A Steele To Remember

Remington's Story

Part 2

Remington paced around the airy sitting room of Daniel's villa, already regretting his decision to at least sit in on Daniel and his partner's planning session. He still hadn't agreed to help with whatever the plan was- Daniel had been unusually quiet about the scheme, but it was either sit here or on the beach, watching the waves crash onto the sandy shoreline as bikini clad women tried their best to attract his eye.

While he was still furious with Laura- and the intervening news papers he'd read hadn't helped dampen that anger- he wasn't ready to make the mistake of falling into the arms of another woman. He glanced at his watch for the fifth time. "The mark of a good partner, Daniel, is punctuality. You said that you expected her here at one. It's nearly two now."

"She did warn me that she might have trouble getting away from the mark," Daniel assured him.

"You know, it occurs to me that you haven't told me who this partner is," he said.

Daniel turned away quickly as the door bell rang. "That will be her now," he announced, leaving the room to greet her.

Remington recognized the perfume first. And the husky voice that greeted Daniel warmly only confirmed his suspicions.

"Daniel, darling. I'm sorry I'm late, but-."

"Quite all right, my dear. Was it difficult getting away?"

"Almost impossible," she was saying as they entered the sitting room. Upon seeing Remington standing there, her silvery eyes lit up. "Michael. This is a surprise," she purred, sliding her arms around his neck and giving him a long kiss.

Remington didn't fight the kiss, but didn't linger about removing her arms and stepping back. "Good to see you, too, Felicia."

She pouted prettily at his lack of response. "You're just no fun anymore, darling, since you've started spending time with Dora."

"Laura," Remington and Daniel corrected at the same time, causing Remington to look curiously at Daniel.

"Dare I hope that your being here means that you've gotten tired of playing detective?" she asked, running a brightly painted fingernail up his lapel.

"Harry's here on vacation," Daniel informed her. "He hasn't decided whether or not to throw his lot in with us," he said with a wink in Remington's direction. "Now. Are we ready to proceed to the next step in our plan?"

Giving Remington a lingering glance, Felicia turned her attention back to Daniel. "I believe so. The poor old dear is totally infatuated with me."

Daniel took her hand and brought it to his lips. "Ah, but he's only human, my dear. How could he not be infatuated with such a delightful creature as yourself?" Felicia laughed softly, looking sideways to see if Remington were paying attention to the scene. "I'll give you thirty minutes to get back to the villa and then I'll follow. Once I get the money, we'll meet in London-," he was saying when Remington interrupted.

"Excuse me-," he said, drawing their attention. "I'm probably going to regret asking, but- what exactly IS this little plan?"

"It's quite simple, Michael," Felicia said.

"Yes," Daniel agreed. "Do you recall Louis Douchet?"

"Vaguely. Owns half the coast, very protective of his reputation. Never had ANY scandal attached to his name? THAT Louis Douchet?"

Daniel smiled at his rattling off of facts. "Precisely. He was widowed last year."

Felicia sighed. "Poor man. His wife had been ill for SUCH a long time. He was so lonely, so-."

"Ripe for the picking?" Remington suggested. "So you charmed your way into into his life."

"Not only his life, Michael, darling," she purred, coming over to him again to straighten his tie- although it didn't need straightening. "He's amazingly- active for a sixty eight year old man," she said.

"Hmm," he said, not impressed. "So what's the next step?" he asked Daniel, gently removing Felicia's hand from his arm.

"Douchet is going to discover- to his horror- that his lady friend is married. And to keep all of Southern France from finding out that he's made such a horrible mistake - he'll be likely to pay quite handsomely."

Remington frowned as he considered the options. "It won't work," he stated at last.

"What?"

"Daniel, Douchet will know it's a scam. That you and Felicia are shaking him down. He's more than likely going to refuse to pay and call the police."

"He won't risk it getting out," Daniel insisted.

"He can pay off the police, Daniel."

"I suppose YOU have a better idea?" Daniel asked, eyebrows lifted in consternation.

"Make him think he's protecting Felicia as well as himself. Have someone threaten her- AND him. You can play the heavy as well as anyone-"

Daniel paced the room for a moment. "How about this: A stepson, who's been blackmailing Felicia because of a - previous indiscretion?" He shook his head. "Too complicated."

"It might work, Daniel," Felicia told him.

He shook his head. "But who could we get to play the stepson on such short notice?" he asked her.

Felicia smiled like the cat who had just grabbed the canary and was about to eat it. "Michael, of course."

Remington shook his head slowly. "Oh, no. No, no, no . . . ."

Remington sat in the outdoor café as Felicia approached the well dressed, white haired gentleman and allowed the waiter to seat her. He shook his head as he watched her play the old man like a finely tuned instrument. She would tell him that she had thought she'd seen someone she knew, but had been mistaken, surprising Douchet that she knew ANYONE else in the area except for him. He saw Douchet reach across to cover her hand, then pick it up, a concerned frown on his lined face. She was good. Always had been.

He waited until they were almost ready to leave before approaching the table, making sure she saw him. Her laughter stilled, and Douchet, noticing it, looked up at him. Remington had donned his dark sunglasses to hide his admiration for Felicia's "talents", and the man frowned at the interruption. "So. I thought that was you earlier, Felicia," he said conversationally. "Wondered where you'd gotten off to. The old man hadn't a clue when I asked him." He took off the glasses and sat down beside her. "Hope you don't mind my joining you. There's not an empty table."

Douchet's glance around the nearly empty café gave lie to the young man's words, as Remington sat back. "Who are you?"

"Ask Felicia," Remington suggested, then grabbed her wrist as it lay on the table. "The old man isn't going to like this, luv."

"It's over between he and I," Felicia said. "Why can't you leave me alone, Michael?" she pleaded tearfully, trying to free her wrist from his hold.

"It won't be over as long as dear old Dad's still paying you an allowance. Money that should be mine, by rights," he said, releasing her and rising again.

"Who ARE you?" Douchet demanded again, trying to keep his voice down, not wanting to attract any attention to them.

"Michael Lawrence," Remington said. "I'll be in touch, Felicia. You'd better have it ready." Slipping his glasses back onto his face, he grinned tightly. "Ciao."

Pausing around the corner, he stopped to look back in time to see Douchet leading Felicia toward his car. So far, so good.

Back at the villa, Remington and Daniel waited, giving Felicia enough time to confess her sins to her current lover. That she was, indeed, still legally married, but that the marriage was technically over, only her husband was loathe to agree to end the marriage because he believed there was still a chance. She had wanted to reconsider, but couldn't, because she was being blackmailed by her stepson, Michael, for having succumbed to his charms during one of his father's extended absences.

She would tell him that she was afraid of Michael's vicious temper, but that she didn't have the money to pay him what he wanted. Then she would insist that it wasn't his problem and offer to leave. Of course, Douchet would refuse to consider the idea, so taken was he with the lovely Felicia, and would agree to help her.

Remington dialed the telephone number, and wasn't surprised when Douchet himself answered the telephone. "Hello?"

"I need to talk to Felicia."

"I don't think you have anything to say to her," Douchet told him.

"I'd think again, Douchet," Remington said quickly. "If Felicia doesn't meet me, I'll follow through with my threat. And she won't be the only one to suffer."

"What do you mean?" Douchet asked, and Remington smiled.

"It means I've made some inquiries, Mr. Douchet. You're a well respected man in these parts. How would it look, I wonder if it got out that you've been sleeping with a married woman who seduced her stepson? Bet your high and mighty friends would have a good laugh over that one."

There was silence on the line, and Remington could picture the old man glancing at a worried Felicia, seeing the fear on her lovely face.

"What do you want?" Douchet asked at last.

"Felicia's due two payments. I'd say twice that from you should square things."

"And how do I know that you won't come back for more?"

"You don't," Remington replied in character.

"I'll make a deal with you. You can have the money- IF you will convince your father to grant Felicia a quiet divorce."

"I think I can do that."

"I'll meet you in an hour," Douchet told him. "In the park- near the fountain."

Remington hung up and smiled at Daniel. "He's taken the bait."

Daniel laughed delightedly. "I knew he would. You're still the best, Harry, my boy. Still the best."

Remington shook his head. "We'll see. Tell, me, Daniel, this- thing between you and Felicia-."

"Purely business, Harry," Daniel assured him. "Why? Not jealous because you saw her first, are you?"

"Hardly. It's just that- well, Felicia has an annoying habit of disappearing when you need her." Unlike Laura.

"Well, once this job is finished, I think Felicia will go her own way. Where are you meeting Douchet?"

He was sitting on a bench when Douchet sat on the other end. "You're late," Remington commented as the man placed a leather briefcase between them. "This is what you asked for," he said, then rose and stepped away.

Remington looked at him, saw the bead of sweat rolling slowly down his temple, watched as Louis Douchet took another step away from the bench- and the money. "You won't mind if I make certain it's all here, will you?" he asked, placing a hand on the fine leather.

"NO!" Douchet almost yelled, then looked around to make certain no one had noticed. "It is all there," he insisted, then stood a bit easier as Remington's hand fell away.

"I have an idea," Remington said, standing and taking the old man's arm. "Why don't YOU open it for me?"

"No," he said, trying to pull away as Remington drew him closer and closer to the bench. "No!"

Remington pushed the man onto the other end of the bench, then sat down himself to examine the latches before looking up at him. "You booby trapped this, didn't you?" he asked. When Douchet didn't respond, he asked again, grabbing the old man's hand and trying to force it onto a latch. "Didn't you?"

"Yes!" he admitted, breathing a deep sigh of relief as Remington released his hand. "I- wanted to make sure you didn't bother Felicia or me again.

"Where's the money?"

"The briefcase," Douchet insisted.

Remington felt a trickle of sweat on his own face. "Uh-uh. You wouldn't risk blowing up that much money. Where is it?"

"I TOLD you. In the case. I consider it worth the loss to get rid of a blood sucking leech like you," Douchet told him, seeming to feel he had the upper hand as he rose from the bench again.

"How do I disarm it?"

"You- can't." He stepped away, out of reach. "I fulfilled my part of the bargain, Lawrence. I gave you the money. What happens now is up to you. If I ever see you again, I'll call the police."

Remington frowned. "Look, Douchet, if you want me to keep my end of the bargain,- convince my old man to give Felicia that divorce, then -."

"I'll tell you this much- don't open the latches."

Remington let Douchet go, but sat there until Daniel appeared once the coast was clear. "Harry?" he asked, sensing something was wrong.

"We might be a little late meeting Felicia with the money, Daniel," he said, beginning a cautious examination of the case. "Douchet booby trapped the bloody thing."

Daniel's eyes widened. "You're not going to try and disarm it?" he asked.

"How else are you and Felicia going to get your money?"

"It's yours as well," Daniel reminded him.

Remington shook his head. "All I did was bollux things up," he said. "I should have stayed out of it. Let you and Felicia do things your way."

"It's not your fault the old man went crazy and decided to try and kill you," Daniel insisted.

"Wonder who he got to rig the lock?" Remington mused, his eyes narrowing as he caught sight of something.

"Himself, most likely. Explosives expert in the French underground."

Remington paused, looking up at him. "And you didn't think to share that little tidbit of information with me?"

"I didn't think it pertinent at the time," Daniel said in self defense. He watched Remington carefully as he lifted the case, keeping it flat. "Harry?"

"Let's go back to the villa, Daniel. Slowly. I'll get it open on the beach where it won't endanger anyone else."

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Felicia met the car as it came to a stop on the driveway. "I was beginning to think that the two of you had- what's wrong?" she asked, noticing their faces as Daniel opened the door for Remington.

"Douchet rigged the briefcase to explode when opened," Remington told her.

"He what?" she asked, stepping back.

"Daniel," Remington called over his shoulder as he headed toward the steps down to the beach, "I'll need a screwdriver- and a good knife- a flashlight, and definitely some wire cutters."

"On the way, Harry, my boy," he called, turning toward the house.

"Michael?"

"Get inside, Felicia," he called back, thankful that the beach was deserted on this windy afternoon. Finding a relatively flat rock near the back of the beach, he took a few deep breaths. How the hell had he gotten into this mess?

To Be Continued . . .

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Original content © 1999 by Nancy Eddy