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"Laura-" Remington followed
her from the room, through the dining room to the stairs. "Laura,
where are you going?"
"To get dressed," she told her husband. "I can't
very well go save Jessica in my nightgown," she reasoned.
"Laura, it would help if you'd let ME in on this," Jimmy
said, following them, "That way I can have my men surround
the place-"
"And get her killed?" Laura asked.
Jimmy stood at the bottom of the stairs. "And you think I'm
going to just stand aside and let the two of you handle this alone?"
"You're welcome to tag along, Jimmy," Laura called out
as she turned the upstairs corner with Remington close behind
her.
"Tag along?" Remington questioned. "He's not going
to tag along after YOU anywhere. Because you're not going."
Laura entered the bedroom and went to the closet. "Of course
I'm going. I'M the one who knows where they went, remember?"
"YOU need to remember that you're pregnant," Remington
reminded her, grabbing his own clothing. "I'm not going to
risk you or that child being hurt-"
Laura's head came up, her eyes flashing with anger. "YOU
of all people should know better than to try to stop me from doing
my job, Remington. Now I'm GOING, and that's that!"
After all these years, Remington knew better than to argue with
Laura in this mood. She was in her "I can be as macho as
the next guy" mode, and when she got like that, there was
no way ANYONE could stop her. "Do you think you could tell
ME where Henry Leonard has taken Jessica?" he asked, pulling
a black turtleneck sweater out of the dresser and slipping it
over his head.
"To the place where he was staying eight years ago - when
his uncle thought he was in Europe," Laura answered cryptically.
Remington sighed, and grabbed the agency gun from the top shelf
of the closet, making it sure it was loaded before smoothing his
hair and slipping on some shoes to follow her back downstairs.
Tony was standing near the door. "Where do you think YOU'RE
going?" Remington asked. "You need to see a doctor,
not go chasing off-"
"It's Jess, Steele. I'm fine. She might not be. And I- kinda
feel responsible for what's happened."
Privately, Remington agreed with him. If Antony had brought Jessica
back to the house earlier, then she wouldn't have been in a position
to be kidnapped by this madman. "You're sure you feel up
to it, Tony?" Laura asked, grabbing her car keys from a hook
near the door.
Edward deftly removed the keys. "You're not taking either
of those cars," he said, causing Laura to give him a look
of consternation.
"Daddy - we can't wait for Fred to-"
"Then you can take my sedan - or have Capt. Jarvis drive
you wherever you want to go."
Remington's eyes narrowed. "Edward?"
Laura's father scanned the group. "Leonard was the garage
earlier," he reminded them. "There's no way of telling
how long he was there before he lured Tony downstairs. He could
have rigged either - or both cars."
"I'll get a bomb squad out here," Jimmy said, going
to the phone.
"But bombs aren't his usual m.o." Laura insisted.
"Neither was kidnapping until tonight," Robert reminded
her in a soft voice.
Jimmy hung up the phone. "They'll be right over to check
the garage and cars out," he said. "Now, Laura, would
you care to tell me where we're going?"
**********
As Jimmy drove toward their destination, he glanced in the mirror.
"You're sure about this, Laura? I mean - why would Henry
Leonard go to the Maxwell place?"
"Because that's where he was during the time his uncle thought
he was in Europe," Remington answered, remembering what Laura
had said earlier.
Laura nodded, as Tony opened his eyes to look at her. "Care
to explain this to me?"
"It's really very simple," Laura insisted. "Miriam
Maxwell - for reasons still unknown - decided to get rid of her
husband and seduced a seventeen year old boy into helping her."
"But- Henry Leonard had been in London for several years
at that point -" Jimmy said.
"He was home for a visit two months before his mother's death
-" Laura reminded him. "James Leonard mentioned that
- when he explained to us why his son hadn't attended his mother's
funeral. He couldn't afford to miss anymore school, remember?"
she asked Remington, who nodded thoughtfully.
"He was here the entire time?" Jimmy asked. "At
Miriam Maxwell's?"
"In a guest cottage on the grounds," she said. "I
noticed it the one time we were there. Mrs. Maxwell said that
it hadn't been used in ages - but I saw the blinds move at one
of the windows. At the time, I dismissed it as the wind or a trick
of the light. I mean, we'd solved the case, after all. Or THOUGHT
we had." She clenched her fist in self directed anger. "I
should have followed up on that hunch," she said. "If
I had -" Remington placed his hand over hers.
Tony frowned. "You're saying that Miriam Maxwell used Henry
to kill her husband- and his mother?"
"I don't have all the details, Jimmy," Laura admitted,
"But I'm hoping that Henry Leonard can provide them."
Jimmy braked the car before the front gates of the estate. "But
what made you decide that he brought Jessica here?" he asked.
"Look at the name on the gate," Laura suggested.
"Sunrise Acres," Tony muttered. "And he dumped
the police car on Sunset."
"He WANTED us to follow him," Laura said.
"Why?" Remington asked.
The radio crackled to life. "Capt. Jarvis."
"Jarvis here. What have you got, Betty?"
"Sgt. Merchant wanted me to tell you that both of the Steele
cars were wired to timer bombs. Fifteen minutes after the engine
was started, the bomb would have gone off." Remington felt
Laura's shudder beside him and put his arm around her.
"Daddy was right," she whispered.
"I need some units at the Maxwell estate, Betty. No sirens."
"You go it. Oh, there was a message for you from an Inspector
Lombard from Scotland Yard."
"Go ahead."
"Prof. Julius Leonard's housekeeper confirmed name of young
woman with whom the Professor had an affair was Jessica B."
"Jessica?" Laura questioned as Tony's eyes widened.
"But- she didn't attend Cambridge. She went to school here
in California. Berkley."
"But she was supposed to attend Cambridge," Tony said.
"She had a scholarship- full tuition. She and her grandfather
had an arguement, and she decided to come to the States to spite
him."
Remington looked at Tony for a long moment. "She told you
that?"
"She's told me a lot of things," Tony said. He opened
the door. "Where's this cottage you mentioned, Laura?"
"I'll show you where it is," she said, opening her door.
Remington put a hand on her arm to stop her. "You're with
me."
"You and I have been here, remember? We're the ones who know
the layout. You need to go with Jimmy to lead him to the cottage.
Tony and I will go in the back way."
Tony pulled out the pistol he'd stuffed into the back of his belt
but hadn't pulled earlier. When he saw the look Laura and Steele
gave the gun, he shrugged. "I know, you don't like me to
carry - but I didn't like the odds. The only reason I didn't pull
it earlier was that I didn't want to accidently hit a gas tank
in that garage." He met Remington's look. "She'll be
all right, Steele."
"She'd better be, mate," he said in a warning tone.
To Laura, he said, "You take care."
"You too," she said, moving away as Jimmy shoved a radio
into her hands.
"Keep in touch."
Jimmy drew out his own weapon, checking the cylinder. "You
ready, Remington?"
Remington brought out the agency gun. "I'm with you."
**********
"I shouldn't have left her alone," Tony said to Laura
as they moved through the grounds after having scaled the wall
that surrounded the estate.
"It's not your fault, Tony," Laura whispered in reply.
"HE thinks it is. And maybe he's right. I'd give anything
to be in her place right now, Laura."
"I know that, Tony. And I'm sure she does too."
"I should have known something like this would happen,"
he said. "It always does. Either she's got a case to work
on, or I do, or- someone shoots at us -" he saw Laura smile.
"What?"
"Sounds familiar," she told him. "The cottage is
right up here," she said, ducking behind a hedge.
"I don't see any lights," he said.
"He's expecting us," she said. She pressed the button
on the radio. "We're in position," she said quickly.
"On our way," Jimmy replied. "Wait for my signal."
"Roger." Laura sat down behind the hedge. "Tony,
take it from someone who's been there. Find the time for the important
things. MAKE the time if you have to. Dinner at her favorite restaurant,
a movie - cook dinner for her."
"Me? Cook? After watching Jess in the kitchen, I don't think
I have that kind of courage."
Laura smiled. "Did I ever tell you about the time I fixed
dinner for Remington?"
"I didn't think you cooked."
"I don't. But that didn't stop me from trying. We'd just
finished a busy week, and we agreed to have dinner. HE thought
I meant that we'd go out somewhere - you can imagine his surprise
when he showed up at the loft to find me toiling over a hot stove.
I'd found a new recipe that I thought couldn't miss- bought some
wine-"
"Disaster?" Tony asked, glancing over the hedge again.
"That's putting it mildly. I burned the entree - scorched
the sauce - but Remington sat there and ate every bite - washed
it down with the wine which was the only palatable thing about
the entire meal. He never once complained, never once suggested
we go out somewhere - I think it was then that I KNEW, I mean,
really KNEW that he cared about me."
"But it still took a long time for you to admit it to yourself,"
Tony said. "I still don't see myself making lasagna for Jess."
"She's probably like it. But what I'm saying is that you
can't let yourself get so caught up in daily routine as to not
find the time for each other. Not if she means as much to you
as you say she does."
"We're on the opposite side of the cottage, Laura,"
Remington said through the radio. "No sign of anything over
here."
"Not here, either." Tony held out his gun.
"Keep this with you. Use it if you have to."
Laura took the weapon. "Tony's going to get closer to try
and get a look inside," she said.
Tony nodded at her, then moved toward the cottage, keeping low,
hiding behind trees.
**********
"I TOLD you, I never MET your uncle," Jessica insisted.
"I didn't attend Cambridge. I went to school here, in California."
"The woman my uncle wrote about had the initials J.B.,"
Henry Leonard insisted, moving behind her chair to double check
the ropes on her wrists for the tenth time. He was getting nervous,
Jessica realized, wondering why no one had come to get her. "And
the name he mentioned was Jessica."
"IT wasn't ME," Jessica said yet again. "But I
think I know who it was. A friend of mine. Jessica Blackthorne.
She used my scholarship to attend university when I decided not
to stay in England." She saw him look out the window. "Why
are you doing this, Henry? You know, you haven't actually hurt
anyone yet. I think I could help you, if you let me go now and
forget about all this -"
"I CAN'T!" Henry yelled. "I have to PROVE that
I'm worthy of her. Get rid of everyone who could hurt her. Hurt
US."
"Worthy of who, Henry?" Jessica asked, still speaking
in a calm, soothing tone. He was so close to the edge. One shove
and he'd be over- and there was no telling what damage he might
do. "Who are you doing this for?"
"Miriam," he said. "She said I had to prove my
love for her by getting rid of her husband and the woman who was
standing between us. I didn't want to."
"YOU killed her husband and-?"
"NO! I couldn't kill my mother. I told her that. So she took
the gun from me and went to the motel room alone. I followed her,
watched -" He was pacing the room now, his attention focused
away from the windows. Jessica thought she'd seen movement beyond
one of them, a momentary glimpse of Tony's face. At least it meant
he was still alive, and not dead, as she'd feared after seeing
him sprawled in that doorway.
"Why use your father's car?" Jessica asked, trying to
keep him talking. "Why not just take a taxi? Or rent a car?"
"She wanted my father to be blamed for the murders. She said
he was against us too, just like her husband and my mother had
been. Just like Uncle Julius was."
Jessica felt a cold chill as she listened to him speak. She'd
interviewed clients like Henry Leonard. Murderers who were so
far past humanity that they didn't even realize what they were
doing any longer. *Come on, Tony,* she thought to herself. *If
you're going to do something, do it now. Before he goes off the
deep end and takes me with him.*
**********
Tony returned to where Laura was hiding, taking the gun back as
he ducked behind the hedge. He also took the radio. "They're
both in there," Tony told Remington and Jimmy. "Jess
is tied in a chair beside the fireplace. Leonard's got a small
caliber gun - He's pacing the room."
"I've got men moving in," Jimmy told him. "Hold
your position."
"We can't wait," Tony insisted. "The guy's crazy.
I think he killed his uncle - Jess is trying to keep him talking,
but he's on the edge."
"Storming the place is just going to get her killed, Antony,"
Remington said.
"Not if we do it on a count of three. You and Jarvis take
the front room windows. I'll take the door."
"What about me?" Laura asked.
"You're going to stay down," Tony told her. "You're
the only one who's not armed here. I promised Steele you'd be
all right. I've already let him down with Jess- I'm not going
to repeat that mistake with you." He spoke into the radio
again. "Let's move in," he said.
Laura watched him move back toward the cottage, saw Remington
and Jimmy come around each side to pause beside the windows. She
moved behind the hedge, to the rear of the cottage, just in case
Leonard got out that way. Picking up a long stick, she held it
like a club, at ready behind a tree on the path from the back
door.
**********
"What good will killing the Steeles do, Henry?" Jessica
asked. "How is that going to prove anything to Miriam? She's
obviously forgotten all about you. Hasn't she remarried? Some
Italian businessman?"
"She'll HAVE to take me back once she finds out what I've
done. She used them too, you see. Used them to frame my father
so that his death would look like a suicide."
"It wasn't a suicide?" Jessica questioned. She saw a
movement at the window again.
"I didn't want to do it. But he figured out that Miriam was
behind everything. He was going to call the police, turn her in.
He said that she didn't love me."
"Of course she loves you, Henry," Jessica said. "But
she doesn't need you to kill people to prove it anymore."
"It's the only thing that made her love me before. It will
again," he said.
Jessica tensed as she heard glass breaking and Henry whirled,
arm extended. Jessica rocked the chair onto its side, out of his
line of fire as he pulled the trigger of his gun. The bullet struck
the rock fireplace, sending shards of rock into the air, one of
them hitting Jessica on the forehead. The front door burst open,
and Tony stood there, both hands on his gun, pointing it directly
at Henry.
"Put the gun down, Leonard," he ordered as Jimmy and
Remington came to back him up.
Henry shook his head, keeping the barrell pointed toward Jessica.
"I don't think so. If you shoot me, I might still get a round
off. He backed away, toward the doorway across the room.
Once he was out of sight, Tony knelt beside Jessica, untying the
ropes. "Jess?"
She smiled at him. "I'm all right," she assured him
as Jimmy followed Leonard through the cottage to the back door.
"Stop, Leonard!" he called out as the man fled down
the path.
Hearing Jimmy's voice, Henry turned, arm extended again, taking
quick aim. He never pulled the trigger as Laura hit him on the
head with the stick she was carrying. Henry Leonard fell to the
ground in a crumpled heap, and Laura moved to kick the gun from
his hand just in case as Remington came from the cottage. "Laura?"
He took in the stick in her hand and pulled her against him, shaking
his head.
"Jessica?" she asked.
"She's fine. A cut on the forehead from some peices of rock,
but other than that-" He watched as Jarvis' men seemed to
fill the tiny clearing around the cottage, and two of them lifted
Leonard to his feet and put handcuffs on him. Remington led Laura
back inside the small house, and they paused in the living room
doorway.
Jessica was in Tony's arms, her lips on his.
**********
Back at the house near dawn, Laura applied an antiseptic to Jessica's
wound as they tried to explain what had happened. "Miriam
Maxwell wanted to get rid of her husband before he could divorce
her," Laura told her Mildred, Katherine, her father and Robert.
"AND she wanted to get back at James Leonard for his wife's
affair with her husband. So she decided to use poor, innocent
Henry as her instrument of destruction."
"But to do that," Remington said, "she had to get
him off balance enough that he wouldn't hesitate to do whatever
she asked. Even kill his own mother. She told him that everyone
wanted to keep them apart, that they thought she was too old for
him."
"She seduced a seventeen year old boy?" Katherine questioned.
"During his visit home from England. It was then they made
the arrangements for him to run away from school and come back
to her- where she kept him hidden in the cottage - unknown to
everyone, including her husband. She had him drive his father's
car to a spot near the motel where his mother and David Maxwell
were meeting - they went to the room together, but at the last
moment, Henry balked at the idea of killing his mother. So Miriam
took the gun and killed them both, then she and Henry returned
the car and went back to the cottage."
"But the police didn't suspect James Leonard of the murder."
"They suspected him, but there wasn't enough evidence to
prove anything," Laura told Mildred. "Sloppy police
work, remember? That's when Miriam decided to hire the Remington
Steele Agency to investigate James Leonard's business practices,
to find out why she wasn't getting her fair share of the company's
profits."
"And in the course of the investigation, we found the clues
that Miriam had planted that would lead us right to James Leonard's
doorstep," Remington told them. "She played us for fools,
having us do her dirty work for her."
"She planned to have him arrested for murder and out of the
way," Laura continued. "But after Remington and I left
the house that day, Henry let his father know that he'd been there,
listening. James asked where he'd been staying, why he'd left
London. Henry, already unstable, told his father that he and Miriam
were in love. James refused to consider the idea, realizing that
Miriam was probably behind David and Gloria's deaths. He tried
to talk to Henry, even picked up the telephone to call the police
about his suspicions, but Henry grabbed the gun that Miriam had
used to kill his mother and her husband and shot his father at
point blank range."
"Oh, my," Katherine sighed. "How awful."
"Everyone assumed it was a suicide. But when Henry went back
to Miriam and told her what happened, she decided they needed
to let things 'cool down' for a bit. She told him to get back
to London as quickly as he could, and that she'd be in touch with
him, let him know when it was safe for him to come back."
"Only she never did," Edward said.
"Oh, Henry tried to contact her, but she always found reasons
for him to stay away. And then, a few months ago, his uncle found
out about his attempts to contact Miriam and put two and two together
- "
"Did he know about the murders?" Mildred wondered.
"I don't think so. I think he just didn't want Henry to chase
after someone so much older than he was. Someone so unsuitable."
"And so Henry discovered his uncle's Achille's heel,"
Remington said. "A years old affair with a young first year
student whose initials just happened to be J.B.," he announced,
causing all eyes to turn toward Jessica.
"As I explained to Henry - or tried to, I don't think he
believed me, it wasn't me. He said that the young woman's name
in his uncle's journals was Jessica. It quite likely was. I had
intended to attend Cambridge my first year - everything was set,
a full year's tuition paid - and then my Grandfather Beecham and
I had a terrible row - mostly about my desire to find my father-
and my brother," she said, smiling at Remington, who smiled
in return. "I decided to come to California - I had already
been accepted at Berkley if I wanted to go - so I told Grandfather
what he could do with Cambridge and left the house for awhile.
I went to see my best friend at the time. Jessica Blackthorne.
She was totally unsuitable as a friend, according to my grandfather's
way of thinking. A waitress, no close family, practically an orphan.
I often thought of myself as an orphan as well, and we became
friends. When I told her about my decision to leave, she asked
what I was going to do about having already enrolled at Cambridge,
and I told her I hadn't thought about it." Jessica smiled.
"I remember she said something about how lucky I was to have
been accepted by TWO universities when she couldn't afford to
go to ONE. I jokingly suggested she take my place at Cambridge-
at least for the first year of study. I didn't think she'd do
it."
"Obviously, she did," Robert commented. "And it
was she that young Leonard's uncle became involved with."
"I don't even know where she is anymore," Jessica admitted.
"When I came back to London the next summer, she was gone
- someone said she'd had a bad love affair and had decided to
leave town for awhile, but no one knew where she was."
"And it was this information that Henry used to blackmail
his uncle?" Edward asked. "That brought about his suicide?"
"Julius Leonard was murdered," Remington announced dramatically.
"By his nephew, in much the same fashion as James Leonard
was killed. Henry wanted to go and see Miriam, who he now knew
had remarried and was living in Rome. Julius' death gave him the
means to do that."
"But she refused to see him," Laura explained. "The
guards on her new husband's estate wouldn't even let him near
Miriam. So Henry decided that he'd come back to Los Angeles. There
was no reason not to - and then he saw our picture in the paper
a few weeks ago and decided that he'd prove to Miriam that he
could still kill for her, prove that he still loved her."
"That poor young man," Katherine sighed. "I hope
he gets some help - he certainly needs it."
"What about Miriam Maxwell?" Mildred asked. "You
know, I always thought there was something cold about that woman.
She walked into the agency that first time and the temperature
dropped twenty degrees. She's not going to get away with this,
is she?"
"That's being taken care of as we speak, Mildred," Laura
assured her. "Now, it's late- or early, rather, and I think
it's time we all get some sleep."
Remington watched Jessica and Tony talking softly as they sat
on the sofa. "Why don't you walk Jessica upstairs to her
room, Antony?" His sister and Tony both looked up at him
as if he'd taken leave of his senses.
"Excuse me?"
"I wouldn't question it tonight, Tony," Laura warned.
"Just do it." After everyone else had gone, Laura looked
up at her husband. "Well?"
"He risked his life to save her tonight," Remington
pointed out. "I guess that deserves some credit."
"You really are an old softie, you know," Laura told
him.
"Really, Laura. I happen to be physically and emotionally
exhausted at the moment. I'm sure I'll be quite myself again tomorrow,
once we wrap all this up."
Laura smiled and slipped her arm around him, resting her head
on his shoulder as they moved toward the stairs.
**********
The next afternoon, Laura and Remington were waiting at the airport,
watching as the flight from Rome disembarked. Seeing Miriam Maxwell
di Caprio, they moved to greet her. "Mrs. Maxwell- I'm sorry.
It's Mrs. di Caprio now, isn't it?" Laura asked.
The woman frowned, and one of the men with her, tall, muscular,
wearing sunglasses, moved to step between Miriam and Laura. "Miss
Holt- isn't it?"
"Mrs. Steele," Laura corrected.
"Mr. Steele. This is a surprise. Are you meeting someone
on the flight from Rome?"
"As a matter of fact, yes," Remington said. "You."
"Me? I'm afraid I don't understand? I recieved an urgent
telephone call yesterday telling me that there had been a fire
at Sunrise. The insurance people needed me here as soon as possible
to inspect the damage-"
"Then you haven't heard about Henry Leonard?"
"Henry? I haven't seen the boy since-"
"Since his father was murdered?" Laura suggested.
"Murdered? James killed himself, Miss - Mrs. Steele. In large
part due to you and Mr. Steele's thorough investigation."
"Strange. That's not what Henry says happened. He says he
killed his father - and that you killed his mother and your husband."
"He's mad. He always was unstable," Miriam said, glancing
behind her. "Claudio - I think we need to find a taxi to
take us to Sunrise."
"That won't be necessary, Mrs. di Caprio," Jimmy Jarvis
said as he approached, flashing his badge. "Capt. Jimmy Jarvis,
LAPD, ma'am. Would you mind answering a few questions?"
"I-" She looked at the bodyguard again.
"Downtown," Jimmy said. When she still hesitated, he
pulled out a paper. "I DO have a warrant, Mrs. di Caprio."
When Claudio reached into his coat pocket, three police officers
drew their guns. "It's all right, Claudio," Miriam said.
She held out her hand, waiting, and Claudio placed the small handgun
in it. "I should have known, I suppose," she said. "Henry
was such a loose cannon. Killing his father that way - and then
his uncle. I shouldn't have come back," she said, and handed
the gun to Jimmy. "I should have known that you'd eventually
figure it out, Mrs. Steele. I thought you had when you asked about
the cottage that day."
"I might never have made the connection," Laura admitted,
"if Henry hadn't come back."
"I have to advise you not to say anything more, Mrs. di Caprio,"
Jimmy said, leading her away as he informed her of her rights.
Laura looked up at Remington. "Well, Mr. Steele, what now?"
"Why don't we go pick up the twins and have a picnic in the
park?" he suggested. "Think you're up to it, Mrs. Steele?"
"Sounds wonderful," Laura said.
**********
Jessica tapped on Tony's apartment door uncertainly. There was
an aroma coming from inside that reminded her of an Italian restaurant
- too much garlic and oregano, she decided. A bit heavy - She
knocked again and heard the sound of a pan lid hitting the floor
and Tony's "DAMN!" at the same moment. "COMING!"
he called.
He opened the door, his left thumb in his mouth. "What happened?"
she asked, moving inside.
"Burned myself," he muttered. "Sit down. I'll be
right back."
"I thought we were going out?" she asked, moving to
the sofa that was badly in need of recovering.
"Change in plans," he called out, swearing again. "Pour
yourself a drink," he said.
Jessica rose and moved to the table nearby. "Did you know
your telephone's off the hook?" she asked.
"I TOOK it off," he told her, returning. "Makes
it difficult for anyone to interrupt us this evening," he
pointed out, coming to pull her close for a long kiss. "This
evening is OURS. Yours and mine."
"And the firemen, probably," Jessica said, looking behind
him.
"What-?" Tony turned around to see smoke pouring from
his small kitchen. "Oh, hell! Stay there," he ordered,
going inside, covering his mouth with a towel as he removed a
pan from the stove, and placing it into the sink. He grabbed some
flour and tossed it onto the flames, covering the kitchen with
a white powder as he did so. Jessica moved to the doorway, trying
to hide her smile behind her glass as she watched him. "There,"
he announced. "All under control." He went to a window
and opened it, waving the towel in that direction.
"Antony," Jessica said, putting down her glass and coming
to link her arms around his neck, "You don't have to cook
for me, you know."
"I don't?"
"No. Why don't we order out? That little Italian place down
the road delivers, I believe. And after dinner, I'll help you
clean up that mess in your kitchen, and we can watch a movie -"
"You know, Jess, I like the way you think."
"I'm glad to hear it, Antony Roselli."
He pulled her closer. "I wonder how late that Italian place
delivers?" he wondered.
"If they close early, we can always find another," Jessica
suggested, burying her fingers in his hair.
He paused, looking down at her. "Jess, I'm glad you weren't
hurt last night. If anything had happened to you-"
"I felt the same way when I saw you lying there when he drug
me down those stairs. I was terrified that he'd killed you."
"And would that have mattered to you?"
"Oh, yes. Most definately," she assured him, kissing
him in a way that left him in very little doubt of that statement.
When he lifted his head, Tony said, "I think dinner's going
to be postponed. Until breakfast," he said, pulling her fully
into his arms.
"Sounds good to me," Jessica sighed in agreement as
Tony lifted her into his arms and carried her toward the bedroom.
"Then we're in agreement," Tony said, closing the door
behind them.
The End