Chapter 1
The working day was finishing. Mr. Steele and Miss Holt were at his office, putting the last details of their current new case together before going home. Mildred was ready to leave early after a useful rainstorm afternoon with the three of them looking for clues to start. Since the following Monday, she would be running the Agency alone, with her bosses working on a case outside Los Angeles. San Francisco was their next destination, and a precise combination of mystery and romance was in both detective minds.
"Do you need anything else, Miss Holt?" asked the secretary.
"No, Mildred. I think that will be all for today. You can leave now if you want. Mr. Steele and I will close the agency. Have a nice weekend!"
"Sure Miss Holt. We have a bowling tournament running since tonight until tomorrow night. The Dragon Ladies will have the honor to teach the other teams how to make the perfect strike…" she said. "You should try to start your bowling training, Mr. Steele. You'd love the sensation that turns your senses up after a good strike!" added the secretary winking an eye to Mr. Steele.
"Ah, Mildred. No need to try with another sport. I think I can imagine it, indeed." He answered her, giving a sided glance to Laura, who was again immersed in her beloved paperwork.
"See you next week, boss, and enjoy your trip." The secretary winkled him an eye and left the office.
"See you next week, Mildred."
"Do you have Joseph Addison's address?" Mr. Steele asked Laura.
"Yes, I think I have everything ready." She answered. After closing the briefcase, she gave a look to Mr. Steele across the desk. She checked the hour with a brief movement. "We should hurry up, and leave to finish packing if we want to be ready to catch the flight tonight. We barely have three hours to be at the airport."
"I'll call Fred," said Mr. Steele.
Laura went to her office to grab her belongings, and Mr. Steele began to dial the limo's number. Just then, a female voice coming from the reception area took his attention.
"Laura, I think somebody arrived." He told her putting his hand on the speaker.
"I'll handle it," she answered from the other room.
She left her office to find the visitor, just checking the hour again at her watch. The last thing they were in need at the moment was to be delayed with a new client at the agency. They were really short of time.
"Good afternoon, I'm Laura Holt, Mr. Steele's associated. Can I help you?" said Laura to the woman standing beside Mildred's desk.
"Good afternoon, Miss Holt. I was hoping to have the chance to see Mr. Steele. It's a private matter." said the woman.
"Mr. Steele is really short of time at the moment. Can we set an appointment for next week?" asked Laura, trying to get rid of the woman as soon as possible. It wasn't looking like a new case, and any private matter should have to wait.
"I'm afraid we can't, Miss Holt. As I told you before, it's a private matter, and it's kind of urgent. I need to see Mr. Steele right now if he is at the office. It's an official matter."
Laura's mind stopped thinking after the word official. The lady sounded serious. "Please follow me, Miss…"
"Becker, Estelle Becker, INS" answered the woman.
Laura tried to hide her anxiety. The INS and Mr. Steele would never sound like a good combination. Her earlier hurry turned into slow-motion taking command of her steps, trying to figure out something along the way to his office about why this INS agent would be looking for him. Well, there could be a ton of reasons clearly speaking; but which one of them would be the urgent one? She wondered. Laura opened his office's door and found him standing beside his desk, his coat already on. He was grabbing the folders scattered on the desk, and getting ready to leave. Mr. Steele raised his eyes to Laura, silently asking her who the woman following her was. Certainly, it was not a client. Efficient Miss Holt would have got rid of that inconvenient solving that task without a blink. Laura's serious gaze gave him a clue that it was relevant enough to steal some of their time at this moment. He left the folders on the desk, approached to both women and then Laura introduced the unexpected visitor.
"Mr. Steele, Miss Becker, INS. She needs to see you. Urgent matter." told him Laura in a very concise phrase, showing him a trace of worry in her eyes. The always efficient Miss Holt, the ever ready for any challenge, the brave Laura, was worried. He felt a cold sensation running through his back.
Trying to lighten the moment, he politely offered Miss Becker a chair after shaking her hand. "Nice to meet you, Miss Becker, what can I do for you?"
"Nice to meet you too, Mr. Steele. I'm here in an official visit. I have a notification for you." She opened the briefcase she was carrying and handed him some papers.
He grabbed them and after giving her a polite smile, started to read. The silence in the room was intense. A few moments later he raised his eyes again towards the visitor. "I see. May I ask you why I'm being notified only today about this matter?" He handed the papers to Laura, who was beside him trying to get a glimpse of them without success.
"Well, the fact is that the expedient was started a week ago, but the notification order arrived in my office this morning. I've been working all day but wanted to notify you personally, instead of sending an official to do it. As I know how hard is to struggle against this kind of inconvenient, I try to have everything clearly settled in my cases making the notifications by myself and trying to show to implicated people all the options they have at hand when I have the chance." answered Miss Becker.
"I see," said Mr. Steele. He was wordless.
"This notification says that Mr. Steele is considered an illegal resident in the USA and that he would have to regularize his situation in the next 24 hours, or he would be deported out of the country. Which is the regularization we are talking about?"Asked Laura in the best business manner she could find, barely hiding her nervousness.
"He should find a solution in the next 24 hours, or he will have to leave the country. If he decided to stay continuing with his irregular situation in the USA soil, he would end in jail after a brief procedure. One of the usually chosen solutions would be to marry an American citizen in the next 24 hours." answered Miss Becker. "But that would need the INS final approbation. No fake marriages allowed as you can guess." She gave them a kind smile. "Please sign here." She asked Mr. Steele, showing him the notification's copy. "Here's my personal card. Just give me a call once you have a decision taken, and I'll add the details to the expedient."
Laura and Mr. Steele were motionless.
"Remember you have only 24 hours, Mr. Steele. Try to use them in the smartest way. Your future in the USA depends on that." She shook both detective's hands and begun her way out of the office. Stopping at the door, she turned back and told them her last words, "Have a nice afternoon." With that simple sentence she left the room, leaving two astonished people with their eyes staring to nowhere; trying to figure out how in a matter of a minute, their near future had changed from the two of them enjoying the work over an easy case in the romantic San Francisco, to the possibility of him being deported out of the country.