5
Dempsey felt sick. That was the first feeling that came to mind as he blinked open his eyes. He wanted to be sick but he was damn sure he was not going to be sick while he was in the same room as the man who had knocked him out. He lay as still as he could on the concrete floor determined to focus on what was going on. He knew he had a head injury, he guessed the nausea was as a result of that. He knew he had been getting ready to go to bed when he had heard a noise outside. He hadn't woken Harry. Why? He had no idea in retrospect. He would normally tell her he had heard something, she would then either back him up or say it was the cat from over the road. He stared at the ceiling as he thought of her. He ignored the cold biting through his blood soaked shirt as he thought about the blonde. He knew she would be going everything she possibly could to find him but he also knew he was not going to stay there and wait for her to arrive.
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"Harry." Chas looked up as Harry walked into the office. He could see she was physically exhausted but he knew better than to ask his friend how she was. "I've been through the list of all the closed railway stations since the Beeching Report was inacted."
"Have you been here all night?"
"Aye." Chas nodded before stiffling a yawn
She looked at the map, now complete with coffee rings on the edges as she sat down. "I couldn't sleep either."
"Harry. Chas" They looked up to see Spikings beckon them both to the inner office. He could see how exhausted his two senior detectives were. He hoped their personal attachment to Dempsey didn't lead to them being so tired that they made mistakes. He knew how much the American police officer had changed the team since he had landed with them. He rubbed his forehead as Harry closed the door behind her.
"Sit down."
They did as they were told.
"Sir?"
"I don't think either of you need me to tell you that you need to take care of yourselves. You are no good to Dempsey if you fall asleep on the job."
Chas stiffled a yawn as Harry looked away.
"John Porter." Spikings leant against his desk. "I've done some digging. His name came up in a number of investigatoins prior to his incarceration."
"Such as?"
"NYPD have been wanting to talk to him about a visit he made to the US a year before he went to prison." Spikings folded his arms. "I initally thought we were wrong to assume there was a link to Coltrane but now." He shrugged. "My counterpart in the NYPD seems to think that he would be the type to go after Dempsey as revenge for his former boss and to appease his current."
"Current?" Harry was suddenly more alert.
"Swabey Junior."
Harry visibly paled. She felt sick, the room was suddenly smaller than she had remembered. She closed her eyes.
"Swabey."
"Yes." Chas watched as Harry tried to keep composed. "He was a cellmate."
"And no doubt taking Dempsey would kill two birds with one stone, so to speak." Harry tilted her head. "I see." She got to her feet, keen to get out of the office. She tugged at the collar of her shirt. Chas glanced at Spikings as he stood up. "What did this Porter do before going inside?"
"Well." Spikings frowned. "Armed robbery, GBH."
"No, his so called legit job."
"Railway worker."
"So, the trane and train maybe something." She paused. "He may know what stations are viable to be used to hide someone. I assume, from his CV that his current employer is paying him. None of this sounds like Swabey's way of working. If he had planned it, then I would be missing, not Dempsey."
"True." Chas nodded.
"We need to search the former stations you found." Harry headed to the door as Chas followed. Spikings called him back for a moment.
"Look afer her."
"Aye, Sir." Chas agreed but had a feeling this was going to be easier said than done.
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