I have completely failed to get this story to where I wanted it to be for this time of year...oh well we plough on...not entirely sure if anyone is still reading it...

Chapter 30

Dempsey's instinct was get the 'hell out of there' as fast as humanly possible. Mixed emotions wracked his body forcing his hands to shake uncontrollably. Even the action of gripping the car steering wheel until his knuckles were white couldn't steady his hands. He felt sick, nauseous waves crashed in the pit of his stomach. He was dead, as good as a dead man walking. Coltrane, the assistant chief of the NYPD had signed his death sentence and had sent his executioner in the form of Dan. No judge, no jury just a cold steel bullet which could hit him in the back of the head at any second.

'Life is hard then you die' Screw that! This wasn't a level playing field, this wasn't a fair fight. Dempsey had always considered dying in the line of duty as an occupational hazard, but at the hands of his boss, someone who was supposed to be on his side protecting him …that was an entirely different ball game. It shouldn't happen like that.

Dempsey ran through the victims in his head, Joey, Mickey, Dan , countless others no one really knew about…and now him. Leroy! Leroy after he got Dempsey?…Hell, it was open season on American cops. This presented Dempsey with another problem, did he warn Leroy? What was he going to say to him? How would he warn him and not mark him out to Coltrane's henchman? He'd deal with that later, he had to save his own skin and Harry's first.

That thought stopped all others in their tracks, Harry, his partner, his beautiful, stunning ….lover. Dempsey felt his blood turn to ice in his veins. He risked a glance in her direction to discover she was staring at him quizzically. She knew Dempsey well enough to know there was something very wrong, but couldn't seem to force a question from her lips…not that she could find a sensible one to ask. Instead she continued to fix upon him hoping that he'd reply. Dempsey looked quickly away, how could he explain to her? Somehow his explanation would feel like a confession, like somehow he'd been lying to her all this time. She would be hurt, angry that he didn't feel he could confide in her the true reason to why he was in London. Of course, it wasn't like that at all, his silence was to protect her, but could he take the risk of upsetting her?

Dempsey fixed his eyes on the road, he needed to get to Spikings, the chief would know what to do. He would make it all right for Harry. Dempsey had to admit that he respected Spikings and ultimately trusted him. If anyone was going to keep them both alive it was Spikings. One thing that was clear in Dempsey's mind , this was going to be a difficult battle between SI10 and the corrupt arm of the NYPD with Dempsey the pawn.

He gritted his teeth, this was the final showdown at the Last chance Saloon…it was either him or Coltrane.

Maddy Andrews and her father Max jumped as Gene's fist hit the front door of their quiet semi. Shocked, the leapt from their chairs and stood bewildered in the middle of the front room, unsure whether they should answer it or call the police.

Gene losing patience leaned on the door bell and hammered at the same time. "Oi! Dippy tart! Answer the bloody door!"

"It's Hunt." Max whispered "Has he come to arrest me?"

"I don't know Daddy." She whimpered "could be why we haven't seen Leroy."

They jumped again as Gene thumped the door more forcefully.

Maddy ventured closer to the door and asked in a shaky voice "Gene, what do you want?"

"Open the ruddy door and I'll tell you….and it's DCI Hunt to you."

Maddy opened the door on the safety chain and peered through the crack. She was relived to find Alex stood next to the towering Guv "Oh Alex…."

"And you address her as DI Hunt when she's acting on police business." Barked Gene.

Maddy suddenly found her hackles rising at Gene's rudeness "And you address me as Miss Andrews when you come round here shouting the odds."

"Bugger that, I don't have time tiptoe around being nice. Open this sodding door."

Maddy relented and took the door off the chain, but didn't bother opening the door fully to let them in. She retreated into the front room followed by Gene and Alex.

"I say, this is no way to speak to members of the public, I have a good mind to report you." Said Max, feeling a little braver.

Gene snapped "Shut up!"

"Gene!" said Alex in a feeble attempt to rein him in.

"Where's that scrote Leroy?" demanded Gene

The Andrews weren't expecting that question, it had taken them by surprise. Maddy replied "We don't know, we haven't seen him."

"Bollocks!" exclaimed Gene "You two are like Siamese twins….joined at the bloody hip..and no doubt by other body parts.."

"Gene!" yelped Alex, "that's disgusting."

"Lips, I meant lips woman."

"Maddy is speaking the truth, we haven't seen him, or heard of him for weeks. He's broken my daughters heart."

"Pass me the sick bucket….bugger her heart. My officer has gone awol and I want to know where he is, sharpish. He is over here on a gentleman's agreement with the NYPD and it is my duty to make sure he is safe, well and working."

"I don't see how that is any concern of ours….." challenged Max

"I'm not his keeper." Jumped in Maddy "He can go to hell for all I care…" Maddie tried to sound strong, but couldn't hold back the tears welling up in the corners of her eyes.

Gene leant menacingly into Maddy's space and growled "If we don't find him a-s-a-p, ye daft mare, he could well be there already…..or even dredging the bottom of the Thames as we speak."

Maddy's breath caught in the back of her throat, the colour rapidly draining from her face. The thought of Leroy being found dead in the Thames struck cold fear into her heart making her legs turn to jelly

"Look here Hunt, if you're trying to terrify my daughter you're doing a bloody good job…"

"How many corpses have you seen fished out of the Thames, Dr Andrews? Eh? You being a coroner…or should I say ex coroner? Not a pretty sight is it? I'm sure little Maddy 'ere will want to remember him alive…."

"DCI Hunt! That is enough!"

"For heavens sake Gene, you've gone too far." Said Alex, feeling disgusted with her husband's interview tactics."

"I'm only just getting warmed up…" barked Gene, still jutting out his jaw uncomfortably close to Maddy's face. "Do you know why Lt Banks is here in London?"

"He's here on some sort of exchange thing." Said Maddy defiantly trying to sound like she knew.

Gene didn't believe her "Is that right? That's what 'es told you..is it? Cobblers."

Max felt a greater need to stand up for his daughter. It was like Hunt was accusing Maddy rather than simply asking questions. "Hunt, if Maddy says she doesn't know, she doesn't know. Now if you persist in pestering my daughter like this I will be forced to call my solicitor."

Gene pouted "That will be a difficult phone call since both Makepeace and Lyons are in the nick – you will be going there next." Gene turned to him "That's a point, why haven't you been arrested yet for falsifying evidence?"

A flash of fear struck both Maddy and her father . They knew, despite Harry's influence, that it was very unlikely Max would get away with altering the coroner's report which Robert Makepeace had forced him to do all those years ago. It was only a matter of time before he would be arrested. Max tried to hold himself high "I have been suspended pending an investigation. Affairs haven't reached that point yet."

"Bent bastard." Sneered Gene.

Alex kept quiet. She knew what Dr Max Andrews did broke the law, but there was a big part of her which felt sorry for him. However she couldn't let her feelings get in the way of her work or finding Leroy. She knew Gene was desperate to find Leroy. For all his bluster, shouting and rudeness, he needed to know that Leroy was safe from the clutches of Coltrane or that he hadn't been bumped off down a cold dark alley. Deep down she was scared for him also.

"Daddy was forced to do it." Said Maddy quietly "It wasn't his fault."

Gene shot Maddy a disgusted look "Does lying run in the family I wonder?"

"What!" said Maddy

"Like father like daughter? Eh? Are you lying to me about Leroy?"

"No,no…"

"Cos if you are, and you know where 'e is and you don't tell me…..if he's found floating in the Thames I could have you done for obstructing the police. Comprehende?"

Gene's fiery eyes burned deeper into Maddy's making her feel like a small naughty child, but she remained tight lipped partly stunned by Gene's aggression and partly because she wasn't going to tell him anything.

With one last disgruntled look at both Father and Daughter, Gene marched out of the house.

"That went well." Alex said sarcastically, half running to keep up with him.

Gene wore the expression of a bulldog chewing a lemon "She knows."

"Don't think she does. Why would she not tell us? You've put fear of god into her about Leroy being murdered. She would be worried about his safety."

"She's not worried because she knows where he is…" insisted Gene.

"I don't think she does!" exasperated Alex pressed him further.

"So you have already said- several times."

"I have to say everything over and over because you don't listen."

"Look Bolls, we have to find Leroy before he ends up in the shit. It could be that he's decided to go on a little trip round Britain to have a looksee…or it could be some gang somewhere has got 'im."

Harry watched the conversation between Dempsey and Spikings like a spectator at a tennis match. Her head turned, looked to one man and then to the other. She had been trying to follow the conversation, but found she hadn't a clue what they were talking about. This both confused and riled her. It was quite clear that she hadn't been privy to a certain amount of information, yet Spikings seemed to be fully informed. She was struck with the thought that once again, she had been deliberately kept in the dark and automatically concluded, wrongly, because she was just a woman, she didn't need to know.

"So we send you another town." Offered Spikings

"No, I stay right here until I found out what the hell is going on and how they found me in the first place. I go deep undercover." He wasn't going to run again otherwise he could spend the rest of his life in hiding – Hiding was not an option, Dempsey wanted a normal life back.

'What the hell is he playing at?' thought Harry.

"Well Harry will be your control." replied Spikings, the thought of Dempsey going deep undercover without Harry keeping close tabs on him sat uncomfortably in Spikings mind.

"Wait a minute." protested Harry. This had gone far enough. "I'm not being anything until someone tells me what's going on." She looked first to Dempsey and then to Spikings.

Spikings rose to his feet and stated to Dempsey "I'll arrange your funeral." He left the room. It wasn't his place to explain….that was Dempsey's job… in whichever way he saw fit….hopefully in a tactful fashion which minimised fall out.

Dempsey gave a loud sigh and moved to stare out of the window and compose himself 'Well here goes – confession time'

Sorry its a short chapter, but decided something was better than nothing. So, does Maddy know where Leroy is? And how will it affect Dempsey?