"So how was Joyce?" Spikings asked as he passed in the corridor

"Sgt Makepeace went alone"

"What!"

"I reasoned my presence might be more of a set back"

"I didn't give you an out from the office for nothing Dempsey" Spikings gave him a glaring knowing look which Dempsey read

"Look Boss -I don't think it's there; it's kinda difficult at the moment"

Spikings groaned but having nothing else to add left it.

Joyce was asleep when Harry arrived and the staff were anxious she rested; her husband reassured Harry that all would be well and thanked her for coming. Harry apologised for not being at work and tried to explain that she felt guilty and Frank, Joyce's husband, had tried to reassure her of the buzz Joyce had got by being back in the field again. He omitted any comment about Dempsey and Harry got the feeling that it was perhaps a good idea James hadn't made the trip to the hospital. She rang Chas to update the department and made her way home, grateful for the extra hour she could extract from the day.

Dempsey volunteered to sit on the stake out with Tom. It was behind a club in Knightsbridge looking for photograph blackmailing, it seemed better than going home. His mind was in over drive going round and round the same route: he only stayed here to work with Harry - if she wasn't interested he ultimately needed to go back to America. If she'd come back because she didn't want to quit the police but she didn't want to work with him then he'd better start to make plans.

The circular thoughts drove him mad and he was grateful for any distraction the observations of the comings and goings brought and equally grateful that Tom didn't prattle on endlessly.

He didn't relish the idea of the NYPD - he needed a clean break and another whole new chapter to his life. It was something that Tom innocently said about Beverley Hills and the fame came that gave him the inspired thought; he'd phone his friend Harry Bosch in LAPD.

Finally back home he spoke on the phone to Detective Bosch. As he did so Dempsey turned his newly acquired photo over and over in his hand unsure whether looking at them together was more or less painful than the blank back as if it was all over.

"You got woman troubles?" the American asked him

"Big time mate" Dempsey replied

"They must be bad to come all the way to LA to escape" Bosch reflected

"It's complicated"

"It always is"

Dempsey looked again at the photo damn he wasn't yet ready to give her up.

"Look this is just a back up Harry he said, just in case – I'm gonna fight on a bit longer"

"Well the sunshine's here if you ever need it" Harry offered and they spent a few more minutes catching up on Bosch's life and the politics of policing before biding their farewells.

Back at home Harry had answered the phone quite brightly. Her spat with Dempsey had been nothing other than normal in her mind and she had come straight home and worked for the last 5 hours on finalising the exhibition layout. "Hiya" she had said expecting it to be Dempsey who never had a second thought about ringing her either late at night or early in the morning.

"Harriet?"

"William?"

"Well yes actually" William confirmed, he stuttered slightly as he began to continue "I heard that you were working on the Fern exhibition at the Natural History now"

Makepeace knew that meant he thought she was now more gainfully employed and was infuriated at his audacity.

"I heard some interesting ascertations as well" she coldly replied

"I wouldn't believe everything you heard Harriet"

"Neither would I William" she fielded back but he missed the point altogether and Harry decided he could wait and hear from any source other than her that she still worked for the Met.

"Harriet I just wanted to let you know that Mummy and I will be at the opening night giving you our full support on Thursday"

"Proff Copson and I are hoping for a good gathering, I hope you find it interesting William, now I must be gong I have an awful lot to get done." She hung up abruptly and contemplated how much she still had to get done. She worked into the early hours of the morning before finally giving in to her tiredness.

Dempsey reckoned the extra shift on recon had earned him a late start and it was just after 10 when he made his way into the SI10 building.

"Huh well here's Batman – what time do you call this?" Spikings asked but not really wanting an answer he continued "I don't suppose you know the where abouts of Robin do you?"

"Why do you think I should?" asked Dempsey

Spikings raised his eyebrow at Dempsey who decided that Spikings was getting far out of order "No I do not" he hissed "for your direct information Sir I have not seen Sgt Makepeace since she left to visit Sgt Hargreaves yesterday Sir!" the emphasis he laid on 'Sir' did not go unnoticed, but only Spikings understood the glare in Dempsey's stare.

At that point Harry put her head around the door trying to see if she could creep in unnoticed but all was lost. "Well it seems the other half of the dynamic duo is also late; that I'll address later – right now I want you both at the Ritz Hotel, it seems that our over night stake out has turned up a few interesting visitors and a rather distressed guest.

Reassuringly actually working the interviews fell into a normal routine and both Dempsey and Makepeace happily buried themselves into work. It took a couple of hours to complete the work and as they were about to leave Dempsey looked at the restaurant.

"How about a late lunch?" he asked innocently and then seizing the smoothness with which that had come out "or we could come back for dinner tonight what do say?"

"I've got some serious dates to attend to Dempsey; I can't be frolicking around with you"

"So I'm not…"

"… Dempsey right now I need to be focused and you're not helping"

"I thought you…"

"Look you concentrate on this and leave me to sort out my evening"

"Sure"

'O god' Harry thought, she had no idea what was eating him, she didn't have time even to attempt to work it out her mind was trying to keep so many plates spinning in the air at once and she had just thought of the best way to illustrate the linking of the Permian period to the Triassic period. "Look I need to make a phone call" she said and made her way across to the reception.

'That fing posh prick' thought Dempsey, he kept his own mind all the way back and spoke only to Tom about the case when he got back, unsure of how to handle his reaction to Harry.