Chapter 20

Laura and Remington arrived at the office and once again they were accosted by the sound of Mildred speaking loudly once more, "It feels like things are never going to get done unless I do it myself. It's all about work, work, work."

Laura quickly rushed inside to see Bernice standing against the wall with a smile on her face as she replied, "Sounds like old times. I can't wait to get back."

Mildred was standing face to face with Joe, the mail carrier, once again. In one hand she was holding the letter he had left behind on Friday. "See this? This should have been taken to the post office when you were here, but no, you left it behind. What do you have to say for yourself?" she demanded.

Joe snatched the letter from her hand and announced, "You're one crazy lady." He placed her letter into his bag, as he stated, "See you tomorrow!" He turned and left the office, leaving Laura, Remington, Mildred, and an open-mouthed Bernice behind.

Laura laughed loudly before she put her arms around Bernice, "Welcome back! But I thought you weren't coming until next week?"

Bernice smiled at her old friend, "Small change of plans, so here I am. Now, what do I need to know? Things don't look like they've changed a whole lot around here." She glanced around the foyer at the same filing cabinets and the same desk she had left several years before. "Well, the computer is new," she declared. Remington stepped up behind Laura and whispered in her ear. Bernice didn't miss the sly grin that creased Laura's face or the color that crept into her cheeks. "And then there's that," Bernice teased. She tipped her head and asked, "What gives, Skeezix?"

Remington tugged on his ear and laughed, "Nothing, Ms. Wolfe. I was simply commenting it was nice to have you back."

"Uh-huh. Then why is Laura blushing like a school girl right now?" Bernice teased.

Laura's eyes widened as she fanned herself. "Mr. Steele was just reminding me we have work to do," Laura tried.

"Is that what you call it?" Bernice pushed. Laura rolled her eyes and stepped around her friend as she stated, "I'll call the paper, Mr. Steele. Maybe you can get Bernice settled, so she can really start working tomorrow."

"Of course, Laura. And Mildred can go back to whatever it was that she was working on," Remington suggested. He looked toward the older woman and raised an eyebrow.

Mildred held up a file folder she had been holding, "I was just bringing this into your office, Boss. It's a copy of the building permits Monroe dropped off. He seemed pretty excited to get started. What is this all about?"

Remington took the file from Mildred, and a toothy grin slowly brightened his face, "Well, Laura and I are building a home on the grounds of her old property."

"The blueprints! That's right!" Mildred exclaimed with a snap of her fingers. "With everything going on since we've been back, I forgot all about that. How does Mrs. Steele feel about it?"

Remington pursed his lips together as the memories of their time in the shed the previous week flooded his mind. With a twinkle in his eye, he replied, "Other than the pool, Mrs. Steele seemed very happy about the idea." He took several steps toward his office door and announced, "Mildred, I may need your services in a bit. Laura and I have uncovered a new development in Mr. Clarke's case."

"Oh, really?" Mildred's interest was completely piqued. She waited for him to explain more details only he simply turned and headed into his office.

He stopped at the door and stated, "Ms. Wolfe, maybe you can start by getting me some coffee?"

Bernice shook her head, "You know, I'm not officially starting until tomorrow, right?"

"Of course, of course. But I will admit, you still made a better cup of coffee than Laura any day," Remington stated softly.

From the open doorway of Laura's office, he heard her interject, "I heard that!"

"Damn!" he cursed under his breath. "I guess I better get working on something before Laura brings me a stack of files to sign off." He slunk into his office and closed the door behind him.

Bernice looked at Mildred, wide-eyed, "Are they always like this?"

Mildred laughed, "Oh, honey, this is just the beginning. I've watched these two kids dance around here for the last few years, and I have to say, I'm glad they finally came to their senses."

Bernice took several steps toward the small break room. "Coffee still in here?" she paused.

"You got it! But don't worry. I made a fresh pot before they got here. I'll get it for him," Mildred smiled and sidestepped the younger woman. She appeared a minute later carrying two steaming mugs of coffee. "Tell you what. How about you bring this to Mrs. Steele, and I'll take care of the boss?"

"I thought that was Laura? Or did that change too?" Bernice questioned.

Mildred gently turned Bernice around toward Laura's office. "She is… but it makes him feel better when I call him that." Bernice couldn't help but laugh as Mildred knocked on Remington's office door and announced, "Here, Boss, I have your coffee. What do you need from me?"

Bernice stepped into Laura's office, "Here you go. One hot cup of coffee."

Laura looked up and nodded, the phone firmly pressed against her shoulder as she jotted down the reply from the advertisement department at the newspaper. "Okay, great. Thank you," she stated before she dropped the receiver onto the phone cradle.

Bernice sat in one of the chairs across from Laura's desk. "Laura, are you sure this is going to be a good idea?" she asked nervously.

"Bernice, what are you talking about? This is perfect!" Laura immediately replied. She took a swallow of the steaming mug and sighed, "Mr. Steele is right… Mildred's coffee is much better than mine. Your's too."

Bernice shook her head, "I feel like I've been out of this for so long, I might not be up for it."

Laura stood and walked around her desk to stand beside her friend. "Bernice, you were here, right from the beginning. It's going to be like riding a bike… give it a few days, and you'll be right back in the swing of things. Honestly, not much has changed. The phone rings, you answer it. Clients come in, and you let us know. Supplies need to be ordered… that's your department," she assured her.

Bernice glanced over at Remington's door and sighed, "Except now you're no longer itchy… and the man of mystery is your husband."

Laura tipped her head at Remington's door and whispered, "Who said I wasn't still itchy. Sometimes, there aren't enough hours in the day to take care of that."

Bernice's mouth dropped open, "Laura! Please tell me you're not saying what I think you're saying? Mr. Good-looking isn't…?"

Laura laughed long and loud before she admitted, "On the contrary… he's that good… so good, you never want it to end."

"Oh, do tell!" Bernice implored.

Without warning, the door separating Laura and Remington's office opened, and Remington appeared, "Do tell what?"

Laura immediately fingered the collar of her blouse, and she stumbled, "Bernice just asked me to tell her about the case we were working on… you know, the one for Mr. Clarke."

Remington sized up the blush of color in Laura's cheeks and the raised eyebrow Bernice was currently sporting. "You mean, your father. Did you get in touch with the newspaper?" he asked.

"It'll run tomorrow. You were right. We were too late for today's copy," Laura replied quickly as Bernice's mouth dropped open.

"Your father?" she probed. When Laura didn't immediately answer, she rose to her feet and tilted her head. "Laura, you didn't tell me you were working on a case for your father."

Laura sighed, "Well, it's not for my father exactly. You see, Russell Clarke, an old friend of my father, received a letter asking him to find a key. And Russell brought it to us, hoping we could help him. One thing led to another… my father showed up here and -"

"Stop. Your father showed up… here… after how many years?" Bernice demanded.

Seeing Laura's obvious discomfort, Remington stated, "He didn't want Laura involved, but after a man to man talk, he realized he was wrong. So, we did as he asked, we found the key, we found the contents of the safe deposit box and now we wait."

"Wait for what?" Bernice asked.

"The FBI," Laura stated before pressing her lips tightly together.