"I
just don't like the idea of your going back to London alone, Daniel,"
Remington said over dinner.
"Harry, I've been taking care of myself for some years," Daniel reminded his protégé.
Mildred declared, "I suggested that he find a place here in Los Angeles." She hazarded a glance in Daniel's direction to see the mild look of irritation that he sent her way.
Laura, taking a sip of the cabernet that Remington had ordered, choked, and coughed upon hearing Mildred's words. Remington stood, rushing to Laura's side.
"Are you all right, Laura?" he asked, obviously concerned.
It took her a moment to get her voice back, and she nodded vigorously as she coughed. "I'm- fine," she managed, rising. "Excuse me. Ladies room."
Claude appeared as if from nowhere. "Is Miss Holt all right, Mr. Steele?"
"Something went down the wrong way, I'm afraid," Remington commented, his gaze following Laura as she headed toward the restrooms.
Mildred caught Daniel's look, and gathered her purse. "I think I'll just go and see if she's okay, boss," she decided. "Probably wouldn't hurt to powder my nose while I'm there, anyway."
Remington sat down again. "Did Mildred really make that suggestion, Daniel?"
"She did. But you saw Laura's reaction to even the suggestion that I might be around on a more permanent basis. I refuse to allow my minor problems to come between the two of you, Harry."
***
Mildred found Laura wiping her face with a damp paper towel. "You okay, honey?"
"Fine, Mildred, just fine," Laura ground out between clenched teeth. "I mean, what could POSSIBLY be wrong? Just because Daniel Chalmers, who played Fagin to Remington's Oliver Twist might be moving to Los Angeles-"
"Oh, I don't think Daniel was ever that bad, Miss Holt," Mildred said. "I mean, yeah, he taught Mr. Steele the finer points of-"
Laura turned to stare at Mildred. "I can't believe this! You're DEFENDING HIM!" she ranted. "Daniel Chalmers has done everything he possibly could over the last four years to get Remington to leave Los Angeles. To lure him back into a life of crime!"
"But he's still here, isn't he?" Mildred reminded her. "Mr. Steele, I mean." Laura tossed the used paper towel into a nearby wastebasket. "Oh, hon, Daniel's not going to like my telling you this, but- well, he thinks Mr. Steele is better off here than out there running cons." Laura snorted in disbelief. "It's true. The only reason he tried to lure the Boss back into the life was to -well, to test him, for want of a better word."
"Test him?" Laura repeated archly.
"To test his resolve to change, to keep being Remington Steele. And I think that's had a positive influence on Daniel as well," Mildred hazarded.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I really think that offer of a legit job as the Earl of Claridge's head of security made Daniel realize that he just might have other choices. That he could change, too. Follow Mr. Steele's lead, you know?"
"But he turned down the job!" Laura reminded Mildred.
"And he hasn't run a con- a REAL con since," Mildred countered.
"So he says."
"I believe him, Miss Holt. I think that he's really trying to turn things around while there's still time. And if that's the case, why does having him here in Los Angeles bother you so much?"
"I don't like the effect he has on Remington," Laura admitted.
"Think about something, Miss Holt. Before Mr. Steele met you, Daniel was really all he had. The closest thing he had to a family. Do you really expect him to turn his back on Daniel now, simply because he's found a life here?"
"No, I suppose I don't. He wouldn't, anyway," Laura sighed. "The man's got a heart the size of London."
Mildred smiled. "Even though he'd never admit it," she agreed. The way I see it, you've got two choices here."
"And they are?" Laura prompted.
"One, you can refuse to accept Daniel moving to Los Angeles. Of course, in that case, you're liable to lose Mr. Steele. Two, you can accept Daniel living here and keep Mr. Steele in Los Angeles."
"What if I lose him either way, Mildred?" Laura asked in a quiet voice.
Mildred placed a motherly arm around Laura's shoulders. "Oh, honey, I don't really think that's going to happen. Even if he DID leave with Daniel, he'd be back. You might even decide to move to London and join him there."
"After all the trouble we had getting that fake passport to get him OUT of London?" Laura reminded her. "No, thank you."
"Then you're back to two choices," Mildred said.
"I know, Mildred. I KNOW." She took a deep breath and turned resolutely toward the door. "Ready?"
"Are you okay, Miss Holt? I know that the Boss says that you're back to normal, but- let me tell you, he and I were worried sick about you over this last month. I think the kicker was when you asked about knitting some socks . . ."
Laura smiled. "I DO know how, you know," she admitted, leaning close to Mildred as she linked their arms. "To knit," she clarified.
"YOU, Miss Holt?" Mildred questioned, surprised.
"My grandmother taught me how. She was left handed like I am, and . . ."
***
Daniel's gaze was on the exit to the restrooms as Remington spoke. "Uh, Daniel, I hesitated to ask before, but- those diamonds that you sold to Harrigan-"
"The Pink Ladies?" Daniel asked. Seeing Remington's brows rise, Daniel laughed softly. "That's what they used to be known as. I'm surprised that you're not up on their history, my boy. You're slipping. They were originally given as gifts to the concubines of a Persian King . . ."
"Yes, well," Remington said, wiping his lips after taking a sip of wine, "you didn't by any chance steal them thirty-odd years ago, did you?"
"Me? No. I was- otherwise occupied that year," Daniel said, picking up his glass to inspect the contents in the dim lighting. "And I had no idea who the culprit was," he admitted. "I told you that I tumbled onto them, remember?"
"Hmm. Must've been some tumble," Remington agreed.
"Do you remember Perry?"
"One eyed Perry?" Remington asked, placing a hand over his right eye.
"Terrible tragedy about that," Daniel said with a sigh. "Lost his eye after being discovered cheating at cards. I DID try to warn the man, but he simply refused to listen."
"What's Perry got to do with the diamonds?" Remington asked. "He was a drunkard- and terrible poker player. Worst luck of any man I've ever seen."
"That was after he lost his eye. Before that, Perry was one of the best cat burglars in Europe. Even gave le Renard a run for his money."
"Perry? Are we talking about the same man, Daniel?"
"He told me that he was really sorry for having stolen them- said that he believed there was a curse on them, since his luck turned sour after he stole them."
"Sour?" Remington repeated. "It positively curdled," he commented.
"With Harrigan's men scouring the countryside for the diamonds, Perry couldn't unload them without revealing that he'd stolen them."
"What did he do?"
"He kept them," Daniel informed his friend.
"He KEPT them? Daniel, he stole those diamonds-" Remington looked around, then lowered his voice. "He stole the bloody things over thirty years ago, mate. I remember when he was so down on his luck that he didn't have two pence to rub together. And you're telling me that he's had those things all this time?"
"I am. He was terrified that if Harrigan ever found out that he was the thief that he'd be killed. Probably the truth," Daniel speculated.
"How did you find out about this?"
"As I said, I tumbled onto all of it. I was in Brixton last weekend- on legitimate business, I can assure you, Harry," Daniel said quickly, seeing the suspicious gleam in Remington's eye, "when I practically fell over a drunk laying on a street corner. Well, you can imagine my surprise and dismay to find that it was none other than Perry himself. He'd apparently lost another game, and when he didn't have the money to make good on his IOUs, his gaming partners, being something less than understanding, decided to try and beat the money out of him."
"Why didn't he just tell them about the diamonds?" Remington asked.
"He didn't want anyone else to suffer the same fate that he believed he had suffered because of them."
"So he took the beating and wound up on a street corner."
"He was nearly dead," Daniel confirmed. "But I managed to get him into a small rooming house nearby where he kept a flat. I even offered to call a doctor for him, but he wouldn't hear of it, said it was his time. That's when he told me the story- and asked me to return the diamonds to Harrigan for the reward money." Seeing Laura and Mildred returning, Daniel smiled, alerting Remington to the ladies' presence.
Remington turned to survey Laura's expression, uncertain of what he might find. "Better now?" he asked.
She smiled and sat down. "All better," she assured him. "So, Daniel, where are you going to look for a house in Los Angeles? I'm sure you wouldn't want to stay in the loft- those stairs might be fine as an interim measure, but over the long term-"
Now it was Remington's turn to choke on his wine. "Laura?" he asked, watching her carefully, as if uncertain that she wasn't going to jump up and bite him or something equally outrageous.
But Daniel, having seen the "thumbs up" signal that Mildred had sent his way, never missed a beat. "I thought about looking for a place on the beach," he told her. "Nothing too grand, mind you. The simpler the better, really." He toyed with the stem of his glass. "I must say, Laura, I'm surprised that you appear to be taking the idea so well."
"I don't have much choice, do I?" she countered, her brown eyes fixing on his. "But the MOMENT that get so much as a HINT that you're trying to lure Remington back into the life- or that you're not playing straight with me-"
"Really, Laura," Remington admonished. "I'm shocked-"
Daniel lifted a hand. "She has a point. I'm sure that Laura simply needs time to realize that all I want is a place to live out the rest of my days quietly. Nothing more than that."
Laura sat back, arms crossed, looking at him with an expression that revealed her doubts about his sincerity. "We'll just have to see, shan't we?"
"About the loft, Laura- should I pack my things, or won't you be needing it this evening?" Daniel replied.
Laura saw Remington look in her direction, as if her answer was of the utmost importance to him. "I think you'll be safe there," she informed Daniel, and saw the hope rise in Remington's face. "For tonight, anyway," she added, and saw the worry in those blue eyes.
Remington looked at Laura, trying to read her expression. "Why don't you and Mildred take the limo, Daniel? Laura and I can get a cab. If that's all right with you, that is, Laura?" he asked, almost as an afterthought.
"That's fine," Laura agreed.
"You're sure it won't put you out?" Daniel asked.
"Not at all," Laura assured Daniel with a smile. "Remington and I do have a few things to get straightened out. No sense in putting it off, is there?"
Hearing those words sent Remington's heart back into his throat. She didn't sound very optimistic, he thought. He waved away Daniel's attempt to pay for the meal, insisting there would be other occasions for him to pick up the tab, then saw the older couple into the limo.
"See you tomorrow, Fred," he told the driver, then tapped on the roof of the car as he straightened to join Laura on the sidewalk. "I guess I'll flag down a cab," he told her.
"It's a nice evening," Laura pointed out, indicating the clear sky above them. "Why don't we walk a little while?"
Remington looked about, uncertain of the advisability of being on the streets of Los Angeles after dark. Laura apparently noticed, because she smiled. "What's wrong? Don't tell me that the great detective Remington Steele is afraid of the boogie man," she teased gently.
"It's not the boogie man I'm worried about," he told her, returning the smile. "It's the muggers." Offering his arm, he asked, "Shall we, Miss Holt?"
To Be Continued . . .