Oh well rollercoasters have dips and highs:

The next morning even Dempsey realised the atmosphere was still icy.

"You having breakfast?" he tried to ask light heartedly.

Harry looked at her watch "No time: I'm getting the 7.40 to Belfast"

"You're what?"

"You heard"

"You ain't going. I've booked us…"

"I'm working Dempsey"

"So what do you think I'm doing Sergeant?"

"Having an affair"

"What"

"You heard"

"How do you come up with that?"

"Mr and Mrs Dempsey book into said hotel, had what I must admit was a very enjoyable first evening, but before 24 hours are up you, Lieutenant, have had stunning Clarissa all over you in the office, taken her out for a drive in your 'sexy' car and had dinner with her in the very hotel you're supposed to be staying at with me!"

"What!"

"Why do you keep saying bloody 'what' Dempsey"

"Because Sergeant I don't understand"

"Well it's about time you tried"

"If you ask me it's about time you started to think a bit more reasonably, no rationally"

"Reasonable, that's a laugh"

"I ain't laughing Harry"

"Neither am I"

"You want to know about Belfast?"

"You want to know about Cork?"

Makepeace picked up her bag and jacket and walked out.

Dempsey didn't feel much like breakfast so he went into the office.

Inspector O'Malley looked up, he wasn't expecting to see the Brits today, DS Sullivan had said they were off to Cork.

Next time he looked up was because he overheard a snatch of conversation "Thank you for dinner last night Jim, great food – great company"

O'Malley wandered casually across the office "You're off to Cork I hear Lieutenant"

"Yeh, soon as I've got these details filed"

"Sergeant Makepeace not helping you? I understood she was the master of this side of things?"

"No, and Yes"

"Sorry"

"No she's not helping me; yes she is better at it"

"I hope she's not ill?" O'Malley tried to sound casual but it was obvious to the whole office as well as Dempsey that he was fishing.

Dempsey looked O'Malley straight in the eyes "What you want to know is where she is?" O'Malley coughed "Belfast" Dempsey continued to stack his notes as he spoke then he looked back into O'Malley's eyes. They stared each other out.

Clarissa couldn't believe her luck - she spoke up "I'm going to the local for an early lunch, do you want to join me? I could go over the route with you"

Dempsey broke the stare and turned to Clarissa "Thanks Sergeant" he put the notes in his coat pocket, picked up a folder and a map and beckoning Carissa with his eyes left the office. She followed but not before O'Malley pointedly reminded her that there was a briefing in 45 minutes on the IRA case. Clarissa thought half an hour alone with Jim was worth the stripping down she knew she would get when she came back.

In the pub Dempsey bought drinks and asked her to go over the route again. Clarissa enjoyed getting close to Dempsey and guiding his finger over the map through key points. Dempsey drank quickly, thanked Clarissa for her advice and informed her as to which hotel he had booked in case Makepeace rang in for it before leaving.

When Clarissa came back she passed Quinn just leaving O'Malley's office, he looked like he had just be whipped and lashed.

Spikings picked up his phone, he heard an Irish voice "Chief Inspector your crack team is not crack and is not even a team. You've sent me an over sexed Yank whose fooling around with my staff and a pig headed woman who's not speaking to anyone!"

Spikings rubbed his head and groaned. "Leave them to me Inspector; they will come up with a first class investigation I promise you". He put the phone down "I hope" he added. "Chas" he shouted "get me the details of the bloody hotel Dempsey wanted"

Chas brought the paper work in "Gov?" he enquired.

"That bloody Yank is up to his old tricks, we'll have a diplomatic mission as big as the Catholic Protestant thing on our hands soon if we're not lucky"

Spikings dialled the hotel himself but when he asked for Mr and Mrs Dempsey he was informed they had checked out, with no forwarding details.

"Bloody Hell Chas! See if you can track down either of them, apparently Dempsey has gone off to Cork and Makepeace across the border to Belfast"

"Not together then?" asked Chas

"I'm not so sure that marriage suited them" ~ at least that made Spikings smile for a moment.