Hello everyone! First of all, I'd like to thank you all for the many nice comments on the previous chapter. You convinced me to keep going.

Dear NightOwl22, I know what a busy time you had (and still have), so I've decided to do this one on my own. That way, you can fully concentrate on your story. Btw, are you aware that it's almost September? ;-)

I hope you'll all enjoy this chapter, perhaps while sunbathing! I'm really looking forward to seeing your feedback again.

Chapter 9 : Hide-and-Seek

"What time is it?" Dempsey asked, pacing around endlessly in the lounge, and regularly going to the window to cast a cursory glance outside. He'd forgotten to put on his watch this morning. It would still be on the bedside table in his room, but he didn't feel like fetching it right now. He absolutely wanted to stick around to see Spikings arrive. The past few days, he'd managed to keep reasonably calm, after having been reprimanded and monitored by the doctor and Harry. But ever since Spikings had called, he had become very restless again. Spikings could arrive any moment and that thought made him jumpy.

"Just five minutes later since the last time you asked" Harry sighed irritably. "Dempsey, I completely understand you're nervous, but would you please sit down! You're driving us crazy, pacing around like this. And we really need to look into these documents!"

While she was staying in Winfield Hall, Harry and her father took the opportunity to look into some files concerning the estate. Lord Winfield was very grateful that his daughter had offered to help him, as it was a big responsibility and he wasn't getting any younger. The old building urgently needed some repairs and a lot of arrangements had to be made. He'd been advised by some experts on the maintenance of the building and the grounds, but in the end he had to make the final decisions himself.

Harry dreaded the day her father wouldn't be able to do this any more, as she would be expected to take over from him. She secretly hoped that there would be another solution by then. Either way, as it was her parental home and she happened to be the sole heir, she'd always have a certain responsibility towards the property.

Dempsey sighed and finally sat down in an armchair near the window, letting his head rest against the backrest and closing his eyes for a brief moment. Seeing him like this, Harry instantly regretted having reprimanded him. She could well imagine the type of hell he was currently going through. It was already the fourth day they stayed in Winfield Hall without having received any news from Spikings, except for the daily, one-way briefings to the office to let the boss know they were alright. And then finally, this morning, the brief telephone conversation when the Chief Superintendent had announced he would personally come over to see them. He had refused to say anything else over the phone, so they had no idea whether this indicated good news or bad.

Dempsey sat for a whole two minutes before he got up again to look outside the window for the umpteenth time. "What's takin' him so long?"

Harry pleaded again. "For God's sake, find a way to relax a bit! Spikings didn't actually say what time he would be here, just sometime this afternoon. Why don't you go outside for a walk? The fresh air will do you good, and it might distract you a little. I'll accompany you, if you like…"

He didn't respond and kept staring outside, his hands in his jeans pockets. He didn't even seem to have heard what she'd just said.

Freddy, who had silently witnessed the whole scene, got up and fetched a glass of scotch, which he handed to the restless detective. He was instantly rewarded with a grateful smile and a small nod. From the corner of his eye, the old man saw that his daughter was about to protest. Dempsey, however, didn't hesitate. Before Harry even had the chance to react, he took a big gulp and closed his eyes, feeling the strong liquid flow through his body. When he opened his eyes again, he saw Spikings' car coming up the driveway. He took another swig as he watched the Chief Superintendent stepping out of his car and climbing the stairs to the front door.

Not five minutes later, their boss was sitting across from Dempsey and Makepeace with a grave expression on his face, a glass of scotch placed on the table in front of him.

He took a deep breath before he addressed Dempsey "I won't beat around the bush, Lieutenant. You know that, for the past days, we've been looking for your assailants. Unfortunately, we haven't been able to locate them yet. It seems like they've disappeared..."

Dempsey didn't even let him finish the sentence, his frustrations running high as his expectations had vanished into thin air, already after Spikings' first words. "C'mon boss, it's been four days now! Four days!" he stressed, showing his boss four fingers. "Don't tell me you've found nothing by now! Jesus Christ, what've you guys been doin' all this time? If only I could've…"

"That'll do, Leftenant!" Spikings bellowed, pointing his finger at Dempsey threateningly. "We did everything we could to find those gunmen, but we didn't have much to go on!" He felt the anger rise in him at high speed, in response to the disrespectful behaviour of his subordinate. "And for your information, we do know how to do our bloody job! And I sure as hell don't need a Yank to come and tell me how to conduct an investigation!"

For a moment, Dempsey was taken aback by the Chief's angry response. "Alright, alright, I'm sorry. It's just so damn frustrating, sitting here and not being able to look for those bastards myself…"

Even though Dempsey had apologized, Harry thought it was best to intervene at this point in order to calm things down. The meeting had only just begun and the boss had already reached his boiling point, thanks to her partner's impatient and rude behaviour.

She threw him a warning glance as if to say 'keep yourself calm, from now on!', before she took over and turned to Spikings. "Could they have returned overseas, Sir, believing Dempsey to be dead?"

"That's exactly what we thought, Sergeant." Spikings replied more calmly. "Until someone delivered this at the reception desk, this morning." He retrieved a brown envelope out of the side pocket of his suit-jacket and placed it on the table in front of Dempsey.

The detective frowned and cautiously took the envelope. Harry leant forward in her chair, to see what was written on it. She could see Dempsey's name scrawled in big letters, right in the middle of the envelope.

Before opening the envelope, he looked at the boss for confirmation.

Spikings nodded. "It's already been checked. No fingerprints, unfortunately. Except from the delivery boy."

Harry saw how her partner first took a bullet, and then a small sheet of paper out of the envelope. He laid the bullet on the table, before unfolding the letter. Harry instantly recognized the same handwriting and the same ink colour as on the envelope. Some of the words on the note were in capitals as if to emphasize them. She read along with Dempsey:

'Tomorrow 14.00 PM
Hyde Park - Marble Arch
Come ALONE!
Or are you a COWARD?'

The combination of the bullet and note gave Harry a very unsettling feeling. She glanced at Dempsey, but she couldn't read any expression on his face, except for the deep frown on his forehead. He inspected the note and the envelope on both sides, before he addressed Spikings again. "That's all?"

"That's all we received." The Chief Superintendent confirmed. "The bullet is of the same calibre as the bullets that were used at the assault, so we can assume it's from the same guys."

"And what about the delivery guy? Have you at least questioned him?" Dempsey asked pretty agitated again, resulting in a nasty kick at his shin and an angry look from his partner.

"Yes, of course we did! What do you think?" Spikings snarled. "But the boy had nothing to do with the attack. It's just a kid. Some guy on the street gave him some money to deliver the letter to our address. The only significant thing the boy could say was that the man had an American accent, and that he wore a cap, gloves and dark sunglasses."

"The American again! So they're still in town, waitin' for me to show up." Dempsey muttered. "But we still have no clue who they are, or where they're staying..." He tapped his nose while thinking.

Makepeace narrowed her eyes, fearing for what would come next. Surely, he won't consider to…? No, even he wouldn't be that foolish,…would he?

"I guess there's only one way to find out…" he said at last, studying the bullet he was holding up between his thumb and forefinger.

Shocked, Harry turned her head to him. "Don't even think about it! You are not going to play bait!" She cut in as soon as she knew what her partner was about to suggest. "They'll kill you the moment they set eyes on you! You'd be far too exposed as there's absolutely no shelter at that end of the park! And we won't be able to protect you without being noticed. Besides, we don't even know who we should be looking for!" she exclaimed.

Of all his stupid ideas, this definitely beat them all! He could just as well hand them over his gun on a silver plate and politely ask them to pull the trigger! What on earth was he thinking?

Dempsey returned his attention to Harry. "Come on, Makepeace, I can't play hide and seek forever! Let's face it: as long as I stay here, nothing's gonna happen! We gotta give it a chance to find those bastards!"

But she didn't back off. "It's a trap, Dempsey! It doesn't need a very shrewd detective to realize that!"

"I know that, but what do you want me to do then? Twiddle my thumbs and grow old here?" he retorted angrily. He rose from his chair and started pacing up and down the room again, running a hand through his hair out of sheer frustration. He instantly regretted that action, however, when a stabbing pain shot through his shoulder, a reminder of how close he had faced death recently.

"I can't see anything wrong with that! It's certainly much more appealing than getting shot at again!" she shouted back. She noticed the grimace on his face when he lifted his arm, but she chose not to confront him with it, nor with his missing sling. She was sure that he'd just deny it, and she didn't want to have that discussion with him right now. As now, she had more important things to discuss with him. Trying to prevent that he would be killed was now prior on avoiding that he suffered pain. And besides, maybe it wasn't even such a bad thing that he felt some pain at the moment, so he would remember how much luck he'd had before.

"Last time, they'd tried to kill you without any warning! What do you expect now? That they'll have a little chat with you and honour you for bravery, and that they'll let you walk away? These are most likely professional killers, for God's sake! Trained to kill, and only rewarded after doing their ruthless job! You won't stand a chance, if you'd approach them alone! And if you don't go alone, they probably won't even show themselves. So, why take the risk?" She paused a moment to let him think about it, before she continued. "Forget it, Dempsey! You're not going!"

"You're in no position to tell me what I can or can't do, Sergeant!" he refuted.

"Perhaps she can't. But I'm pretty sure I can, Lieutenant!" An authoritarian voice suddenly echoed loudly in the room. Both detectives simultaneously turned their heads and saw Spikings pointing with his thumb at himself, with a smug smile. "And I am telling you to stay away from that place! The Sergeant is right. This is definitely a trap, and we can't provide sufficient protection for you there!" He paused for a second. "Besides, this isn't only about you! There is no way that I'm going to risk a shooting at a public area that we can't possibly seal off! We (he pointed at himself)will take a look there, and you, 'Sonny' (he pointed at Dempsey), you will stay far away from that park! Do I make myself clear?"

The boss ran his hand over his short grey hair, from back to front, before he sighed, annoyed. "Now, stop pacing up and down like that and sit down! You're making me nervous with your restless behaviour. And that, Lieutenant, is not good for my blood pressure." He glared at the impatient American and pointed to the envelope that still lay on the table, continuing with sweet voice. "Why don't you make yourself useful for a change, and take another look at that letter. See if you can recognize the handwriting. Or try to think of someone from your Yankee country, who may have sent these bloody killers after you!"

Dempsey reluctantly plumped back down in his chair. He picked up the letter and envelope from the table to study them more closely. After a brief inspection, he irritably threw the letter on the table in Spikings' direction, and leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed over his chest. "Never seen that handwritin' before. And there's a lot of scum out there, who've sworn to take revenge on me. But none of them know that I'm in London…" He suddenly sat up straight as a thought crossed his mind. "…except Coltrane and Mara Grimaldi!" He pronounced their names slowly and stared horrified at the letter, as if one of them could jump out of the envelope at any time.

Would it be possible…? Coltrane again? Hell, we've put that bastard away, only a couple o' months ago! Surely, he didn't get out yet! The boys back home would've warned me if he did. But he did have a lot of connections with the mafia. Would he have sent those killers after me? That bastard already screwed up my life once, making me leave my home, my family, my friends... No way, that I'm gonna let him do it again! This time, I stay put! Let him send his bloody killers, I'll be waitin' for them!

Without realizing, Dempsey had clenched his fist. Only thinking of Coltrane made his blood boil. He felt the fighting spirit rise inside him and the adrenaline flew through his body, the determination and hatred visible in his eyes. Until the moment his gaze met Harry's. He held his breath. Her bright blue eyes were looking at him with concern, and fear hit him to the heart.

Oh no… Harry! That sneaky bastard had almost killed her too, last time!

Dempsey could still recall the desolation and emptiness he had felt, when he'd thought she was dead. Nothing mattered any more, only the blind rage he felt towards Coltrane. If Harry hadn't turned up at that moment and hadn't shouted out his name, he probably would've pulled the trigger, without even thinking about the consequences. It had been a close call! Like so many times before, she had saved his life that day.

No way, that I'm gonna let her risk her life again, this time! This is my battle, not hers! The only way I can make sure she's safe, is by staying away from her. As long as I stay here with her, she'll be in danger too. But she'll never let me go. If only she wasn't so damn stubborn!

"God damn it, Coltrane!" Dempsey cursed aloud, hitting the table with his full fist. The glasses on the table were shaken and they almost fell down. Harry startled at the unexpected outburst of her colleague, while Spikings watched him without blinking.

"Now, hold your horses, Leftenant!" Spikings said sternly. "We don't know if Coltrane has anything to do with this yet. The only way to find this out is if we can interrogate your assailants. This means we need to find them, as soon as possible. But you stay here with Sergeant Makepeace, and let us handle this! Do you hear me, Dempsey?" Spikings asked, the authoritarian tone in his voice making very clear that he wouldn't tolerate any contradiction.

Dempsey, clearly not at all satisfied with the decision, mumbled something unintelligible.

"Say again?" The Chief Superintendent frowned.

"I said I heard ya." Dempsey snarled, before he suddenly rose from his chair and strode to the door, without saying another word. He already had the latch in his hand when he muttered under his breath that 'he needed some fresh air', before he stepped outside and slammed the door behind him. Harry hesitated about going after him, but she thought it was better to wait and let him cool down a bit first.

She still sat staring at the door, when she heard Spikings ask on much softer tone. "How are things going with him, up to now?"

Harry blinked and turned to him. "His recovery is going surprisingly well, after having received some reprimands from the doctor. But I'm afraid he's getting more restless by the day. And I'm not sure how this news will affect him." She pointed at the letter on the table.

"Has he given you a hard time, already?"

She chuckled. "This is Dempsey we're talking about, Sir. What do you expect? But don't worry, I know how to handle him!" she said with a smug smile, recalling how she'd managed to keep him under the thumb so far.

A big grin appeared on Spikings' face. "Yes, you seem to be handling him pretty well, Sergeant." Then he became more serious. "But you'll have to stay alert, as perhaps the hardest part is yet to come. He's starting to feel better, and we both know he is not the most patient man! You think you can cope?"

"I'll do my very best." She promised.

"I have no doubts about your commitment and dedication, girl. But it's quite possible that he'll try everything he can, to go to that meeting tomorrow. I wish I could give you some more back up, but we are rather understaffed at the moment, with two men short and Joyce not fully recovered yet. I will need all available men at the park. I'm counting on you to keep our Yankee friend away from there! Under no circumstances is he allowed to come to that meeting! Do you understand, Sergeant?" Spikings urged.

"Absolutely, Sir. I will keep him here, willingly or unwillingly." She replied confidently, before glancing at the door again.

Her concern hadn't gone unnoticed by Spikings. For a moment, he stared at her through narrowed eyes. Then he dismissed her with a single nod towards the door. "Go on then. You'll better go and find him, before that 'hothead' gets himself into trouble again."

It didn't take her long to find him. As Harry had expected, Dempsey stood at the lake, gazing across the tranquil water, his arms resting on the railing of the small bridge. He didn't look up when she cautiously approached him, nor when she stood beside him. She deliberately kept some distance as she didn't know whether he would appreciate her company.

"I thought I'd find you here." She said with soft voice. Since he didn't respond, she looked at him with concern. "Are you alright?"

"Alive and kicking." He replied motionless, following with his eyes two ducks that swam past.

Harry didn't exactly know what to say to him, so she stood beside him watching the water in silence, patiently waiting for him to start talking.

If only I knew what he was thinking…

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, but was in fact no more than five or ten minutes, he spoke to her. "Watching the water often helps me to think things through, ya know. While some people prefer a rose garden…" He turned his head to her and gave her a warm smile.

She smiled back at him, relieved that he finally broke the silence and he seemed surprisingly calm. She'd noticed before that this was his favourite place when something was troubling him or when he needed to calm down. "Yes, I guess we all need our special place. Do you mind if I join you?"

"Nah, go ahead."

"What are you thinking about?" she tried. Since she received no answer, she continued. "You're not really considering going to that meeting, are you?"

He let out a deep sigh. "Nah, you were right. I ain't gonna make it that easy for those bastards!"

"Well, I'm glad you talk sense again!" she said relieved. "Just remember that you're not alone, Dempsey! We are partners, so we'll fight them together! And I'm sure that we can count on Spikings and the others to help us. These killers won't know what hit them! And the same goes for Coltrane, if he's behind all this!" she stated with determination. "We have already defeated him once, and we'll beat him again!"

She'd expected to see a grin on his face and maybe a wink or so, after her belligerent words. To her surprise, however, he didn't react at all. In fact, he kept staring at the water, his gaze at infinity. Then he said, almost inaudible. "Not this time, Harry,…not this time..." .

She startled. What was that all about? What on earth was going on with him? She'd never seen him like this before, and it frightened her. A cold shiver ran down her spine. She wanted to shake him, to stir up his fighting spirit! After all, wasn't he the one who always came up with an answer or a way out, even in seemingly hopeless situations?

"Hey, what is this? You're not going to give up, are you? This is not the James Dempsey that I know! You are not a quitter! What's wrong with you? Look at me, James!" she said firmly, without even realizing that she called him by his first name. She put her hand on his cheek, and turned his head so he had no choice but to look her straight in the eye. "Together, we can fight them, side by side, just like we always did! You even made me come back, remember? Because we're a great team, you and me! Actually, we're the best team there is!"

Still with her hand on his cheek, she held his gaze, searching for some sort of confirmation in his eyes. It was as if the whole world had stopped around them, all sounds and movements faded into the background. She could only focus on his eyes…his soft hazel eyes. But where she was used to seeing a cheerful and sometimes mischievous look in his eyes, she now saw a rather sad look, full of doubt. What on earth was wrong with him? Where was the brash and confident partner she knew so well?

But then he broke the spell, by blinking and averting his eyes. And before she could say or do anything, he took her hand away from his cheek and turned his head back towards the water.

"Leave me alone for a moment, will ya, Harry?"

She hesitated, a feeling of disappointment came over her. "Dempsey, what's wrong?"

"Please Harry. I need to be alone for a while," he insisted.

Harry was rooted to the spot. She stood staring at him, completely taken aback. She didn't know what to think of his strange behaviour, and why he rejected her. Didn't he always come to her, when he was in trouble? Why not now? What had changed?

On the one hand, she didn't want to leave him like this, but on the other hand, she thought she'd better respect his wishes. As long as he refused to talk to her about what was bothering him, there was nothing she could do for him, anyway. Disappointed and confused, she headed back to the mansion, occasionally glancing over her shoulder. He was still standing at the lake, all alone, and a deep feeling of compassion came over her. She didn't have a clue what was going on in his mind, so she just had to be patient, hoping that he would confide in her at some point. With head bowed, she slowly continued her way to the house.

Back at the mansion, she found her father and Spikings in the dining room. Both men were having a cosy conversation, while enjoying a glass of wine. She joined them and succeeded in hiding her concern about her partner. A little later, when they just sat at the table for dinner, Dempsey also came into the room, apologizing for being a little late.

Dinner took place in a more relaxed atmosphere. The tension of the last few hours seemed to have disappeared, and everyone enjoyed the delicious meal that Mrs. Lipton had again prepared. Except for the fact that he was quieter than usual, and perhaps he ate a little less, Harry had the impression that her partner was more at ease again. Or was he just pretending? After all, Harry had experienced more than once that he, like herself, was an expert at hiding his emotions to the ourside world.

After dinner, Freddy invited his guests to join him for a nightcap in his study. Spikings, however, decided it was time for him to return to London. He'd already drunk a few glasses of wine and he still had a long drive ahead. Abbott escorted him downstairs, while the others remained in the study, where they had their drinks.

The Chief Superintendent had barely left the room, when Dempsey jumped from his seat and hurried to the door, muttering 'that he'd forgotten to say something to the boss'. He rushed down the stairs, and was just in time to catch up with Spikings in the main hall of the mansion. The boss had put on his coat and was about to leave the building, when Dempsey stopped him.

"Chief, could I have a word before you leave?" he asked, catching his breath.

Spikings turned to him. "Yes, Dempsey. As long as you know that I'm not going to change my mind about that meeting in Hyde Park. You're staying here and that's final."

Dempsey nodded. "Yeah, I know, and I understand. But it's not 'bout that. Ya see, I've been thinkin' a lot, and euh…" He hesitated to continue. "First of all, I don't want Harry to know 'bout this conversation."

Spikings frowned. "Why not?"

"Cause I know she'd just try to stop me from doin' this." He responded vaguely.

"Stop you from doing what? Dempsey, what the hell are you talking about?" Spikings was losing his patience. "It's late and I still have a long drive home, so I'm not in the mood for any of your riddles. If you have something to say to me, say it now! And stop wasting my bloody time!"

"Alright, alright. It's just that, the more I think about the attack, the more I'm convinced that, somehow, Coltrane is involved in all this. Maybe he sent those hit men himself, or at least he knows more about it. After all, he's one of the few people who know where I am. This can't be a coincidence. The thing is, I need to confront him with it. See how he reacts…" Dempsey decided to get straight to the point, afraid that the boss would leave without hearing him out.

"I understand, and maybe you're right." Spikings replied cautiously. "There's only one slight problem, here. Coltrane has been transferred to a prison in the United States, as I recall. So you won't be able to confront him yourself, Lieutenant. But I will ask Captain O'Grady to look into this, first thing tomorrow." He suggested.

Dempsey shook his head. "No, Chief. He'll never confess to O'Grady or anyone else. I gotta do this myself. Look him straight in the eye, ya know."

"What are you saying, Dempsey?" Spikings raised an eyebrow. "That you would be going back to New York, to interrogate Coltrane?" He asked in disbelief.

"That seems to be the only way." The lieutenant nodded.

"You do realise that, if Coltrane or someone else for that matter, has sent a couple of hit men all the way to the UK, there might be a whole 'welcome committee' waiting for you in New York?" The Chief asked, believing his detective hadn't thought this thing through very well.

"I'm aware of that." Dempsey answered calmly.

"And there would be no one, to give you any back-up, over there!" Spikings continued. "You'd be facing them all alone!"

"Yeah, I know."

"That's sheer madness! It would be suicidal!" the boss exclaimed.

"Maybe. But I ain't scared o' them. And I'm sure as hell not a coward!"

"We all know you're not a coward!" Spikings refuted. "Is this because of that letter? Cause if it is, then you're even a bigger fool than I thought! Harry was right about that note: it's a trap, they're trying to provoke you with it, and it looks like they're succeeding! Damn it, Dempsey, don't pay any attention to that stupid letter! Be realistic, it's impossible to fight them on your own! You're not bloody Superman!"

"It's not about the letter. I'm just fed up with running and hiding all the time! What kind o' life is that? I haven't seen my family in two years, and now I can't go to my apartment here! What's next?" he paused for a moment and stared gloomily at the door. "Weeds will keep coming back, unless you can take out the root… I've made up my mind, Chief. I'm goin'. And if they're waitin' for me, I'm gonna take as many of those bastards down with me as I can!"

"And what about the gunmen here?" Spikings asked. "Shouldn't we at least try to find them first?"

"You've already tried that, and you weren't able to find them. But if I'm gone, they'll have no business here any more. So, I guess they'll just disappear and go back to wherever they came from."

Spikings stood staring at Dempsey, thinking about what the detective had said. This clearly wasn't some kind of whim, he had really thought things through thoroughly. Spikings feared that if he couldn't come up with an alternative, he wouldn't be able to stop Dempsey from carrying out his crazy idea. He sighed wearily and rubbed his hair from back to front.

"I know I can't stop you from doing this, Dempsey. As long as you know that I think this is absolute madness! Just promise me that you'll wait a couple more days, so we can at least see if the gunmen will turn up in the park, or whether we will be able to find them eventually. You have nothing to loose by waiting a few more days…"

Dempsey thought about it for a moment, before he reluctantly agreed. "I suppose I can wait a couple more days. But if there are any indications that they've traced me again, I'll take the fist flight to New York. I don't want anybody to get hurt because of me, especially not Harry or her father!" He paused for a moment, and then added. "Just one more thing, Chief. If I'd have to leave, and I wouldn't be able to come back to England due to euhm circumstances…, will you tell Harry that I'm sorry for the way things have turned out, and that it certainly wasn't her fault? She's an excellent cop and a great partner. And make sure she gets a good partner,… the best you have. She deserves it."

During his long drive home, Chief Superintendent Spikings could only think about the conversation he had with Dempsey. He certainly hadn't expected anything like that, and he was genuinely shocked about the intentions of his reckless detective. He desperately needed to find a way to make him change his mind, and he figured that the only way to do that, was by catching the assailants. Spikings realised he had an almost impossible task to accomplish. He could only hope that Dempsey would have enough patience, and that the gunmen wouldn't find him first…

(TBC)