- Steele Screamed in Silence
Inspired by the title submitted by
Karen <PandoraBlue33@aol.com>
*It was close. He could hear the monster thrashing around, was
positive that he could feel it's hot, rancid breath as it searched
for him in the room.
He cowered in fear, trying to curl into a tiny ball, hoping to
hide in the darkness.
"Please don't let him find me. Please don't let him find
me," he prayed like a mantra, over and over again as he
heard the monster's footsteps coming closer and closer
He closed his eyes tightly, as if hoping that not seeing the
monster would cause it be somehow less real.
The footsteps stopped, and in the silence, he opened his eyes-
and found himself face to face with the monster itself.
He screamed, but there was no one to hear*
Remington Steele sat bolt upright in his bed, blinking as he
realized that he was here, that he was safe, and began to let
the nightmare fade from his conscious memory. He was drenched
in sweat, his heart pounding loud in his ears as if he'd just
run one of Laura's triathlons. Drawing in deep, cleansing gulps
of cool air, he began to calm, but the fear remained.
He lay back down and turned onto his side, hugging a pillow to
his chest as he waited for sleep to claim his mind again, and
prayed that the dream wouldn't come back...
***
"Good morning, Mildred," Laura Holt said in a cheery
tone as she entered the offices of Remington Steele Investigations.
The middle aged blonde woman looked at her as she hung up the
telephone. "Morning, Miss Holt."
Hearing the concern in the older woman's voice, Laura paused
beside the desk. "Is something the matter, Mildred? You
seem- upset."
"Well, Mr. Steele's not in yet," Mildred told her,
watching Laura's reaction closely.
Laura glanced at the open door into Steele's office. "It's
almost ten! I know he likes to keep late hours, but still- we're
supposed to be at-"
"I know. That's why I tried to call his apartment. There's
no answer. And Fred says he hasn't called him, either. I'm worried
about him, Miss Holt. He hasn't seemed himself lately."
"No," Laura agreed thoughtfully. "He hasn't."
She turned on her heel. "Keep trying his apartment. I'm
going to go check on him."
Mildred picked up the telephone and dialed the number once again.
***
Laura got into the Rabbit and turned it toward Rossmore, thinking
as she drove. Ever since they had begun this last case, Mr. Steele
has been more aloof and closed off than usual. He'd constantly
found excuses not to go with her while completing the necessary
research for their clients, always seemed to be out of pocket
when she needed him. She'd put it down to his ambivalence toward
children at first, but now she wondered if there might not be
more to it than that.
A week ago, they had been at the museum, watching as a painting
was unveiled that the Agency had provided security for. Neither
of them had noticed the group of children who were visiting the
museum that day, two of whom had lingered during the unveiling
and Mr. Steele's remarks after it.
Two days later, the two children, boys, both ten years old, had
come into the offices and asked to speak with Mr. Steele. Mildred,
thinking that they were selling candy for some cause or other,
tried to divert them, but they insisted that they simply HAD
to see Mr. Steele, and that it was about a case.
Once in Steele's office, eating cookies and milk from the office
icebox, the boys, who said their names were Mike and Davie, told
Steele and Laura that they wanted to hire them to investigate
the man who was running the private orphanage they were staying
in. Thinking that the man was simply a bit more of a strict disciplinarian
than they boys liked, Laura had suggested that they take their
complaints to whoever had hired the man.
"We've tried," Mike, a dark haired boy with greenish
blue eyes, insisted. "But Mr. Overton has all of the adults
fooled. They all think he's wonderful!"
"He's not?" Steele had asked, speaking for the first
time since the boys had told them that they were orphans.
Mike glanced at Davie, who was slightly built, with flaming red
hair and covered with freckles. "No. He's a terrible person,"
Mike said. "We think he's probably been in prison-"
"Surely the people who hired him checked that out,"
Laura pointed out.
"No. They didn't. Or if they did, he hid it somehow. Please.
We can pay," Mike told them, taking some money from his
pocket and holding it out to Steele. Twenty dollars, Laura had
easily counted, mostly in change and ones. "We took up a
collection from the other boys. If you don't help us, Mr. Steele-"
"Boys, I'm sure Mr. Steele would love to help you, but-"
Laura began to say, and frowned as Mr. Steele finished her comment.
"And so I shall," he told them, taking the money and
placing it on his desk. "Do you need a lift back to the
orphanage?"
"No," Mike told her, with another glance at Davie.
"We can get back in without being seen. And if we're caught-well,
I'll just tell Mr. Overton that it was my idea so that Davie
won't get into trouble."
"Thank you," Davie said in a quiet voice, and Laura
wasn't sure if he was talking to her- or to his friend.
Laura watched the boys leave the office. "Why did you do
that? They're probably just upset because this Mr. Overton grounded
them from watching TV because they took off somewhere without
permission, or didn't do their chores, or-"
"Isn't it just possible that they're right, Laura?"
he'd asked in a quiet voice that somehow reminded her of Davie.
"Or has the Remington Steele Agency gotten so big that it
can't spend a couple of days checking out a person who's been
put in charge of a group of helpless children, hmm? Just to make
sure? To put their worried minds to rest?"
Put that way, Laura had been forced to agree with him, and had
put Mildred to work checking out Lyle Overton's background using
the information that Mike and Davie had given them, information
culled from Overton's own files at the orphanage. When asked
how they had gotten it, Mike had grinned. "One of Davie's
chores is to clean Mr. Overton's office," he told them.
Four hours later, as she and Steele had returned from lunch,
Mildred had met them. "Lyle Overton doesn't exist, Chief,"
she informed them.
"What?"
"Well, he DID exist, but he's dead. Buried in Forest Lawn.
He died three years ago."
"You were right, Mr. Steele," Laura had murmured, looking
at the report. "Now, we just have to find out WHO the man
working at the orphanage really is. Feel up to a visit with the
man, Mr. Steele?"
"Uh, - why don't you handle that, Miss Holt?" he'd
suggested quickly, glancing at his watch as he was already moving
toward the door. "I'd completely forgotten about an appointment
with my tailor..."
And so it had begun. Laura had gone to see Mr. Overton, managed
to get a fingerprint that was used to confirm that the man did
indeed have a prison record- and that he should NEVER have been
put in charge of a group of young boys.
When Overton had been arrested- away from the orphanage, Davie
had called Laura and told her that Mike was missing, that Overton
had locked him in the "punishment room" he had hidden
in the basement upon their return to the orphanage that first
day, and he hadn't been seen since. The police had quickly found
that room, and released a starving, bruised Mike to return to
his delighted friends and an overnight hospital stay.
But Mr. Steele had again found another reason not to visit the
orphanage, had only heard Laura's second hand reports of the
rescue- was that when he had totally closed off, she wondered,
trying to think back to the exact moment when she'd lost him
on this case.
"It was his idea to TAKE the damn case!" she fretted
as she exited the elevator onto the fifth floor of Steele's building.
She knocked on the door, but there was no response. Turning the
handle, she confirmed that it was locked.
"Mr. Steele?" she called out, frowning as she noticed
his suit jacket tossed haphazardly across the back of the sofa,
his tie near the bedroom door. The CLOSED bedroom door. She tapped
softly. "Mr. Steele?" she called again, and reached
out to turn the knob as she heard him murmuring softly beyond
it. Laura froze, suddenly afraid that he might not be in there
alone.
She backed off, and then realized that even if he DID have a
"guest", he was STILL late for an appointment, and
it was important that HE remember that fact. Taking a deep breath,
she opened the door, bracing herself just in case-
He was alone, but Laura's relief was short lived and she found
her earlier anger returning- until he murmured again in his sleep.
"Please don't let him find me. Please don't let him find
me." He sounded like a small, terrified little boy, and
Laura's anger began to transform into concern. He was lying on
his side, drenched in sweat, curled into a fetal position as
he hugged a pillow. "Please, don't let him find me."
Laura reached out and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Mr.
Steele-?"
He pulled sharply away, opening his eyes to look at her. She
couldn't recall ever seeing those blue eyes filled with so much
terror. He blinked, and moved again, and Laura forced herself
to keep her eyes on his face, to ignore the sheet that had slipped
precariously low over his hips. "Laura?" He blinked
again, slowly regaining his bearings. "What are you doing
here?"
Laura tapped the alarm clock. "It's after ten, Mr. Steele,"
she pointed out. "And-Mildred was worried when you didn't
call."
Remington ran his hands through his damp hair. "I overslept.
I'm sorry." He reached out and covered her hand with his.
"What about you, Laura? Where you worried as well?"
he asked.
Laura turned her hand to thread her fingers through his. "I
wasn't when I came in here- but- Do you have these nightmares
often?"
He pulled away from her hand, concentrating on locating his robe.
"Was I having a nightmare? I don't remember."
"You were hoping that someone wouldn't find you," Laura
told him.
Shrugging into his robe, he said, "Not an unusual dream
for someone who's spent as much time on the run as I have,"
he reminded her. "What say I shower and we find somewhere
to have brunch?" he suggested, sliding out of bed, just
managing to keep himself covered from Laura's gaze.
"Love to," Laura said. "But we're due at the orphanage
at eleven-"
Remington frowned. "The orphanage?"
"For lunch, remember? The boys set it up to thank you for
helping them get rid of that animal Overton."
"But *I* didn't do anything," he insisted. "It
was YOU who-"
"Ah, but THEY think that you were responsible, Mr. Steele."
Remington looked around the room, seeking a means of escape.
"I have an appointment with Maurice," he told her quickly.
"And you know how he can be-"
"You can't seriously expect me to tell those boys that your
TAILOR is more important than they are!"
"Come now, Laura. Surely you can think of some excuse to
explain my absence. A case that demands my undivided attention.
A-a dentist's appointment-"
"MAY I remind you, MISTER Steele that YOU are the one who
insisted that we TAKE this case in the FIRST place? And you've
yet to lift ONE finger to help me solve it!"
"Those boys needed someone's help," Remington told
her in a tired voice. "And I was sure that you could be
that help," he told her.
"Mr. Steele-"
"I'm not going, Laura," he said, his hand on the door
of the bathroom.
"You haven't asked about how Mike is doing this morning,"
she said.
Remington stopped, but didn't turn around. She saw the black
silk of his robe move as he tensed. "How is he?"
"He's going to be fine," she told him. His relief was
almost palpable. "In fact, he's supposed to be there to
have lunch with his hero-"
"I'm not a hero, Laura," Remington said in a quiet
voice. "Give him my best." The door closed behind him
with finality.
Laura stood there until she heard the water running, and then
wandered out to the kitchen, where she made a pot of coffee,
as she considered her options.
There was something about the orphanage that terrified Mr. Steele.
He mentioned foster families- but to Laura's best recollection,
he had never mentioned anything about being in an orphanage.
As usual, she was up against the man's mysterious past- with
no one to give her the answers she needed.
"You're a detective, Laura. DETECT!" she murmured.
***
She was sitting in the living room when he opened the bedroom
door. Seeing her only caused him to pause for a moment before
continuing to fasten his cuffs, his jacket draped over his arm.
"I thought you would be gone by now," he commented.
"I called and told them I'd be a little late," Laura
informed him. "That I had a friend who needed my help."
Lifting her mug, she said, "I made some coffee."
He paused again as he donned his jacket. "I suppose if you're
drinking it, it can't be too bad," he teased, disappearing
into the kitchen, returning a moment later with his usual china
cup and saucer.
"You never told me that you'd spent time in an orphanage,
Mr. Steele."
Remington hesitated again as he lifted is cup. "Who says
I did?" He took a sip of coffee. "Your coffee's improving."
"Your subconscious told me," Laura said, refusing to
let him change the subject. "The nightmare- the abject avoidance
of the orphanage or anything to do with this case. I'd be willing
to admit that you've been having the nightmares ever since we
took this case. If not longer." Remington moved away to
the window, but didn't respond. "You knew someone like Lyle
Overton, didn't you? That's why you wanted me to take the case-you'd
been through something similar and no one would listen to you."
"You just won't let it alone, will you, Laura?" he
asked in a strangled voice. "You keep digging and scratching,
ignoring the fact that you just MIGHT be reopening old wounds
that are best left healed."
"But they're NOT healed!" Laura insisted. "If
they were, you wouldn't be having these nightmares- wouldn't
run the other way if someone so much as mentions that orphanage."
"Run the other way," Remington repeated. "But
I'm good at running, aren't I? Alright, Laura, you want to hear
the whole bloody story?"
"Yes!" she exclaimed. "How else am I going to
help you stand and fight if I don't know what you're running
FROM?!"
Remington took a deep breath and put his cup and saucer onto
the mantle, then shoved his hands deep into his pockets. "You
were right. I spent a few weeks in a Dublin orphanage. It was
run by a sadistic, sick bastard by the name of Flaherty. Most
of the other boys used to call him 'Flaky Flaherty' behind his
back," he told her with a smile that faded quickly. "But
a few called him 'The Monster'. There was another boy who looked
after the others. His name was Pete. He was a little older than
the rest, had been there awhile. He was the first person that
I ever liked enough to call my friend. I told him the first day
that I wasn't staying, that I had been heading for London when
they'd picked me up, and that's where I was going to go. He offered
to help me escape- but something went wrong. Flaherty saw us
before we got out, grabbed Pete. I managed to get back to the
dorm before I was seen. Pete disappeared for the night, and when
he came back, he refused to talk to me. The other boys tried
to tell me to leave it, that he was trying to protect me- but
I was too concerned about my new friend to listen." He shook
his head as Laura moved to stand beside him. "If I'd listened,
maybe-" he broke off. "Pete finally started telling
me that we'd try again later- that I had to get out of there
as soon as possible, get as far away as I could- suddenly his
eyes were looking behind me- and Flaherty had me by the neck,
was dragging me down the hall to the door at the end of the hall.
Pete- Pete went crazy. Started pounding on the Monster's back,
telling him that it was a mistake, that it was all his idea,
that he should be punished, not me." The blue eyes closed.
"I can still see Pete's face as that monster pushed Pete
into that room. He was there for a week before I managed to get
inside while Flaherty was out." He put a hand flat against
the glass before him. "I found him, shivering, wrapped in
a blanket. Bruised, too weak to move. I told him we were leaving,
but he said he couldn't go- but that I should get out while I
could. That as soon as the monster was finished with him, he'd
come for me. He heard Flaherty coming back-" the hand clenched
into a tight fist, still pressing against the glass. "He
told me to hide, that I had to stay quiet- no matter what happened.
That if the monster knew I was there, he'd kill me." Those
blue eyes were haunted by what he must have seen in that room
that day. "I sat there in that dark corner, eyes closed,
listening, praying that the monster wouldn't find me. When he
wrapped Pete's body in the blanket and carried him out, I escaped
and left the orphanage that night."
"And you've been running ever since," Laura guessed.
Remington nodded. "I heard someone talking on the boat from
Dublin about an orphan who'd been beaten by street thugs and
left dead in an alleyway. He killed three more boys before someone
else caught on and stopped him. And there's no telling how many
more that he-"
"You've never told anyone about this?"
"No. I was only a kid. An orphan with a known history of
being a troublemaker. No one was going to listen to me. Besides,
why should I go about telling everyone that I was a coward?"
"You weren't a coward then," Laura said softly. "And
you're not now." She grasped his hand, refusing to let it
go when he tried to pull it away. "You didn't do anything
wrong." He managed to pull away, and sat down, covering
his face with his hands. Laura knelt beside him. "If you
had tried to stop Flaherty, he would have killed you, too, and
then who would have been there to save Mike and Davie and their
friends from THEIR monster?"
"You would have been there."
"No. I was ready to write them off, remember? To turn down
the case. YOU saved Mike's life- Davie's too, probably."
She watched him for a moment, as another piece of the puzzle
that was Remington Steele fell into place. "You know, in
a way, you've more than repaid Pete for his sacrifice in saving
you."
"What are you talking about?" Remington asked, looking
at her.
"The way you've always been there for your friends, the
way you always root for the underdog. You think I don't know
about how you give money to the woman who sells flowers down
on the street in front of the office, but I do.You loaned Monroe
the money to start his own business when he decided to go straight.
You saved those boys by being Remington Steele- by insisting
that I investigate Mr. Overton."
He took a deep, shuddering breath as he considered her words.
"I'd never thought of it that way."
Laura rose to her feet. "Are you ready to go?"
"Go?" he asked, frowning uncertainly.
"To lunch with Mike and Davie and the rest." She saw
the fear cloud his eyes again, and held out a hand. "You
said once that you wanted me to teach you how to stop running.
To stand and fight. It's time to face down that monster, Mr.
Steele."
"I-"
"I'll be right beside you, the entire time."
"Promise?"
"I promise," she repeated, holding her breath until
he took her hand and rose to his feet. Laura was sure that there
was far more to the story than he'd told her, but she hoped that
talking to Mike and Davie would put the monster in Mr. Steele's
psyche to rest for once and for all.
The End
- This story was submitted to the RSFic list at egroups and
archived on the KrebsFiles. To read more of the results of the
story challenge, go here
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