"I hate this, Laura," Steele
muttered as he watched her snag a glass of champagne from a tray.
"It's not going to work. The Agency's reputation will be
in tatters-"
"Shh," Laura admonished, sipping the champagne. "Why
must you always look on the dark side of the cloud, Mr. Steele?"
she asked him. "We're at a formal affair, surrounded by all
of the beautiful people, any of whom could be a future client
thanks to the publicity Mr. Cosgrove's gem collection has generated.
Plenty of champagne and canapés-"
"And a hunk of glass in your handbag that could get both
of us arrested if it's found there," he finished, looking
around as if expecting the police to move in any moment.
"For a piece of glass? Paste? A third rate copy of-"
She smiled, recalling his reaction to the copy of the diamond
that was the center of Mr. Cosgrove's display, his insistence
that NO one would mistake it for the real thing, even at a glance.
It had only been Daniel's assurance that three other men in Buenos
Aires, Hong Kong and Istanbul all believed that they were the
owners of the same diamond that he had amended his pronouncement.
"No need to throw my words back at me, Miss Holt," Steele
said, relaxing only a bit as he saw a couple enter the room from
the opposite door. "Murphy and Bernice just arrived."
Laura lifted her glass in their direction as the couple crossed
the room. "Steele. Laura."
She ran a finger up the lapel of his tuxedo. "Nice, Murph.
You don't look half bad in a tux."
Murphy ignored Bernice's amused smirk as he ran his finger around
the collar. "I feel like a damn monkey," he complained.
"Nonsense, Murphy," Steele assured him. "You look
fine- considering that it's a rented tuxedo."
"Very funny. Not all of us have need of a tuxedo all the
time," Murphy reminded him, but he grinned just the same.
"Anything going on here?"
"It's quiet, so far," Steele said. "You're certain
the guards are at their stations?"
"I checked as we came in," Murphy told him. "What
is HE doing here?" he asked, frowning as he looked at the
door.
Laura and Steele's gazes followed Murphy's, and Steele grabbed
Laura's half full champagne glass, draining it as he saw Daniel
entering the room.
"Talk about doing justice to a tux," Bernice sighed.
"Yeow!"
"He does cut a dashing figure, eh, Bernice?" Laura agreed.
"But what is Daniel Chalmers doing HERE?" Murphy asked
again. "At the gem show?"
"It's a free country, Murphy," Steele said. "I'm
sure he's just keeping busy. Idle hands and all that-" He
grabbed Laura's elbow. "Come along, Miss Holt. I need to
speak to our client. Keep your eyes open, Murphy."
"Yeah," Murphy said as they moved away. "Believe
me, I will."
Bernice watched Murphy and frowned. "Okay, Sherlock, what's
going on?"
"What do you mean?"
"I've worked with you long enough to know that expression.
Give."
"Does Steele seem nervous to you?"
"Hey, I'd be nervous too if it was my name on the line tonight.
IF anything happens to those gems- especially that gorgeous diamond
he's history. And speaking of the diamond. *I'm* going to go and
see it."
"You've seen one diamond, you've seen em all," Murphy
commented, following Bernice toward the gem room, glancing occasionally
to where Amos Cosgrove was speaking to Daniel Chalmers.
"Mr. Chalmers! What a pleasant surprise. I didn't know that
you were in Los Angeles."
Daniel shook the older man's hand, smiling. "I'm here on
business. Came up suddenly. I didn't know that you were going
to put the diamond on display so quickly."
"Oh, well, the gem show had been planned for some time, you
understand. Once I had the good fortune to acquire the Halifax
Diamond, I simply had to make it the centerpiece of the show."
"Of course, of course," Daniel replied, seemingly in
perfect understanding. He pointed to a security guard. "You
seem to have security well in hand."
"I hired the best firm in all of Los Angeles," Cosgrove
explained. "The Remington Steele Agency. Wonderful man, Steele.
Seems to really understand the need to protect the gems as well
as possible. Ah, here he is now," Cosgrove said as Laura
and Steele came closer. "Mr. Steele. And who is this charming
young lady?"
"My associate, Laura Holt. Miss Holt, Amos Cosgrove."
Cosgrove took Laura's hand. "Such beauty dims all of the
gems in my display," he said, bringing her hand to his lips.
"Why, Mr. Cosgrove. Such flattery."
"Alas, flattery is almost all a man my age has left to offer,
Miss Holt." He smiled at her, then at Steele. "And I'd
like for you to meet the man that I bought the Halifax Diamond
from, Mr. Steele. Daniel Chalmers. He's from England, too."
"Really?" Steele said, giving Daniel's hand the required
shake. "It's been a long time since I was there."
"Perhaps you should visit," Daniel said pointedly.
"I'm- quite happy here," Steele replied.
"And I'm grateful that you're here, Mr. Steele," Cosgrove
said. "Else I would have been forced to find someone else
to guard my gems." He glanced across the room. "If you
will excuse me, I see someone else that I must speak to."
Giving Laura's hand another salute, he sighed. "Until later,
Miss Holt."
"Charming little man," Laura commented, trying to ignore
the men who were standing there, watching each other with distrust.
"Oh, come on. I thought we had settled this."
"This won't be settled until it's finished and Daniel is
on a flight back to London," Steele told her.
"Did you bring it?" Daniel asked Laura, ignoring his
son.
She patted her purse as Daniel took a glass of champagne from
a waiter. "Safe and sound."
"Good. All we need to do is create a diversion," Daniel
said, then almost choked on his champagne. His eyes widened as
Laura rushed to help him.
"Oh my. Are you okay?"
Daniel waved her back. "Don't look now, Harry," he said
under his breath, "but Reginald Malcolm just came in."
Steele froze, didn't turn, and wished the floor would open up
and swallow him. "Damn. I have to get out of here, Laura."
Daniel eyed his son with concern. "Why? You act as if Malcolm
would recognize you."
"He would."
"I wasn't aware that you and he had ever met," Daniel
said.
"How do you think he acquired that Monet he's so bloody proud
of? Hmm?"
"Good God. Don't tell me that YOU-? But you never mentioned
it- Don't look now, but he's seen me and is coming this way."
Steele took Laura's arm again. "Let's go to the gem room
for a moment," he said, moving away. "It's dark in there-
if they come in, maybe he won't recognize me."
"Harry," Daniel hissed, then turned to face Malcolm.
"Why, Mr. Malcolm. What a surprise."
"Did you think I wouldn't keep an eye on you, Chalmers? Make
sure that I get my property back?"
Daniel grabbed another glass of champagne. "Have something
to drink, Malcolm, old man. Let me assure you, my plan to reclaim
your property is underway as we speak."
Malcolm's dark gaze followed Steele and Laura across the room.
"Who was that man you were talking to just now? He looked
familiar."
"He has that kind of face," Daniel insisted. "Quite
ordinary, actually. He's in charge of security for exhibit."
"So that's the great Remington Steele. Looks younger than
I thought he was."
"In years, perhaps. I can assure you that-"
"I'm tired of your assurances, Chalmers," Malcolm said
in a quiet voice, his eyes hardening into obsidian chips. "I
want action. Tonight. If you don't have it back to me by tomorrow
morning, you'll join your friend Horace."
Daniel gulped his drink. "Where can I reach you?"
Malcolm shook his head. "I'll be in touch." He finished
his drink, then sauntered to the gem room.
Daniel watched him, then remembered that Harry and Laura were
in there. He moved to follow the gangster at a discreet distance.
Murphy glanced up from his conversation with the daughter of a
society matron, to watch as the man that Chalmers had been talking
to was coming toward the gem room, with Chalmers following. "Excuse
me," he told the girl, relieved to have a reason to excuse
himself from her questions about Steele and the Halifax Diamond,
and found Bernice gazing longingly at a ruby as big as her palm.
"Do me a favor, will you? See if you can distract Chalmers.
I need to talk to Steele."
"Sure," Bernice agreed, not about to turn down a chance
to talk to her employer's mysterious father for a few minutes.
She and Murphy parted company, going to different ends of the
room, which was illuminated only the by lights coming from above
each of the gem cases, focused on the gems inside.
Daniel paused before a display of amethysts, pretending to admire
the stones as he surreptitiously watched Malcolm move toward the
center of the room to look at the diamond. He started as an arm
slipped through his. "Magnificent, isn't it?" Bernice
Fox sighed, her eyes on the purple stone on the white velvet.
"Yes. Yes, it is. Impressive as well. There aren't very many
amethysts of that size. And certainly none whose owners are willing
to put them on public display."
"What if it were stolen?" Bernice asked. "Couldn't
the thieves simply cut it into smaller stones-?
"No. Not this one, anyway. There's a small, hairline fracture
deep inside." He noticed her peering at the gem and laughed
softly. "You can't see it with the naked eye, my dear. But
it's there. And if someone tries to split the stone, they run
the risk of it shattering into a thousand tiny pieces which won't
be worth nearly as much as this one is."
"You know a lot about gems, don't you, Mr. Chalmers?"
"A bit," Daniel admitted. He glanced around, noticing
that Malcolm was only one case away from Harry and Laura.
Murphy positioned himself as close
to Steele as he could without being seen. He had a feeling that
trouble was brewing, and wanted to find out for himself what was
going on. Laura and Steele were standing before a display case
that contained a perfect sapphire, when the man who had been talking
to Chalmers spoke.
"O'Leary, isn't it?"
Murphy saw Steele pause only a fraction of a second before smiling
at the man. "I'm sorry, I think you've mistaken me for someone
else." He extended a hand, while keeping Laura slightly behind
him. "Remington Steele."
"Ah, yes. So Chalmers claimed. But I pride myself on remembering
faces and names. And ten years ago, the name I put with yours
was Michael O'Leary."
Murphy bit back a groan, wondering how many more of Steele's old
"associates" were going to come out of the woodwork.
"Well, I'm Remington Steele now-"
"All right- but I think you and I need to have a little talk-
MR. Steele."
"Now look," Laura began, pushing past Steele to confront
Malcolm, and Steele quickly stepped back around her.
"Not here," Steele insisted, knowing that this had been
a bad idea from the beginning.
"There isn't much time. Perhaps in the other room we might
find a quiet place in which to conduct a business conference?"
"Malcolm-"
Malcolm extended a hand in silent invitation, the other hand remaining
in his pocket, where Steele was inclined to believe he either
carried a gun- or a switchblade knife, neither one of which he
would hesitate to use if it became necessary, even in a crowded
room. "Shall we?" When Laura would have joined them,
Malcolm shook his head. "My business is with Steele. Private."
Steele glared at Daniel's stricken face as he led the way from
the display room. "Who is that man?" Bernice asked.
Laura started to follow them, but found her arm grasped tightly
by Murphy. "Who is he, Laura?"
Her eyes met Daniel's across the room.
Malcolm found a corner behind a potted plant that offered a reasonable
amount of privacy. "Now. I suppose you're aware of my reason
for being here?"
"The diamond," Steele admitted. "You want Daniel
to steal it back for you."
"It's only fair. He lost it, he should get it back. But I
have little confidence in your former mentor, Steele. No, I have
a much better idea. YOU will steal the diamond."
"I don't do that kind of thing anymore," Steele reminded
him.
"Oh, I would pay you," Malcolm assured him, continuing
as if he hadn't spoken. "The remainder of what I owe Chalmers,
plus ten percent for your risk."
"No amount of money is work the risk I would be taking, Malcolm,"
Steele said. "If I were caught-"
"Then you would have to take care not to be caught,"
Malcolm said. "And if you refuse, I might find it necessary
to speak to the newspapers about the mysterious past of the great
Remington Steele."
Steele straightened at the threat. "You're bluffing."
"Do you want to find out? I want that diamond by tomorrow
morning. I will be in contact with you then." His eyes moved
to where Laura and Chalmers were standing with Murphy and Bernice,
heads together. "It would be a shame for your friends to
be hurt as well. Have a pleasant evening- Mr. Steele."
"He's leaving," Murphy told the others, and Laura turned
to him. "Follow him, Murphy. But not TOO close, okay? And
be careful."
Steele crossed to them as Murphy left. "Where's Murphy going?"
"To follow Malcolm," Laura explained. Reading his concern,
she put a hand on his arm. "Murphy can take care of himself.
We need to know where Malcolm's staying."
"She's right," Daniel agreed.
"What did Malcolm say?"
"He wants me to steal the diamond for him," Steele told
them. "Or else he'll reveal my sordid past to the newspapers."
To Be Continued---