Chapter 25

Shaking her head, Laura half laughed and half grunted at him.

Remington pulled her close one last time before releasing her and walking around back to the drivers' door. "Really, Laura…. It's a Porsche. Leather seats…. " he began as she climbed into the car beside him, wiggling her skirt down again.

"I'm well aware of the features of the vehicle, Mr. Steele," she replied, sounding almost annoyed.

Steering the car back toward the road and the highway, Remington sat in silence. Sometimes he really didn't understand his wife. They were in a very expensive, high performance vehicle with some of the most advanced features and she didn't care if the seats were dirtied by their inabilities to suppress their sexual urges.

Laura, in turn, was thinking the same thing. She didn't really understand her husband and his obsessive need for cleanliness but only when it suited the situation. She let out a quiet sigh where, in her mind, she then decided it was best to agree to disagree. She didn't want to fight with him, not over something as simple as dirtying a car seat.

She reached out and covered his hand with hers. Remington gave her a sideways glance and a nod. Silently they both agreed not to fight any more over it.

Laura was the first to break their silence, "So what do you think? Do you think McDonough will take the bait?"

Remington shook his head, "I don't know. I'm hoping that bankroll I flashed earlier might be enough to entice him but who knows."

"Mr. Steele, where did you get all that money, may I ask?" Laura said, now that he reminded her.

Laughing, he replied, "It's not at all what you think, Laura."

Laura twisted in her seat a little, "Really? And what am I supposed to think?"

Remington let go of her hand and reached into his pocket, pulling out the wad of bills. "Look at it."

Laura took the money from him and then started to laugh. "I can't believe you got away with this," she said.

"An old canon trick…. Space your larger bills out on either end, small ones in between. I think I had about 400 quid when the evening began. What your holding is almost all small bills now. Our new friend, David O'Brien, only saw what he wanted to see," Remington explained, amused at how easy it was to deceive the man.

"Well played, Mr. Steele, well played," Laura conceded. "Now we need a plan for our meeting tomorrow. Hopefully McDonough follows through and when he does, we need to be prepared."

Remington thought for a moment. He wanted to wrap this up as quickly as possible. So, he made a decision that he knew Laura wasn't going to like but maybe once he explained it, she would understand. "Laura, I've decided I think it would be best if I met with him alone tomorrow."

"What? Alone? Have you completely lost your mind? We are dealing with a murderer here!" she practically exploded in the seat beside him. Throwing her hands up, she continued, "Of all the hairbrained, half cocked schemes you could come up with, this is your brilliant idea?"

"Now, Laura, I want you to hear me out. We are dealing with a very dangerous individual here. So, provided everything goes to plan, I'll be meeting with him, however, I want you out of the line of fire. That doesn't mean you're not going to be there. I was thinking if we have Christian and Pace help us, we can have you hidden somewhere, a safe place to listen and watch from. That way if anything goes wrong, you're a witness but safe." Remington could only hope she understood his logic.

Laura stilled in the seat beside him, contemplating his explanation. It did make sense, her at a safe spot to witness and document the meeting. Surprisingly, she answered him calmly, "I'll bring the camera."

Remington let out the breath he was holding. Usually when he suggested something even remotely dangerous she became angry, pointing out every flaw in his idea. "So, you agree to this? Me meeting McDonough, alone?" he asked slowly.

Laura nodded, "Well, you will only be alone face to face. As you explained, we will be there as backup."

"So it's settled then, now let's just hope he takes the bait," Remington glanced at his watch. They should reach Ashford in just about 20 minutes or so. That left him an hour before he needed to call O'Brien at the pub. Thinking for a moment, he suggested, "Laura, do you think we should stop in and check on Sarah and Fergus? We haven't spoken to them in a few days, give them an update?"

Laura thought about his suggestion for a moment, "It's kind of late now. Let's do it first thing in the morning. Before we meet McDonough. A few more hours isn't going to change anything."

Remington took her hand in his, "Sounds like a perfect plan then. Maybe we can have the cook make some of those scones and bring them over. They were delicious."

"I'm glad Mildred was able to work out deals with all the vendors for the castle and with the bank. It's amazing what she can get people to do," Laura laughed. "The kitchen is now fully stocked, the heat is working well in most rooms in the castle and the maids are actually cleaning now."

"Yes, Mildred is one of a kind, isn't she, Mrs. Steele. I think we are very lucky to have found her," Remington stated.

"Found her, Mr. Steele? If memory serves me right, we tied her up in a hotel in Acapulco which then caused her to lose her job with the IRS," Laura reminded him.

"Minor details, Mrs. Steele, minor, minor details," he exclaimed.

"I'm happy knowing she's in Los Angeles taking care of the office in our absence. Have you talked to Munroe at all about the security contracts?" Laura asked.

"No, I'll be sure to call him tonight. But I'm confident he has everything under control. He's a good man, glad he's on our side, too," Remington replied.

"Me, too. You know, I don't think I've realized how many people we have in our lives that are there for us. I guess I just looked at things from a lonely standpoint for so long, I hadn't realized who was there supporting me, you, us," Laura admitted.

Remington brought her hand to his lips. It wasn't very often that Laura got sentimental. "You mean like Murphy, Bernice, Monroe?" he asked.

"Exactly…. Not that Murphy supported the idea of you and me…" she started.

Remington laughed, "Ah, but that was until he met his lovely Sherry. Now that woman is one I don't want to tangle with. She'll leave me in knots and then some."

Laura laughed with him, "I think she enjoys that. And I'm sure Murphy is enough to keep her busy. It's nice to see him happy. Since I've known him at Havenhurst he never seemed, I don't know, never untroubled, like something was always bubbling beneath the surface. But now, with Sherry, there's a calm to him."

"Why, Laura, you sound almost content that Murphy and Sherry have found each other." Remington said.

"Well, maybe I am. I'm glad he's found someone to share his life with," Laura answered.

"As am I, Mrs. Steele, as am I," Remington kissed her fingers gently as he pulled into the driveway at Ashford Castle.