Jewel of Steele

Part Four

by Dixie-Ann Belle

 

A Remington Steele Round Robin
copyright 1998 by the Remington Steele Chatboard

DISCLAIMER: This story is purely a work of fiction and is in no way associated with REMINGTON STEELE, MTM, the actors...yaddah, yaddah, yaddah...we all know the drill. This is purely a bit of fun for the latenight RS Chatboard crowd.

Laura turned on her heel and marched out of the office.

"Laura! Laura wait!"

 

She ignored Remington. Once she reached the outer office she hesitated then burst through her own door.

 

"Miss Holt. " Mildred's voice rang with concern. "Miss Holt, you okay?"

 

She would have slammed her door behind her if Remington's hand was not there to stop it. He stood in the doorway a moment reassuring Mildred then shut the door behind him.

 

Laura was standing at the window with her back to him.

 

"Laura, I-."

 

"What is he doing here?"

 

"Laura he needs our help."

 

"The heck he does. How dare he? And you - How could you keep something like this from me? I thought there were no more secrets between us." She was rambling on, she knew it but it was the best way to give vent to her feelings. She could either yell or cry.

 

"I'll tell you why because I did not want to shock you. I knew it would cut you up like this. I didn't want to hurt you more than necessary."

 

Laura knew. She put her head in her hands.

 

"Oh, love," Remington whispered. "I'm so sorry.I did not know who he was until he told me himself. He felt he had to when I kept talking about bringing you into the case. I didn't know what else to do.I thought I could convince him after a while but Laura, honestly, he needs our help."

 

Laura raised her head, a determined expression on her face."Then there's just one thing to do."

 

He was still in the office his face pale. He jumped nervously to his feet as they entered.

 

"I'm sorry about that Mr. Holt, "said Laura briskly. "I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you to go over your story again. Mr. Steele and I are a team and it's essential that we work together."

 

Her father looked bewildered."Laura I-"

 

"Please Mr. Holt, "she interrupted him coldly. "This is business. Whatever our past problems were we will have to put them aside for the moment."

 

Her voice was firm. Carlton Holt glanced at Steele uncertainly then took a deep breath. "Very well Laura if that's what you want. Did Mr. Steele tell you..."

 

"The gist of it but I think you had better explain it again in your own words."

 

He took a deep breath, "It's almost unbelievable I guess. I was in Ireland a while ago on business.I have - had, a friend who has a house there - Phillip Raymond. He had done me a few favours in the past and we got together sometimes. He even invited me to stay with him while I was in Ireland but he was too far away from the city, I stayed at a hotel."

 

"This friend, " said Laura, "did you know much about his line of business?"

 

"Not much. I knew he dealt with valuables, sold things to museums and the like but I didn't really know anything more. Raymond was a kind of reticent man. I was probably his closest friend and I still did not know him very well."

 

"He invited me to dinner one night so I drove over to his house - an out of the way place in the country. His car was in the driveway and every light in the house was blazing. I rang the bell but no one answered and I was thinking of leaving but it seemed...all wrong somehow. I couldn't leave without making sure everything was alright when I saw the French doors of his study were open - I went in."

 

"That's when you found him dead?"

 

Visibly shaken Carlton Holt nodded."The paramedics said he had a massive heart attack. He was just sitting there in his chair his eyes wide, with this... horrible expression on his face."

 

He faltered a moment, then continued in a stronger voice. "I called the police at once and the ambulance took him away. As they lifted him there was one thing I noticed then that I only really thought of later. He had three small scratches on his neck, tiny ones - I never thought anything was so strange about it until later...

 

"You can imagine I was a bit shaken but I was not worried.The police said it was an accident I never thought of....of murder.

 

"I went home to my hotel, everything was quiet in my room. Nothing was disturbed. I was just pouring myself a drink when the next thing I knew someone had a gun pressed to my head."

 

He shuddered. Remington glanced at Laura. She could not keep the concern she felt for her father out of her face but she only said quietly, "What did you do?"

 

"What do you think? I started asking if it were a robbery but she told me to shut up."

 

"What did she look like?" Laura asked.

 

"I don't know.I could tell it was a woman by the voice and her shape though I could barely see that.I couldn't turn my head and she was wearing a hood of some kind. She was tall I guess and slim but that's about it.

 

"She started asking questions about jewels, about where they were, where I had hidden them."

 

"Did you know what she was talking about?"

 

"No! I told her so, but it seemd Raymond told her I did before she killed him, so of course she didn't believe me." Holt's mouth was grim. "She admitted she killed him and that she was going to do the same to me. She said the police would never know. There was no bluffing about it. She was going to murder me like she did Raymond, however she managed to make him have a heart attack.The gun was to keep me quiet in case I acted up. It's a miracle I got out of there alive."

 

"But how - ?"

 

"The sink in my bathroom was acting up. I mentioned it to the clerk before I left and he sent someone to fix it. He thought I wouldn't be back until the next day. I had planned to spend the night at Raymond's house and I did not check at the desk when I came in. The maid walked right in with the repairman.That woman knew what she was doing. She was out on my balcony in a flash. When I actually got the nerve to go out there later there was nothing, no sign of her or anything."

 

He looked at Remington and Laura with a kind of fearful wonder. "I was five stories up. All I found was this."

 

He handed Laura a small card. She frowned at it. It was a small white piece of cardboard, business card size, with a picture of a black glove on it. She turned it over but there was nothing, no print, nothing more.

 

"Why didn't you go to the police?" Despite her own emotions, her detective instincts were already kicking in.The case was certainly intriguing.

 

"I was going to then I thought of showing that to a friend of mine, a retired police dispatcher and he told me - that it was the mark of a jewel theft ring, a big one." The enormity of his danger made him shudder even as he spoke. "The police have never been able to finger them. They hardly know anything about them except they're one of the most efficient in the world and that they have ties in almost every country in the world, Ireland, Africa, the Bahamas....They're also known to kill expeditiously and leave no trace.He advised me to get out of Ireland and I did. My business was done, fortunately, and I was up for vacation time anyway.

 

"I didn't know what else to do." He covered his head in his hands."I mean, you expect to see this kind of thing on T.V shows, but not in real life. Raymond must have told them that I had the jewels to save his skin. Now I'm mixed up in it."

 

He looked up at them helplessly, "If you don't help me..."He took in a shuddering breath and continued in a stronger tone."I came to Remington Steele investigations because I heard that Steele had ties with Ireland and I thought he might be able to help." Holt looked at his hands."I did not know you were part of the organization, Laura, until I had begun to make inquiries."

 

"Do you know anything about this?" she asked Remington, holding the card out to him.

 

He looked meaningfully at her."I think I can dig something up if I check around."

 

She nodded, he would tell her what he couldn't say before her father later."Mr. Holt, we'll take the case but I don't think it will be safe for you at a hotel."

 

Both men looked at her in some surprise. You mean - " said Holt.

 

"You can stay at Mr. Steele's old apartment," said Laura firmly. "Hopefully, it's the last place anyone looking for you will go. Don't go back to your hotel we'll get the limo to drive you over. We'll keep in touch."

 

He stood up slowly. Already he looked a little relieved having told his story.

 

"Thank you Laura," he said quietly."I should have known you would help."

 

Laura merely nodded, clearly unable to speak for a moment.

 

"You're sure you don't want to go home, love, " said Remington taking her arm.

 

"I'm fine, " she told him.

 

Something in the way he spoke made Carlton Holt look at them as if some new idea were dawning on him.He blurted out the question almost before he could stop himself.

 

"Home? Are you two - ? "

 

"Married?" said Steele, smiling sheepishly. "Yes, for three months now. I didn't think of it before. I guess we're related, Mr. Holt"

 

"Laura..." her father faltered. "I didn't know."

 

Laura paused at he door and looked at him, tears standing in her eyes."There are a lot of things you don't know about me. Daddy," she said and walked away.

 

********

 

Remington walked quietly into his bedroom and found Laura looking out their window with her arms wrapped around herself as if to ward off cold. He gazed at her a moment, unable to say anything. Then he came up behind her, put his arms around her and buried his face in her neck. Laura leaned against him glad of the support.

 

"I'm sorry," he said at last, his voice muffled.

 

"About what?" she asked turning her head a little toward him.

 

He raised his head to look at her, his blue eyes intent. "I don't know - about everything."

 

Laura shook her head. "I shouldn't have yelled earlier. It's absurd to even think you could have helped it."

 

"But I am sorry you had to face this. I almost felt like yelling myself when he told me who he was. I wanted to ask him where he'd been all those years. Then I thought of ..Daniel. Laura you have to talk to him if only to give him a chance to explain himself."

 

"I know...I will. I promise."

 

"Splendid."A grin suddenly spread over his face."He has to know eventually that he has a grandchild on the way."

 

"He couldn't beat Mildred for congratulations though, " smiled Laura.

 

"Have you ever seen her so excited?"

 

"Never.But you know Mildred. She's been mothering us for all these years. She's practically our child's grandmother."

 

She smiled at the thought and they stood for a moment gazing out of the window.

 

When he spoke again his voice was serious."About your father... I didn't mention it before. I didn't want to frighten him more than he was already, but that organization that has targeted him..."

 

Laura turned completely around to face him."What?"

 

"He was right about them being dangerous they're one of the most notorious people in the world. They specialize in precious stones, smuggling, thefts, but they're also very efficient assassins."

 

"How do you know that? The police didn't seem to-"

 

"I'm an ex-thief remember?

 

"The criminal world knows more than the police ever could.But even among the 'underworld,' no one knows much about the Hand."

 

"The Hand?"

 

"That's what people call them.You mention that word to any jewel thief you'll get a reaction. They are known to kill anyone who gets in their way.

 

"They even tried to get me to join once. They're always on the lookout for new blood but I refused. Once you get in with them, there's usually no way of getting out. That's probably what happened to that snake, Phillip. He tried to save his own hide by telling the killer your father had what they wanted. She believed him....but she killed him anyway. They're that ruthless, Laura."

 

"And now they're after Daddy."

 

"I'm afraid so.The question is, what do we do now?"

To be continued...

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