Chapter 12
Remington stood, studying one of the paintings on display as Laura wandered around the open gallery. She would stop and gaze upon a different sculpture before moving to the next one. After several minutes, Remington couldn't help smile at his wife's restless movements.
"I'm so sorry to keep you waiting." A woman's voice drifted in their direction. The Steeles turned to see a tall, striking woman with long, jet black hair gliding across the floor toward them.
Remington glanced at Laura before speaking. "It's quite all right. We were just admiring the artwork."
"Yes, we have some wonderful pieces on display. Anything interest you in particular?" the woman asked.
Simultaneously, Remington replied, "No," as Laura stated, "Yes." He turned to her and questioned, "Yes?"
"Yes, actually, there is a piece that captured my attention," Laura insisted with a grin.
"There is?" Remington twisted his head to determine what Laura was referring to.
Laura smiled and slowly walked back to one small sculpture on a stand. "This one. Can you tell me more about it?" she requested.
The woman swept her hand toward the artwork, "This is called The Child. The artist wanted to display the innocence of childhood memories."
Remington tipped his head to the side slightly to study the ceramic figurine, painted in muted colors. He proceeded to move beside Laura, facing the display. He immediately took notice of the tub of popcorn in the crook of the child's arm. There was also a small stick of what appeared to be cotton candy clutched in its grasp and clown paint adorning the statue's face. "Ah, yes. There's nothing more innocent than a child at the circus," he remarked with a crooked grin. He glanced up at Laura. She couldn't hide the slight blush of color on her cheeks. "I can see why my wife is rather enamored with this piece."
"The artist has done several other pieces-" the woman began.
Laura immediately gasped, "Of the circus? Do you have them here?" Remington couldn't hold back the snicker that escaped him.
"Sadly, no. This was the last piece he did before he passed away. His family has graciously allowed us to sell it on commission on behalf of his estate. All the proceeds from this purchase will go to a charity of their choice," the woman sighed. "But enough about that. How can I help you?"
Remington slid his hand down his tie, smoothing it as he flashed her a toothy smile. "The name is Steele… Remington Steele. And this is my-"
"Remington Steele? As in the detective?" the dark-haired beauty inhaled sharply.
"I see my reputation precedes me." Remington glowed.
The woman reached out and grasped his arm gently. "Does it ever. I'm Valerie Liang, the gallery director. I am… was Stefan's right arm for lack of a better term."
"Valerie, it's very nice to meet you. I'm Laura Steele." Laura stepped forward, her hand held out to the woman. Valerie flicked her eyes over Laura but immediately turned her attention back to Remington, effectively dismissing her.
"Miss Liang… it is Miss, isn't it?" Remington patted the hand on his arm. He couldn't help notice the perfectly manicured nails, stroking his jacket sleeve.
Valerie took a step closer to Remington and batted her extended, fake eyelashes. "Definitely Miss. What can I do for you? Are you here about Stefan's murder? Or the robbery? It was just awful how he was murdered like that."
Laura rolled her eyes and took a few steps around Remington to stand closer to Valerie. "How well did you know Mr. Dubois?" she questioned, her tone becoming more serious.
Valerie continued to stare at Remington as she explained, "Steffie and I go back fifteen years to when he first opened this place. Before his wife got sick, the poor thing. He was devastated when she died." She paused and blinked rapidly as if she was fighting off tears.
"Go on," Remington insisted softly with a gentle purse of his lips. Laura could only roll her eyes once more.
"Well, it took him such a long time to mourn her death, and to be honest, I think he was still mourning her… in his own way, that is. That's why he threw himself into his work. He spent day and night here, building the gallery into what it is today. One of the most highly respected operations in the city." Valerie tapped the tip of her nose and sniffled lightly.
Remington patted her hand once more and inquired, "Do you know of anyone that might hold a grudge against Mr. Dubois for any reason? Someone who would have wanted to hurt him?"
"A grudge? Against Steffie? Mr. Steele, you definitely didn't know him like I did. He was the sweetest, most passionate man you would ever meet!" Valerie exclaimed with wide eyes.
"So, if I understand you correctly, Mr. Dubois didn't have any enemies?" Laura interjected.
Valerie flipped her hand in Laura's direction and stated, "He had his fair share of people who didn't like him simply because he was successful. But the people who knew him… I mean, really truly knew him… everyone loved him for the kind, generous, giving soul that he was."
Remington bobbed his head slightly, acknowledging Valerie's statement. "Miss Liang, do you think it would be possible for us to see the office where the… the… incident occurred?" he requested before he touched his fingers to his lips playfully.
Immediately, Valerie tucked her hand into his elbow. "The office is this way. I haven't been in there since the police left. It gives me the creeps knowing that he was in there… alone... for who knows how many hours before Emmie found him."
"Emmie?" Laura choked.
"Oh, that's Steffie's son, Emmett. He was the one who found his father after the break-in," Valerie explained. She led them into a hidden hallway and stopped at a closed door. "This was Steffie's office."
Remington glanced down the hall and noticed several other unmarked doors. "Which office is yours?"
Valerie pointed to the door across the hall. "That one's mine. Steffie made sure when he hired me that I had my own private space. To get my work done, without distraction."
Remington gave Laura a knowing smile as he nodded. "Yes, I'm sure he did. Um, would it be all right if we were to… poke around a little bit in Steffie's office?"
Valerie pushed the door lever downward before the frosted glass door swung inward, revealing the office. A massive cherrywood executive desk was the room's focal point, with a large, leather office chair skewed to the side. Across the top of the desk were several file folders, order sheets, and what appeared to be a stack of handwritten receipts, along with a telephone, answering machine, a small desk organizer filled with paper clips, pens, and rubber bands. On the corner, Laura couldn't help but notice an ashtray filled with crushed cigarette butts. She looked around and noticed a dark stain on the rug, near the edge of the desk. "Is that where?" Laura left the question hanging.
"Steffie was found? Yes. The police didn't even have the decency to send a cleaning crew or something. We're going to have to do that ourselves, but they said we have to wait until they … well until they catch his murderer." Valerie visibly shuddered.
"But I thought they did arrest someone," Laura stated. She turned to Remington and asked, "Wasn't his name Victor something or other?"
Remington snapped his fingers before pressing them to his lips. "Yes, the police mentioned his name. Come to think of it, I don't remember what it is now." He smiled at Valerie once more and added, "You wouldn't, by chance, know where the safe is hidden, would you?"
Valerie sighed at him happily. "Of course I do. I'm in and out of it several times a week."
Laura leaned her hip against the desk and inquired, "So you know the combination?"
Valerie rolled her eyes and shook her head slightly. "Steffie kept all the money in the safe prior to deposit as well as all our contracts. He always said you could never be too careful when it came to that sort of thing," she explained.
"Wait. I thought the police said the safe was empty. What happened to the contracts?" Remington questioned.
"I moved them that morning into my office. Steffie was afraid there wouldn't be enough room for all the cash from the fundraiser, so he told me to put all the contracts in my office for safekeeping for the night," Valerie clarified.
Laura ran her fingers along the edge of the beveled wood and asked, "Who else knew the combination to the safe?"
"That's easy. Only Steffie and I did. You see, he would change the combination twice a month. It's one of those new combination-digital safes. It has a four-digit code you have to enter after you use the dial code. Extra security," Valerie stated as she moved to a small cabinet across from the desk. She opened the wood door, revealing the safe inside.
Remington crouched down and asked, "May I?" Valerie moved out of his way, allowing him space to examine the safe. "Well, I don't see any way someone could break into this safe easily. I mean, the dial alone would be difficult but to add the complexity of a four-digit electronic code to the process would make this near impossible." He straightened himself up and wondered, "Miss Liang, would it be possible to override the code, perhaps?"
Valerie blinked several times before she stated, "Well, there is the master code. I suppose if someone knew that, it would override the current code."
"And who would have known the master code?" Remington hinted.
"Well, only Steffie and I. Actually, Steffie chose the code because of me. He told me he picked it because he knew I would never forget it." Valerie smiled widely as she closed the door to hide the safe again.
Laura rubbed at the back of her neck with one hand and asked, "Why was that?"
Valerie giggled like a schoolgirl before she admitted, "It was my birthday. Steffie chose my birthday as the master code. But only he and I knew that."
An idea suddenly struck Remington as she giggled again. "Miss Liang, what's going to happen to the gallery now that Mr. Dubois is… well… deceased?"
Valerie straightened her shoulders, lifted her chin, and informed them, "I'm going to finish what Steffie started."
"You mean, you're going to help his son continue on?" Laura questioned.
"No. Steffie left the gallery to me. I'm going to keep his dream alive of helping fund the charities he held near and dear to his heart… after my commission cut, that is," Valerie stated with a nod.
Remington slipped his hand around Valerie's waist as he said, "Really? Please, tell me more about these charities." He guided Valerie out of the office with a wink in Laura's direction. Laura rested her hand casually against her midsection as she watched her husband charm Valerie Liang into giving them more information about Valerie's true relationship with Stefan Dubois.