"You're late!" Spikings greeted Dempsey and Makepeace with a growl
"I'm on late this week" Dempsey pointed out
"Well then you shouldn't be here. Goodbye" Spikings addressed Dempsey
"What no thank you Dempsey for catching me that scumbag"
"That's your job Dempsey – you're supposed to do that"
"And chief I never even fired my gun!" Dempsey sounded so pleased with himself
"Is that so?" Spikings said as he wondered what Makepeace had already told Dempsey "Well if you wrote your report up maybe I'll be able to read all about it Lieutenant!"
Spikings turned to Makepeace "I read your report Sergeant and" he paused for dramatic effect "and that of Inspector Dawson; it seems you didn't meet eye to eye!"
"He failed to spot the escape routes…"
"You opened fire in a public thoroughfare when there was no immediate danger to the general public" Spikings launched his attack
"The two main suspects were about to escape" Harry defended
"There was no danger to the general public" Spikings' voice was high pitched and forceful "until that is you took to the street"
"Not to the public just only to the next lot of young girls that those guys bring over and abuse so horrifically" Dempsey stepped in
"Sergeant your gun was not regulation issue" Spikings kept his focus on Makepeace
"As if I could carry a 38 on my person in those clothes" Makepeace muttered
"You do not have the authority to run around the streets of this country firing any weapon that you choose"
"She needed protection" Dempsey yelled
"Go home Lieutenant you already said you're not due in yet" Spikings said with a low, steady demand.
Dempsey didn't move; Spikings stared back. The dual ran in silence
"I asked you to protect her" Dempsey growled
"Lieutenant you're not helping" Spikings replied
"What and so you trusted that idiot Dawson"
"Dempsey!" Spikings turned to his right and picked up a folder "I have a file containing a formal complaint about your behaviour last week that is still open"
"So send me back to America then" Dempsey threatened
"Go!" Spikings demanded and this time Dempsey went; straight through the office and down to his parked car outside. He thumped the roof and waited.
Makepeace shuffled uncomfortably. Spikings picked up her report and waved it in front of Makepeace's face "Those girls are all some fathers' daughter" he observed "let's hope they all get back home safely"
Makepeace was left to wonder if she would ever really grasp how her boss worked, she also speculated about how much Kate had said. At the same time she had to wonder if her display last night was next in the list of rebukes.
"Sir Dempsey…."
"It seems to me Sergeant that rather than you taming our wild and uncontrollable interloper he has taught you just about every trick in his book of cowboys and Indians."
Harry still shuffled her weight from one foot to the other "I would say that I'm a better officer now"
"You mean you disregard the law as much as he does"
"That's not fair Sir my only aim was to uphold the law" she started "I was the only one who stood a chance of catching those two monsters"
"And if someone had been shot?" he demanded
"My aim is not that bad!"
It made Spikings smile; that was entirely not the point – the public were known to run in stupid directions but he was glad to see her feistiness had not got lost.
"I need you to inform me when you are armed"
"It might be easier to tell you when I'm not"
"Which is when?" Spikings smarmed
"When I'm bed" Makepeace suggested considering if she had just pushed things a bit too far
"Your gun should be on you or by you at all times Sergeant" Spikings barked "Now go and tell that bloody cowboy to check our two importers are sorted for a court appearance tomorrow and then take yourselves off somewhere out of my sight for a day!"
"Sir" Makepeace said breathing an inward sigh of relief and turning sharply to go
"Oh by the way I told Dawson that I was about to file two complaints..." Harry stopped to listen as she reached the door "– firstly that his team were in need of training in how to carry out a raid; that incompetent officers were an embarrassment to the MET and secondly that my staff weren't given a full briefing and were consequently removed from the protection of the law."
She smiled but kept her face well out of view of Spikings and quietly shut the door behind her.
