Chapter 3

December 22, 1987

Laura, Remington and the Piper family arrived en masse at The Plaza, after having shared to same flight to New York. Mindy and Danny were still chattering with excitement over having traveled first class for the first time, while Laurie Beth dozed with her head on Donald's shoulder, the day of travel proving wearisome for the seven-year old.

"It looks like a castle!" Mindy announced with awe as the group stepped into the lobby.

"Man-o-man," Danny commented in a similarly dazed fashion, "I've never seen anything like it except on those old movies Mr. Remington likes!" Remington smiled back at the lad. The boy had a good memory for details. Laura and he had spent the Fourth of July with the Piper clan. While the women cleaned the kitchen, at Frances' insistence, their male counterparts had retired to the family room. An airing of North by Northwest had proved to be the perfect time filler between dinner and departing for fireworks. He found a great deal of amusement that the boy had associated the lobby with a movie, whereas Laura had yet to do the same – despite having seen the movie a dozen times with him by now.

"North by Northwest, actually," he commended, reaching back to tousle the boy's hair, drawing Laura's eyes from where she'd spotted Abigail sitting in a wingchair, impatiently swinging a leg as she awaited the arrival of her family.

"Mother!" Frances called, waving in Abigail's direction, having spotted her as well. Laura cringed, even as she directed her attention to Remington.

"North by Northwest, what?" she asked. Had he seen something suspicious? A chill raced up her spine. If we happen to stumble across a case, this trip might just be salvageable, after all, she mused silently.

"Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason, MGM, 1959," he rattled off, absently, while peering around the enormous space. "Grant plays an advertising executive—"

"Funny, I don't see a cornfield or crop duster in sight," she interrupted, sarcastically, "Get to the point, Mr. Steele."

"Frances, darling," Abigail greeted her oldest daughter warmly, embracing her in a hug.

"Grant filmed a scene for North by Northwest in this very lobby," Remington explained. His star struck smile inspired a roll of her eyes; that they hadn't stumbled across a case made her shoulders sag. He'd taken two steps away, when she reached out and grabbed his arm.

"Where are you going?" she hissed.

"I just want to have a closer look at—"

"You're not going anywhere, buster," she informed him. "You dragged me here for Christmas, you're not abandoning me to deal with my mother alone."

"I didn't drag you," he countered, "I merely reminded you this trip is about family."

"You see it your way, and I see it mine," she reported sotto voice, as she watched her mother finish her greetings of the Piper clan and turn to them.

"Remington, such a pleasure to see you again," Abigail oozed, as he leaned down and dutifully bussed her on the cheek. "I was just telling the ladies at canasta how fortunate Laura is to have you." Laura's face pinched at what her mother was implying, then forced a smile for her mother's benefit when Abigail focused her attention on her youngest daughter.

"Laura, darling," Abigail greeted, in a considerably cooler tone than she'd used on the Pipers and Remington.

"Hello, Mother," Laura greeted, pressing a perfunctory kiss to Abigail's cheek.

"You're looking well. I imagine you're being spoiled by Remington's cooking," Abigail commented. Laura's back straightened noticeably. "I'm glad he convinced you to join your family for the holidays."

"Perhaps we should check-in," Remington quickly suggested, slipping an arm around Laura's waist and giving it a gentle squeeze of support.

"I checked us all in when I arrived," Abigail shared. Removing her purse from her shoulder, she removed three keys. "Donald, dear, your rooms are on the seventh floor next to mine: One of for the children, and one for yourself and Frances, adjoining of course." She handed Donald a pair of keys, then turned and offered the last key to Remington. "There was a mix up on the reservations, and this is all they had left," she apologized. "I wanted us all together, of course, but since we can't be, we can't very well separate Frances and Donald from the children." Beneath his hand, he felt some of Laura's tension ease at the announcement. Repositioning his hand, he stroked the small of her back with his thumb.

"I'm sure it will more than suffice," he assured the woman, graciously.

"Then we'll meet back here in the lobby at five," Abigail directed, as she led the group, with bellhops following, towards the elevator. "Tonight is more about the New York experience for the children than it is the adults: Dinner at Joe's Pizzeria followed by ice skating at Rockefeller Center."

"Pizza?" Laurie Beth perked up at the word, while Remington depressed the 'up button' on two separate elevator cars.

"Pepperoni!" Danny quickly voted.

"Nuh-uh!" Mindy objected, passionately. "Sausage!"

"Pineapple," Laurie Beth yawned, lying her head back down on her father's shoulder.

"Now, children, no arguing over toppings, please," Frances admonished.

"But I never get sausage," Mindy complained as the door to the first set of elevators slid open.

"By all means," Remington indicated Abigail and the Pipers should take the first car."

"Now, Mindy, you know your father and Danny both like pepperoni, and poor Laurie Beth will go hungry if we don't get pineapple," Frances explained for the umpteenth time.

"It's not fair!"

As the door to the elevator slid closed, the pizza debate waged on. Once the floor indicator confirmed the elevator was in motion, Laura turned to Remington and, leaning her forehead against his chest, let out a long breath as the tension eased from her frame. Resting his head briefly on the top of her head, he rubbed both of her arms.

"That wasn't so bad, now was it?"

Her only answer was another, long sigh.