Matched Steele

Part One

"I *still* say that you shouldn't have taken a chance like that, Laura," the man known as Remington Steele said as he and his associate, Laura Holt, entered the offices of Remington Steele Investigations. "The man might have killed you -"

 

"What was I supposed to do?" Laura asked. "Just stand there and let him shoot you?"

 

Mildred Krebbs, the agency's receptionist/operative in training/mother figure looked concerned. "What's going on?"

 

"Nothing, Mildred," Laura assured her. "I think Mr. Steele's a little upset that I solved the case before he did, that's all."

 

"That has nothing to do with it, Laura," Remington insisted. "I'm simply concerned-"

 

Mildred shook her head. "Excuse me," she interrupted, "but- you've got a visitor. He's waiting in your office."

 

Remington took a step toward the door, but Laura caught up with him. "Together, Mr. Steele, remember? We're a team?"

 

He paused only a step before opening the door and allowing her to enter ahead of him. She stopped just inside the door, almost causing him to run into her. "Laura, what-"

 

"Harry, my boy," the visitor said, smiling as he came forward, hand outstretched. "You're looking very well."

 

"Daniel." Harry embraced his mentor with delight, moving around a statue like Laura to do so.

"Why didn't you let me know you were coming for a visit?"

 

"That's a very good question," Laura agreed. The last thing she needed was for Daniel Chalmers to pull his former partner in crime into a con.

 

Daniel turned that smile on Laura. "Really, my dear Laura. Such a suspicious nature shouldn't hide behind such a lovely exterior." He moved a step closer to take her hand and lift it to his lips as he bowed. Laura blinked, surprised by the compliment. "I simply felt the need to visit Harry and you. I shan't be here long - and I've made reservations for dinner at Che Rive - I hope you'll both agree to be my guests -"

 

Remington looked at Laura. "Laura?"

 

Curious as to what Daniel's game was, Laura found herself agreeing. "I don't have any other plans for the evening," she said.

 

"Excellent. I'll leave you to your work, then, and I'll meet you at the restaurant at seven."

 

"I'll see you at the apartment, Daniel," Remington said, but Daniel shook his head.

 

"I've already booked into a hotel," he assured the younger man. "I don't want to impose-"

 

"Impose? Nonsense. I insist-."

 

Daniel took a deep breath. "I've already made the arrangements, Harry, but I appreciate the offer." He bowed once more to Laura, then quickly brought a handkerchief to his mouth as he coughed.

"Los Angeles smog," he explained, then smiled again. "I'll see both of you at seven. Don't be late."

 

They heard him tell Mildred goodbye as he passed her on his way out of the offices. "I wonder what he's up to?" Laura questioned aloud.

 

"Really, Laura," Remington said, sounding very much like the man who had just left. "Why does he have to be *up* to anything? Why can't he simply be here on a visit, as he says he is?"

 

"Because Daniel Chalmers *always* has an angle, Mr. Steele, and you know that as well as I do. He's going to try to convince you to help him con someone - and you'll go running off with him -"

 

Remington moved to turn her to face him. "Not this time. *If* he's here for that reason, he's going to be disappointed. I'm not going to risk the last four years on one of Daniel's cons, Laura."

 

"We'll see, Mr. Steele," Laura said, moving toward her office. "We'll see."

 

Remington went out to Mildred. "Did Daniel say anything to you, Mildred?"

 

"About what, Chief?" she asked.

 

"Why he was in Los Angeles? Did he ask you any questions?"

 

Mildred frowned, shaking her blonde head. "Nope. And believe me, I asked. Well, he *did* ask me one question."

 

"And what was that?"

 

"How you and Miss Holt were getting along these days."

 

"I see," Remington said, playing with a pencil. "And what did you tell him?"

 

"That I never know *what's* going on with the two of you from one day to the next," she answered truthfully. "Keeping up with this thing between you and Miss Holt is like living in the eye of a hurricane. I never know what's going on."

 

He grinned. "Believe me, Mildred, once Laura and I figure it out, you'll be the first to know.

Tapping the desk with the pencil, he returned to his office and began making some calls. If Daniel *was* "up to something", as Laura had put it, he'd prefer to know what it was before Laura found out so he could put a stop to it before it got out of hand.

 

**********

 

Claude, maitre'd of Che Rive, greeted Remington and Laura with a welcoming smile. "Miss Holt, Mr. Steele." He glanced at the reservation list. "I do not have a reservation for you, m'sieur-"

 

"We're meeting someone else, Claude," Remington explained. "Daniel Chalmers."

 

Claude smiled again, signaling his approval. "Ah, of course. I should have known. This way, if you please." He led them through the tables to where Daniel was standing, waiting, having seen them arrive. Claude remained for a moment to take Laura's wrap and then vanished.

 

Daniel maneuvered things so that Laura was sitting between himself and Harry in the padded booth.

"I was beginning to think you had changed your mind," he admonished them as he poured glasses of champagne.

 

"Traffic was atrocious," Remington apologized. Lifting his glass, he said, "What shall we drink to?"

 

"How about- the future?" Daniel suggested.

 

"To the future," Remington agreed, touching his glass to Daniel's, then looking at Laura.

 

"The future," Laura echoed, raising her glass as well. "Why the sudden decision to visit, Daniel?" she asked as the waiter arrived to take their order. Once he was gone, Laura turned her curious gaze to her left again.

 

"I suppose your suspicion of me is entirely my own fault," he sighed. "But believe me, my dear, when I say that the only reason I have for being here now is to simply spend some time with Harry and with you. I've decided to take things easier- retire, as it were -"

 

"I think I've heard this before," was Laura's comment as she turned the long stemmed glass in her fingers. "It was the reason we helped you get rid of Hoskins, wasn't it? And then you were going to help the Duke's cousin find the heir to his estate-?"

 

"Which I did, by the way -" he pointed out. "The new duke is ensconced on the family estate with his cousin by his side assisting him."

 

"And I won't even mention your little scheme to rob the Earl of Claridge that very nearly got him killed - when you *knew* that the man might have been Mr. Steele's father-"

 

Remington paused as he lifted his glass to take a drink. "Laura-" he began, but Daniel shook his head.

 

"As a matter of fact, that little fiasco turned out to be quite fortuitous for me."

 

"How?" Laura wanted to know.

 

"Really, Daniel?"

 

"The Earl hired me as his Chief of Security. I'm really here on holiday. When I return to London, it's back to the old grindstone, I'm afraid," he said with a decidedly put upon sigh.

 

Laura gave him a look of patent disbelief. "*You*, as Chief of Security for the Earl of Claridge? That's like asking the fox to guard the hen house," she commented.

 

"No more so than Harry's being a world famous private detective," Daniel countered.

 

"But he's got someone to keep him on the straight and narrow," Laura pointed out.

 

"That's true. I haven't had someone who cared about me as you do about Harry to watch over me, to make sure I'm not tempted to return to my former ways."

 

Laura blinked, taking a quick drink of her wine and sitting back. He'd done it again, she thought as the waiter placed her food before her. He'd given her another compliment. The second in one day. Remington picked up his fork. "How is the Earl doing, Daniel?"

 

"He's quite well now," Daniel said. "He did give us a bit of a scare about a month ago -"

 

"What sort of scare?" Remington asked, frowning.

 

"A mild heart attack," Daniel explained, and seeing Remington's concern, he hastened to ask, "He was out of hospital quickly- and the doctors seem to think that it was simply a warning and have taken the appropriate measures." He cleared his throat, and took a long drink of water. "He sent his regards, by the way."

 

Remington toyed with his glass as Laura asked, "Has he had any luck in locating his son?"

 

Daniel's eyes were sad as he answered. "Alas, no. I've put the word out- even hired a London agency to no avail. I'm afraid that the Earl has about given up on ever finding Sean." He sat back, his eyes not quite looking at the younger man. "Did you really believe that the Earl might be your father, Harry?" he asked, and Laura heard something in his tone that made her look at him.

 

"All the evidence indicated that he was," Remington said. "But his son's eyes were brown, not blue."

 

Daniel nodded solemnly, taking another drink of water, and changed the subject. "So, what fascinating case are the two of you working on?"

 

"An embezzlement case, actually." He glanced at his watch. "Which reminds me, Laura and I have

to leave at nine to relieve Mildred on stake out."

 

"Stake out?" Daniel asked.

 

"The man we suspect of embezzling a small fortune from his employer might make an attempt to leave town," Laura explained.

 

"Ah. I see."

 

Laura looked at him for a moment. "I have an idea. Why don't you go with Mr. Steele, Daniel?"

 

"Oh, I wouldn't want to be in the way-" Daniel began.

 

"I'm sure Daniel wouldn't be interested, Laura-" Remington said.

 

"Nonsense. It will give the two of you time to talk over old times," Laura insisted. "After all,

Daniel's come all this way to see you, -"

 

Suspicious of Laura's sudden willingness for him to spend time alone with his old friend, Remington asked, "And what will *you* be doing?" he wanted to know.

 

"Oh, I'm sure I can find *something* to keep me busy," she assured her partner with a smile that did nothing to allay his concern.

 

"Daniel?" Remington asked. "You up for a little surveillance? Probably nothing will happen. We've been watching the man for almost a week away from his work and he hasn't made a move yet."

 

"I suppose I might as well tag along," Daniel agreed at last, giving them a smile. "And Laura is right. It will give you and I a chance to catch up a bit."

 

**********

 

Laura entered the Bonaventure Hotel, and instantly recognized the desk clerk from her previous visit to discover what room Daniel Chalmers was registered in. No help there. Glancing around, she noted that the gift shop was still open, and ducked inside, purchasing a small bottle of wine with the agency credit card to be sent to Mr. Daniel Chalmers, who was a guest of the hotel.

 

She returned to the lobby and sat down as close to the room board as possible, watching the young delivery boy leave the shop and go to the desk clerk. "Daniel Chalmers room," the boy said.

"Delivery."

 

The clerk lifted a brow, then turned to the board, touching room 345. "Mr. Chalmers isn't in - I'll have someone let you in to leave the wine."

 

Laura waited a moment, then went toward the stairs, moving quickly up them to find herself just around the corner from room 345. She watched as the delivery boy and maid left the room and returned to the elevator, laughing softly as they flirted with each other. Once the coast was clear, Laura easily picked the lock and entered the room, closing the door softly behind her. She was going to get to the bottom of Daniel's visit if she had to search this entire suite.

 

**********

 

Once Mildred was sent on her way, Remington and Daniel sat back in the dark interior of Laura's Rabbit, settling in to watch the house across the street. "Tell me, Harry, do you ever regret your decision to stay here, to become Remington Steele?"

 

Remington smiled as he considered the question, thinking it a prelude to another offer to share a "romp across the continent" with his mentor. "I suppose I wonder sometimes what my life would have been like had I left, but for the most part, I'm happy, Daniel. And- content in a strange way."

 

"I'm glad you found you niche, Harry, my boy. Some people never do- or else they miss it and never find it again. How are you and Laura getting along these days?"

 

"I wish I knew. Laura can be the most infuriating woman I've ever met at times - and I wonder why I'm staying, why I'm putting up with her pulling back just when I think we're getting closer."

 

"And why do you stay? Is it merely your inability to avoid a challenge?"

 

"I used to tell myself that. But there's more to it than that. I can't imagine my life without her, Daniel. I don't *want* to imagine my life without her. Knowing she'll be there at the office, waiting - that all I have to do is pick up a telephone and she'll come - She's wrought a change in me that no one else could. And I hope that change was for the best."

 

"Oh, it was, my boy," Daniel assured him. "So you and she still haven't - "

 

"No. But we will. When the time's right - when Laura's ready to trust me, to trust that I'm not going anywhere, not going to desert her like others have -"

 

"Have you told her how you feel, Harry? That's you're in love with her?"

 

Remington shook his head. "You know me, Daniel. I'm not one for words. Never have been."

 

"It's never too late to change, Harry."

 

Dark blue eyes met in the dim light that shone into the car from down the road. "Why are you suddenly trying to play matchmaker, Daniel? I always thought you disapproved of Laura. Never getting her name right-" his voice faded as he realized that not once this visit had Daniel called Laura by another name.

 

"I suppose since I'm getting on, I thought it might be nice to see you settled with someone- and I've never disapproved of Laura, precisely. I simply wanted to make certain that you were committed to this life you've built here with her."

 

Remington laughed softly. "Is that why you tried to recruit her to come over to the other side of the street?"

 

Daniel smiled. "Too bad she turned me down. We could have made a wonderful team, the three of us. Taken Europe by storm." He fought a cough, and brought out his handkerchief again. "Sorry," he said, dismissing Harry's frown of worry. "Gotten used to the fresh air at the Earl's country estate," he said. "This pollution isn't good for anyone."

 

"No, I suppose not. Settled, you said. As in married, Daniel? Aren't you the one who always insisted that marriage was simply a trap designed by women to-"

 

"I said a great many things in my youth, Harry. Things I regret deeply now. Marriage isn't for everyone- but I think you and Laura could make a go of it - she certainly cares about you -"

 

"She'd have to, to put up with all the hell I've put her through over the last four years." He sat up as the garage door opened on the house across the street. "Well what do you know?"

 

Daniel followed his gaze. "Looks as though your man's making his run."

 

"Yes," Remington agreed, sliding down in the seat as far as possible as the car backed out of the drive and started down the street before turning on any lights. Remington watched the car, but didn't move to start the Rabbit's engine.

 

"Aren't you going to follow him?" Daniel asked.

 

Finally Remington turned the key and moved down the street toward the car, glancing in the rear view mirror every few seconds. "Aha. I knew it, you bugger," he muttered, causing Daniel to look behind them in time to see another car turning the opposite direction out of the drive. "He tried to distract us," Remington explained. "Sent his wife out in his car." He negotiated a neat u-turn and followed the second car.

 

"Is he going to the airport, do you think?" Daniel asked.

 

"I doubt it. He's got the money stashed somewhere. He has to retrieve it before he can leave - " he concentrated on keeping the Lincoln in sight, but not getting too close so that the man would make the tail. Picking up the mobile telephone, he asked the operator to dial Laura's number. Frowning, he connected to the operator again, and this time had her dial the office. At last he hung up. "She's not either place," he told Daniel.

"I wonder where she could be?" Daniel said.

 

To Be Continued ---