This story is intended for amusement purposes only. This story is not meant to infringe on the names of Remington Steele, Laura Holt or anything that would cause MTM productions or anybody else to sue me. This story is the property of Lisa Watson ã 2000.

Steele In The Darkness - Part III

    Mildred had just put the finishing touches on the message she'd taken when Laura and Remington walked into the suite.  Mildred smiled but refrained from commenting as she noted it was ten minutes to nine.  Mildred thought that they had cut it close and pondered the smiles on their faces.  She didn't need a Ph.d to know just what had made them almost late for their meeting.

    "Good morning kids, Mr. Crosby called from his car and should be coming in any minute now.  Matter of fact, you two probably passed him in the garage on your way up."  Mildred handed Mr. Steele his message and went in to the supply room to get his morning tea.

    Laura and Remington went into his office to wait for Mr. Crosby to arrive.  A few minutes later Mildred came in with a tray of tea and coffee and indicating that Mr. Crosby had arrived and was waiting in the reception area.  Laura thanked Mildred and asked that she show him in.

    "Hello again Miss Holt, Mr. Steele."  Mr. Crosby said and sat in the chair proffered by Laura.

    "Ah Mr. Crosby, delighted to see you again.  Could I interest you in a cup of coffee?  Or tea if you'd prefer?"

    "Coffee for me Steele, thank you.  I must say, I'm glad you are taking my case.  It's a damned delicate situation and I hate to put a stringent time schedule on this, but I promised my wife it would be settled either way before we headed to the Greek Isles for Christmas."

    "We understand Mr. Crosby, now what exactly can we do for you?"  Laura asked as she went around to lean on the desk next to Remington's chair.

    "Well, it's my wife's brother, Devin Bethea, a wastrel if ever I've seen.  He's rich, spoiled and has the worse head for business I've ever seen on any living person.  My wife, Caroline and the idiot are joint partners in all of their late father's business holdings.  I  swear the man must have been praying the responsibility of having a job and being held accountable would help his slacker son clean up his act.  To be honest, the only reason their father's fortune hasn't been run into the ground is because of a clause in the old man's will.  You see my wife is the chief executive officer and every decision must be approved by her before Devin can spend a dime of company funds.  I suppose their father wasn't a total lunatic but it's starting to take a toll on my wife.  Her brother has gotten hard to handle lately and it's getting harder by the day to keep him reigned in.  I have my suspicions that he's planning a side venture with some disreputable gentlemen but I have no hard evidence yet.  That's were your firm comes in Mr. Steele.  I need proof in black and white of what my miscreant brother-in-law has been up to.  He works out of a warehouse on the outskirts of town; I don't know what the hell goes on there but my instincts tell me if he were up to any good, he wouldn't find the need to be so far away from the company's main headquarters downtown.  Caroline knows about my hiring you, she wasn't happy about it but my wife, unlike her brother, is not a fool.  She'd do anything to keep her father's company prospering and I'd do anything to keep my wife happy.  I overheard the dolt talking on the phone at our house yesterday.  He's expecting some men there tonight for a meeting of some kind.  I don't know their names but I did hear him say it would be at 8pm at the warehouse.  I'm counting on the two of you to be discreet about this.  I don't like the man but I don't want his shady dealings tainting my wife's good name no matter what."

    "We understand completely Mr. Crosby and you can count on the Remington Steele Agency for professionalism and decorum in this matter.  Whatever your brother-in-law is up to, we will find out and bring you solid proof."  Remington said as he extended his hand.

    Mr. Crosby shook it and sat back in his chair.  "I think I should stress Mr. Steele that money is not an issue of importance to me on this.  My wife is my main concern, I don't want her hurt by this imbecile, whatever you need is at your disposal, just let me know and you'll have it."

    "Rest assured sir, we will uncover the truth before you leave for Greece.  You have our word,"  Laura smiled as she stood up and walked around Remington's desk to shake thei client's hand.

    An hour later Mr. Crosby was leaving the office and Laura was handing Mildred the signed contracts and filling her in on the meeting. 

    "Mildred, I'd like you to start digging up anything you can on Devin Bethea, Bethea Industries and Gordon W. Bethea.  Let me know when you come across something.  In the meantime, Mr. Steele and I will head over to Bethea Industries and see what we can find out."

    "You got in honey.  I'll call you when I come up with something."   Mildred said over her shoulder, her fingers already working their magic on the keyboard.

###

    "Well the company seems to be above reproach or suspicion, let's hope Mildred has found something on Devin Bethea,"  Remington said as he took a bite of his grilled salmon.

    "I agree with you there,"  Laura said as she sipped her iced tea and took another bite of her cobb salad.

    "In the meantime, lets go over our plan of attack for tonight.  I want us to be prepared for anything when we go in there.  Actually after lunch we should take a drive to Devin's warehouse and get a lay of the land eh?"

    "My thoughts exactly Mr. Steele."  Laura said as she pulled out a pad and pen and began jotting down ideas.

    They were on their way to the warehouse when Mildred rang the limo to report her findings.

    "Ok kids, this Devin Bethea had the typical rich boy upbringing; been to the finest schools, graduated from them all, but just barely.  He's never had a job to speak of and has had his share of trouble with authority figures, especially those dressed in blue.  He's been busted on everything from excessive parking tickets and moving violations to aggrevated sexual assault.  The last charge was filed by a former girlfriend but it never went to trial, it seems she settled out of court for an undisclosed amount.  It seems this warehouse is the only thing that is in his name, every place he's lived has been a property already owned by his father or Bethea Industries.  It's supposed to be a warehouse for his import/export business.  I say supposed to be because I found alot of money being poured in to it but not many proceeds to speak of.  That's about all I can come up with for now but I'll keep checking,"

    "You've been a large help Mildred, that's more than we knew before.  Keep digging and call us if you come across any other tidbits on Mr. Bethea."  Laura said as she hung up the phone.

    "Well Devin Bethea sounds like he's led quite an interesting life up to now."   Remington commented.

    "I agree.  Now let's head back to your place and get your clothes, we can leave from my house,"  Laura said.

    "And before you get any amorous ideas Mr. Steele, forget them!  We need all our energy concentrated on breaking and entering Bethea's warehouse." 

    "Laura, I'm shocked.  I hadn't even entertained such an idea I can assure you.  I for one agree that we need to be in top form for tonight.  We can discuss amorous ideas later on when we get home though,"  Remington smiled and winked his eye.

    "Now you're clear on our plan right?  No taking any risks.  We do this by the book because we don't know much about this meeting ok?"  Remington asked as he zipped up his black jacket and reached for his backpack.

    "Of course Remington, I'm clear so lets get going shall we?"  Laura said as she slid her ski mask in place and picked up her duffel bag. 

    They parked the car back far enough from the warehouse so that they wouldn't cause suspicion but that meant they would have to walk half a mile or to the warehouse since it wasn't surrounded by anything.  They walked in relative silence, both intent on their own thoughts.  Laura never really liked the breaking and entering part of their work.  She always liked being in control and their were too many variables in this sort of thing.  Remington had never liked this part either but it was a necessary evil.  Being a thief he'd become accustomed to dealing with the unknown but in truth he'd never gotten used to it.

    When they reached the warehouse they hid behind a large group of trees and waited.  A few minutes later they saw several cars pull up and enter the warehouse through a large chain link fence opening.  They waited a few minutes more and when they didn't see any other activity they made their move.  Remington had decided the back wall would allow them easier access.  He pulled out a dart gun and fired it at the roof.  When it was secure he grabbed his bag and held his hand to his mouth.  Laura saw the gesture and nodded.  It meant that from that moment on they would only communicate through hand signals and gestures.  Laura slipped on her gloves, slipped her duffel bag on her shoulders like a back pack and got behind Remington.  They both picked up the wire and waited as  Remington reached up and pushed a button on the dart gun.  The wire began retracting slowly allowing them to scale the wall with greater ease.  Laura smiled to herself.  Right now she thought they looked a lot like Batman and Robin. 

    They reached to roof unscathed and put down their bags.  Remington spotted the window and pointed to it.  Laura nodded and followed him.  Remington used a glass cutter and suction cup to remove a large pane of glass.  Laura handed him a smaller version of the dart gun they'd just used.  Remington took aim and fired it down into the room pulling on the wire as he did so to make sure the dart had secured itself in the concrete floor below.  He hoisted himself through the window and held on to the window sill motioning for Laura to come through next.  Laura climbed through the window and held on firmly to Remington putting her arms around his neck.  He put one arm around her waist and held her as close as he could.  He wrapped his other hand through a hand hold on the wire and pushed a button that retracted the wire they were perched on.  The wire slowly pulled them toward the warehouse floor.  Once they were on the ground Remington dislodged the dart and released the wire from the window.  He put the aparatus back in his bag and motioned for Laura to follow him.  They moved stealthily through the warehouse checking out their surroundings as they did.  Laura motioned to a few crates nearby and Remington nodded and followed her.  They opened a crate and peered inside it.  They saw it contained coffee beans which Remington pushed out of the way as he probed further into the crate.  He felt his fingers connect with something so he pulled it out.  Laura's eyes bulged as she saw a bag of drugs in Remington's hand.  He replaced the bag and closed the crate again.  He'd seen all he needed to see, he'd be damned if they were going to take the drugs with them as proof.  There was no way he wanted to risk them getting stopped with drugs in their posession. 

    They heard elevated voices coming from a few yards away so they headed towards them.  They saw the man they'd recognized as Devin Bethea by the picture Mr. Crosby had supplied.  The rest of the men they had never seen before, but then again that didn't surprise Remington considering the type of cargo these men imported.  They were obviously having a heated conversation and Remington's instincts told him to grab Laura and get the hell out of there but they needed to hear what was being said to see how Bethea Industries figured into this scenario.

    "We told you to be careful Bethea but you screwed up.  You've got heat trailing you wherever you go now because you were stupid!  There is no way we are sending anymore of our shipments here to you.  As a matter of fact, we are taking the shipment you just received back with us.  It's too hot here and we don't want the type of legal attention you seem to attract."  One of the men in a suit said.

    "Look, there is no reason to go that route.  I told you I can handle the cops, hell I've been doing it for years so just trust me will you?  There is no need to go elsewhere with your shipments.  If you don't like this area, I can open up another one, just tell me where."

    "Don't be stupid Bethea, you know your sister isn't going to go along with opening up an subsidiaries, overseas or anywherelse, no matter how much you try to convice her it's legit.  We know you're tapped and can't spend a dime of company funds without her approval.  We also know you would never get it and she keeps you on a tight string.  We are taking our business to a source that doesn't have such opposing family ties.  Now if you will excuse us, we are getting our shipment and leaving."

    The man turned to leave but was stopped by the sound of a gun being cocked.  "I don't think so James.  Like I told you, I have everything under control.  Nobody is pulling out of this deal, not you, not your goons here and not your boss."  Bethea said in a dead calm voice.

    Remington and Laura exchanged glances.  They had heard and seen enough, it was time to get the hell out of there before things turned any uglier.  They were in the process of retracing their steps when they heard the gun go off and followed by shouting and multiple shots being fired.  Remington grabbed Laura's hand and ran as fast as he could.

    "Hey, who the hell are you two?  Hey stop!"  A voice came from behind them. 

    Remington and Laura didn't stop but continued running.  There forward progress halted by the appearance of two men in front of them. 

    "I think we should split up, give them two separate targets."  Laura said as she followed behind Remington.

    "Don't be ridiculous, we stay together now come on."  Remington yelled as he pulled her arm.

    Laura pulled away from him and ran in the opposite direction with two men fast on her heels.  "I'll meet you at the rendezvous point now go!"

    "Dammit Laura!"  Remington cursed as he ran.

    He heard shots behind him and knew that he had to do something about the thugs following him so that he could double back and help Laura.  He picked up his speed to put further distance between them.  He rounded the corner and came face to face with a wall.  He quickly pulled the dart gun from his bag and fired at the ceiling.  The dart connected and he hoisted himself up a few feet above the ground and held his breath.  The two goons came running around the corner and stopped.  They looked around, confusion evident on their faces.

    "I thought he came around this corner."  One of them said.

    "He did you fool!"  The other said in exasperation.

    "Well if he did where the hell did he go?"  The other asked.

    Remington whistled and both men turned to each other and then tilted their heads upward.  Just then Remington released the wire and came crashing down on both men, the force of his rapid decent knocking all three of them to the floor.  Remington recovered first and pressed his advantage.  He kicked one man in the stomach and while he was trying to recover Remington kicked the gun out of the hand of the second man.  Remington connected his fist with the man's jaw knocking him out cold.  The other man tried to get to his feet but Remington hit him repeatedly until he too was out cold.  Remington took the second man's gun and released the dart from the ceiling, shoved it in his bag and ran back the way they had come.

    Laura was looking for place to hide when she heard the men that were following her coming closer.  She jumped behind some crates and waited.  She heard the men running past her and breathed a sigh of relief. 

    "Hey, it's in place now lets get the hell out of here!"  She heard them say.

    That can't be a good sign she thought to herself and quickly left her hiding place.  Laura ran as if the hounds of hell were behind her but she knew it wasn't fast enough when she heard the explosion behind her and felt the heat engulf her.  The force of the explosion threw Laura into a stack of crates.  She felt her body connect with them and then the world around her went dark.

    "Laura!  Laura!" Remington yelled repeatedly.  He'd heard the explosion and had run toward it, hoping to God that Laura hadn't been anywhere near it.  The thought made him run that much faster as he frantically searched for her.

    He saw a stack of crates with a gaping hole in one of them, then he saw her prostrate body and ran towards her screaming her name.  In that split second Remington's world came screeching to a halt when he didn't see Laura get up.  He reached her, turning her gently over trying to access the damage as he did so.  She was covered in black soot and there was blood covering a lot of her face but he couldn't ascertain the source.  Terror crept into his body like nothing he'd ever felt before as he tried to feel for a pulse.  When he felt a faint beating against her skin he almost wept.  He picked her up as gently as he could and carried her away from the growing fire.  He couldn't hear any voices around and prayed they wouldn't run into any opposition.  When he'd found their entry point he laid Laura down so that he could fire the dart gun.  He picked her up and pulled her against him.  It was difficult be he managed to get them both through the window and onto the roof.  His muscles protested against the extent they were being used to support him and Laura's lifeless body.  He ignored the pain.  Once he'd gotten them safely on the ground he laid Laura down.  Carrying her back to their car would take too much time.  He ran around to the opening in the fence, slipped through and went in search of a car.

    He sent a prayer of thanks Heavenward when he spotted a vehicle.  It was unlocked but didn't have a key.  Without hesitation he pulled a small case out of his pocket, retrieved a few tools and hotwired the car.  After a few attempts the engine turned over and he sped through the whole in the fence and back to Laura.  He laid he in the front seat so that he could help keep her stable and through their gear in the back before speeding off back to the city.

    ###

    "Would you like some coffee Chief?"  Mildred asked as she held out the cup toward her boss.

    It took a few seconds before his brain even registered what she'd asked him.  "Uh no thank you Mildred." he replied, his voice devoid of all emotion.

    Mildred sat down next to him and sighed heavily.  There were no words of comfort that could reach him right now.  She settled for just being there if he needed her.  The sat in companionable silence for what seemed like ages before the doctor came out and walked up to them.

    "Doctor, is the surgery over?  How is she?  Will she be alright?"  Remington could hear the desperation in his voice and was startled by it for it was a sound he'd never heard before.

    "Yes Mr. Steele, the surgery is over and Miss Holt is in recovery right now.  She's very lucky to be alive folks.  Aside from the cuts, bruises and lacerations, she has sustained a great deal of trauma to her head.  There is some swelling and it's having an effect on her eyesight.  We've done scans to determine if the damage is temporary or permanent but it's inconclusive.  In situations like this, we will just have to wait and see what happens when the swelling subsides.  I want the two of you to hope for the best but prepare for the worst, this may not turn out as we hope.  You must be strong enough to help her deal with this possibility as well."

    "What?  What possibility is that doctor?  Exactly what are you trying to tell us here?"  Remington said with growing concern.   

    "Mr. Steele, I'm saying that there is a very real possibility that Miss Holt may have permanent damage to her eyes.  If this is the case, Miss Holt may never see again."

To be continued...