Now Dempsey was on his way home to his family. It was around 5 pm when he parked the car in front of their home they just bought recently. Harry only worked sometimes so far at the office. They forced them indeed to do separated jobs. They both didn't like it but they knew that that would have been one of the consequences when they started their relationship. Now slowly they became used to it but he knew that Makepeace was worried sick every time when he went out to do a case. He tried to comfort her saying that he would be careful that he wouldn't take risks anymore now that he became a family man, but she didn't buy it. Well, he couldn't blame her for that. Maybe he had taken too much risks in the past and shot too many people......

When he parked the car in front of the house and went out he saw no lights inside the house. Strange, because he knew that Harry must be at home by now with Mich. He digged his key out of his pocket, opened the front door and yelled: "Harry, I'm home!" No answer. He switched on the light in the hallway and tried it another time. Still no answer. But there was a noise coming from somewhere in the living room. It was a short of groaning. There was something wrong. He took his gun and entered the room, switched the light on and then his heart almost stood still on the same time. Harry was laying on the floor with her head against the table. Putting his gun away he knelt near her.

"Harry" he whispered. "Harry what happened?"

When she heard his voice she opened her eyes. "James" she whispered. "Mich......"

He tried to understand what she was trying to say. When he took her head in his hands his whole hand became red. She was bleeding!

"Stttt. Don't talk. I'll call an ambulance....." he wanted to stand up but her hand reached his arm and she tried to look at him but was unable to focus. "They....they took Mich!" that was all she said before she lost consciousness.

What? What had she just said? Something about Mich and taking her? No, he must have heard it wrong. That wasn't possible. Slowly he stand up, picked up the phone and called for an ambulance.

"Yes, it's serious!" he yelled to the person at the other side of the line. "I need an ambulance, and I NEED IT NOW!"

Knowing that there was nothing he could do for Harry at the moment he ran upstairs. Opening all the doors, yelling Mich's name, but without any luck. When he finally opened the door to his daughters room it was of his heart stopped. The whole room was a mess or there has been a struggle or something. A lamp was laying on the floor, a chair and her dollshouse were laying upside down and a shelf was coming down or someone had drawn it from the wall. Without looking further anymore he ran downstairs and dialed another number.

"Chas? It's me Dempsey. Spikings around already?"

"No. He's still in that meeting. Why?"

"I have a problem here Chas" and he started to explain what he found when he came home.

"Can you send some people over. I guess, I need them"

When he put the phone down for a second time within 5 minutes he knelt near by Harry again.

"Princess, can you hear me?" Of course she couldn't, she was unconscious you stupid, he thought. Not knowing what to do further he just set next to her, holding her hand and trying to control himself till he heard the sound of a siren of the ambulance in the distance.

After he opened the door for the paramedics and showed them where Harry was, he leant against doorway when they knelt next to her.

"What happened Sir?" one of them asked.

"Don't know. I found her here when I came home".

"We need to transport her to the hospital".

"I go with you" but before he could move he heard another sound outside. The sound of doors and yelling voices.

Two people entered the house followed by three others who ran upstairs.

"Dempsey? What the bloody hell is going on here?"

Spikings saw Dempsey still standing against the doorway looking awful while 2 paramedics were sitting on the ground near Harry.

"I wished I knew chief." Dempsey slowly walked over to the sofa to sit down. When he looked at the 2 people who were laying Harry on a stretcher now he turned his head away. He couldn't look at it anymore. He had the feeling or his whole life had fallen apart in only 10 minutes time.

"We are ready Sir" one of them said picking up the stretcher at one site.

"I'm going with you".

"No, you don't!" Dempsey looked in disbelieve up at Spikings. "You stay here!"

"That's my wife!" he yelled.

"I know that Dempsey, but till we know what happened you stay here!"

"Oh yeah.... Try to keep me here!"

"This is an order Lieutenant! You're not going anywhere. Chas you can go with Harry and if you know something more, you call"

Chas looked uncertain and wasn't sure Spikings had made the right decision in this, but he followed the 2 people outside and when they had put the stretcher with Harry in the ambulance he climbed in as well. When he turned around he saw Dempsey standing outside with a hand of Spikings on his arm. They were obvious yelling to each other and when the ambulance drove away he saw Demspey throwing his hands in the air in frustration.

"Come back inside Lieutenant" Spikings tried to calm him down but without any luck.

When they were inside Dempsey started to yell again.

"Why? Why do you keep me here? I need to be with her....."

"Sit down Lieutenant. What happened?"

"I don't know! I came home, found Harry laying on the ground whispering that Mich ....."

"What did she say about Mich?" he asked when Dempsey didn't say a word anymore.

"Mich was away. That they took her".

"Who?"

"How the hell do I know?" he felt miserable. How could the man asked that?

Spikings took a sit next to Dempsey. He felt miserable too, but he tried not to show it to his Lieutenant. When Chas had told him that Dempsey had made a phonecall that the little girl, obvious, was missing he ended the meeting immediately and shared Chas to drive to the couples home.

On that moment, Simon, one of the other officers who ran upstairs earlier, entered the room holding a piece of paper in a plastic bag in his hand.

"We found this one on the floor of the girls room Sir" and he handed the bag over to Spikings who took it and started to read the piece of paper then he handed it over to Dempsey with the words: "Just read".

IT'S PAYBACK TIME! YOU THOUGHT YOU COULD GO AWAY WITH IT. DON'T YOU? WELL, YOU DON'T. WE'LL CONTACT YOU LATER

Puzzled Dempsey read the words over and over again.

When Spikings observed his Lieutenant, he knew immediately that the piece of paper didn't made any sense to him either.

"Maybe it's from one of the criminals you put behind bars", Spikings suggested.

"Could be" Demspey whispered. "Could be".

"Well, till we don't know anything else here, we must be sure that nothing happens to you two. I'll make some arrangements for Harry to get protection in the hospital and you..."he pointed his finger on Dempsey. "You stay here under police protection as well"

Dempsey opened his mouth but before he could say something, Spikings followed: "There will be a policecar standing outside here 24 hours a day. Those officers will bring you to the hospital and to the office and that's it. No sneaky breakouts to go out on your own have I made myself clear Lieutenant?"

Dempsey took a deep breath. In his mind he had already made a secret plan to go out on his own to find out what had happened, but Spikings was right.

"Yes" he answered.

"Believe me. I don't want to be the one who have to bring the news up to Harry and Mich later that you risked your life and that you have been killed!"

He stood up and looked down at Dempsey putting a hand on his shoulder.

"We'll find her".

With these words he left him alone.

10 minutes later, Simon entered the room again while Dempsey was still sitting on the sofa.

"We're ready Dempsey".

"Did you find something?" he asked.

"Yeah, some fingerprints , but they can be from you or Harry as well. We have to exam them first. We'll let you know" he turned around and he heard the others leave as well. He was alone.

He laid back on the sofa. Thinking on the words on the piece of paper but they still had no meaning at all to him. And what if they were after him, why did they kidnapped his daughter then? For what reason?

Totally exhausted he felt asleep after he had called the hospital but there was no news of Harry. He wanted to go to the hospital as well, but the policecar for protection didn't arrived yet so there was no way he could go now. At least not without making Spikings angry or risking his own life. He needed to stay alive to find out what was happening. 2 hours later he woke up again when the phone rang.

"Yo" he yelled picking up the receiver.

"It's me Chas".

Dempsey jumped up immediately. "What's up Chas. How is Harry?"

"She's sleeping. She only had a wound on her head. Maybe a concussion of the brain, but they don't know that for sure yet. I'll gave you the visiting hours. Any news about Mich yet?"

"No. Thanks Chas".

"Goodnight Dempsey"

"Goodnight Chas"