Chapter 7

Dempsey turned to Harry "You sure this is a good idea?" He wasn't convinced that they should be anywhere near the office of 'Richards, Makepeace & Co'. When Harry had called him at 7am that morning Dempsey had noted the determination in her voice.

"Not really, but I have to know why he's doing this." She had spent most of the night wracking her brains as to why Robert would want to drag her and Dempsey through the inquest. She had kept turning the question 'Why?' round and round her head until she reached the point of near insanity, thus, by 7am she had come to the conclusion she had to face Robert.

Dempsey accepted her answer, if he was in her position he would want to know too and he had to admit he was more than curious himself. After all, the outcome of the situation could have a huge impact on their relationship. If Dempsey was being honest, he would like nothing more than to go up to Robert Makepeace's office and punch him into next week.

Harry continued "If I can find out the real reason for Robert doing this then maybe I could deal with it before this absurd inquest goes any further."

"Y' know Harry," he spoke in a soft reassuring tone "I think you already have a pretty good idea, you just need to hear it from him...am I right?"

Harry gently nodded "You sound like you're speaking from experience."

"Maybe" Dempsey thought for a couple of seconds, he didn't want to pry and upset her, but he needed to know more to help her. "Why are you two still married?"

Harry sighed, in the light of recent events she knew Dempsey had a right to know. "He refuses to sign the divorce papers on the grounds that he is entitled to a quarter of the Winfield estate."

"How come? He married you not your father."

Harry gave a small 'hurumph' "That's the crux of it...five years ago Daddy was up to his neck in tax bills, he was struggling to keep afloat, an estate like Winfield is very expensive to keep. Daddy was desperate to find a way to ease the financial burden, so it was decided that the best way was to sign half the estate over to me, put it in my name so the taxman couldn't chase Daddy for the full liability...it worked."

Dempsey smirked "Lemme guess who came up with that brainwave. Jeez, Prince Charmless sure has lot to answer for."

"Robert can be very persuasive." agreed Harry "But he did save Winfield."

"Now he wants to collect." Dempsey shook his head with disdain. "You have lousy taste in men Harry."

Harry chuckled to herself, she was about to say 'What does that say about you?' but quickly checked herself.

"Do ya want me to go in with you?" he offered.

"Herrum!" she shook her head "Thanks, but in our ..." she chose her words carefully ", current circumstance, I don't think that would be wise. Robert isn't a crack shot barrister for nothing you know, he has a way of wheedling information out of people without them realising. All evidence will be taken down and used against you...in or out of court."

Dempsey couldn't help but grin at her; he knew exactly what she was saying, it humbled him to know she wanted to protect him. His heart filled with a warm feeling, hearing her admit that there was an attraction sparking between them which other people could pick up on. Hell, Spikings was already half way there; it wouldn't take long for Robert to read the signs as well.

"You know where I am if you need me" he added with wink, "go get him tiger."

Harry gave him the widest, glowing smile, for the briefest of moments he thought she was going to kiss him...for the briefest of seconds, Harry thought she might.

Alex lay in bed trying to summon up the energy to move. She had had a good night's sleep only waking once when Gene had turned over noisily in the middle of the night, but she still felt drained. She couldn't understand it, she was very rarely ill and what a time to come down with the lurgy , on their honeymoon.

Gene stirred next to her, his eyes fluttered open focusing on Alex "You feeling better luv?"

She managed a weak smile "Not really, sorry." She could taste an acidic tang in her mouth which didn't bode well.

"No need to apologise Alex, if yer not well yer not well."

"I know, but it's our honeymoon..." she simpered feeling guilty that she was putting a dampener on their holiday. "How do I look?"

"Ruddy awful."

"Thanks." She did look awful, she was pale and her night's sleep had done nothing to decrease the dark circles around her eyes.

"Maybe you should see a doctor." Gene pitched himself up on his elbows and looked at her seriously.

"I'm fine." She lied, she was anything but fine.

"Bolls, I think you..." Gene didn't have a chance to finish his sentence as Alex leapt out of bed at great speed and charged into the en-suite. Gene quickly followed her and found her with her head in the toilette bowl, "Thass it! You're going to see a quack, no arguments."

Harry took a deep breath before entering the offices of Richards, Makepeace and Co. She was not looking forward to a confrontation with Robert, but it had to be done. She puffed herself up with courage and marched up to the receptionist. "Robert Makepeace please." She clipped.

The dowdy receptionist gave her a stony look and replied "Do you have an appointment Madame?"

She said with all the confidence she could muster "I don't need one; I'm his wife, Harriet Makepeace."

The receptionist regarded her with an expression of surprise and amusement. "Oh I see, he is rather busy at the moment, you will have to wait. Please take a seat."

Harry feeling riled by the receptionist's smugness retorted, "I am rather busy myself, I don't have time to wait." Harry quickly looked around for Robert's office "I take it this is his.." Harry didn't give the receptionist time to reply and strode purposely towards his office.

"Madame, Madame...you can't disturb him...he's very..." the woman jumped up from her desk and scuttled after Harry.

Harry ignored her and swung open the office door with impressive determination.

Robert was at his desk, phone in hand, he looked up to find his wife standing before him, hands on hips scowling.

"I'm sorry Mr Makepeace..she just..." flapped the receptionist.

"It's okay Dora, I will handle this...hold all my calls will you?"

Dora nodded and backed out of the office shutting the door behind her, once on the other side she lingered, ear trained towards Robert's and Harry's conversation.

"Harriet, what an unexpected pleasure." Robert smarmed "What brings you here?"

"You know full well what I'm doing here." She kept her voice calm and measured, however, the urge to punch him in his smug superciliously face was overwhelming.

"Ahhh, you've received the file, interesting reading wouldn't you agree? But, you turning up here unannounced is not the wisest of things to do, I fear the Coroner would take rather a dim view." He said in a patronising tone.

Harry kept it together; she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of losing her temper. "Why are you doing this Robert? Haven't you caused enough trouble?"

"Trouble? I am merely acting on my client's instructions...purely business, nothing personal."

"You know as well as I do there is no love lost between you and Chapman, you have made this personal...how is Pipa? Has she finally realised what a lying, cheating, money grabbing rat you are?"

"Oooh darling, you do sound bitter.."

"I have every right to be." She gritted her teeth "If this isn't personal, why won't you give me my divorce?"

"Urrgh! Here we go again...it's very simple Harriet, you know what I want. Sign your share of the Winfield estate over to me and you get your divorce. I have my son's inheritance to think about."

"Never." Harry felt her hackles rising, how dare he lay claim to her birthright. "Winfield Hall is my children's inheritance."

"Pah! If it wasn't for me your family would have lost Winfield Hall altogether. You have to find a husband in order to produce children and who the hell would want to marry an heiress with no inheritance...ha? A lady heiress with no money and when I've finished with her ...no reputation and social standing."

"You bastard. How did I ever end up with such a nasty, twisted, selfish, arrogant excuse for a husband?" Harry glared at him, her eyes shining.

Robert picked up his financial times and started reading "Goodbye Harriet, I have enjoyed our little chat, now run along will you. I have work to do."

Harry ground her teeth, her blue eyes shone with simmering anger. She decided to retreat for fear of pouncing on Robert and choking the life out of him. She could fully understand why some women were forced to commit murder. As she backed away towards the door she had one last parting shot. "By-the-way Robert, not everyman wants me for my money, unlike you; some men want me just for being me."

Robert suddenly put down his paper and grinned broadly "Oh I get it, now I understand what our little chat was about...you have a man! Well in that case." He said with fake cheeriness "You can go whistle for your divorce sweetheart."

Harry stomped out of the office and down the stairs..'Stupid, stupid ' she berated herself under her breath, she had let Robert get the upper hand, she had given herself away.

"How'd it go?" asked Dempsey reading her thunderous expression.

Harry climbed in the car "Just drive Dempsey; get me as far away from that despicable human being as possible."

"Whooa! That well huh? No problem partner, whatever you say." Dempsey turned the ignition and squealed away from the kerb.

Robert picked up the phone and pressed a button "Thomas, we've just had an unexpected development which has given us more ammunition. Find out who my good lady wife has been sleeping with."

With apprehension Maddy entered the SI10 office, she didn't know what she was going to find or whether Dempsey would be happy to speak to her, after all she was no private detective; she was a secondary school teacher turned amateur sleuth. She had a feeling she was going to be laughed out of the station.

"Can I help you?" asked a friendly Chas spotting the lost Maddy.

"Ooh aah, I'm looking for Leftennant Dempsey."

Chas raised an eyebrow at the young lady, she wasn't Dempsey's normal type "Is this personal or professional?" He asked thinking that Maddy could be one of Dempsey's 'girlfriends'.

Maddy had to think quickly...was it personal or professional? Or both? "Urm, professional I think.." she stuttered, "I need to speak to him, he has some files that I ...urm ..need." Maddy shuffled uncomfortably.

"Are you with the collator's office then?"

"Me? No." She shook her head "Lt Dempsey loaned out some records form the main records office, but I need them for...urm..a project I'm doing."

"Right," said Chas suspiciously "That doesn't sound like the Dempsey I know, he has a strong aversion to anything paper based...he doesn't do desk work." Chas added a smile "You sure you have the right person?"

Maddy nodded "An American policeman...I bumped into him at the records office, literally, he was leaving as I was arriving."

Chas looked puzzled; he couldn't recall Dempsey going anywhere near the records department. "When was this?"

"Yesterday afternoon." Maddy tried again.

Chas smiled warmly "Lt Dempsey was here in the afternoon then he went out on surveillance with his partner. He couldn't have possibly been there."

"It was him!" Maddy insisted "A coloured gentleman with an American accent!"

"The American accent is right, but Lt Dempsey is white." He explained.

"You sure?" Maddy said with sweet innocence, not realising what she had said.

Chas had to smile "I think I would have noticed by now."

"Oooh right," Maddy blushed with embarrassment "What a silly thing to say."

"I think you are looking for Lt Leroy Banks."

"There's more than one American police officer?"

"Yes, he works in Fenchurch East CID. He is more likely to have your files than Dempsey."

"That must be it." Said Maddy enthusiastically "Yes CID...Fenchurch...well thank you very much for your help." With that Maddy darted out of the office leaving an amused Chas shaking his head.

Gene waited patiently outside the doctor's surgery in ST Helier. He was sat on a wall smoking a cigar soaking up the sun. It was a too nicer day to be sat in a bland, souless doctor's waiting room. He watched the holiday makers file past. A coach party of pensioners had just arrived and they were making their way to the nearest cafe for a cup of tea...all blue rinses, sandals and socks plus a forest of walking sticks. Gene noted how women of a certain generation always seemed to carry a wicker bag stuffed full of wool and knitting needles. Gene found his imagination drifting off wondering who this army of knitters were knitting for. He had visions of whole families at Christmas posing for their obligatory family photo all donning hideous jumpers. Gene smiled to himself as he remembered being one such victim at the hands of his grandmother...she never seemed to get his size right, every year without fail the jumper would be too small. His blunt Manchunian Grandmother would simply say that she knitted the size people ought to be, not what they were, a less than tactful jibe at Gene's weight. He had adored his Nanna , she was quick witted with a sense of humour dry as a desert and sharp as a razor, nothing got passed her. He could never fathom out her love of Nylon though. He could picture her dressed in a brightly coloured floral nylon dress topped with her pearls...always wearing her pearls. He grimaced recalling the nylon quilt covers she insisted on putting on the spare bedroom beds, on a warm night, if you moved too much the friction of hair against nylon produced sparks that could set the bed on fire. 'Funny old dear.'

Watching the throng of wrinklies file passed him, he considered whether their houses were stuffed full of itchy nylon too. He focused on one couple, the wife nagging her poor husband into submission, the husband knowing better than to answer back. Gene chuckled, one day that would be him and Alex when all they had to worry about was whether they had packed enough talcum powder and bunion cream.

At the age of fifty one, Gene knew that he didn't have long before the Police force pensioned him off, in the current climate of change officers of Gene's ilk we're being systematically axed from the ranks. Progress, they called it, getting rid of old dead wood thinly disguised as reform. Gene was going to fight all the way. He could, he had, changed his ways, moved with the times and he just hoped that was enough to keep him in the job as long as possible.

But, then, he had Alex. She would support and help him every step of the way, she had already done so much for him. Gene counted himself as being one of the luckiest men alive. He had a job he loved, and the woman he loved, what more did he need? They would grow old disgracefully together and spend their days bickering about talcum powder and bunion cream.

"All done." Said Alex as she walked up to him, she had perked up enormously since earlier that morning.

"What did 'e say? Do I have to put yer into quarantine...or do I have to take yer to the knackers yard?" he grinned.

"She, said it was nothing to worry about, I've just picked up a stomach bug. She told me to drink plenty of water , get lots of rest and stay out of the heat."

"No more beach fer you then, best go visit those Nazi bunkers." Gene got up off the wall readying to go.

"I just need something before we go." She smiled.

"What?"

"A '99' whippy with oodles of chocolate sauce."

"She didn't tell yer to stop eating ice cream then?"

"No," Alex shook her head innocently "She said if that's all I feel like eating then eat as much as I like."

Gene got his wallet out "Do yer want a flake in it?"

"Yes please!" she grinned

"Oh soddit." moaned Gene looking across the road towards the ice cream van, "You pick yer moments."

Alex followed his gaze to see a huge queue of pensioners debating which ice cream they wanted. The hen-pecked husband was being told by his nagging wife that he wasn't allowed the nuts because they got stuck in his false teeth.

Alex laughed to Gene "That will be us one day."

Gene laughed with her "Your definitely not 'aving the nuts...you're nutty enough already."

You gotta love Maddy, she is soo sweet lol, I rather like her. I think Harry has declared war on Robert and Alex appears to be addicted to ice cream :)

I know I write fast and it can be difficult to keep upto date, but please keep reviewing as it is a great way of guaging if a story is going in the right direction. And as i say again there will be plenty of Galex from now on - things are going to kick off soon and D&M will need them to help :)

Thanks QQ