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Mildred kept herself between Roselli
and the office doors. "Everything's just fine," she
told him.
"Relax, Mildred. I'm here at Laura's invitation -"
"Wrong, Roselli. *Mrs. Steele* didn't send for you."
Tony frowned. "I got a message that she's been calling around
looking for me-"
"I made those calls," Mildred informed him. "At
Mr. Steele's request."
The frown deepened, mixed with confusion and concern. "Steele?
Why would he be looking for me? Has something happened to Laura?"
"As if you didn't know." Tony began to back away from
the woman, finding himself cornered, her finger digging into his
chest. "I bet you know all about what's been going on around
here the last couple of days - Wouldn't put it past you to be
behind it just to get rid of Mr. Steele. But it won't work, Roselli.
They're getting married on Saturday no matter what you try, so-"
"Would you *please* tell me what I'm supposed to have done?"
Tony asked as she paused to take a breath, eyeing her warily.
**********
Remington dropped kisses down Laura's long neck, to the vee of
skin revealed by the open collar of her tailored blouse. "Laura
- "
"Umm?" she responded, not really listening.
"Did you see Antony during that last week in Ireland?"
She went totally still, and he drew back to look into her eyes.
"Laura?" He could see her answer there. "When?"
"Do you remember when you and Mickeleen and the others went
into town to sign the final papers transferring ownership of the
castle to them?"
"Leaving you alone at the castle - something I didn't want
to do, if I recall correctly - It appears now that I was right
to be concerned." He sat up, moving to the windows.
"I went for a walk down by the lake and when I turned around-
there he was." When the room remained silent, Laura crossed
to stand beside him. "He said he wasn't giving up- that he
knew our marriage wasn't legal, and threatened to go to the INS
about it - to blow the cover off our little scam."
Remington's hands remained in his pockets. "And what did
you say?"
"I told him that if you were deported, I'd probably follow
you back to England - or Ireland, or wherever -"
He turned to look down at her, surprised. "You would?"
"That's when he - kissed me-" she saw his fists clench
beneath the fabric. "And I pushed him away - into the lake."
Remington's blue eyes began to twinkle again. "I told him
that I was staying with you because it was what I wanted to do,
because I happened to be in love with you."
"And what was his response to that?"
"He said he still cared, but that he wouldn't create any
trouble - and that if I ever needed him, to call, and he'd be
here. Then he turned and left. I haven't seen him since, Harry.
I give you my word."
He shook his head, finally relaxing a little and bringing his
arms up to pull her close. "I don't need your word. You once
accused me of not being the jealous type, Laura -"
"So I did."
"But that was only a ruse, you know. I knew how much you
hated possessive types. So I - *tried*. But when it comes to Antony
Roselli -"
"You don't have anything to worry about, Harry," she
assured him, placing her arms around his neck. "He never
stood a chance."
"Not even on the train?"
"Oh, I admit that I was attracted to him - and I never really
understood why. He's not my type -"
"Anymore than Butch Beemis was?"
"And I got over Tony just like I did Butch. A temporary aberration,
that's all."
"Glad to hear it. Why don't we go for a late lunch before
Lt. Jarvis arrives?" he suggested.
"Only if you promise to make sure I only eat a salad. If
I gain one once, that wedding dress will have to be altered- and
I *refuse* to let that woman around me with another pin."
They paused for her to slip into her shoes and pick up her purse
and hat, then headed toward the door.
**********
"You've *got* to be kidding, right? Laura wouldn't kill a
fly -"
"The evidence points right at her," Mildred was saying
as the door to Mr. Steele's office opened. That man and Laura
appeared, both smiling.
"Mildred, we're going to lunch at Luigi's -" Remington
said, wondering why Laura had stopped in her tracks. "Laura,
what-" his blue gaze followed hers to the sofa along the
wall near Mildred's desk, where Tony Roselli was rising to his
feet. "Antony."
"Steele. Hello, Laura."
"Tony." She looked up at Remington, then held out her
hand. "This is a surprise."
Tony took her hand. "I guess they didn't tell you that they'd
been looking for me, then."
Remington cleared his throat, making Tony realize that he still
had her hand. "When Mildred couldn't find Antony through
the usual channels, I suggested she try again- using your name,"
he explained to a curious Laura.
"I thought we agreed that he wasn't involved," she said.
"No, *you* agreed. I never -"
Tony stood there, arms folded across his chest, watching as they
started to argue, wondering if maybe there was hope for him yet.
Remington saw that assessing gaze and broke off. "It was
nice seeing you, Antony. Laura and I were just on our way out
to lunch-"
"Why don't I join you? That way you can finish filling me
in on what I'm supposed to have been trying to do - which I'm
not, by the way. I was in South America until last night -and
I have people who can back me up on that."
"Reputable people, I trust?" Remington questioned, only
to flinch as Laura's elbow jabbed his side.
"You're welcome to join us, Tony," Laura said sweetly.
"By all means, Antony. Why don't you join us as well, Mildred?"
he suggested. At least she could keep Tony occupied so he wouldn't
try to monopolize all of Laura's attention.
"Let me get my hat and purse, Chief," she said quickly,
understanding his motives. She didn't trust the man anymore than
Mr. Steele did. She'd worked too hard and too long to get those
two kids together to have it messed up by this interloper.
"Now that I'm here," Tony was saying as they left the
office, "I hope I'm invited to this wedding that Mildred
tells me is supposed to take place on Saturday."
"I don't know, Antony. Laura was only just complaining that
her mother's invited the entire state- there might not be room
for anyone else."
"Nonsense, darling," Laura insisted. "There's always
room for an old friend."
Tony grinned at Remington above Laura's head, making him wish
Laura wasn't there so he could knock that smile off his face like
he'd done in Ireland. Laura's hand slid into Remington's, squeezing
slightly, and he looked down at her. The little minx was smiling,
her eyes fairly aglow with laughter. She was enjoying this- and
after all these years of insisting that she *didn't* like jealous
men. He released her hand and put his arm around her shoulders,
pulling her against him, noting with some satisfaction Antony's
sigh.
Mildred, standing behind the three of them, just looked heavenward
and shook her head. This was going to be a very interesting lunch.
**********
It turned out to be a very *long* lunch in Remington's estimation.
Laura, ignoring his attempts to divert her, insisted on telling
Tony every last detail of their current crisis. After she finished,
Mildred suggested they visit the ladies room.
Once they were alone Tony met Remington's eyes. "And you
thought I might be behind all this?" he asked.
"The thought did occur, yes," Remington admitted.
"The last thing I'd do would be something that would put
Laura in danger -"
"That's good to know. Why did you come back?"
"I thought Laura was trying to find me," Tony reminded
him. "Thought maybe she'd come to her senses."
"She's my wife, Antony," Remington said, his eyes glittering
dangerously in the dim lighting of the Italian restaurant as he
signaled for the waiter to bring the check.
"Uh-uh. Not until Saturday, anyway." He saw Steele tense
as he signed the ticket. Once the waiter was gone again, Tony
finished. "Which gives me three days to make Laura realize
she's made the wrong choice."
Remington slowly rose from his chair and set it back at the table
with careful deliberation before he looked at Tony. "I'd
suggest you back off, Antony, unless you want to finish what we
started in Ireland - and believe me, this time I *will* finish
it." He looked past Tony to see Laura and Mildred were returning.
He smiled as the approached. "Ready to get back to the office,
ladies? I'm sure Antony has other things to take care of -"
Coming to his feet as well, Tony understood what Steele was saying:
he wasn't invited back to the office. "You're right. I do
have some things to do." He smiled at Laura. "I'll see
you later," he promised, before turning and leaving the restaurant
alone.
"You could have asked him to help -" Laura told Remington.
"I don't trust him," he reminded her. "I wouldn't
put it past him to *still* be behind this somehow -"
"Max Grumby's the one behind it," Laura told him with
a certainty born from years of being a detective.
"And if you're wrong, Laura?" Remington asked, sighing
when she didn't answer and instead turned toward the entrance.
"We'd better get back if we're going to meet with Lt. Jarvis."
Mildred lifted her shoulders in a shrug as she exchanged a look
with Remington, then they both turned and followed Laura.
**********
Sitting in the conference area of his office later, he turned
to the homicide detective. "So what have we got?"
"Nothing new, I think. Knowing Mildred, she's probably come
up with most of this herself," he said, grinning at the woman
who was handing him a cup of coffee. "Robert du Mont was
a third rate con man, not very good at his job, apparently. He
was in prison at least twice-"
Mildred sat down. "Three times," she corrected. "England,
last year."
Jarvis shook his head. "Ever consider coming to work for
the department, Mildred?"
"And leave these two? They wouldn't know what to do without
me."
"She's right," Laura said. "We couldn't run the
office without Mildred. How did he get to Los Angeles, Jimmy?"
"That's a mystery. He was running a con in Paris a while
back - it went sour and he took off, one step ahead of the local
authorities. They lost him and he disappeared until he turned
up here. I've been trying to get someone at the INS to tell me
how he came in, but I've been getting the runaround. Bureaucrats,"
he said with a sour expression.
Laura looked at Remington. "Remington has a contact with
Immigration, Jimmy," she said. "I think we can find
out something -"
Remington nodded. "I'll call later," he promised.
"I'd appreciate the help," Jarvis said. "Thanks."
"What did you dig up on Max Grumby?" Laura questioned.
"Nothing much. He's good at digging up dirt, but there's
a disturbing trend involving anyone who tries to cross him. They
tend to have a mysterious accident - or vanish without a trace."
"Any definite connection between Grumby and Craig Malcolm?"
Remington asked. "Or Robert du Mont?"
"Not yet. The only connection I found to Malcolm was almost
twenty years ago- right after Malcolm first appeared in Los Angeles
and Grumby was just starting out."
"Whoever got du Mont into this country would have to have
had connections with the INS," Remington mused.
Knowing where this was heading, Laura shook her head. "Does
Grumby have those connections, Jimmy?"
"He's got a cousin that works for Immigration -" Jarvis
confirmed. Laura gave Remington a victorious smile that wavered
when Jarvis continued. "But she's a secretary - doubtful
she'd be able to be of much help getting someone into the country
illegally." Now it was Remington's turn to smile.
"And what about the other name, Jarvis?" he asked.
Jarvis took out his notebook. "Roselli?" he asked. At
Remington's nod, he shook his head. "Nothing. Not even two
lines on him. Whoever the guy is, his tracks have been covered."
"Would it help if you had a fingerprint, Lieutenant?"
Mildred asked.
"Sure it would. But I don't think I have any reason to invite
the man down to get his prints-"
Mildred stood up. "I'll be right back," she promised.
Laura looked at Remington, who lifted his shoulders, as much in
the dark as she was about what Mildred might be up to. She returned
a moment later, carrying her huge purse, digging through it, trying
to find something. "It's got to be here -"
"What, Mildred?" Laura inquired, beginning to think
that perhaps they'd been working her too hard.
"Aha," she exclaimed triumphantly, pulling out a water
glass from Luigi's, carefully wrapped in a handkerchief. Keeping
the cloth between her and the glass, she held it out to Jarvis.
"Here you go. Roselli used it at the restaurant where we
had lunch. His prints should be all over it."
Remington tried not to laugh, knowing from Laura's expression
that it wouldn't be appreciated. "Mildred, you- *stole* a
glass from Luigi's?" she asked.
"I left a dollar for it," Mildred explained.
"When did you-"
"When you and Mrs. Steele were having that - discussion right
after *he* left," she explained.
Jarvis took the glass. "Got a kit anywhere around here? I'd
rather lift the prints here instead of taking this all the way
back to the station -" Mildred hustled from the room again,
returning with a fingerprint kit. When she would have handed it
to Jarvis, he shook his head. "Why don't you do the honors?"
Laura rose and left the rest of them poring over Mildred's dusting
for Tony's fingerprints on the smooth surface of the glass. She
walked over to the window, resting her hands on the sill. Watching
her with troubled eyes, Remington rose as well, following her.
"What's wrong?" he asked softly so their voices wouldn't
carry.
"I just wish you could put aside your jealousy of Tony. He's
not responsible for any of this - "
"It might be easier to push aside my jealousy if I wasn't
sure that he's going to try everything he can between now and
Saturday to keep us from being married."
"You don't know-"
"But I do. Direct from the source itself, Laura." When
she lifted surprised eyes to his, he nodded. "Antony as much
as told me that he considers you a free agent until Saturday."
Laura put her arm through his, resting her head against his shoulder.
"He doesn't stand a chance," she assured him as Jarvis'
voice reached them.
"Got it." They turned. "I'll take this back to
the station and see what I can dig up on this Roselli character.
You say he claims to work for the government?"
**********
Max Grumby chewed on the end of his cigar as he unlocked the door
to his office. Jarvis' visit to the Steeles wasn't a good sign.
He might have to step things up- call in a favor from that reporter
on the Times, offer him an exclusive. Go public with du Mont's
death and Laura Holt Steele's involvement in it. The outer office
was empty- he'd been forced to let Mabel, his secretary of ten
years, go after MultiCorp had pulled their contract. He might
have to let the office go before long unless something happened
soon. He put his hand on the doorknob to his office and pushed
it open, coming to a stop as he found someone sitting behind his
desk, feet up, reading his file on the Steeles. "Who are
you? How did you get in here?"
The man closed the file. "I'm here to offer my assistance,
Mr. Grumby."
"Your assistance to do what? Who *are* you?"
"I can help you get rid of Remington Steele Investigations.
And the name's Roselli. Tony Roselli."
To Be Continued . . .