Harry was horrified on one side and touched on the other. He wanted to defend her honor but she couldn't let him behave like that. This was not the Bronx in New York. Sometimes he couldn't rethink and that made her mad. Angrily, she pushed him against the car.
„Bloody hell, Dempsey! Are you out of your mind? What did you think? I thought you beat him down. That's not your problem and no longer mine for years. Robert is sneaky and sharp. He always wins out. I won't give him this satisfaction. If you want to go back to New York you could have said it before", she said painful.
Dempsey leaned against the car and stared at her. The anger in him was palpable.
„This shyster doesn't deserve better. He disgusts me. I had to do it and he can be happy that I can control myself. At least sometimes", he muttered.
"If he sues you because of police brutality, you're gone for good. Do you want that? I don't want to be responsible, Dempsey."
"He won't do anything. Believe me, he's not that stupid. Before I am deported, he goes down", he assured her.
"You're a yob, Dempsey and I will not watch him take you apart."
„Believe me, Babe others have tried", he said dryly.
"Sergeant Makepeace? There is a call for you," said the butler, and disappeared into the house.
„Go, I'll inform Spikings", Dempsey said and opened the car.
Makepeace ran back into the house and further into the parlor. Chas held out the phone. The Lord stood beside the table, eyeing her suspiciously. Robert glared at her angrily, but then nodded to her. Obviously the money was ready. Lady Ashcroft stood next to her husband, but brushed his hand from her shoulder. The behavior of the couple didn't go unnoticed. Harry took the phone and answered.
"What about the handover? Where will it happen and how?", she asked calmly.
"The lawyer will drive. You are going to drive over Kingsway to Waterloo Bridge. Concentric the bridge you throw the bag over the railing. Afterwards the boy is waiting on a playground at St. James Park. One mistake and the boy is dead. In one hour, at exactly 3 o'clock, you will throw the bag down", said the blackmailer and then hung up.
Dempsey rushed noisily into the parlor.
"Did I miss somethin'?" he asked, breathing heavily.
"In one hour, the handover will take place. Robert will drive and I'll throw the money over the railing of Waterloo Bridge. That's it. Hopefully we get the boy back after handing the money. They are putting him on a playground in St. James Park. There are a lot of playgrounds. Really clever", Harry explained the handover.
"Like hell he will. I'll drive", Dempsey said shortly.
"Absolutely not. One mistake and the boy is dead, we can't take the risk. I'll drive Harriet", Robert said insistently.
Dempsey raised a finger to speak further, but was interrupted by Makepeace.
"Can I talk to you, Lieutenant Dempsey?"
"Of course, what's wrong?" he asked, confused.
"Not here, I wanna talk to you in private."
Without losing another word, the two left the room. Harry was looking for a quiet space and found the library. She closed the door behind them and looked at him seriously.
"I know you're worried. But I can look after myself. Don't treat me with kid gloves. You should go to St. James Park and search for the boy. I'd feel really comfortable when I know that you're there. I can handle Robert, okay?"
"Okay, you can manage, I get it. Just like before? I feel sick when I think he's alone with you. Speaking of, husband. Have you noticed the strange behavior of Lady Ashcroft? My nose tells me there's something wrong. She seemed disgusted near him", he remarked ,tapping his nose.
"I also noticed that. Just before you entered the room, there was a similar situation. The Lord seems strangely calm to me. And something else is weird. How does the villain know, who is present? I've completely displaced. First he asked for me and than for Robert. How does he know?", she asked, perplexed.
„I have a strange gut feeling about this. We should check his lordship and his idiotic lawyer", Dempsey suggested.
"Now I remember what Angela said in the restaurant. She believes that the Ashcrofts broke up and filed for a divorce. I have not listened to her properly, so I've no longer thought about it. Maybe it was no robbery but a planned kidnapping. It was no coincidence that Lady Ashcroft was there", she explained her theory.
"But if you're right, who's behind all this? We're running out of time."
„Spikings has to check, if a divorce is planned and the finances have to be checked. Maybe we should interrogate Lord Ashcroft and Robert?", Harry asked.
"No good idea without evidence. If they're behind this we might scare them off. But that would fit the cheese ball. But why? We have no motive. Time is ticking, Harry. Think", he challenged her.
"I have not the slightest idea. We have to play along by now. Perhaps we are wrong. I won't risk the boy's life. Update Spikings while you are on your way to the park. I take care of Robert. Don't worry, Dempsey. I can handle this minger", she said and smiled softly.
„I don't know what minger means but it sounds good to me, Babe", he said softly, lifting her chin with one finger into the light.
„There it is again, glad it's back", he whispered.
"What do you mean? What's back?", she asked quizzically.
"The sparkle in your eyes. You're back," he whispered and kissed her very gently on her soft lips.