Hope you all had a great holiday! Kids back to school, so finally some time to write again.Thanks for your feedback and patience. I hope you'll enjoy this chapter.
Chapter 16 : Duty Calls
Chief Superintendent Spikings and Detective Sergeant Jarvis sat on the comfortable armchairs opposite Dempsey and Makepeace, to evaluate the situation. On the small table between them a serving tray with tea and coffee and a large plate with Mrs. Lipton's homemade biscuits. As usual, the guests were warmly welcomed at the Winfield estate, something Lord Winfield always felt very strongly about.
It had been a complete surprise for both detectives that their boss came to visit them without prior notice, this time even accompanied by his right-hand man. In fact, they probably would've been caught walking cosily arm in arm, if it hadn't been for Harry's quick reaction when she suddenly saw the boss's blue Ford Granada turning up the long driveway.
The blonde detective felt quite uncomfortable with the unexpected visit though, especially since she hadn't had the chance to prepare for this meeting, nor the time to digest what she'd just learned about her partners past. She hadn't told him, but his revelations of last night had stirred up her feelings of doubt again. She wondered if a relationship with him would ever stand a chance if he still had feelings for his deceased girlfriend. How was she supposed to compete with this ghost of his past, knowing that people always tend to idealise the deceased, especially their loved ones?
She quickly dismissed the thought. Right now, she couldn't afford to be distracted, not with the boss breathing down their neck. She had to put her feelings aside and focus on her job. Her job... which currently meant she had to protect her partner, who meanwhile had become her lover! Oh dear, why does she always tend to make things so complicated?
'Act normal, Harriet. If Dempsey can do this, so can you!' she tried to convince herself. But what was normal these days? She tried to recall how they used to interact before the Daish-case. So much had changed since then, and now she no longer knew how to behave towards her own partner, in the presence of their boss and colleague! Afraid that they would notice something, she didn't even dare to glance at him. Instead she kept her gaze fixed on Spikings and Chas, trying to focus on what they were saying.
"So, it was a dead end again!" she heard her partner react sharply to the news that the Americans who were seen near his apartment apparently had nothing to do with the attack.
"I'm afraid so," Spikings responded evenly.
"And still no sign of the gunmen?" The slight raising of Dempsey's voice made Harry fear for the further evolution of the meeting. Exchanging a look of understanding with Chas, she knew he thought the same.
When the Superintendent shook his head, Dempsey stood up from his chair and started pacing around restlessly, growling. "Jesus Christ, what a bunch o' amateurs..."
Harry held her breath when she saw Spikings glaring dangerously at her partner.
"You've got a lot of nerve, Lieutenant! Who the hell do you think you are?" As could be expected, the boss burst out, his face red of anger. "Why don't you remind us, who was sent here because he's gotten himself into trouble in his own country? And now again, who was almost killed if he hadn't been saved and protected by us? And you have the audacity to call us amateurs?" Seeing that Spikings was beside himself with rage, Harry feared he was about to get a heart attack. "You're damn lucky that I have such a big sense of duty, even towards idiots who aren't even worth it, or I would send you straight back to where you came from, gunmen or no gunmen! Do you hear me?"
After Spiking had blown off steam, an awkward silence fell. No one in the room dared to say anything. Only after a while, Dempsey reluctantly broke the silence by mumbling some kind of vague apology.
"Look, I shouldn't 've said that, I'm sorry. It's just, I'm fed up with being stuck here, while we're not even sure if those killers are still watching my place! Let's not beat around the bush, we all know there's an easy way to find out..."
Harry immediately knew what her partner had in mind. "Don't be daft, that's exactly what they're waiting for! They won't hesitate to try to kill you again! Please tell me you're smarter than that?"
"C'mon, Harry, it's been a while now since the attack. For all we know, they might be gone, thinking that I'm dead or returned to the States. Besides, last time they took me by surprise but now I'm prepared!" Dempsey tapped at his Magnum in the shoulder holster. Then he turned to Spikings and Chas. "And if you guys can gimme some back-up, we'll nail those bastards before they can make their move! If they're still around!"
The boss glared at the Yank while he reflected on the idea. After his remark, it was tempting to let that idiot play for bait, however... "I'm afraid you have overlooked a few details here, Lieutenant. First of all, we don't know exactly how many men we are dealing with or what they look like. And, secondly, we don't know how, where or when they will strike. Last thing I want, is to risk a shooting in a densely populated neighbourhood."
"How else do you suggest we lure them out then?" The aggressive tone in Dempsey's voice made Spikings raise his brows again.
"I may have an idea..." Makepeace quickly interjected, before the situation escalated for a second time.
Three heads turned in her direction.
"Go on, Sergeant," Spikings nodded encouragingly. Oh, he loved it, whenever his brilliant female detective came up with a better idea than her cheeky partner. Amateurs, hey? Bloody Yank! Go on, girl, show him who's got the brains.
Makepeace cast a quick glance at Dempsey before she began to explain her plan. "What if someone else, for instance me, would go to Dempsey's flat, to pick up some of his belongings? If they are still watching the place, the assassins will think that I'm his girlfriend and they'll follow me, assuming that I will lead them straight to the Lieutenant's hiding place..."
She paused, to see Spikings and Chas nodding approvingly, while Dempsey was shaking his head. Before he had the chance to object, she quickly continued. "I would of course lead them away from the city to a more deserted area, where we'd set up a trap. That way, we'll be able to avoid innocent bystanders from getting hurt." Adding this last sentence was a tactical move, as Harry knew very well it was one of the Chief Superintendent's major concerns when preparing a raid or an ambush.
"Now that's what I call a plan! Good thinking, Sergeant!" The Chief praised his female detective. He stroked his chin while thinking things through aloud. "We'll have to provide the necessary backup at Dempsey's place, of course. And the route that you will have to follow has to be planned thoroughly, since you need to be covered the entire ride..."
Chas immediately joined in. "We can also equip the Sergeant with a microphone, Guv. That way, she can keep us informed at all times of what's happening."
Meanwhile, Dempsey was following the whole conversation with growing horror. "Good plan? You gotta be kiddin' me!" He came closer and raised his voice in protest against Spikings and Chas. "D'you have any idea how dangerous these guys are? How the hell d'ya know they'll just follow the Sergeant? For all we know, they might as well shoot her, or torture her to make her talk! Your stupid mike ain't gonna protect her from that!"
"No, but we will!" Spikings cut in. "Or do you think that we 'amateurs' aren't capable of offering protection? You should know better! I can assure you, we won't let anyone harm a hair on the Sergeant's head!"
How could the Yank even think for a second that he would let Sergeant Makepeace, or any other member of his team, do something like this without providing sufficient backup?
Upon hearing Dempsey's outburst, Harry let out a deep sigh. Of course, she had expected this kind of reaction from him. He'd always been very overprotective when it was about her, mostly to her great annoyance. Now things certainly wouldn't have improved. She thought Spikings could use some help to convince her partner.
"Look Dempsey, I understand your concern, but it's absolutely not necessary." She spoke to him in her typical calm and controlled manner, hoping to soothe him that way. "You see, I'm not their target, so they have no reason to hurt me. On the contrary, they will realise they need me to lead them to you. It's a perfect plan."
Now Dempsey turned to her. "A suicidal plan, you mean! These aren't no boy scouts, we're dealing with here, sweetheart! They're most likely professional killers, who don't give a shit 'bout anyone's life! No way, Makepeace, I ain't gonna let you risk your life for me! This is my battle, not yours!"
She chuckled and shook her head. "You don't really think I'm doing this for you, do you? You seem to forget that I'm a police officer, and it's my duty to catch those criminals. Nothing more, nothing less."
"Oh yeah, sure, how could I forget? Our dutiful little copper!" he sneered. "But why you, huh? Why the hell should you be doin' this?"
Dempsey didn't believe a word of it, that she'd do it just for the job. He suspected there was another reason for her sacrifice... him!
"I'd say we stand a better chance they'll believe that I am you girlfriend than one of the guys, don't you think so, Lieutenant?" Harry asked with a smug smile.
Damn, he couldn't deny she had a point. In fact, if he were to be honest, he had to admit her whole plan wasn't so bad at all. If only she wouldn't be the one playing for bait!
"And what if they find out you're a cop? Did you consider that too?"
"As a matter of fact I have. You see, I haven't been near the office for quite a while. Assuming your assailants have been watching you for some time before the attack, they've probably never seen me before. So they won't suspect that I'm a detective."
Harry saw on his face that he was far from convinced, but he seemed to have calmed down a bit, at least for the moment. She took a deep breath as she knew the hardest part was yet to come. Okay, here we go. "If you think about it rationally, you'll have to admit it's the best chance we've got. It will only become dangerous if they would see you. So naturally, you'll have to stay as far away from there as possible. I suggest you stay here during the whole operation, while we..."
Before she got the chance to finish her sentence, his voice thundered loudly throughout the room. "What? Now you even expect me to sit here on my butt while you expose yourself to those killers? What the hell d'ya take me for?"
At her turn she got up from her seat to stand straight before him, defying his furious gaze.
"I know you, Dempsey. You'll never be able to restrain yourself! And the moment they spot you, we'll both be in danger. They'll kill you, and what do you think will happen to me once they no longer need me?"
When she saw him hesitate, she continued in a softer voice. "Believe me, it will be a whole lot safer for both of us if you stay here and let us handle this."
He firmly shook his head. "You can't keep me out of it, I am the case!"
"Actually, you are the victim in this case, which means that you need to be protected from those criminals instead of challenging them! For Christ's sakes, you barely survived your last encounter with these guys! Besides, the doctor still hasn't declared you fit for duty."
"The doctor, the doctor! He doesn't know shit 'bout how I feel." he growled. "I've recovered just fine, and I'm perfectly capable of takin' down those bastards myself! And I certainly don't need you to be doing my dirty work!" he pointed at Harry to reinforce his words.
"Alright, that's enough! Cut it out, both of you!" Spikings thought it was time to intervene, as he had the feeling this was an endless discussion. "The Sergeant is right about this, Lieutenant. It will indeed be a lot safer for everyone if you stay here."
"C'mon boss, you can't be serious!" the American objected, but was immediately stopped by a threatening look and warning forefinger from Spikings.
"You'll do as told, and that's the end of the discussion!" The Chief Superintendent was adamant. "Now sit down, and let's put our heads together to work out all further details, shall we?" he gestured to Dempsey and Makepeace to take their seats opposite him.
Harry obeyed, while her partner needed some more 'encouragement' from his superior. Eventually, Dempsey also sank back in his chair, his defeat a bitter pill for him to swallow. He was used to handling things his own way, regardless of any possible consequences. But now, to his frustration, both his authoritarian boss and his stubborn partner were in control and had put him completely out of the game.
While they talked everything through and tied every possible knot, it struck to Harry that Dempsey barely participated in the conversation, except for now and then a grumpy answer when his opinion was asked. Was he sulking,... or was he preparing something? Knowing that he'd never allow her to be exposed to such danger while he was forced to wait on the sideline, she suspected the latter. She also knew that hiding his passport wouldn't be sufficient to stop him this time.
Spikings and Chas were looking at an unfolded map and discussing the best place for the ambush, when the blonde detective stood up to take something from her handbag. It wasn't until she returned and Dempsey felt the cold metal object around his wrist and heard the familiar 'click', that he realised he should've paid more attention. But it was too late. When he tried to pull back his arm, he saw to his horror that she'd cuffed his right wrist to her left.
"What the hell ..?" he exclaimed, trying to wriggle free his hand. "Makepeace, what've you done?"
Harry's face contorted with pain by the rough movements of his arm. "Just trying to keep you safe, lieutenant. I haven't forgotten how you already sneaked away once, and I didn't want you to do it again."
"Goddamn it Harry, remove those damn things at once!" he shouted at her, realising that his attempts to get rid of the handcuffs were futile.
The moment they heard Dempsey's outburst, Spikings and Chas looked up from the map, disturbed by the sudden tumult. As soon as the boss saw the reason of the noise, his frown disappeared and was replaced by a broad grin. Amused, he watched the further course of events. After all, they could use a little break, and this could become quite interesting. If he were to place a bet, he sure knew who he would spend his money on.
Chas, on the other hand, was a tad more concerned about his friend, the Sergeant. He'd always admired her for her courage to keep working with the rough American, and to stand up against him when necessary. She'd proven more than once that she was able to handle him, however this time he wondered if there was no need to help her. He'd already witnessed several times the American's brute force when he was angry, and he didn't want his friend to get hurt. He glanced questioningly at Spikings. To his surprise, the governor seemed more amused than worried about the highly explosive situation.
"C'mon, you know you can't keep this up! What if I need to go to the loo?" the Yank tried.
Makepeace smiled waggishly. "I'm sure you can cope with one hand, Lieutenant. And don't worry, I won't peek!"
Another loud curse resounded. Dempsey was on the verge of exploding. "Where's the f *** key, Makepeace?"
"Somewhere safe and beyond your reach." She answered calmly, wincing in pain at another of his rough movements. "Dempsey, will you please calm down, and stop moving your arm? You're hurting us both that way!"
Even though he was furious about what she'd done, last thing he wanted to do was hurt her. Every painful grimace on her face was a sting through his heart. Eventually, he gave in.
"Alright, you won! I promise I won't sneak away. Now, will you please remove these?" He gently raised his right arm.
Harry smiled for his change of tactics. He could be so predictable sometimes. "Nice try, but it won't work. We both know you'd walk away at the first opportunity you get, despite your promise. You can't fool me, Lieutenant. I know you too well."
"I see ... Well, in that case, I guess you'll have no choice but to sleep with me tonight, Sergeant. But don't worry, I promise I'll be on my best behaviour." He winked at her, a mischievous smile on his lips.
"I'm sure you will..." For a moment, she was taken aback, feeling her cheeks getting warm. Then she quickly composed. "We'll see later how we can solve this!" she retorted, throwing him an angry look.
"Alright you two, playtime is over! We still have some work to do here!" Spikings called them to order, thinking they'd wasted enough time as it was. Sometimes, he felt like he was dealing with a couple of bickering schoolchildren!
"Chief...?" Dempsey tried, slightly raising his right hand. Although he knew he had little chance that the boss would be willing to release him, it was worth a try.
"I'm not interfering with any of your kinky games, Lieutenant!" Spikings waved away his request, not willing to give the issue any further attention.
From then, they all focussed on planning the ambush for the next day. This time even Dempsey did his best to cooperate. He knew he still had some time to try getting rid of those handcuffs but, in case he would fail, the least he could do was point out some possible gaps and see to it that Harry's safety would be ensured at all time.
Both the Lieutenant's apartment as well as his supposed 'hiding place' had to be kept under surveillance very discreetly, some time before Harry's arrival. The chosen hiding place was an abandoned house a few miles outside the city, where they could have a proper look at the surroundings, and where they could easily evacuate the area.
After some discussion, they'd finally come to an agreement on the route Harry had to take from the apartment to the destination, as well as where the other SI10-detectives had to take position. Spikings made sure that she would be covered throughout the entire ride by alternating cars and detectives, so the assassins wouldn't notice that she was being watched. And finally, they all agreed that Sergeant Makepeace had to wear a microphone in order to stay in touch with her colleagues, in case she'd have to get out of her car for some reason.
Once everything was settled, Spikings drove back to London to make the arrangements with the rest of the team. The following morning, he would come back with the necessary equipment to carry out their plan. To Dempsey and Harry's dismay, Spikings decided that Chas would stay the night at Winfield Hall, 'to ensure that the reckless cowboy wouldn't try to escape and jeopardise the whole operation.'
With Chas around, they knew they had to be extremely careful. Thanks to her upbringing, Harry had learned not to show any affection in public, which had made it easier than expected to keep their relationship hidden from Spikings and Chas. At least that was until she'd had that brilliant idea to use those bloody handcuffs! Due to the cuffs, she constantly felt her partners presence close by, and she was unable to create any physical distance between them. Result? Every touch felt like torture, while her desire for him was growing by the minute!
And Dempsey certainly didn't make things any easier! He took every opportunity he could to gently stroke her hand or arm, or to put his hand on her knee when Chas wasn't looking. Didn't he realise he was playing with fire? If Chas were to find out about their relationship, he would undoubtedly tell Spikings, and soon the whole office would know about them! She dreaded the thought of what would happen then!
All those years, she'd fought to gain respect from her colleagues and superiors. She'd vehemently opposed the many sexual remarks and insinuations, and had successfully warded off their flirtations and attempts to sleep with her. She could already imagine the reactions if they would find out that she'd succumbed to none other than her partner, the number one ladies man! She'd be the laughing stock of the entire department, while everyone would praise the lieutenant! Oh no, she couldn't let that happen, no way!
She shifted her chair a bit further away from him and gave him a warning look, a message he couldn't fail to understand. Luckily, Chas hadn't seen any of their interactions, nor their furtive glances.
Only one person had followed the whole scene with fascination but, as promised, Lord Winfield kept quiet about his daughter and her partner's secret relationship. It amazed him however, how skilled they both were in pretending nothing had happened, in front of their colleague. One moment, they were looking at each other lovingly, but the moment Chas came back in the room, they immediately returned to work mode. The old man wondered how long they would be able to keep it up, before their colleague would notice something...
(TBC)