Chapter 22
Laura and Remington carefully climbed off the StarCraft, onto the ladder that would bring them to the upper level of the dock, as the small boat was tossed around by the surging waves below. "Watch your footing," Remington warned as they slowly climbed the wet, slippery rungs. When they reached the top, Remington stopped and retrieved the box of notebooks from Agent Murphy, allowing him to climb to the top freely.
"Thanks. It's tough when the tide's out like this," Agent Murphy nodded.
Remington handed the box back to Laura as Special Agent Molloy announced, "Follow me. The others are waiting for us."
Together, the small group followed the dock to the rocky shoreline, where another agent was waiting for them on a worn path through the tall seagrass. "Where's Harry?" Agent Murphy asked. Remington immediately lifted his eyebrows in Laura's direction and nervously swallowed. He opened his mouth to speak when they heard a sharp bark coming from around the bend.
Without warning, a large black and brown German Shephard charged in their direction, growling and snarling. Laura tried to hide behind Remington before a voice called out, "Anhalten!" The beast immediately froze where he was, his body tense with energy as he waited for his next command. The agent appeared to be carrying a leather leash in his hand. He stopped beside the dog and surveyed Laura and Remington. "Place the box on the ground, please," the man commanded.
Laura scrambled to drop the box and hide behind Remington once more. "Laura, I'm sure the dog isn't going to hurt us if we do everything Agent…." his voice trailed off as he awaited an introduction.
"Sanders," the man replied. "Eli Sanders, Sergeant in the Air Combat Command security forces." He looked down at the dog beside him, standing at full attention, "Voran!" The muscular canine immediately surged forward and sniffed the box Laura had placed on the ground. Finding nothing, he circled Remington and Laura, sniffing every inch he could reach. Satisfied, he returned to Eli and sat beside him, his ears still perched high on his head, awaiting his next command. Eli reached into his pocket and retrieved a small treat that the dog readily gobbled up. Eli leaned down and scratched behind one pert ear as he introduced, "This, here, is Harry. He's one of our elite dogs."
A grin slowly appeared across Remington's face as he stated, "Harry, eh? What is Harry's job on the island?"
Hearing his name, Harry slowly lowered his body to the ground, and his tongue lolled to the side. Eli glanced down at the dog and shook his head. "Harry is here to be sure that no one brings drugs or bombs onto the island. He's nearing retirement, so this might be his last hoorah."
Laura studied Harry carefully, "Retirement? He doesn't look that old."
"Actually, Harry is only three and a half, but he's seen more action than any one man or dog should. He's got an issue with loud noises now, so the military thought he'd do better with a less stressful assignment," Eli explained.
Remington knelt down on one knee so he could look at the dog easier. Without warning, Harry pounced forward. Remington braced for impact, but to everyone's surprise, Harry simply placed his head on Remington's hand and waited. Remington looked up with wide eyes at Eli. "He's never done that before," Eli admitted. "Or at least, I've never seen him do that."
Remington rubbed Harry's snout and ears before he gave him several long strokes down his neck. "He seems pretty friendly," Remington announced to Laura, who followed his lead and rubbed the dog gently.
"We should get moving, now that you've passed Harry's test. Everyone else is waiting inside," Special Agent Molloy stated.
"Harry, Komm," Eli commanded. Harry huffed his displeasure but quickly stood on all fours and followed Eli back down the path, Laura, Remington, and the other agents in tow.
"Sergeant Sanders, what language are those commands in?" Laura asked, completely intrigued.
"German!" he immediately responded. "It helps Harry identify the difference between a command and an everyday word like walk or food." Harry's tail began to wag twice as fast at the mention of the word food. "I know, Harry, food is your favorite word." Once again, he reached into his pocket and produced a small treat that Harry readily accepted.
The group neared the entrance to the lighthouse keeper's cottage attached to the base of the lighthouse. Laura once again reached out and grasped Remington's arm as they stepped into the dimly lit anteroom. They followed Special Agent Molloy to a sitting room where he placed the cardboard box on a small table beside John Holt. On the couch, opposite him, sat another man sporting a shoulder harness and gun holster. He stood and stepped in front of John until everyone was in the room. "It's okay, Greg. This is Mrs. Laura Holt Steele and Mr. Remington Steele," Special Agent Molloy stated. "They have found the ledgers John hid years ago."
"As I knew she would," John stated loudly. He pushed himself to his feet and exhaled loudly as he made eye contact with Laura. "Thank you. I thought Russ could handle it, but when I found out he went to you two, well, I knew there could only be one outcome."
Laura dug her nails into Remington's arm as she fought the urge to lash out at her father. "Why now? What's so important about those damn ledgers now?" she demanded.
"Laura, I'm sure your father has a good reason-" Remington began, but Laura shot him a look filled with daggers and questioned, "A good reason? For leaving his family without any contact for fourteen years?"
John stepped forward and raised his hand to touch her arm, "Loo-Loo, look, I'm sorry. I didn't want any of this to happen. When I finally figured out what was happening all around me, I knew I had to do something or risk you, your mother, or your sister from getting hurt or worse. I didn't know it was going to take this long for the FBI to get to this point, where they now have enough evidence to finally go after these people."
"These people? You're talking about the Mob!" Laura snapped.
"Laura," Remington leaned close to her, but Laura wasn't listening. All of her anger was wholly focused on her father.
"Let me guess… you were involved with them, weren't you? You were part of it, and that's why you left," Laura surmised angrily.
John shook his head and snapped, "No, it wasn't like that!"
"Then, what was it, huh? They put a hit out on you, so you turned state's evidence in exchange for protection?" Laura continued her tirade.
"Lau-ra," Remington droned louder in an attempt to get her attention.
"I didn't want to leave! I would have given everything to stay right there with you," John insisted.
Remington knew he had to do something before Laura crossed a line, so he quickly wrapped his hand around her waist and pulled her out of the room, much to the surprise of everyone else. "What are you doing?!" she snapped.
"Saving you from saying something you might regret," Remington retorted.
Laura pressed her fingers to her forehead and groaned, "I don't need saving!"
"Then stop acting like a child right now and listen to what the man has to say," Remington demanded.
Laura clenched her teeth and stared at him, "I am not a child anymore, Mr. Steele!"
Remington held up his hands in surrender and stated, "Then speak to your father like the grown woman you are and not the hurt little girl he left behind."