Harry rolled over onto her stomach and looked at Dempsey "I can do this you know"
"You sure can" he grinned "It was worth every one of those 300 British pounds"
"I meant the undercover"
He raised himself and sat up, adjusting the pillows to suit "I know" he said beckoning her to sit next to him. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and she leaned against him, her arm across his chest "I'm sorry" he offered "I guess I made a fool of myself"
"And me and Spikings and SI10" Harry added but kissed his chest as she spoke
"You should have told me"
"I knew you wouldn't like it"
"Is that why you were busy the other night?"
Harry was silent, in essence that was true but there was more and she didn't know what to say or how it would sound. The silence worried Dempsey "Princess?" he prompted
"When this is over can we go away together?" she suggested
"Sure – anywhere special?"
"No anywhere will be fine – just you and me together"
"Harry?" he asked
She considered her words "It's just that we spend so long pretending that there's nothing between us that I'm frightened that's what will happen – that we'll lose what we have"
Dempsey was shocked "It took damn long enough to find it Harry I'm not after losing it just yet" he held her tightly and they sat together wondering what the other was thinking until Harry spoke.
"I need to shower and dress" she declared "and you need to go back to London" she ventured nervously.
*****
As Dempsey left the hotel he took long deep breaths in an attempt to manage his anxiety, he even prayed (to whom he didn't know) 'please let her be safe'. He returned quickly to his car and drove off with determination. If he didn't get away immediately he f eared he would be tempted to stay and that would be disastrous.
Kate knocked on Harry's door – she spoke in French asking if she was ok. "Did you go to the station?" Kate asked "you said you were going to write up the report from last night" She continued to speak in French even though they were both now inside Harry's room; Harry appreciated that it helped them keep in role.
Harry explained that she had spotted Jocelyn and followed her to the pier end where Antony had also shown up and that she had overheard them talking about The Rialto at 10.00 that evening.
"That was lucky"
"To be honest" Harry admitted "it was a pure fluke but we take every break we can get eh?"
"Yeh" Kate confirmed but she felt slightly ruffled that no lucky break had come her way. It was the embryonic shoot of jealousy that prompted her next observation. "I called by a bit back" she said "but I heard sounds so I didn't knock"
"Oh" Makepeace faked "probably just the radio" she suggested desperately scanning the room for one.
Kate didn't like the lie, now she was angry that her partner didn't trust her and neither could she trust Makepeace. "So the bloke leaving your room had nothing to do with it?" she snarled
"With what?" Harry asked as she realised that she'd just given everything away in two words. The dawning showed across Harry's face and Kate sat on the bed as Harry mentally kicked herself black and blue.
"I thought it was our case" Kate said somewhat pointedly
"It is" Makepeace reiterated "Dempsey is on route back to London, he has a case on"
"Why was he here? Did he find Jocelyn?" The questions were barely masked accusations.
"It was a fluke and he was only here to apologise for the other night" Makepeace tried to sound more confident than she felt
Kate looked at Makepeace and carrying an air of superiority she began "If you get drugged or raped…"
"I have no intention of either happening to me" Makepeace forcefully interjected
"No neither do I" Kate said stepping back slightly from the antagonistic approach she had started with as she realised the awkwardness an argument would place themselves in. "If you get drugged or raped…" she started again "forensics will be compromised. If you work in vice it's no sex for three days prior to any undercover else it all falls over in court."
Makepeace blushed
'Oh shit!' Kate thought - she wasn't usually a bitch "Harry you've been a good partner" she conceded "let's just make sure nothing happens" noting the pennies dropping in Harry's mind and the embarrassment of contrition.
"It really was a fluke that we saw Jocelyn" Harry repeated
"Well let's make use of the info and get ourselves out there" Kate said standing up and now smiling.
*****
Spikings tailed Dempsey's car praying also 'please god let him go back to London' At first Dempsey was too focused on his decision to leave Harry there and get back to London but the dual carriageway of the A127 was not that busy and needed little attention. He noticed the tail and smiled. The next five miles Dempsey entertained himself by speeding up and slowing down and in the end Spikings was forced to overtake him. At the next lay-by Dempsey spied the car parked up, he pulled in behind it and made his way forward.
"You need practice Boss" Dempsey said as Spikings wound down his window.
"You need to be in the White Bear in an hour and a half!"
"I'll be there Boss"
"Dempsey I need no repetition of the other night and neither does Harry!
"I know boss but…" Dempsey paused as he thought "could you watch out for Harry for me Boss?" he asked "only we heard the Frenchies talking about the Rialto club at 10.00"
"The Frenchies?" Spikings buried his smile successfully
"Yeh the woman and the pimp"
Spikings conceded nothing "Harry said she was fine to work it – now do you think we could please get back to London to do our job?"
"I hate leaving her Boss"
"I believe the term is 'life is hard'" Spikings said raising an eyebrow and tilting his head with the question and then drove off praying for the second time that day that Dempsey would make it back to London.
"And then you die!" Dempsey called after Spikings. He felt all too inclined to hit Spikings but with the opportunity denied he went though the process of steeling himself again to drive towards the city. This time as he drove he began to wonder what Spikings had been doing there and how long he had been tailing him. The latter he decided was not long – Spikings was a lousy tail.