I thought you were."
"What can we do to help?" Bernice asked, coming into the office with the box. Laura looked at it pointedly. Bernice put it onto the coffee table in the conference area of the room. "Pastries," she explained.
Before anyone else could say anything, Harry entered the office. "Excellent. Everyone's here. I hope you didn't mind the early wake up call, Murphy, considering that you were on duty at the museum all night last night."
"I haven't been to bed," Murphy informed him in a cool tone. "But I'll survive. I'm just surprised to see *you* this early."
"When the situation calls for it, I can manage to roll myself out of a sound sleep," Harry replied. He wasn't about to mention that *he* hadn't slept either. Concern for Daniel and for what he was planning to do had kept his eyes wide all night. "Now. I assume that Laura's brought you both up to speed on the events of last night?"
"Not fully," Bernice told him, opening the box she'd brought.
Harry smiled and inspected the pastries before picking one up. "Delightful idea."
"Tell me that Laura got it wrong and you're *not* planning on stealing the painting," Murphy said.
"Afraid I am, Murphy," he said as he chewed on the buttery croissant. "It's the only way I know to catch Guttmann and save Daniel."
"Guttmann will implicate him," Laura reminded Harry. "And you for the theft -"
"Perhaps. But at least Daniel will be alive and not dead," he countered. "Do you still have the list, Laura?" he asked.
She pulled it from her pocket. "Here."
Harry took it and gave it to Bernice. "A shopping list," he said. "I need every item on it - no matter how unusual."
Bernice scanned the writing, her eyes widening. "You've *got* to be kidding."
He pulled out a wad of money and held it out as well. "Pay for them with this. Less likely to draw attention using cash."
"And what am *I* supposed to do?"
Harry smiled broadly, putting an arm across the other man's shoulders. "Why, you're going to be our 'inside man', Murphy."
======================================
Bernice dropped them off near the building that night, still frowning as she watched Laura, wearing a black pair of tight slacks and black turtle neck sweater that matched Harry's attire, as she shouldered a back pack containing the items she had purchased from Harry's 'list'. "You're still going to go through with this, Laura?" she questioned.
Laura glanced at her friend. "What choice do we have? If we call the police, he'll kill Daniel before they get into the building."
"Come along, Laura," Harry called in a quiet voice. "Don't tarry."
She straightened, turning to follow him as Bernice drove away. "Let's do this," she told him, joining him near the back door. Without another word, Harry took out a grappling hook and expertly tossed it up and over the edge of the top of the building before attaching a clip on apparatus that enabled him to 'slide' up the rope that dangled before him.
Harry climbed up the rope to a metal box mid-way up the wall, opening it. A moment later, he looked down at her. "Go."
Laura moved to the door and held her breath as she opened it, releasing it as she realized that the alarm hadn't gone off as she'd feared. Maybe her "Mr. Steele" knew what he was doing after all, she realized. She waited for Harry to come back down the rope and join her in the doorway. "What now?" she asked as the door closed behind them.
He wasn't looking at her, instead his eyes were scanning the interior, nodding toward the end of the corridor where a security camera was moving in their direction - with no place to hide. "We hope that Murphy's done his part."
They waited, not moving, until the camera came to a stop in its scan - and remained that way. "Good man, Murphy," Harry murmured, motioning for Laura to follow him through the darkened hallway, until they got to a statue with a high pedestal which afforded them a hiding place between it and the wall.
"You're very good at this," Laura whispered, watching as he took a silver flask from his pocket.
"I'm not sure whether that's a compliment," Harry replied, pouring liquid into two small silver cups that he removed from the top of the flash.
"I'm beginning to see why Daniel does this kind of thing. And why you used to -"
"Only for a very brief time," Harry quickly corrected her. "And the rush doesn't last very long, I'm afraid."
"What a pity," Laura sighed, taking the cup from him. "What are we drinking to?"
"Intimacy," he answered. "Committing larceny together an excellent way to create true closeness between people." They tapped their cups together softly before drinking.
"Very nice vintage," she said, frowning when he emptied his cup and replaced it onto the flask before taking the back pack from her. "What -?"
"Time for our distraction," he told her, beginning to take the small, green, furry balls from the back and handing her a key in return for her cup. "Time to wind things up, Miss Holt," he said.
Laura rolled her eyes at his attempted pun, picking up the first 'creature'. "I still don't see how these are going to help us," she told him, putting the key into the bottom of the ball of fluff and winding it.
"Security guards are hesitant to report they're being invaded by tiny green monsters," he said, winding as well. "Besides, Murphy's waiting for the next signal. Without that, we can't possibly proceed."
Within moments, the hallway floor was nearly filled with tiny furry little green creatures rolling along, their springy 'eyes' bobbing up and down in a silly dance. "And now?" Laura wanted know as Harry picked up the backpack.
"We part company," he answered.
"What?" Laura questioned, suddenly concerned. "I don't think that's a good idea -"
"The alarm system around the painting is sensitive to body heat," he reminded her. "One person might be able to get in there without tripping it. Two wouldn't stand a chance." He smiled at her, leaning forward to slide a hand behind her neck and pull her close for a quick kiss. "Especially two people who generate as much heat as you and I seem to generate."
"But -"
"Stay here. I'll fetch you once I've got the painting."
"And if you're caught?" she suggested.
"Get the hell out of here through the closest exit -" he pointed toward the end of the hallway. "Down there and to the right, I believe." Another quick kiss, and he left her there to head down the corridor, keeping to the shadows.
He could hear security personnel talking as they discovered the 'invasion', but the sound only spurred him toward his goal.
At the doorway to the room where the painting was sitting, Harry paused and donned a pair of dark glasses - looking for any sign of light beams - there were none, which meant that the main alarm system was indeed down. Removing the glasses, he removed a small canister of compressed air, spraying it before him on the carpet runner that led from the door to the painting.
Upon reaching it, he took a moment to admire the work before saying, "Cover up, ladies. Wouldn't want to catch a chill," before he sprayed the frozen air on the edges of the painting - cooling it enough so that he could take a razor and cut the canvas out of the frame. Rolling it quickly, he slipped it into a black cover that he took from around his neck, hearing the sounds of guards coming closer . . .
Laura hid as the guards moved past her, knowing that if she didn't do something they would find Harry. So she crept out of her hiding place, only to come face to face with another guard - just as the alarm system came on again.
The guard grabbed her arm when she tried to move past him. "You're not going anywhere," he said, turning to look at his companion. "Go check on the painting, Michaels," he said, and Laura paled as her eyes met Murphy's.
Murphy backed away as another uniformed guard approached from down the corridor, his hat low over his eyes. "The painting's been stolen," he announced. "I saw someone running out the back door."
"After them," the guard holding onto Laura ordered Murphy and the other man - who both Laura and Murphy easily recognized as Harry. "I'll turn this one over to the police," he told them. When both men remained frozen in place, he barked, "Well go on! They're getting away!"
Even as she was half-dragged toward the other end of the corridor, Laura's eyes followed Murphy and Harry as they trotted away.
"We can't let them arrest Laura," Murphy insisted when they got outside of the building.
"She'll be fine until you get her released tomorrow morning," Harry assured him, stripping off the security guard uniform jacket.
"And just where are you going to be?" Murphy wanted to know.
"Saving Daniel," Harry replied evenly. "And I want to apologize in advance."
"Apologize? For what?"
"For this," Harry explained, bringing his fist into contact with Murphy's chin, snapping the other man's head around and sending him onto the pavement before Harry ran into the darkness just ahead of the police cars that were arriving at the front of the building.
=============================
"Thank God you're okay, Laura," Abigail said as she and Laura came out of the police station the next morning. She looked at her daughter with fear. "You *are* okay, aren't you? I mean, I've heard stories about women in prison -"
"I'm fine, Mother," Laura sighed, relieved as she saw Murphy approaching. "Any word?" she asked him.
"Nothing," he replied. "I tried to tell you -"
"I know," she answered. "I know. Let's go back to the office -"
Before she could say anything more, she was confronted by a furious Edward Coxworth. "There you are. I want - no, I *demand* an explanation, Miss Holt!"
"Mr. Coxworth, I *can* explain -"
"I should hope you can!"
Abigail grabbed Coxworth's arm. "You can't talk that way to her. Especially after all she's been through -"
"Who are you?" Coxworth wanted to know. "Another employee of Laura Holt Investigations, I assume?"
"Please, Mother," Laura begged, getting between the two of them.
"Your mother? You hired your mother?" Coxworth questioned in disgust.
Laura decided to ignore the comment. "I'm *very* sorry about all of this, Mr. Coxworth, and you have my word that we will do everything in our power to find your painting."
"I hope so, Miss Holt," Coxworth replied in a dark tone. "Or I'll make sure your license is revoked and that you never work as a private investigator again. At least Mr. Steele had the good sense not to be involved in this fiasco."
With those words, Edward Coxworth turned and stalked away, leaving Laura and Murphy to look at each other. "Do we have *any* leads?" she asked.
"What about the warehouse?" Murphy asked, aware that Abigail was still standing there as well.
Knowing that they couldn't very well drag her mother along to check out the warehouse, Laura shook her head. "Let's go back to the office first. Maybe he's there by now." She ignored Murphy's sigh of frustration at her determination to give Harry the benefit of the doubt on this one.
"Are you *sure* you're okay, Laura?" Abigail asked, catching up to her. "You're not even going to explain why you were in jail?"
"It involves a case, Mother," Laura said, feeling her jaw muscles tightening. "I can't discuss it."
Abigail stopped a foot from the car. "How am I ever going to understand what you do, Laura, if you can't *tell* me about it?"
Laura lifted her eyes toward the sky and opened the back door of Murphy's car. "Get into the car, Mother."
"Laura -"
Laura turned to look at her. "Mother, I'm tired, and dirty, and I'm fighting for my professional future. Once this is finished, I promise to explain everything, okay? Now, please, just - get into the car."
Abigail's eyes narrowed slightly, but she did as Laura requested, her expression clearly that of a long-suffering mother who would *never* understand her child.
=====================================
Once at the office, Laura wasn't really surprised that Harry wasn't there. Leaving her mother at the front desk to 'answer phones', more an excuse to occupy her than anything else, she and Murphy went into her office, where she headed directly to the connected bath and began to wash some of the jail house grime from her face.
"What next, Laura?" Murphy questioned, leaning against the open doorframe as he watched her.
"I'm sure that he's at the warehouse - probably making a trade for Daniel's life. I just don't understand why he went alone. He knows that Guttmann's already killed once -"
"He didn't kill Khalil, Laura," Murphy corrected her.
"What?" she dropped the towel she'd been using to turn and look at him.
"I got word just before going to the jail to get you: Khalil died of a heart attack."
"Did he have a history of heart problems?"
"Not that anyone knew about. But you can't blame Guttmann for causing it -"
"Daniel told me that Guttmann had plans to contact Khalil and was going to try to 'convince' him to help in their little plan."
"Since when have you trusted Daniel Chalmers, Laura?" Murphy questioned. "At the least, he's a conman/thief. Have you considered that he and Guttmann just might be in this together?"
Laura frowned. "What?"
"Chalmers tried to steal the painting and failed. What better way to 'convince' Harry to steal it for him than to be 'kidnapped' and held for 'ransom'? Chalmers knows that Harry wouldn't let anything happen to him. He strikes me as the kind of guy who wouldn't hesitate to use that to his own advantage."
Laura knew he was right. "All the more reason why we need to go and find Harry," she reminded him, moving past him back into the office.
But he grabbed her arm to get her full attention. "You're sure that Harry's not involved as well?"
"If he was, then why involve us, Murphy?" she wanted to know. "I'm sure that Harry believes that the only way to save Daniel's life was to steal that painting and trade it for him." Seeing Murphy's doubt, Laura covered his hand on her arm with her fingers. "Since Harry became 'Remington Steele', he's never tried to 'con' us for his own gain, has he, Murphy?"
Murphy took a deep breath. "No," he had to admit. "Okay. We'll go find him. I just hope that he wasn't right about Guttmann's plans for Daniel."
"So do I," Laura agreed.
They convinced Abigail to stay at the office, waiting for either Mr. Steele or Daniel to call in with their location, and went downstairs to retrieve Murphy's car. As they exited the elevator into the dimly lit parking garage, Laura was surprised when someone appeared out of the darkness and hit Murphy over the head, sending him to floor.
Her instinct for self-preservation kicked in, and Laura ran, heading toward the few parked cars, hoping to find a place to hide. She could hear the man behind her and ducked between two cars, crouching to go toward the back wall. Peering cautiously over the hood through the windows, she saw a shadowed yet familiar face: Sherman, Felix Guttmann's muscle.
After a moment, she decided to risk heading back toward the elevator and Murphy, hoping that he would have recovered enough that they would be able to get away together. But just as she reached Murphy, Sherman reappeared, grabbing her from behind and placing a cloth over her mouth.
Laura inhaled in surprise - and regretted it as she smelled ether and couldn't fight the effects of the powerful drug.
===================================
Across town, Harry was back hanging on a hook beside Daniel, who was looking slightly the worse for wear, he thought. Guttmann stood nearby, a gun in his hand as he paced back and forth, glancing occasionally in the direction that Sherman had gone not too long ago.
"Once Sherman returns with your associate, I'm sure you'll
reconsider, Mr. Steele," he said.
The sound of a car horn preceded the metal outer door opening
to admit the white van. "Ah. Sherman's back. We should be
able to end our delightful tete a tete very soon."
As Guttmann turned away to greet Sherman, Daniel leaned closer to Harry. "If he's got Linda, Harry -"
"*Laura*," Harry corrected sotto voce.
"You *have* to give them the painting," Daniel insisted. "It's the only way to get us all out of this mess."
"And what makes you think he'll let us live once he *has* the bloody painting, eh, Daniel?" Harry questioned, seeing the fear flicker across his father's face. Hearing the doors open on the van, Harry's gaze moved to watch with worried eyes as Sherman lifted Laura's limp body from the back of the vehicle. His concern faded slightly when he heard her moan.
"She's waking up," Sherman warned the other man.
"Make sure she's tied up," Guttmann told him, moving back to where Harry and Daniel were still hanging. Taking the control, he lowered yet another hook, causing Harry to wonder how many of them there were available.
Once Sherman placed her hands on the hook, Guttmann raised it until Laura's feet were barely on the floor. Her head lolled to one side and she coughed. "Laura?" Harry questioned softly. She opened her eyes and blinked at him. Worried that she might inadvertently give away their little 'secret', Harry spoke again. "It's Remington. Are you okay?"
"Rem-?" she repeated, and he saw her eyes clearing slightly as she caught sight of Daniel. "Mr. Steele. Where -" she stopped, looking around until she saw Guttmann and Sherman. "The warehouse."
"Welcome, Miss Holt," Guttmann said. "And now that you're here - perhaps *you* can convince Mr. Steele to tell us where he hid the painting he promised me."
"There is the other option that I mentioned, Guttmann," Harry reminded him.
"Ah, yes. The offer of regaining the money owed to me by your friend," Guttmann mused.
"Plus any money you would have gotten from the sale of the painting," Harry added.
"I somehow can't see you having access to the kind of money that I could get from the painting, Mr. Steele."
"You'd be surprised," Harry muttered. "In my left pocket is a slip of paper with two numbers. If you call the first one, the person at the other end will confirm the second and the amount deposited in your name."
He could see the small eyes of the man as he considered the deal, and bit back a groan of frustration when Guttmann shook his head in refusal. "My buyer for the painting won't be very happy if I tell him that I don't have it. So I'm afraid it's the painting or -" he turned to Sherman, who began to screw a silencer onto the end of his pistol.
"Okay," Harry said quickly when the barrel was pointed toward Laura. "I'll send for it."
"Send for it?"
Harry shrugged, ignoring the pain in his aching shoulders. "I can't very well go to retrieve it, can I? - and do you really trust Sherman to follow my directions and bring it back to you?"
"I'm not a very trusting man, Mr. Steele, as you've no doubt noticed."
"Indeed. One telephone call to the office, and our associate Mr. Michaels will deliver the painting within the hour."
Laura finally lifted her head to glare at him. "The *office*?"
"Seemed the best place at the time," he told her. "Well, Guttmann?"
"A phone, Sherman," Guttmann ordered.
"A phone?"
"Now, Sherman," Guttmann said, sounding at the end of his patience with the younger man.
Laura lowered her voice. "You hid the painting in the office?"
"Trust me, Laura," Harry begged. "I know what I'm doing."
"Like when you left me in the museum and I ended up in jail?"
"I can explain, but now isn't the best time - Once Murphy gets here -"
"That - circus freak knocked Murphy out," Laura told him. "He's probably got a concussion - if he's even back in the office at all -"
Harry saw her eyes widen. "What?"
"Mother's there. I told her to wait!"
"Oh dear," Daniel sighed.
"This is all *your* fault," Laura accused him. "If you hadn't come to Los Angeles to steal that painting -"
"I know, my dear. And I'm heartily sorry about it -"
"Got it!" Sherman called out, appearing with a telephone, the line running across the floor into the darkness. He held the phone out to Harry, who simply lifted his eyebrow in a silent question.
"He can't dial the thing, Sherman," Guttmann pointed out. "What's the number?" he asked Harry, who gave it to him.
Sherman dialed the phone, and then held the receiver to Harry's ear. "Laura Holt Investigations," Abigail answered. "Although, there's really no one here -"
"Abigail, it's Mr. Steele. Is Murphy about by chance?"
"No - he's not. He and Laura took off to find someone I think. Is Daniel with you?" she asked.
"Yes," Harry confirmed, glancing at Daniel as he spoke. "He's a bit - tied up at the moment, however. Could I ask a favor, Abigail?"
"Of course."
"Could you go into Laura's office and look behind the sofa? There's a long cylinder there . . . Don't open it." He waited, looking at Laura. "She's gone to get it . . ."
"I have it," Abigail informed him.
"Good girl. Now, could you go down to the parking garage and locate Murphy and ask him to bring the cylinder to us? I'll give you the address if you'd like to write it down."
"Let me find a pencil . . ."
Guttmann was looking very displeased at the length of the conversation, and Harry said, "Abigail, be quick about it, please. I'm not certain how much longer I'll be able to keep the line."
"I have one," she announced, and took down the address. "I'll go find Murphy," she told him.
"Good. Thank you, Abigail."
Sherman hung up the phone.
"Now we wait," Guttmann told them.
"I hope you've learned something from all this, Daniel," Harry said.
"Oh, I have," Daniel assured him. "I have. No more placing bets on a whim. From now on, it's only sure things."
Harry sighed, lifting his eyes upward, leaning closer to Laura. "Are you okay? Sherman didn't hurt you did he?"
"No," she replied.
"You've been awfully quiet -"
"Like you said, this isn't the place to talk."
"No," he agreed, aware of their captors not too far away. "But I *can* explain. I just hope we have the chance to discuss it. After what happened to Khalil -"
"Khalil had a heart attack," she explained. "He wasn't murdered."
"Oh."
=============================
"Laura? Are you here?"
"Mother!" Laura called out, obviously worried upon hearing her mother's voice. She was clearly disturbed that Murphy hadn't come to the warehouse. "Don't come any further! Just leave the package -"
"What? Laura, I can't -" Abigail continued, appearing in the cleared space with the cylinder in her hand.
Seeing the prize within his grasp, Guttmann grabbed the package from her. "Give that to me!" he ordered, moving to one side and opening it as Abigail sputtered.
"How rude! You didn't have to grab it -"
Guttmann removed the end of the package and pulled out the rolled contents. Opening it, he began to shake upon seeing that instead of the Five Nudes, it was the blue prints for the Gallery. "What is this?" he demanded of poor Abigail, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her.
"Don't touch her!" Laura cried out, struggling against the hook that held her hands over her head.
Suddenly everything seemed to happen at once. Murphy appeared out of nowhere and sent Sherman to the ground with the butt of the agency's gun - grabbing the control for the hooks, which he lowered to free the three prisoners.
Guttmann, caught off guard, fumbled for his own gun, only to have Daniel pick it up as he freed his hands from the ropes and point it at the large man's head. "Daniel's an excellent shot, Guttmann," Harry informed him smoothly as Laura rushed to check on Abigail.
"Are you okay, Mother?" she asked.
"I'm fine, dear," Abigail said, smiling brightly. "And I *finally* understand what it is you do!"
Abigail moved over to check on Daniel, who looked slightly worse for wear after his adventure, leaving Laura to join Harry.
"Where is the painting?!" Guttmann roared, furious.
"In safe hands," Harry assured him. "Now, you're down to that other option, I believe. With that kind of money, you should be able to avoid the buyer you mentioned." He picked up the phone and dialed a number, taking the slip of paper he'd mentioned earlier from his pocket.
Holding the receiver out to Guttmann, he said, "It's for you."
Guttmann took the paper and confirmed the account number - and the amount that the account contained as his eyes grew almost as wide as his girth. Once he handed the phone back to Harry, he said, "It would seem that I have no choice but to accept your generous offer, Mr. Steele."
Harry hung up the phone. "There is *one* condition to my generosity, however."
Guttmann's suspicious glare returned. "Condition?"
"You will only be able to access the funds once you leave Los Angeles. And if anything happens to *any* of us -" he included himself, Laura, Daniel, Abigail, and Murphy in a sweep of his hand, "- then your access to the funds will vanish as quickly as it appeared."
The large man took a long breath before nodding. "Very well, Mr. Steele. You go your way, and Sherman and I will go ours."
They saw Guttmann and Sherman into the van, and watched it disappear down the street before Laura turned to look at Harry. "Okay, where *is* the painting?"
====================================
"Where *is* my painting, Mr. Steele?" Edward Coxworth demanded the moment Harry, Laura and Murphy entered the museum. Abigail had insisted that she and Daniel should wait in the limo after the "poor man's ordeal". Much to Laura's chagrin, Daniel had eaten the attention up.
Harry smiled at the now familiar question and led the small party toward the room from which he had stolen the painting. Waiting until all eyes were on him, Harry lifted the lid from a metal urn and reached inside to retrieve a long cylindrical package, which he presented to Coxworth with a slight flourish. "Your painting, sir."
Coxworth removed the black cover and unrolled the canvas to examine it before handing it to an assistant. "Get this into a frame. I think we can *just* make the opening!" Turning to Harry, he said, "Thank you, Mr. Steele. I won't begin to understand your methods, but they apparently worked."
"Thank you. And I can assure you that your painting will be safe from the people who wanted to steal it."
"Excuse me," Coxworth said, moving away, leaving Murphy and Laura shaking their heads.
"It was *here* all the time?" Laura asked Harry.
"If I'd removed it from the premises, then I would have actually been stealing it, Laura."
"But I thought that's what you *planned* to do?" Murphy asked.
"No. I just wanted everyone to *think* I'd stolen it," Harry clarified. "Besides, I didn't want to steal the thing. The painting's got a bloody curse on it."
"Ah," Murphy nodded, clearly still not certain about Harry's motives, following them out of the museum and back to the limo.
As they got inside, Laura was surprised when her mother said, "Laura, dear, I know that I came out here to visit you, but - well, I hope you don't mind, but - Daniel's asked me to go to the South of France with him, and -"
Laura's eyes widened. "The South of France?"
"I'm at a loose end at the moment," Daniel explained defensively. "And your mother is *so* charming -"
Laura rolled her eyes as Abigail giggled - and glared at Murphy's smothered laugh, which caused him to turn back toward the front of the car - since he was sitting in the front seat of the vehicle. She turned to look at Harry, silently pleading with him to do something. "Almost as charming as her daughter," Harry agreed with Daniel, and Laura noticed that the smile was gone from Murphy's face. "Too bad I couldn't convince Laura to steal away to make it a 'double date' as it were- umph!" he grunted as she lifted her foot and managed to kick him in the shin. "Of course," he continued, reaching down to rub the affected area, "we're far too busy at the moment with murder and mayhem and the like."
Seeing that he wasn't going to help, Laura turned to her mother. "Mother, are you *sure* about doing this?"
"Of course I am, dear," Abigail assured her quickly. "You know how I've always wanted to visit Europe. And I'm sure that Daniel will be a perfectly *wonderful* guide."
"I'll do my best, dear lady," Daniel said, taking her hand and kissing it.
=============================
Two hours later, Harry stood with a still unsure Laura waving to Abigail and Daniel as they boarded a flight back to the east coast, where Abigail was going to pick up her passport before they headed out to France.
As the older couple disappeared around the corner, Harry placed his hands on Laura's tense shoulders. "You're worried."
She lifted her head to look up at him. "Yes. You've said yourself that Daniel can be more than little -"
"Irresponsible?" Harry suggested.
"Exactly. The idea of my mother ending up stranded in the South of France because he decides to run a con with her in tow -"
"She might enjoy it," Harry suggested, tongue firmly in cheek. But when Laura turned to face him, he lifted his hands in a defensive gesture. "I'm only saying that perhaps it's time you let your mother live her life, Laura, that's all. You were so terrified at the idea that she would come here for a visit - and now you're furious that she might have found someone whose company she enjoys."
"Is that what I'm doing? I thought I was being a good daughter and trying to keep my mother from falling for a con man/jewel thief and who knows what else?"
As she leaned in toward him, Harry took the opportunity to slide his arms around her and pull her closer. "I might have overstated Daniel's exploits in a moment of pique," he acknowledged. "He's really a rather harmless old man, looking for a pot of gold that's always just beyond the next rainbow. I think he'll be on his very best behaviour with your mother - 'in tow' as you so colorfully put it."
"I hope so. Because if he hurts her -"
"He'll answer to you as soon as I've finished with him," Harry assured her quietly. "Now that that's settled, what are the chances of my convincing you to sneak away to London with me for a few days?"
Laura gave him one of her patented looks that always preceded a refusal of his invitation, so Harry sighed deeply.
"Very well, then. How about a nice, quiet dinner and a movie, Miss Holt?"
"Now *that* I can take you up on, Mr. Steele."
The End
Stayed tuned for more exploits of Laura Holt and Lord Harry
aka Remington Steele