~*~Steele at His Worst : Chapter Five~*~
It was three-thirty and Cari still hadn't called. "I am beginning to get quite worried," Remington informed Laura as they fed Cristofer a bottle of formula. "Cristobal's brothers might have gotten to her."
"Maybe you and I should fly to Stolkholm," Laura suggested.
"I am afraid if she doesn't call within the hour, we'll have to assume that something has gone wrong. I just hope she has not been harmed. Maybe... she just hasn't had a chance to call yet."
"She should have arrived in Stolkholm around seven this morning," Laura reminded. "It's very strange that she hasn't called."
~*~o~*~
At four-thirty, Laura and Remington rented a private jet to take them to Stolkholm, Sweden. Mildred stayed behind to look after baby Cristofer.
"I hope we are not too late," Remington said with an uneasy sigh as they made their way to their destination.
Laura had fallen asleep on Remington's shoulder, her dark hair caressing his arm as he held her in a tender embrace. Whatever they found in Stolkholm, he knew he wouldn't have to face it alone. He had Laura with him, his dearest love.
~*~o~*~
Once they reached Stolkholm, they arrived at the airport where Cari's plane should have landed. They approached the stewardess who had been on that particular plane.
"Did you see a woman about this tall...?" Remington asked, holding up a hand to indicate Cari's height. "She's very attractive with dark hair and bright blue eyes. She's about twenty-six years old."
"No, I'm sorry. I didn't," the stewardess replied. "But... before the plane left the airport, a young woman of that description got off and boarded another..."
"And where was that plane going?" Laura questioned.
"Barcelona, Spain," answered the stewardess.
~*~o~*~
Later that night, Laura and Remington flew into Barcelona. Both were exhausted from their travels and Laura was feeling irritable. Remington couldn't help but wonder if they were going on some wild goose chase.
"I wager that Cristobal's brothers live in this city," Remington guessed.
"Where in the world do we find them?" Laura asked.
"I don't know, but I suggest we practice our espanol," Remington replied.
"Si," was Laura's snarky reply.
They walked down the streets of downtown Barcelona as Remington approached a man who looked quite wealthy. He began asking the man questions in a blend of rusty Spanish which was entangled with a bit of an hispanic/American slang.
"Si," said the man after having a good laugh at Remington's incompetence. "I speak ingles."
"Muy bien!" Remington exclaimed. "I am looking for the brothers of a man named Cristobal. I understand that they are wealthy and prominent in the chemical and textile business."
"Si, the Alambra hermanos," the man replied. "They can be found at their nearby hacienda. You drive down San Maria Calle and you can't miss it."
"Gracias, senor," Remington said with a smile, shaking the man's hand.
"Well done, Mr. Steele," Laura observed.
"Nothing to it, Lambchop," Remington teased.
~*~o~*~
As the man had stated, Hacienda de Alambras could not have been missed. It covered about ten square miles! "This place is beautiful!" Laura exclaimed as she took in all the sights and sounds of the Spanish countryside.
"Yes, it is muy bonito," Remington agreed. "I cannot help but wonder - is Carissa here?"
"Are we planning to sneak in, Mr. Steele?" Laura asked.
"That's exactly what I had in mind, Mrs. Steele," Remington replied after paying the cab driver and giving him a handsome tip for his troubles.
They were let out on the outskirts of Hacienda de Alambras. Sneaking into the hacienda would be quite the trick. Getting into the big white mansion proved to be even more difficult. Remington found himself bribing the guards with American money in exchange for he and Laura to enter through the backdoors.
Once inside the majestic mansion, Laura and Remington hid in the hallway. They watched from behind a curtain as two handsome, young Spanish gentleman took their seats within an elaborate parlor, sipping on iced tea while chatting in Spanish.
Laura and Remington listened carefully as they heard Carissa's name mentioned amongst the men. As they listened, they came to understand that Carissa had been killed. Laura's eyes widened as she did her best to make sense of their discussion with what limited understanding she had of their native tongue.
"Now that the puta is dead and that bratty kid has disappeared, nothing can keep us away from Cristobal's fortune," Ramon, the younger brother said.
"That is what you think, idioto!" the older of the two laughed cruelly as he pulled a gun upon his brother. "Do you think that I am dumb enough to share our unfortunate brother's money with you?!"
"But Esteban, we planned the murders together! You promised we'd share the money! Please... don't shoot me!" Ramon begged.
"Idioto!" Esteban chuckled with wicked glee. Then, with no remorse, he put a bullet into his younger brother's forehead.
Remington snuck up behind Esteban and whacked him over the head with the metal container of iced tea. "You will not enjoy the money, hombre, because you'll be behind bars," Remington solemnly told the unconscious Spaniard.