CHAPTER 5

The following morning, Laura awoke to the sound of someone rummaging around in the kitchen. She reluctantly opened her eyes and looked at her alarm clock, letting out a frustrated growl when realizing her house guest had woken her up ahead of time. The irony being that Laura had always been the morning person out of the two, no matter the day of the week.

She flipped over onto her back in bed, staring up at the ceiling while listening to Remington most likely making a mess in her kitchen, feeling a sense of dread when reminding herself that it was Monday. Which meant she would have to face Rick back at the office, even though she would be arriving later today due to the upcoming excursion to the car rental service. With a heavy sigh, Laura turned off the alarm clock and rolled out of bed, put on her robe and sauntered down the steps from the bedroom.

"Ah, good morning!" Remington exclaimed cheerfully as Laura made her way to the kitchen.

"Morning," Laura said stifling a yawn, letting the delightful aroma of fresh coffee guide her over to the coffee maker. "You've certainly been busy and it's not even eight o'clock yet."

"Well, I figured I would get an early start to the day considering there's much to be done," Remington said, putting the finishing touches on breakfast while Laura poured herself some much needed coffee.

"Since when are you this chipper in the morning?" she said with a suspicious look as she passed by Remington, walking over to one of the windows in the living room.

With the coffee cup in one hand, Laura discreetly peeked through the blinds to see if the sedan was parked outside, which it wasn't.

"Since you apparently aren't," Remington teased and Laura turned away from the window to stare at him across the loft. "Rough night?"

"Hardly," Laura said with a strained smile, taking a drink of coffee. "I'm simply used to some peace and quiet in the mornings these days."

"Oh, so I'm the first overnight guest since... me?"

"Not that it's any of your business, but yes."

"Laura, I'm flattered."

"Don't be. It isn't from a lack of offers, but rather the need for self-preservation on my part. Which isn't to say I've lived a life of celibacy since you left."

"Well then, it seems like we've both been busy," Remington said, loudly clearing his throat. "Breakfast?"

Laura downed the last of her coffee before walking back over to the kitchen, putting down the empty cup and grabbing a plate off the counter. She briefly inhaled the savory scent of the cooked breakfast, silently admitting to herself that she had indeed missed Remington's cooking.

Breakfast for her these days usually meant one or more cups of coffee before going off to work, often grabbing something of very little nutritional value from the vending machine whenever time allowed for it.

"So, what's on the agenda for today?" Remington suddenly asked after they'd eaten most of their breakfast in tense silence.

"We'll start by going to the car rental service place and hopefully getting the name of our stalker, then I'll have to stop by the agency to do some work before Mr. Sterling starts asking questions that I'll rather not answer. At least not until I know what or whom we're dealing with."

"You mind if I tag along to the office? Perhaps Remington Steele can be of some further assistance?"

"I guess I don't see the harm in that, as long as you behave."

"Excellent! Now, seeing as how I've practically lived in these clothes for over forty-eight hours, I say a shower and a change of clothes is much needed at this point. Perhaps we could swing by my hotel on our way to the car rental service?"

"Well, you're welcome to use my shower if you'd like," Laura said, hesitating before continuing. "As for clothing, I might have something that should fit."

"Really?" Remington grinned and Laura rolled her eyes at him.

"Get in the shower before I change my mind."

"I just now realized how much I've missed being bossed around by you, Laura," Remington said with a wink, noticing a discreet smile on Laura's face right before she turned and headed up to the bedroom.

He waited for her as she returned moments later, carrying a hanger with one of his old suits.

"Now, since there is actually much be done today, how about you get started?"

"Right!"

Remington grabbed the suit from Laura on his way to the bathroom and as the door closed behind him, she poured herself another cup of coffee and savored the first sip before getting started on cleaning up in the kitchen. By the time she was finished, the kitchen was spotless and the coffee pot was nearly empty.

"I must say, it's nice to see that it still fits like a glove," Remington said cheerfully as he exited the bathroom, causing Laura to momentarily stop what she was doing and admire briefly how handsome he looked in the navy blue trousers and blazer, topped off with the white shirt that he'd left slightly unbuttoned at the top.

The dark hair was still damp from the shower, casually parted to the side. All in all, he looked the part of Remington Steele again and Laura suddenly felt underdressed in her nightgown and robe.

"I figured it would," she finally said, finishing off another cup of coffee. "Alrighty then, I'm gonna go and get ready before we need to head out."

Laura left the kitchen and headed up to the bedroom at a brisk pace, avoiding eye contact with Remington.

When she opened one of the closets and took out a blazer, shirt and trousers to change into, her heart was pounding in her chest. Making Laura realize that she needed the case to be solved as soon as possible so that she could go back to living her life, which meant no more Remington Steele.

Laura refused to let herself get involved with him again, in any capacity. She pushed back those unwanted thoughts and feelings of doubt, telling herself for the countless time that she would deal with it later.

"You're being awfully quiet. Is everything all right?"

Laura turned her head slightly to look at Remington as they arrived at a red light.

"I'm fine. Just have a lot on my mind."

"Right. Which is why I suggest you share what's on your mind, Laura."

"Should it become necessary, I will."

"You know, it doesn't always have to be out of necessity for two people to share information with each other," Remington said, lowering his sunglasses to glance at Laura.

"Depends on what it is. For instance, if it's highly personal information then certain people should just butt out," Laura said sarcastically. "And yes, that means you. So how about we focus on the case at hand to ensure we both survive this mess?"

"Really, Laura, I think you're giving this guy a little too much credit."

"What makes you think he's the one you should worry about?"

Before Remington had a chance to respond to Laura's comment, the light turned green and the Rabbit sped across the intersection before making a swift turn into the parking lot of the car rental service.

Laura found an empty spot and parked, turned off the engine and did a quick sweep of the cars outside on the lot to arrive at the conclusion that the car in question wasn't there.

"All right, time to divide and conquer," Laura said, turning to face Remington. "You distract the personnel while I access their files to hopefully uncover our mystery man's identity."

"Why don't we try mixing it up this time?"

"Oh, did your computer skills improve while you were gallivanting around Europe?"

"That's not really the skills I–"

"And there's your answer."

"Right."

Laura shot Remington one last annoyed glare before she got out of the car, adjusting the beige blazer and walking quickly towards the rental service office. Remington took a beat to admire Laura from behind before rushing to catch up with her, determined to turn her mood around over the course of the day.

When they entered the air conditioned office, both gave it a quick once-over before proceeding to the reception desk. A perky blonde woman looked up from the computer screen and instantly locked eyes with Remington, smiling brightly at him while making Laura feel invisible.

Something she had experienced far too often back when they worked together and despite her best attempt to hide it, it still annoyed her that Remington obviously thrived at the attention of women.

"Welcome to Speedy Rentals! What can I do for you this lovely morning, Sir?"

"I'm so glad you asked... Becky," Remington grinned as he leaned in to read the woman's name tag. "You see, I'm in desperate need of a rental car. Preferably something red and fast."

Laura instinctively rolled her eyes at the blatant flirting going on between Becky the receptionist and Remington, but managed to refrain from making any snide remarks.

"Well then, you're in luck, Sir! We have several options that should interest you," Becky said cheerfully and began typing away on the computer.

"Excellent! Now, would it be possible to have an look at the available cars before making my decision? Perhaps you have a minute to spare to show me around, hmm?" Remington said and Laura could tell that Becky was already swooning over him and his blue eyes.

"Oh, I should really have one of our salesmen assist you...," Becky said hesitantly, glancing over at the closed office doors. "But I suppose I can make an exception in this case."

"Ah, splendid! And I promise I won't tell if you don't," Remington said with a wink and Becky giggled in response.

Laura watched in silence as the two headed outside, for once relieved that no one thought of including her. As soon as the door closed behind them, she checked that the coast was clear before hurrying around the reception desk to access the computer.

She wasted no time in accessing the rental service's system, typing in the license number and impatiently awaiting for the results. She did a quick glance out the front window to confirm that Becky and Remington was still looking at cars. When the computer suddenly beeped, Laura looked down at the screen and quickly grabbed a pen.

"You're not Becky."

Laura was startled as a man suddenly appeared in front of the reception desk. He seemed to be around her age, dressed in a suit and tie, and with a quizzical look on his face.

"Uh, no, I'm not," Laura said with a nervous laugh, putting on her most charming smile.

"Which begs the question who you are and what you are doing at her desk?" the man asked, trying to sound stern but a grin tugged at his mouth. "Not that it's not a nice change of scenery."

"Right, well, I was just borrowing your computer to look something up," Laura said, still with a smile in place as she stood up, discreetly pocketing the hastily written note.

"If it's a car you're after, I'll be more than happy to assist you," the man said and gave Laura a not so subtle once-over as she came around from behind the desk.

"Oh, you're too kind!" she chirped. "But my, uh, brother has it handled already."

"I'm guessing he's the guy outside with Becky?"

"Exactly. I'm afraid he insisted on her assistance in finding a rental. Don't hold it against her."

"How could I? The man obviously has great taste in women."

Laura couldn't help but notice that the salesman moved in closer to her and just as she struggled to come up with an excuse to leave, Becky and Remington came back inside the office.

"Ah, there you are!" Laura exclaimed with a nervous laugh as she grabbed hold of Remington's arm.

"I must say, I don't really see the family resemblance," the salesman said as he stared at the two.

"Family resemblance?" Remington asked and Laura cleared her throat, tightening her grip on his arm.

"It's a touchy subject," she said with a tight smile as she slightly turned to face Remington.

"So, did you find what we were looking for... Brother?"

Remington knew that judging from Laura's solid grip around his arm, the only option was to play along.

"I'm afraid not, Sister," he said with an apologetic smile. "Despite Becky's fine assistance."

"What a shame! Well, I guess we better get going then," Laura said.

"Should you change your mind, darling, you know where to find me," the salesman said with a mischievous grin and the way he stared at Laura was not lost on Remington.

"I certainly do," Laura said with a tight smile and let go of Remington before she headed out the door. Once outside, she visibly shuddered and muttered to herself on her way back to the car.

"What was all that about?" Remington asked as he came up alongside Laura.

"What was what?"

"The whole brother-sister thing."

"Oh, that. He offered to assist me and I kind of blurted out that I was here with my brother."

"Ah yes, the man's eagerness to assist you was plain to see and I can hardly fault him for that. But out of all the possible covers, you chose brother and sister? Really, Laura?"

"What's the problem? I panicked and said the first thing that came to mind. Happens to the best of us."

"So you mean to tell me that there was no other reason behind it?"

"Like what?"

"Like trying to make me jealous?"

"Really? We're in the middle of a case and you honestly think I'm playing games?"

"Well, it wouldn't be the first time."

"As I recall, you were the expert in playing games and toying with people's emotions. Now, regardless of what you obviously think of me, I have no interest in anything else apart from solving this case and going our separate ways again. Which can't come soon enough if you ask me."

Remington opened his mouth to speak but the glare from Laura quickly changed his mind and as they got back into the car together, he silently cursed himself for driving another wedge between them.

Just as it looked like things were going in the right direction, he managed to mess it up even further and Laura certainly wasn't going to make it easy for him either. But that only drove his determination.

"He sure is popular," Rick said as he entered Laura's office through the already open door. She abruptly stopped what she was doing and looked up at him, feeling a knot forming in her stomach.

"Who?"

"Your Mr. Steele."

"He's not my Mr. Steele."

Rick glanced over his shoulder to where Remington was standing in the bullpen, surrounded by several adoring employees and basking in the attention. Laura noticed that even Mr. Sterling himself had emerged from his office upstairs to meet the great Remington Steele in person.

"You know, I still can't help but wonder why you never mentioned him before," Rick said as he turned to look at Laura. "I mean, obviously things didn't end well. Which is probably the reason why you've tried so hard to keep every man at arm's length, myself included."

"Rick, I–"

"I get it, Laura. I really do. So I'm not here to make you feel bad or anything like that. We're both adults and I wanna make sure we're still going to be able to work together despite everything?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing."

"Oh, it'll probably be awkward at first but I like to think that we'll move past that soon enough."

"I'd like to think so too."

"So it's decided then? We'll revert back to friendly co-workers after a brief awkward phase?"

Laura couldn't help but smile at Rick, a sense of relief washing over her.

"I'd like that," she said and leaned back in her chair, visibly relaxing.

The comfortable silence was suddenly interrupted when Remington swept into the room, looking very pleased with himself.

"Oh, Rick! Nice to see you again!" he said and enthusiastically shook hands with Rick.

"Likewise," Rick said politely. "Now if you excuse me, I have work to get done. See you guys later."

Remington watched as Rick left the room before closing behind him and turning around facing Laura.

"Did I interrupt something?" he asked, a mixture of curiosity and concern in his voice.

"No, not really. We were just clearing some things up," Laura said with a distant look in her eyes before turning her attention back to the paperwork on the desk in front of her. "Now, how about you take a seat so we can get down to the business at hand? Unless you're needed elsewhere?"

"I take it you're referring to my talk with your Mr. Sterling?" Remington mused as he took a seat.

"He's not my Mr. Sterling," Laura sighed.

"Well, he speaks very highly of you. Which is probably why he made me such a generous job offer."

"What?"

"Yes, I must say it came as a surprise to me as well seeing as how I haven't practiced in a while."

"Or that you're not an actual private detective!"

"Semantics, Laura. Besides, I held my own quite well all those years we worked together, didn't I?"

"Those were entirely different circumstances and you know it."

"If I were to take Mr. Sterling up on his offer, that would mean we would be working together again and I'd say that makes it very similar circumstances, eh?"

"You're actually considering the offer?"

"Why wouldn't I? Aside from being very generous, it will bring me a sense of purpose that I haven't experienced in a long time."

"While I wouldn't deny you that, does it have to be here of all places? It's one thing for you to remain in Los Angeles but having you working here is too close for comfort."

The silence between them stretched out as they held each others' stare, tension building by the second.

"Would it really be so bad to be working together again?" Remington asked.

"Yes, it would," Laura said with a sigh.

"Well then, I guess it's a good thing I haven't given him an answer yet."

"Good. Now, we do have more pressing matters. Does the name Jonathan Quinby ring any bells?"

"Should it?"

"I'm only asking because that's apparently our mystery man and since he doesn't show up in any of my files, it doesn't seem very likely that he's connected to me."

"Meaning you think he's connected to me somehow?"

"Considering the fact that this all started upon your return, it's too much of a coincidence to be random."

"You're probably right but I can honestly say that I don't recognize the name."

Laura held Remington's stare from across the desk, trying to ascertain if he was telling the truth.

"So you have no idea who this guy is?"

"I really don't, Laura."

"Then I guess we better get going."

"Where?"

"To Mr. Quinby's hotel. If we're lucky, he'll be there."

"You do remember the man taking shots at us? Which means he's armed. With a gun."

"Don't worry, Mr. Steele, I'll protect you."

"Ah, and they say chivalry is dead."

The ride over to the hotel went by a lot faster than Remington would've liked, but he knew it was pointless to mention it. When Laura made up her mind, it was almost impossible to change it. But he had done it once and he was becoming more confident that he could do it again, given enough time.

"Mr. Steele?"

"Hmm?"

"We're here."

Remington looked over at Laura and at the hotel building behind her, slowly releasing his grip on the door handle as a feeling of dread came over him.

"This is Quinby's hotel?" he asked nervously and pointed at the building.

"Yes, why?" Laura asked with a confused expression, looking from Remington to the hotel entrance.

"So, uh, this might be a bit hard to believe but... this also happens to be the hotel I checked into a few days ago," Remington said with a nervous chuckle as Laura whipped her head around to stare at him.

"What? That can hardly be a coincidence!" she exclaimed. "And you're still certain you've never heard of someone named Jonathan Quinby before?"

"Laura, I'm telling you I have no idea who the man is or why he's after me."

"Us! He's after us! So you better be telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth this time!"

"I am! Look, I met a lot of people during my time in Europe, most of which didn't use their real names for various reasons, and this particular name doesn't ring a bell whatsoever. But as you've already pointed out, it's obviously no coincidence that we both happen to be staying at the same hotel."

"At least this makes access to his room a lot easier with you already being a guest," Laura said as they both got out of the car, doing a quick visual sweep of the parked cars outside. "And it doesn't look like Quinby is in at the moment."

"Ah, well, let's just hope it stays that way a little while longer," Remington said as he followed Laura inside the hotel, glancing over his shoulder at the street behind them.

After a quick stop by the reception desk to exchange pleasantries with the hotel staff while finding out the room number of Jonathan Quinby and requesting Remington's room key, they were headed towards the elevator. As soon as the doors closed behind them, Laura pushed the button for the 10th floor.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Remington asked as the elevator began moving and they stood on opposite sides of the small space, Laura staring at the floor with her mind seemingly elsewhere.

"Oh, it's nothing," she sighed.

"Oh, it's something," Remington said. "You forget that I know you, Laura. And that little frown tells me that there's something on your mind."

"Like the fact that someone is trying to kill us?"

"Is that all?"

"Isn't that enough?"

"Maybe for most people but not you, Laura."

Laura looked up from the floor and became acutely aware of their close proximity in the closed elevator, especially since Remington had moved slightly from his previous spot. He was now staring at her with those blue eyes that had an almost hypnotic effect and she felt her heart involuntarily flutter.

"Stop it," she said quietly, barely able to keep her voice steady.

"Stop what?"

"Distracting me when I have a job to do."

"Why do you always do that?"

"Do what?"

"Use the job as an excuse to avoid dealing with what's right in front of you."

"Maybe because the thought of dealing with it scares me."

A brief look crossed Remington's face just as the elevator came to a stop and the doors slowly opened. They stared at each other momentarily before Laura exited the elevator, making a quick right turn shortly after. Remington slowly followed, his mind preoccupied as they made their way down the hallway.

"This should be it," Laura said as she came to a stop outside a door, Remington nearly bumping into her.

She looked around to make sure they were alone before taking out a lock-pick and unlocking the door.

"Nice to see some things never change," Remington said as they entered the room. Laura put her lock-pick back in her purse as she moved through the room, checking for further clues. The room appeared very tidy and not much was out of place, except for the suitcase and newspaper placed on the bed.

"When did Quinby check in?" Remington asked, glancing out the window.

"The guy down at the front desk said Friday, same day as you. Which further supports the theory that he's been following you," Laura said as she walked up to the bed, the front page of the newspaper drawing her in.

She slowly picked up and unfolded it, skimming through the text before landing on the attached photos of an attractive woman.

"Find anything interesting?" Remington joked half-hearted as he looked over at Laura.

"I'm not entirely sure," she mumbled, still staring at the photo in the newspaper. Remington's curiosity piqued and he walked over to Laura, looking down at the newspaper over her shoulder.

The same feeling of dread came over him once again when he recognized the woman in the picture and slowly took the newspaper out of Laura's hands, starting to read the article.

"You knew her?" Laura asked and Remington gave a silent nod while still reading. "Who was she?"

"A friend when I needed one," Remington said quietly.

"Just a friend?"

"Hard to believe, I know, but yes."

"Apparently I'm not the only one finding it hard to believe. According to that article, British police considered her husband their prime suspect but he fled the country before they could arrest him. Take a look at the husband's picture."

Remington skipped to the article's end, noticing a small monochrome picture of a man in a suit.

"Jonathan Quinby," he read aloud and looked up at Laura.

"Something tells me he didn't appreciate his wife's male friends, one of whom happens to be you."

"So therefore he killed her and is now trying to kill us? Laura, the man's out of his bloody mind!"

"No arguments here. Which is all the more reason to proceed with caution from here on out," Laura said calmly and placed the newspaper back on the bed, making sure it appeared to be untouched.

"So what do we do now?" Remington asked, visibly agitated.

"Well, for starters, we get the the hell out of here," Laura said, pointing to the door. "As much I like a good murder mystery, I would prefer it not to be ours."

TO BE CONTINUED...