Steele Trying To Get It Right 6/?

D. Swingle <spatialanomaly@worldnet.att.net>


Steele Trying To Get It Right 6/?
By Dawn S.

Note: This story is not part of Debra Talley's "Brendan Universe".

"What do you mean he's been taken?" Remington, panicked, was yelling now.
"This is a hospital! How can someone come in and *take* a baby that isn't
theirs?"

"Calm down, Mr. Steele, we're still trying to figure out exactly what
happened." Detective Jermain turned to Laura as he asked, "Do you have any
idea who might want to kidnap your son, Mrs. Steele?"

"Don't tell me to calm down! Where is my son?!"

Laura shook her head, trying to gather her wits after the initial shock. The
private investigator inside started to kick in. "It could be any number of
people the agency has helped put away over the years. Remington, you've got
to find Brendan. If something happens to him . . ." She started to cry
again, thinking about their son. They were supposed to leave the hospital
this morning, together, their little family. "Damn!" She tried to push her
anguish aside as she started going through a mental list of people.

"We've put an emergency shutdown into effect at the hospital," Dr. Kendall
told them. "All the employees on shift are being questioned, and we're
hoping to find someone who might have seen something."

Jermain continued. "We're doing our best to find your son, Mr. & Mrs.
Steele."

"Well, that's small comfort at the moment, Mr. Jermain." Remington turned
back to Laura, a furious but determined look on his face. "Don't worry,
Laura, I'm going to find Brendan. And when I find out who's responsible,
they're going to pay a very high price. I'll be back when I've got our
son." He gave her a deep kiss, then raced out the door.

Laura watched him leave, worried that she'd lose both her husband and son
before this was all over. "Dr. Kendall, I'd like to be released today as
planned, please. I need to help my husband find my son, and I can't do that
lying in a hospital bed." She picked up the phone and called Fred, just
asking him to pick her up at the hospital. She'd have to explain when he
arrived.

*****

Lexis tried to stop the baby from crying. She walked around the apartment,
rocking Brendan as she paced, trying to quiet him. "Shhh."

"What have I gotten myself into?" she asked herself. Kidnaping was a
felony. No amount of money was worth being thrown in jail for the rest of
her life. She had never been all that close to her stepfather, but after
her mother died Hapgood was all the family she had left. Besides, he'd
offered to help her out of her financial woes once and for all if she would
just use her connections at the hospital to get some information.

She thought to herself, 'If I'd known it involved kidnapping, I would never
have agreed to help.' Lexis was very frightened of her stepfather, and had
past experience with his wrath when things didn't go his way. She shuddered
involuntarily at the memory.

*****

Remington pulled the Rabbit up to the parking garage, gazing sadly at the
empty baby seat in the back seat. "Pull yourself together, man," he
muttered to himself as he rushed up the elevator into the office.

Mildred looked up as he came into the office. "Hi, Boss. I figured you'd
be gone all day, getting Mrs. Steele and Brendan settled in." She looked at
his face and asked, "What's wrong?" The hair stood up on the back of her
neck.

"Mildred, someone has kidnapped Brendan."

"Oh my God. When? How? Where's Laura?" She came around the desk to try
and comfort the boss who was more like family than employer to her.

He had a tortured look in his eyes. "Mildred, I've got to find my son. Why
is this happening to us? After all Laura and I have gone through, WHY?" He
took a minute to compose himself. "I need your help, Mildred. Get me a
list of people the agency has put away who might have gotten out of jail
recently. I'm going to see what the police have come up with so far."

Mildred went to answer the phone that had been ringing, forgotten for
several minutes. "Remington Steele Investigations. Mr. Steele? Phone call
for you, says it's urgent."

He took the phone. "Mr. Steele, if you want to see your son again, you'll
do exactly what I say," a voice said.

"If you harm one hair on his head, I'll make sure you regret it for what's
left of your life," he told the caller in a threatening voice. "What do you
want?" He motioned to Mildred, and mouthed the word 'Trace' silently.

"Go to your apartment. I'll call back in an hour with our 'request' in
exchange for your son. Make sure you're there. No games, Steele, your son'
s life depends on your cooperation."

The line clicked, and the dial tone sounded. Remington swore in
frustration, and looked over at Mildred.

"Sorry, boss, we can't trace a call ourselves, the police have to set
something up. I'll call . . . Who is in charge of the case? I'll call
the police department and find out what's involved in getting it set up."

"Detective Jermain."

"I'll call the department. I'll get going on that list of possible
culprits, too."

"That voice . . . It sounded vaguely familiar. I've got to find out who's
got Brendan, Mildred. I don't know what I'm going to do if something
happens to my son . . . " His voice trailed off, his eyes tearing up. "I'm
heading back to the apartment. If Laura calls, have her meet me there."

Mildred tried to keep a brave front. "Honey, don't worry, we'll get that
precious baby back."

*****

Laura was wheeled down to the hospital lobby, and met Fred in the waiting
area.

He looked confused. "Where's the little guy, Mrs. Steele? And where's Mr.
Steele?"

"Fred, please, just take me home. To the Rossmore," she clarified. "I'll
explain on the way."
They had planned on going home to the new house after the baby was born, but
she didn't think she could deal with going there and seeing the empty crib
and nursery. They'd move in when *all* of them were together again. *Which
will be shortly* she silently prayed.

The phone was ringing in the limo as Fred helped her in the back. "Thank
you, Fred." Her body was still recovering from delivering Brendan, and she
was still very sore. Laura picked up the receiver. "Hello?"

"Laura, I'm at the Rossmore. Meet me here."

"I was on my way. I'm not going to the new house until Brendan is with me.
With us. What have you got so far?"

"Someone called me at the office. He said to go home and that they'd call
back in an hour."
There was silence on the other end of the line. "Laura?"

She almost started crying again "Remington, why is this happening? Who
would do this to a helpless infant? I keep going over the last few months
in my mind, but I can't think of anyone who would resort to kidnapping.
Why not just go after me, or you. What if? He's so little, what if . . ."
Laura's voice trailed off again.

Fred was listening from the front seat, a sense of dread coming over him as
he gathered what was happening from the bits of conversation he kept
catching. He watched her hang up the handset in the rear view mirror.

"Fred, step on it."

"You got it, Mrs. Steele. And Laura?"

"Yes, Fred?"

"Don't worry. I'm sure the baby will be okay."

"I wish I could be so sure, Fred. But thanks."

*****

Tony Roselli sat in Richard Hapgood's office, feet flung up on the desk
without any regard for the objects on top.

He swept his feet off. "Watch it! That small globe is worth more than you
make in a year."

"Don't worry, Dick, I won't break your little knickknacks," he sneered.

"It's Richard." He barely contained his distaste at the man seated before
him. "So, when are you going to get it back?"

"I told you. You'll have it by the end of the day. Steele won't risk his
son's life. He's not that stupid."

"You'd better be right about this. I'm risking everything, now. Kidnapping
is the big time."

"Hey, you said you wanted this taken care of, once and for all. Don't get
all delicate on me now. So long as Steele cooperates, no one has to get
hurt."

"I need that map, Anthony. Do whatever you have to. I'm running out of
time."

*****

Remington opened the door to find a police officer examining the phone in
the apartment. Laura was sitting on the couch talking to a short,
dark-haired man. Laura turned and rushed over when she noticed him, and he
pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Everything will be okay, love." His tried to hide the anxiety in his
voice, but failed miserably.

Laura broke away after a long moment, and introduced the man she had been
talking to. "This is Special Agent Lawton. He's been put in charge of
Brendan's kidnapping. They're going to try and get a trace on the caller
next time they call."

"Mr. Steele." Lawton shook Remington's hand. "I was just updating your
wife on what we've got so far. Unfortunately it's not much. We're still
checking General's employee list, but it's a large hospital and the
abduction happened at a time where there just weren't many people who might
have seen who took your son. I still think that they had some inside help.
It's not a simple thing, to walk into a hospital and walk out with someone
else's baby."

He continued. "Mrs. Steele has told me that she can't think of any recent
problems with unhappy clients or criminals who would resort to something
like this. Do you concur?"

"Our associate Mildred Krebs is working on a list of possibilities in that
area. If you call her at my office, she can tell you what she's found. I
can't . . ." The sharp ringing of the phone interrupted him, and he and
Laura watched the telephone for a long few seconds with a feeling of
trepidation.

Remington finally went over to pick up the receiver. "Hello?"

End Part 6

To Part 7

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