Laura heard the soft *click* and lifted
her brown eyes to Harry, a broad smile creasing her face. "I
*did* it!" she declared, elated by her success.
"And it only took you three days," Harry agreed, reaching
around the cut out section of door that Daniel had used for Harry
to hone these same skills. "Now," he told her, tripping
the lock, "Again."
"But-"
"Practice makes perfect, remember? And *this* requires a
*lot* of practice to be able to do it quickly every time."
He smiled. "Once you master this, we'll have lunch."
Laura turned her concentration back to the hairpin as she placed
it in the lock. Another *click*. She sat back, her smile turning
to a frown as Harry locked it again. "Are Mother and Daniel
back yet?"
Harry sat down, watching her. "No. I don't expect them back
until this afternoon. I think Daniel planned to show her the Crown
Jewels this morning."
Another *click*, and this time Laura locked it again herself,
making a face at Harry as she did so. "Mother seems to be
enjoying having Daniel show her all the sites of London,"
she commented, back at work.
"Hmm. Apparently. Has she mentioned anything more about the
rat?"
"Not a- " *click* "word," she finished, sitting
back again. She looked up at Harry. "Do you still think that
Daniel will be able to charm her into letting me stay?"
"I think the chances are excellent," Harry told her,
rising to turn the lock again.
Laura glared at him. "You're a hard taskmaster, Harry-,"
she accused. "What last name do you use if you need one?"
she asked, hoping to distract him.
"For the duration of your mother's visit, it's Chalmers."
"Chalmers?"
"She asked Daniel why I was here- he explained that I'm his
nephew that he raised."
"I see."
Harry tapped the wood. "Back to work."
Laura wrinkled her nose at him, but returned her attention to
the task before her.
**********
Abigail smiled across the red checked table cloth of the little
French restaurant Daniel had brought her to. Watching the waiter
pour the wine, Daniel handed hers to her. "Happy, my dear?"
"It's been such a *wonderful* three days. I'm almost going
to regret leaving."
"Must you? Other than your bridge partners, is there any
reason you need to rush back?" His dark eyes met hers. "A
gentleman for instance?"
Abigail shook her head. "No. I haven't seen anyone since
- well, since Mitchell left."
Daniel reached across the table to take her hand. "Then all
the men in Los Angeles must be blind."
Abigail took a deep breath. "I *do* need to get Laura back
and into school -"
"About Laura, Abigail- you're aware that she still doesn't
want to go back to Los Angeles?"
"She'll get over it."
"What if she doesn't? It's quite likely that she'll simply
run away again. Only *this* time she won't have her father to
run to."
Abigail sighed, examining the stem of her wine glass carefully.
"I've considered that," she admitted slowly. "But
I don't know what else to do -"
"I believe I have an idea, my dear," Daniel told her.
"One that might satisfy all concerned."
"What idea?"
"You remember that I told you about Mitchell asking me to
take care of Laura when he-"
"And I'm grateful for that, Daniel. She was very luck that
you were here."
Daniel's smile was gentle. "I happen to think that I'm the
lucky one," was his comment. "What I intend to suggest
is that you allow Laura to stay here, at my house -" When
Abigail would have spoken, Daniel shook his head. "Hear me
out," he asked, then forged ahead. "I know of several
excellent schools in the area. As a matter of fact, Mitchell asked
me to check them out before his death. Laura would be most welcome-"
"It would be *such* an imposition, Daniel," Abigail
objected. "I couldn't-"
"Not at all. I rather enjoy having a young person around.
Keeps me on my toes, as it were. And to tell the truth, business
would make it more than likely that Mary would see to most of
looking after Laura. She already thinks the world of Laura, and
Laura of her. Mary had three girls of her own," he explained.
"All married now and on their own."
"I'm still not sure about this, Daniel-"
He reached out to take her hand again. "I promise that Laura
will write or call, at least once a week. And I'll bring her to
Los Angeles for a visit in a few months-" he smiled. "Personally."
Abigail giggled like a schoolgirl. "I hadn't considered -"
"Oh, but I had, my dear," Daniel assured her. "Just
think about it. Laura's happy here- and she can receive a good
education- and if she chooses to pursue her dream of becoming
a private investigator, she can do it here as well."
"I'll think about it," Abigail promised as the waiter
appeared to take their order.
**********
Laura looked at the mashed potatoes on her fork. "Can you
open a combination lock as easily as you do a regular door lock?"
she asked Harry.
Mary, just entering with dessert, snorted. "I've never seen
anyone faster, lass," she told the girl, ignoring Harry's
grim stare. "Well, lad, if she's going to be staying, she
might as well know everything," she told him.
"How do *you* know how quickly he can open a safe, Mary?"
Laura asked the housekeeper.
It was Harry who answered. "Mary was a very good pickpocket
in her day, Laura. And a fine hand on a jewel theft or two, to
hear Daniel talk."
Laura understood Mary's reason for the embroidery. "To keep
your fingers limber. I understand now. But you're- retired?"
Laura asked.
"Aye. For a very long time." She glanced at Harry. "You'd
better eat your food now, before it gets cold. And y'might want
t'tell your mother that the rat's gone."
Laura's hand stopped midway to her mouth. "Rat?"
"She came t'me the other morning, all het up about rats in
your room. I assured her that the trap I set would take care of
the little creature. You can tell her that it's been caught and
will be no further bother to her."
"Mary - thanks for backing me up -"
The woman picked up an empty bowl. "Don't be thanking me.
If I discover that someone's been hiding under your bed -again,"
she said, green eyes fixed on Harry, "I'll set a trap for
sure."
Laura laughed at Harry's expression. "I can explain, Mary.
It was all quite innocent."
"Innocent? With this one here about? Not bloody likely."
She turned and went back through the kitchen doorway as Laura's
laughter bubbled over.
"What are *you* laughing at?" Harry asked.
"She thinks that *you're* after *my* virtue," Laura
whispered. "When it's the other way around."
Harry finally saw the humor in the situation and laughed as well.
"Hurry and finish. We've got more work to do before you mother
and Daniel get home."
"Not more lock picking," Laura moaned.
He shook his head. "A safe."
Laura grinned, and dug into her food with relish.
**********
Laura shook her head as she tried again to hear the tumblers in
the lock. "This is impossible!" she declared. "I
don't know how you-"
"Keep working at it, Laura," Harry told her. "A
light touch." He watched her for a moment. "I have to
take a trip. I'll be gone a few days - perhaps a week-" he
said.
Giving up, Laura turned to look at him. "A trip? Where to?"
He shook his head. "I don't think I should tell you. Might
compromise you in your future career."
She understood. "You're going on a job. Going to steal something,
aren't you?"
"Laura-"
She lifted her hands. "All right. I won't ask anymore questions."
She turned her attention back to the lock. Harry saw her struggling
with that innate curiosity that was so much a part of her, wondering
how long it would be before she gave in to it. He didn't have
to wait for long. As she struggled with the combination, she asked,
"When do you leave?"
Harry hid his grin. "This evening, right after dinner, as
a matter of fact. Late flight out of Heathrow."
"Oh," Laura said, sighing. She shook her head. "I
don't think I'm going to be able to get this, Harry," she
told him.
He looked at her for a long moment, then rose and held out his
hand. "Let's go for a walk, shall we?"
Laura's smile was as bright as the sun outside as she placed her
hand in his.
**********
Laura was getting ready for dinner when there was a tap on the
door. She was humming to herself, happy, hopeful for the future.
Her mother had mentioned the possibility of going home alone earlier.
Going to the door, Laura stepped back for Harry to enter. "I
wanted to have a few minutes to tell you good bye," he explained.
"I don't know that I'll get a chance later - with your mother
about -"
"I understand. But it's not good bye," she reminded
him. "You'll be back before I know it."
"I hope so. And I think you'll be here, if Daniel's attitude
this evening is anything to judge by."
She nodded. "How dangerous is this, Harry?" she finally
asked.
"No more than anything else I've done. A quick in and out,
and then back home -"
"What if something goes wrong? What if -"
Harry pulled her into his arms, rubbing her back. "Shhh.
It won't. I'll be back as soon as I can, and you can tell me all
about your new school, and your new friends that you'll make -"
He grinned down into her face. "You'll probably forget all
about me - some young man will come along-"
Laura shook her head. "Never. Can't happen." Harry slowly
lowered his head to hers, capturing her lips with his in a gentle
caress. When he lifted his head, his blue eyes were dark, and
Laura wanted to beg him to stay, not to leave.
"I have something for you. A late birthday gift," he
told her.
Her eyes widened. "What is it?"
He lifted his hand, letting a simple gold chain fall to reflect
the light. "This."
Laura touched the glittering metal, then turned, lifting her hair.
"Put it on, please." Harry unfastened the latch, then
placed it around her neck. She fingered the chain, turning back
to face him. "Thank you. But you didn't have to -"
"I wanted to get something more than that silly sketch -"
"It's not silly," Laura insisted. "But thank you
again, anyway." She stood on tiptoe to kiss him. "How
could I *ever* forget you, Harry?" she asked.
"Why don't we go down to dinner?" he suggested, extending
his arm toward her.
Laura took it and they left her room. This evening was turning
out better than she'd hoped. Her mother was probably going to
agree to let her stay in London with Daniel, and now Harry had
given her this wonderful gift. In Laura's mind, it was proof that
Harry cared more about her than he was capable of saying. *All
in good time*, Laura, she thought to herself. *All in good time.*
**********
After dinner, Harry stood by the window in the drawing room, watching
for his ride to the airport. "Harry, sit down," Daniel
admonished.
"It's getting late," Harry reminded him. "If I
don't leave soon, I'll miss the flight - throw the entire timetable
off."
"This must be a very important business trip," Abigail
commented.
"It's *quite* important, Abigail," Harry confirmed,
turning toward the window as a car horn blew twice. "Ah.
At last." He wished Abigail a hasty farewell, then Daniel,
then winked at Laura. "Be good." Laura smiled impishly
at him, the smile fading as he picked up his cases and left the
house.
Daniel saw her distress, and looked at Abigail. "Perhaps
now would be a good time to tell Laura about your decision, Abigail,"
he suggested as Laura moved toward the same window where Harry
had been standing.
It wasn't a taxi after all. It was a *very* familiar, low slung
sports car. And the driver got out to greet Harry as he stowed
his bags in the trunk. Maybe greet was too tame a description,
Laura decided, watching as Felicia gave Harry a long kiss. Harry
smiled down at her, then said something, nodding toward the car.
Felicia held up the keys and he took them before seeing her to
the passenger side and then getting behind the wheel. He was going
away with *her*, Laura realized. With the peroxide piranha.
"Laura? Laura, are you listening to me?" Abigail asked.
"I really expected *some* kind of reaction to my deciding
to let you stay here-"
"That's alright, Mother," Laura assured her. "I've
changed my mind."
Daniel frowned, moving to the window in time to see Felicia's
car leave the drive. His lips thinned in anger at his friend.
He'd known that Felicia was going with Harry, but he'd expected
her to meet him at the airport- or in town. "Changed your
mind, Laura?" Daniel asked.
She refused to meet his eyes. "Yes. I want to go home,"
Laura said. "Back to Los Angeles. Tomorrow." She looked
at her mother. "Can we leave tomorrow, Mother?"
Abigail's eyes moved to Daniel, trying to figure out her daughter
once again, hoping that he could explain. But he shook his head.
"Laura- are you *certain* you want to go home? Just a few
days ago-"
"I was wrong," Laura said, her voice listless and dull.
"Excuse me, but I think I'll go to bed now." She kissed
her mother on the cheek, then gave Daniel a similar good night.
When he placed his hand on her arm, she shook her head at him.
"It's for the best, Daniel," she assured him.
Daniel let her go, watching as she climbed the stairs, concerned.
He was going to have a long talk with Harry when the young man
returned, he decided. "Daniel, what just happened here?"
Abigail asked. He turned to look at her. Perhaps it was time she
learned the truth. Or at least the part she could understand.
**********
Laura finished packing her case as Abigail knocked and entered
the room. "I thought you were going to bed?"
"I wanted to get this done so we could leave as soon as possible."
Abigail sighed, sitting on the bed. "You really care about
him, don't you?"
"Mother, I thought we got through this the other evening.
I do *not* have a crush on Daniel."
"I wasn't talking about Daniel, dear. I was talking about
Harry."
Laura sat down beside her. "I've never met anyone like him,"
she whispered. "And I don't think I ever will."
"And simply because he left on a business trip with his secretary,
you've suddenly decided to go home."
"It's *more* than that, Mother," Laura insisted. "You've
never met Felicia. She's everything I'm not. She's sophisticated,
tall, blonde, *older* -"
"All things which will come to you in time," Abigail
assured her. "Well, maybe not the tall and blonde, but -"
"He didn't *tell* me she was going," Laura said. "That's
what's so terrible. He had every chance to just say, 'Oh, by the
way, Felicia's coming along -'. But he never said a word."
"Maybe because he expected you would react the way you are
now," Abigail pointed out. She handed Laura a tissue from
the nightstand. "This is your decision, dear. If you want
to stay, I'll agree. And if you decide you want to go home, back
to Los Angeles, then we'll go."
"I want to go home, Mother. I want to see my friends, to
see Frances-"
Abigail heard the broken heart in that tone, and pulled Laura
to her. "We'll leave as soon as I can make the reservations,
Laura," she promised. "But I think you owe Daniel an
explanation."
Laura dabbed at her eyes with the tissue, nodding. "Tomorrow.
I'll talk to him then. Before we leave."
**********
Abigail looked at Daniel as they waited for Laura to come downstairs.
"I hope Laura's decision doesn't mean that we won't see each
other again, Daniel."
He smiled at her, taking her hand and lifting it to his lips.
"Of course we will. I fully intend to keep in touch with
Laura. Even if it's only through her charming mother."
Laura came down the stairs slowly, her eyes focused on the carpet,
the paintings on the walls, the vase of flowers on the foyer table
- anything to keep from looking at Daniel. He took her case from
her. "Mother says we should talk," she told him.
"I agree," he said. She'd avoided him for the entire
morning, and Daniel's worry had increased. "The drawing room?"
Laura nodded as Abigail said, "We have to leave for the airport
soon."
"We will," Daniel assured her, ushering Laura into the
other room and closing the doors. Laura moved around the room
restlessly, finally settling before the painting she had admired
that first evening - one of Harry's. "So you're going to
run away? Not give him the chance to explain?" he began,
getting right to the point.
Laura whirled, fire in her eyes. "Explain what? That he preferred
the delectable Felicia's company over *mine*? No, thank you. I
don't need to hear that from him. He was right. I'm not old enough,
or ready to fall that much in - in love-," she wiped an angry
tear from her face.
Daniel pulled her into his arms as she began to cry. "There,
there, my dear. I understand. And believe me, I fully intend to
speak to Harry when he comes back-"
Laura shook her head. "No. Don't. I don't want this to come
between you and him." She sniffed and accepted his handkerchief
with a grateful smile. "He won't admit it, but having you
here for him to come to is very important to him."
"You think so?"
She nodded. "He thinks a lot of you, Daniel. You know that."
"Harry's not one to discuss his feelings, Laura," Daniel
pointed out. "Except with you, perhaps."
"He never really did with me, either. It's just something
I sensed."
Daniel smiled at her gently. "I hope you won't mind if I
keep in touch with you?"
"I think I'd mind more hurt if you didn't," Laura told
him.
"What shall I tell Harry about why you left?"
She placed something in his hand. "Give him this. I think
that will explain things so he'll understand."
Daniel looked at the gold chain, knew that Harry had given it
to Laura the previous evening as a gift. "Very well."
He dropped a kiss onto her hair. "Let's get going."
**********
Harry returned to the house in London a week later in a bad mood.
The job hadn't gone well- in fact, if he ever saw Felicia again,
he was likely to strangle her lovely, long neck. He was looking
forward to spending some time with Laura, relaxing, putting the
experience he'd just been through behind him. Just thinking about
the girl brought a smile to his face. Putting his case on the
floor, his smile faded into a frown.
The house seemed empty, lifeless. As if the soul had been taken
out of it. "Laura?" he called, moving to the drawing
room. "Daniel?"
"Harry?" Daniel's voice replied, coming from the direction
of the study. He embraced the younger man. "How did it go?"
"Don't ask," Harry said darkly. "Just suffice it
to say that I don't intend to see Felicia for some time- if ever."
Daniel lifted his brows. "Close call?"
"*Very*." He looked around. "Where's Laura?"
Daniel's hand brought out the chain and held it up. "She's
gone, Harry."
"Gone? What do you mean, she's gone? She's supposed to be
here- don't tell me she ran away again-"
"She decided to go back to Los Angeles with her mother, Harry,"
Daniel told him, watching his reaction as Harry took the chain.
Harry took a deep breath. "She said it was for the best,
whatever that meant, and that you would understand when you saw
this."
Harry's gaze fixed on the gold in his palm. "I think I do.
She saw Felicia, didn't she?"
"Did you expect her not to watch you leave?"
"No. I suppose I should have told her - but - Was she very
upset?"
"At first. But once she decided on a course of action - she
seemed to start recovering. No doubt she's returned to her friends
and school and forgotten all about us, my boy," Daniel told
him, placing an arm around Harry's shoulders. "Now, I want
to hear all about what happened between you and Felicia."
Harry sighed deeply and put the chain into his pocket. Someday,
perhaps, he'd have the chance to give it back to her. When she
was older, more certain of herself - and of him. But he knew that
even if Laura Holt forgot all about him, he would *never* forget
those tilted dark eyes and those dimples, her sense of adventure-
and her curiosity. God, but he was going to miss her.
THE END---
Until I write the
sequel, that is! :-) N.E.