Chapter 3
Three weeks passed and Laura and Remington finally settled into routines. Just as Laura suggested, they brought pictures and other items from Laura's loft to Remington's apartment and Remington moved a small stack of his video library to the loft, along with the only photo from their failed Mexico honeymoon. Their caseload slowly increased until they were at capacity and once again they reached out to Monroe for help with security contracts and the installation processes.
The case of the wayward husband kept Laura and Remington on surveillance continuously. In the third week, they finally tracked him down and was able to observe his indiscretion until the early hours of the morning several nights in a row. After the fourth night, they were both exhausted and decided to stop at the loft and to crawl into bed for a few hours. As Remington stripped down to his briefs, Laura changed into a simple cotton nightgown and headed into the bathroom to brush her teeth. Laura returned several minutes later and crawled onto the bed, her eyes barely open. Remington left her to brush his teeth and teased he was even too tired to try to make any advances at Laura but she was already asleep and never heard him.
At seven-thirty that morning, Laura was the first to hear the banging on the large loft door. She was groggy and confused from lack of sleep, as well as, the cold she had been fighting since they returned from Greece. At first, she thought it was just in her mind, her head pounding from the congestion she was feeling but after several minutes she opened her eyes and groaned. She glanced over her shoulder to see Remington on his stomach, snoring lightly. She groaned again and muttered, "Whoever this is, it better be damn good." She carefully descended the stairs and when the banging began again she snapped out, "Hold on!" Behind her, she heard Remington's snoring stutter as he repositioned himself. Squinting from both the pain in her head and the brightness of the room, Laura yanked the door open. Standing before her was a stern-faced Gladys Lynch. "Hello, Ms. Lynch," Laura groaned.
"Mrs. Steele," Gladys acknowledged with a nod. "I tried Mr. Steele's apartment this morning but there was no answer. I took a chance you might actually be here," she informed Laura.
Laura brushed her hair off her face with one hand and glanced behind her. "Mr. Steele is currently sleeping. Is this important right now?" she asked.
"Well, if Mr. Steele's current immigration status is not of any importance to you, then I guess not," Gladys snapped.
Laura rolled her eyes and tried to explain, "We've had a couple of late nights because of a case we've been working on and this really isn't the best time-"
Gladys held her hand up to stop Laura from saying anything else. "Mrs. Steele, when I spoke with you both almost a month ago, did I inform you I would be dropping in unexpected?" she commanded.
"You did, but-" Laura stated but stopped when Gladys held her hand up again.
"And, during that conversation, did you or did you not state you would not be here, at this loft, as you would be putting it on the market, I believe your exact words were?" Gladys questioned firmly.
Laura closed her eyes and groaned, "Yes." She took a breath and pleaded, "If you would just give me a minute to explain, I'm sure you'd understand why we're here."
"I'd like to hear what Mr. Steele has to say. That is, if he really is here," Gladys stated.
Laura swept her hand in the direction of the couch and said, "You'll have to give me a minute to wake him. And I'll assure you, he's not going to be happy about this."
"It's not my job to make him happy, Mrs. Steele," Gladys sat stiffly on the edge of the couch.
Laura trudged up the steps and glanced over at Gladys before she sat on the edge of the bed. Remington was still on his stomach, only now, her pillow was tucked under his arm, against his ribs. "Rem," she shook him gently but the only response she got in return was another stuttered snore. She shook him again and tried to pry the pillow from under him but he only held it tighter and rolled over onto his side. Laura exhaled and snapped, "Mr. Steele!"
Remington opened one bloodshot eye and groaned, "Really, Laura? Can't we sleep for another hour? The office will survive even if we are a few minutes late this morning."
Laura shook her head and said, "We have a visitor this morning."
"Well, tell our visitor to go away and come back at a reasonable hour," he stated as he tried to go back to sleep.
Laura nudged him again, "It's Ms. Lynch from Immigration."
Remington pressed his eyes closed tightly before he opened them and rolled over onto his back. He scrubbed his face with his hands, ran his fingers through his hair and exhaled, "All right. Get some coffee started and I'll be down in a minute."
Laura nodded, "You get the coffee started, I'm going to take something for my head."
"Still? Do you think you're pushing yourself too much? Maybe you need a day off to just rest… or a trip to the doctor's perhaps?" Remington suggested.
"Gladys Lynch, Mr. Steele," Laura stated before standing up and walking back down the steps. "Ms. Lynch, Mr. Steele will down in just a minute but if you'll excuse me." She headed back up the steps, entered the small bathroom and closed the door.
Remington stood and looked around the bedroom. He couldn't immediately find the pants he had on the night before but as he stood in the center of the space he realized Gladys was staring at him with an odd look on her face. A quick glance down at his briefs, Remington smirked and called out, "Please, just give me a minute to make myself presentable, Ms. Lynch." He opened one of the drawers and found a pair of jeans. He pulled them on and grabbed a sweatshirt out of another drawer. He yanked it over his head and started toward the stairs but noticed the bed still in disarray. He stopped, straightened out the blanket and muttered, "Presentable at best." He jogged down the steps and announced, "Good morning, Ms. Lynch." He headed directly to the small kitchenette and began pulling the coffee out of the cabinet. "What brings you here to the loft so early this morning?" he questioned as he scooped the grounds into the coffee maker and filled the reservoir with water.
"As I explained," Gladys Lynch began, "Impromptu visits are part of our investigation." She watched him intently as he moved from one area of the kitchen to another, pulling coffee mugs, saucers and spoons out of cabinets and drawers. "Have you located your marriage certificate yet?" she demanded.
Remington nodded, "Yes, it has arrived, finally. It is at our flat at the Rossmore. I can have a copy sent to your office later this afternoon if that is satisfactory."
"That will be fine. I'll be expecting it," Gladys replied. She watched him for several more minutes as he pulled several items from the refrigerator. He dropped two slices of toast in the toaster before she asked, "How long have you and Mrs. Steele known each other?"
Remington exhaled and said, "Known each other? Well over five years."
"And precisely how long would you say you've been in a relationship?" she questioned again. From the other side of the room, they both heard the sound of the shower turn on.
"Hold that thought, Ms. Lynch," Remington held up one finger as he crossed the room and jogged up the steps. He knocked on the door and called out softly, "Laura? Do you really think this is the best time to be showering?"
Laura cracked the door open and explained, "I'm not showering. I just thought the hot steam might help my head a little. Give me a few minutes."
"All right, all right," Remington muttered with a nod. He plastered a smile on his face and returned to the living area where Gladys Lynch's pinched face watched him. "My wife will be down in a few minutes. She's been fighting a cold since we've returned and being as stubborn as she is, she's refusing to admit she may need to visit a doctor," Remington grinned. "Where were we?" he asked. He began pouring the coffee and held up the carafe. "Coffee?" Gladys shook her head no and waited for him to answer her question. "Right, how long have Laura and I been in a relationship. Well, that's hard to define exactly. We'd been together on and off for about four years before committing to each other completely," he explained.
"You know, you can learn a lot about a couple by watching them move around at home and considering this isn't your primary home, I have to say I am impressed at the ease in which you seem to have here," Gladys informed him. She stood stiffly and adjusted her purse on her shoulder, "You'll be seeing me again, Mr. Steele." Without another word, she stood at the door and waited for Remington to open it for her.
"Are you sure you don't want to wait and speak with my wife?" Remington asked, his hand still on the door.
"No, I've seen enough today," Gladys snapped. Remington gave the door a solid jerk, watched Gladys disappear down the stairs before he closed the door behind her.
Laura appeared at the top of the steps, her hand rubbing her forehead, "Where'd she go?"
"She stated she had seen enough and we'd be seeing her again," Remington stated. He took one final gulp of his coffee and suggested, "Let's say we go back to sleep for a few more hours, eh?"
"I'm awake, let's make the best of this. Get an early start to our day," Laura replied before she sneezed.
"Gesundheit. Laura, you really should get some rest," he stated.
Laura closed her eyes and shook her head, "Work, then rest."
