GEMS SET IN STEELE
Leslie Mele
RSFic. Challenge 5
This story is set in the middle of the first season, after
The One For Me and
before Vintage. No profit gained, no rights implied. This is just
for fun.
***************************************************************
Laura headed down the hall to the Remington Steele Agency. Stopping
at the door, she observed Bernice sitting at her desk, sipping
a cup of coffee and totally absorbed in a magazine. Opening the
door, she called out a cheery, "Morning!"
"Hmm", Bernice answered, not even looking up.
"Must be a fascinating article." Laura walked around
the desk to look over Bernice's shoulder. Her mouth opened at
the image of a well-built young man wearing nothing but a tool
belt. "Playgirl?", she asked in amusement.
"This is the 80's, Laura, we're allowed to look too."
"Well yes, but if you've seen one . . . " she trailed
off still looking at the photo.
"Kind of takes your breath away."
Laura handed the magazine back to Bernice and headed for her
office. "I'm not interested."
Following her, Bernice held up the Playgirl. "Admit it,
Laura, you're trying to picture HIM in a tool belt."
"Don't be silly." But the look on her face couldn't
mask her thoughts.
"You don't fool me. The thought of him in just a tool belt
makes your heart race."
"Ah, let's drop it, OK?"
"OK. Besides he's so skinny, it would probably fall off
him. Not that that would be a problem."
"Laura?" The sound of Mr. Steele's voice echoed from
the outer office.
"In here." Laura snatched the magazine from Bernice
and shoved it into her desk drawer just as Steele entered her
office.
"Bernice would you bring the Peterson file."
"Sure." Turning to Mr. Steele, "You wouldn't happen
to know how to fix a leaky faucet?"
"Sorry."
Glancing at his mid-section, she giggled and slipped out the
door.
In confused annoyance, he turned to Laura, "I'm here as
you requested. Now what did I give up my morning fencing lesson
for?"
Bernice returned with the file and handed it to Laura.
Laura opened it and handed him a transcript of a check. "I
need your help to track down the the person who wrote this bounced
check."
"A bounced check? Laura couldn't you get Murphy to do this?
I mean, do you really expect Remington Steele to do such menial
work?"
"Listen, Murphy's out of town and I need your help. Besides
what happened to "teach me"? Consider this assignment
part of your further education."
"Does this mean I should take more notes? I left my notebook
at my flat."
"Here!" She handed him another check. "What do
you make of these?"
Smiling at her aggravation he took the second check and compared
it to the one on the transcript. "Hmm. Well I'm no expert,
but I'd say these were written by two different people. Would
you care to elaborate on what this is about?"
"We've been hired by a woman named Sally Peterson to find
her father. He sends her a check each month to help with expenses.
When she deposited the last one, it bounced and when she tried
to get in touch with him, she couldn't find him. It seems he's
never at home, and no one who knows him has seen him in the last
five weeks. He's a jeweler, and she's worried he's in some kind
of trouble."
"A jeweler?"
"I thought that would get your attention."
"Laura, I'm wounded at your assumption."
"Good! We're going to his house to see if we can learn anything
useful. Go change clothes and we'll meet back here in an hour."
****************************************************************
As Steele entered the office, Bernice looked up and nearly spewed
the coffee she was drinking. "Laura, he's back!" Bernice
just stared at him with a huge grin on her face.
Laura emerged from her office and came to a complete halt. Mr.
Steele was dressed as a repairman. Flannel shirt, jeans and around
his waist, a 'tool belt'. Laura's mouth dropped, she turned beet
red and disappeared into her office. Leaning back against the
door, she took several deep breaths. Images of him swirled through
her head. 'Control yourself, Laura. We have work to do.' She
willed her thoughts of him to the back her mind and opened the
door. Looking at him again Laura couldn't help but smile.
"Laura, I don't understand what you find so amusing. I think
this is an excellent disguise. Anyone who sees me will think
I'm there to fix something."
"I know. It's just I've never seen you look so . . . so
American", she finished.
***************************************************************
Entering Jeff Peterson's house, Laura and Steele began to look
around. The house was full of the old and new. There were things
everywhere, but everything seemed to be in it's place. While
Steele looked through the desk, Laura entered a back room to
find a small workshop. She looked at various tools, small trays
of semi-precious stones and rolls of jeweler's wax, and then
her attention was drawn to a small vise with a silver ring still
in it. Looking through the magnifier above it, she read the words
'lava lamp'. She went back into the main room and looked at every
shelf and table. On a bookcase in the corner was a small lava
lamp still pulsing with globules of goo. Picking it up, she found
a piece of paper.
"Mr. Steele! I think I've found something. It looks like
he left us a clue."
"I've found something too! A consignment book. There's a
notation to make a replacement necklace and the words, 'against
will forgery'."
"I found this." She handed him a scrap of paper. He
read, Austin's GalleryOct. 16th 8:00 pm. "It looks like
he left us the what, where, and when. Now we just need to figure
out the who and why."
"Bulldog Jack! Jack Hulbert, Fay Ray, British, 1934. A woman
hires a sleuth she thinks is Bulldog Jack to help her find her
grandfather. He's a jeweler who's been kidnapped by thieves who
want him to make a copy of a necklace they plan to steal from
the British Museum."
"How many movies have you seen? But I think you're right.
Oct. 16th is tomorrow night. My guess is they plan to do the
switch tomorrow night."
***************************************************************
Steele picked up the phone and dialed. "Hello mate. I have
a job for you if you're available tonight? You are? Good see
you at 6:00 and I'll fill you in."
Steele entered Laura's office. She still was at lunch with Bernice.
He went to her desk to leave her a note. Opening the drawer for
a pencil, he found the Playgirl. A quick glance at the photo
answered all his questions about the reactions of both Bernice
and Laura. A smile played across his handsome face as he contemplated
how he was going to use this bit of knowledge to his advantage.
He replaced the magazine and went to Bernice's desk to write
his note.
***************************************************************
Laura and Steele drove past Austin's Gallery at 7:30. Across
the street was a mime trying to get out of an invisible box.
"That's my lookout", Steele informed her..
Laura noted that from his corner the mime could see the side
of the gallery.
"Him? Well I guess a mime would be a terrible thing to waste."
"Yes", Steele replied, shaking his head at her bad
joke. "His name's Statto, and if he sees anything suspicious,
he'll pull on an invisible rope."
Laura parked the Rabbit where they could see the other side of
the building as well as Statto.
After a few minutes Steele noticed Statto pulling on his invisible
rope.
"Laura, they're here. Should we go after them?"
"No. We need to know where Peterson is. We watch, wait and
follow."
A short time later, two men emerged from the gallery and got
into a car. Laura pulled out and followed them. The car stopped
in front of a small house. Laura drove past and stopped at a
pay phone to call the authorities. Returning to the house, Laura
and Steele quietly crept up to a window and peered in. The two
men could be seen examining several pieces of expensive-looking
jewelry. Steele let out a soft whistle at the sight of the expensive
pieces.
"Easy Mr. Steele. Remember which side you're on now."
"I know, I know. Still, it is an excellent plan. I can't
help but admire it"
Steele and Laura went to the back of the house. Through one of
the back windows they could see an older man tied to a chair.
Using his pick tools Steele unlocked the back door, slipped inside
and quietly freed Peterson. As they went around to the front
with Peterson, the authorities arrived. Laura and Peterson briefed
them and they moved in on the house.
***************************************************************
The next morning, Sally Peterson arrived to thank Laura and Steele
for finding her father so quickly.
"It was easy to deduce because your father left so many
hints," Laura stated, "starting with his sending you
a check on an account with no money in it. He told us it wasn't
forged; he just wrote his name differently to get your attention.
"He's still at Police Headquarters giving his statement,"
Sally added. "But he'll be home in a few hours. Now, I need
to talk to your secretary. Bye."
Alone, Laura turned to Steele who was sitting at his desk.
"Well Mr. Steele, another case solved, and I must say you
were very helpful."
"Another lesson successfully completed, eh?", he beamed.
"You get an A, Mr. Steele."
"You know I was thinking," he smiled as he opened the
large side drawer on his desk. "If there's anything you
need done around your house, I'm always at your service."
He reached into the drawer, pulled out the tool belt and placed
it on the desk. Smiling at her reaction, he added, "You
have only to call."
END
My list of items.
Playgirl magazine
Tool belt
Bounced check
Lava lamp
British Museum
A mime named Statto
- BACK