Steele stood in front of Laura's office door. She had locked herself in at least twenty minutes earlier.
"Laura, please come out…we have to go," he said with a building of frustration in his voice.
"You go…I'm busy."
"Laura, I won't have dinner with your mother and her new boyfriend alone. Now, please be responsible; you must meet him sooner or later."
Steele paced some more, then decided drastic circumstances require drastic measures.
He grabbed his pick set out of his jacket and started to work on the lock.
His office door slowly started to open, but by the time Steele had noticed, Laura was standing behind him with her arms crossed and a furious expression.
"What are you doing, Mr Steele? Don't you think it is a bit much? I know you don't have to say it.
My mother is waiting for us."
Laura threw her arms in the air, frustrated.
"There is my Laura. Now please get your purse, and let's go already!" quickly hiding his pick set in the breast pocket of his suit.
"-Mildred, we are leaving- I finally convinced Mrs. Steele...Holt…Holt-Steele.
I finally convinced Laura to go."
"-Well done, boss. Have a great evening, you lovebirds," Mildred grinned, giving them both a wink.
Laura and Remington arrived at the restaurant late for their reservations. Their table was ready, but no one was there waiting for them.
"Well, they must be running late also," said Laura, checking her watch.
"I see it is a family thing…genetics perhaps?" Steele said with his usual innocent smile.
Laura responded with a forced smile but began to stew over her mother's delay. She placed her elbow on the table and rested her chin on her hand, pouting like a spoiled child.
Steele was amused by how Laura changed her persona around her mother. Every time she was about to see Abigail, Laura let the child in her take over so her usually controlled demeanor could hide. As further evidence of this reaction, the neat, white linen napkin was now an unrecognizable ball in her hands, and the bottle of wine they had ordered was very quickly draining into Laura's glass.
"Laura, please stop. You are making me nervous. We can still have a very pleasant evening by ourselves, you know!"
Finally, about fifteen minutes later, Laura's mother and her boyfriend appeared entangled in a strange hug.
"My God, she is drunk." Laura abruptly stood up… shocked by what she was watching. Abigail Holt was stumbling across the dining room floor towards her. She was holding her arms up, ready to surround Laura in a hug.
" Darling Laura…" she said before tripping and landing in Remingon's arms.
" O my!… Abigail…are you ok?" Steele said, helping her up the best he could.
" My handsome son-in-law…Thank you…I Want you to meet Rupert Kilpatrick."
Remington looked at him and nodded his head…mouthing "Pleasure" and trying to set Abigail up in her chair.
Laura grabbed the glass of wine she had just poured herself and gubbled it all at once.
" Hallo, Mr Kilpatrick, my name is Laura Holt, Steele, Holt Steele! Well, never mind. Please sit while my husband helps my mother regain herself."
" Laura, I'm pleased to meet you finally. Your mother has told me a lot about you and Mr Steele. I am excited about hearing about your adventures. " The man said, pulling a business card out of his pocket and handing it to Laura. He wore a big white Stetson hat, a bolo tie, and expensive cowboy boots.
Remington was finally able to help Abigail sit in her chair. He turned towards Rupert and extended his hand. " Mr Kilpatrick, I am very pleased to meet you. Put it here, partner!" He said with a big bright grin on his face.
Laura took a profound and loud breath in and waited back down. She looked at Steele with begging eyes and then turned her attention to her mother.
In another part of town, a man was getting into his car. He set a giant pistol in the glove compartment and glanced at a piece of paper with an address on it (800 10th Street,
LA), and then he sped down the street, enveloped by the traffic and the bright lights of the city. As for a typical autumn in LA, the rain fell lightly, and a little breeze dislodged several brown and red leaves from nearby trees. The man, dressed in a fedora and long brown trench coat, exited the car and approached the front door of the Loft where Laura lived.
He searched for her name on the doorbell and then waited for someone to exit the building to enter. He had to wait a bit, but finally, someone left the building. He quickly grabbed the door before it could close and climbed the stairs to Laura's apartment. He picked up the padlock and entered. He opened the refrigerator door, Grabbed a bottle of beer, and sat on the sofa, holding the bottle in one hand and an envelope in the other.