Daniel would have been really worried if he had known that Laura Holt was opening the medicine cabinet in the bathroom of his suite only to step back, surprised. The man had a *pharmacy* in the thing. She began to look at the prescriptions, recognizing some, others were unfamiliar. Taking out her notepad, she made a list of names, and wrote the name and telephone number of the doctor in London who had prescribed the medication to Daniel. Moving to the dresser in the bedroom, she dug carefully through the clothing when her hand felt something heavy and round attached to a chain. Lifting the pocket watch carefully, Laura opened the cover and frowned as the tinkling notes of "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling" began to play. She turned on the lamp on the dresser to inspect the inside of the cover. "To S.J. from K.L" Closing the watch, Laura stared at it for a long moment. Remington had left the watch with the Earl - so how had Daniel wound up with it? And all that medicine - She returned the watch to where she'd found it, then left the suite, deep in thought. She quickly calculated the time difference between Los Angeles and London. It would be another two hours at least before she could reach the doctor whose name had been on those bottles. And even then, she might not be able to find out anything. The mystery surrounding Daniel Chalmers had just become more interesting. ********** Remington parked the Rabbit near the abandoned warehouse, watching as Neil Gregory disappeared into the dark interior. He tapped the steering wheel in frustration. "Where the bloody hell is Laura?" he wondered again, then jumped as the telephone rang. "Steele here." "Anything going on?" Laura asked. "Oh, nothing much. Gregory just went into an abandoned warehouse on Overton -" She heard the edge in his voice, but chose to ignore it. "I *knew* it. I'll be right there," she told him. "Don't go in there without me." "Where are you now?" When she told him, he frowned. "Laura, he won't be here that long. I think it would be best if I went in and found out what he's up to -" "No. Just keep an eye on things. If he leaves, follow him and call me in the limo. We're ten minutes away." Remington hung up the telephone, knowing that Daniel was watching him with a smile in his eyes. "She's being difficult?" he asked. "She's being Laura," Remington told him. "To hell with this." He opened his door. "I'm going in. You stay out here and wait for Laura, Daniel." "Harry-" Daniel said, looking at the dark building. "Is that a good idea? Going in there alone? He might be armed -" "I'll be all right, Daniel," Remington assured him. "Just keep an eye out for Laura." Entering the building was simple, and once inside, Remington moved cautiously through the dark building, threading his way through crates and other debris toward a dim, flickering light at the back of the cavernous room. Sidling up to a crate, he saw Neil Gregory sitting, watching flames in a metal trash can. The memory of a previous case, in which a client had bilked his wife out of any money in a divorce buy investing in traveler's checks and then burning them sprung to mind, and Remington began to look around for some way of putting out the fire and jumping Gregory at the same time. Turning, his foot found a metal bar, causing a loud noise, bringing Gregory's head up- along with a gun. ********** Laura was out of the limo before Fred brought it fully to a stop. Looking past Daniel into the Rabbit, she asked, "Where's Mr. Steele?" just as they heard a shot from inside the building. "In there," Daniel told her, a step behind as she ran toward the doorway. They heard the struggle before they reached it. Remington and Neil Gregory were fighting, and Gregory had the upper hand, bending Remington over a crate as a fire burned behind them. Laura's foot hit something, and she reached down, picking up the gun and extending her arms. "Hold it right there, Gregory. Let him go. Now." When Gregory didn't respond, Laura pulled the hammer back on the gun. The man froze, and stepped back, hands in the air. Laura spoke to Remington, her eyes never leaving Gregory, as Remington straightened his collar and cuffs. "Are you all right, Mr. Steele?" she asked. "I think so," he said, moving to pour something onto the fire, dousing the flames, then using a nearby length of rope to pull Gregory's hands behind him. "Daniel, would you mind going out to the limo and calling the police?" Laura asked. "Not at all, my dear." She heard him coughing as the door closed behind him, and looked over to where Remington was pushing Gregory into a chair and bending to inspect the trash can's wet, smoldering contents. He hadn't heard the sound, she realized, releasing the hammer of the gun to join him. "What's that?" "If I'm not mistaken traveler's cheques. No doubt he has the receipts stashed safely away to recoup his stolen fortune at a later date." Gregory's eyes narrowed, but he didn't respond. "Very good, Mr. Steele," Laura said. As Gregory made a move, the gun was pointed at him again, this time by Remington. "You watch him. I'm going to go make sure Daniel got through to the police." ********** Fred was just hanging up the telephone as Laura got to the limo. "The police are on their way, Miss Holt," he told her. "Thank you, Fred." She sat in the back seat net to Daniel, who was having some trouble breathing. "Are you okay, Daniel?" she asked. He nodded, clearing his throat before he spoke. "I suppose it was the running- I'm a bit out of shape. Where's Harry?" "He's keeping an eye on Gregory. Why don't I have Fred drive you back to your hotel?" she suggested, placing a hand on his arm. "I'll explain to Mr. Steele that since we were going to be tied up here with the police you decided to get some rest." Daniel placed his hand over hers. "Thank you, Laura. Tell Harry I'll call him tomorrow morning." "I will. You take care of yourself," she said, leaning over to kiss his cheek before getting out of the car and closing the door. "The Bonaventure, Fred. And make sure he gets up to his room, okay?" "Yes, Miss Holt." She waved at Daniel as the limo moved away and Remington came from the building with Gregory before him. "Where is Daniel?" "I sent him back to the hotel. We're probably going to be tied up here most of the night," she explained as several police cars drew to a stop. "He said he'd call tomorrow." Once the police took Gregory and the remains of his travelers cheques into custody, Laura and Remington stood beside the Rabbit. "Home, Laura?" he asked, his arm around her shoulders. "Not until we get something straight, Mr. Steele," she said. "I thought I told you to stay out here and wait for me? Don't you realize that Gregory could have *killed* you? What if he'd seen you before you saw him? Do you have any idea what went through my mind when I heard that gunshot?" "Probably the same thing that went through mine this afternoon," Remington countered. "I *knew* that creep this afternoon didn't have the nerve to shoot anyone," Laura insisted. "I think Gregory would have used the gun without a second thought." "There's something else we have to get straightened out," he told her. "Where were you earlier?" "Earlier?" "When Gregory began his run, I tried to call your loft and the office. You weren't in either place." "I must have been in between," Laura suggested. "Did you try the limo?" "No. No, I didn't." He wasn't satisfied with her answers, but he couldn't call her a liar without some proof that she had been doing something that she was afraid he would disapprove of her doing. Remington took off his coat and put it over her shoulders. "Are we ready to go home now? It's late, and I'm tired -" he turned her into his arms. "And we could just go directly back to my apartment and crash there-" Laura's expression gave him his answer. "I didn't think so." He opened the passenger side door for her. "I'll drive you back to the loft, then, and get a cab -" Laura remained before him. "It sounds like a perfectly wonderful idea, Mr. Steele," she sighed, pressing a light kiss to his chin, surprising him. "But it's late - and I'm so tired that I couldn't possibly do the idea justice tonight. How about a rain check?" she suggested. Remington's eyes searched her face before he dropped a kiss onto her lips. "I'll put it with all the others," he told her, then handed her into the car and went around to the drivers side. Laura let him start the car before saying, "You take the Rabbit. I'll call Fred tomorrow morning." She touched his hand on the gear shift. "I'm sorry for being angry- I just - don't like it when you get hurt -" "And we've been through this before," he reminded her. "Remington Steele's not a plumber, remember? And everything turned out fine, didn't it?" "Only because you're incredibly lucky," she said. He smiled. "My luck began the day I met you, Laura," he told her, putting the car into gear and turning it toward her loft. ********** Mildred smiled as she heard the doors open, expecting Mr. Steele. Her smile dimmed only slightly upon realizing that the new arrival was Daniel Chalmers instead. "Good morning, Mr. Chalmers." "Good morning, Mildred," he said with a bright smile. "Mr. Steele's not here yet," she told him. "Really? And Miss Holt?" "Oh, she's in her office. She was here when I got here at eight thirty. To tell you the truth, I'm not sure she got much sleep. She looks pretty ragged." ********** Laura sat forward, resting her forehead on her hand, reading the information again. Upon returning to the loft at three this morning,she had placed a call to Daniel's doctor in London. And then, unable to sleep because of what she'd learned, she had come to the office to do some more research. As a result, she was exhausted, desperately needing some sleep. She smiled as she pictured Remington's reaction if he were to find her napping at her desk. Her arm slipped a little. The thought of a nap wasn't a bad idea. A light tap on the door brought her alert as it opened and Daniel's voice said, "Laura?" Not wanting him to see her notes, she picked them up and tossed them into a drawer, closing it quickly. Seeing his brow raise, she shrugged. "Nothing important," she told him, indicating the other chair. "Sit down, please. Mr. Steele's not here yet-" "So Mildred informed me," Daniel said as he sat down. "Actually, you're the one I wanted to speak to. I'd rather not trouble Harry-" "Is there a problem?" she asked cautiously, unsure if she was ready to hear his confession. "I'm not certain. I believe someone broke into my hotel room last night," Daniel said in that calm tone of his. Laura refused to look at him. "Did you report it to the hotel or the police?" she asked. "No," he said. "There was nothing missing-" "Then how do you know someone was there?" Laura wondered. She thought she'd been so careful. He smiled. "I've learned a few tricks over the years, my dear. Things like leaving a slip of paper in the edge of a drawer- or between a door and the frame." Laura got up and went to the file cabinet to place an empty folder inside. "Perhaps the maid-" she suggested. "Why would the maid leave me a bottle of wine?" he wondered. "An excellent vintage, I might add." "You're a generous tipper?" Laura theorized. "Not *that* generous. Actually, I *do* have a description of the young woman who bought the wine in the hotel gift shop-" "You do?" Laura asked. "When I found the wine last night, I called the shop. They were just about to close up, but the clerk remembered selling the wine." She went back to the file cabinet and began to look for a file. "What was the description?" "Oh, about your height and colouring- the clerk said that the young woman claimed to be my niece- and that she wasn't sure about the room number. And she also used a credit card to pay for the wine." Laura went still, closing her eyes for a moment as he asked, "Did you find what you were looking for, Laura?" Slowly turning, she met his eyes. "I was looking for evidence of whatever scam you might be trying to draw Mr. Steele into," she explained. "I didn't find any." "But you *did* find something else, didn't you?" He rose to touch the dark circle under one eye. "And you didn't sleep well as a result." "Daniel, I-" she began. Her eyes widened as they heard a cheery voice greeting Mildred. "Good morning, Mildred. Lovely day, isn't it?" Daniel's eyes pleaded silently with Laura to keep his secret. "We can't discuss this here. Lunch. My hotel." She nodded, then turned and went out to where Remington was inspecting the mail that Mildred had given him, Daniel close behind her. "Good morning, Mr. Steele." He smiled, turning. "Laura. Daniel. I didn't expect to find you here this early." "I wanted to find out how things finished up last night," he explained. "It's a good thing you decided to go back to the hotel," Remington said. "It was nearly three before Laura and I were able to leave." "Speaking of that, Mr. Steele, I spoke with Mr. Thompson this morning. He said they had found almost all of the traveler's cheques and receipts, and that Virginia Gregory was stopped at the airport trying to board a flight to Mexico with some of it." Remington rubbed his hands together. "Another successfully resolved case, eh, Laura?" "Mr. Thompson said that his check would be in the mail this morning," she confirmed. "Good, good. What's on the calendar for today, Mildred?" "There's a ten o'clock this morning, Chief" Mildred informed him, reading from the book on her desk. "And you've got a luncheon at city hall at noon, and then a meeting with Mr. Craig at two." Laura and Daniel exchanged relieved glances when they heard that Remington had plans for lunch. Daniel sighed. "And I had hoped to invited you both to lunch," he said. "I suppose I shall simply have to struggle though with only Laura for company." "I think we'll both survive, Daniel," she assured him. "I could always cancel the luncheon," Remington said, but Laura shook her head, taking his arm. "And disappoint the mayor?" she asked. "You know you enjoy being in the spotlight, Mr. Steele." "But Daniel's here- How long are you staying, Daniel?" "Only a few days, I fear. Must return to London before the Earl discovers that he can do without me." "He wouldn't dare," Remington said, laughing as the doors opened to admit a client. The elderly woman moved toward Mildred's desk. "I'm Mrs. Hughes," she said. "I have a ten o'clock appointment with Mr. Steele?" Remington approached the woman. "Ah, Mrs. Hughes. Right this way, if you please." He smiled. "Later, Daniel." "Of course." He turned to Laura. "Noon." "I'll be there," she promised. "Miss Holt? Would you care to join us to discuss Mrs. Hughes case?" Remington called from his office. Daniel chuckled softly at Laura's expression. "Coming, Mr. Steele." She turned away and left Daniel alone with Mildred. "Okay, Chalmers, what's your game?" Mildred asked. "For once, Mildred, there *is* no game," he told her. "But I am here for more than just a visit -" He glanced at the closed door. "Can I trust you, Mildred?"
