Dempsey was pacing up and down in one of the MET office waiting for a detective to come back with Maggie's file. Patience had never been his forte, but his constant walking was grating on Harry's nerves. The situation was bad enough without him making it worse.

Jessica had insisted this morning on coming back to SI10 to know exactly how the enquiry had progressed. Harry wasn't sure it was such a good idea, but James had been all for it. At least she had spared this to Tommy by insisting for him to go to school.

Barely had they arrived than Dempsey was asking to read the files, and see what they had gathered. To Harry's despair, Chas, being a long-time friend, had obliged, saying he would join them later. She and James had left the force a long time ago and she was happy to lead her life far from crime. Becoming a mother had changed her priorities and she didn't like the look on Dempsey's face as the officer came back with a copy of the files. Soon, he was scanning the papers. Then, he handed her some of them "What d'you think about it Harry?"

She couldn't help but smile; after all those years he hadn't changed, he still hated paper work as much as ever. Despite herself, she grabbed the files and flicked through them. The case wasn't going anywhere. They had spotted a white van on different cameras, and its plate number was one of a stolen vehicle. But so far, they had no idea where it could be now. She raised her head and spotted James absorbed by a piece of paper, one hand clenching at the seat. It was Jessica's deposition.

Harry put the files back on the table and lay her hand on his. They shared a supportive look and at that moment, Chas Jarvis entered the room accompanied by Lucy Duncan. Harry gave her a weak smile but she didn't seem aware of it. The woman sat in the corner of the room quietly, not looking at any of them, her grief seemed beyond tears. The couple looked at her sadly, not knowing what to say.

"So? Do you have something? Do you know who these men are? When are you going to find her?" Jessie jumped on the superintendant not bearing their stillness.

Dempsey put a hand on her arm. "Calm down princess." Jessica looked a bit upset but resumed her seat, leaving her father in charge. "So Chas, what do you have?"

The head of SI10 pointed to the files Harry had been reading. "The van is a dead end. It was reported as stolen on Tuesday by a delivery company. We spotted it on a few cameras around the street where Margaret Duncan was kidnapped but then it disappeared." He shook his head, frustrated not to have better results with this point.

"What do you mean it disappeared? Vans don't disappear, they change roads, they park into garage; they just don't disappear!"

"Don't you think I know that Dempsey? I've got a team dedicated to watch speed cameras, bank's security videos all around the street where the van was spotted for the last time but they haven't found anything yet!"

Dempsey started pacing again. "What about all your electronic doodads? What about satellites?"

"What satellites?" Chas repeated blankly.

"You know, satellites, out there" he waved above his head "Watching us all the time. Why don't you find that damned van with the satellites?"

Chas was a bit fazed. "It doesn't work like that Dempsey." He glanced at Harry for support.

"SI10 doesn't own a satellite James, and even if it did, you would have to point the satellite at the right place at the right moment for it to show you something. It's like a computer, you can't find an information if it's not here."

Dempsey flung his arms up in fury, made a few steps and leaned on the wall. "Ok, let's forget the van for the moment. What about the people behind it? Any clue on who they are, their motive?"

"None of Maggie's friends have criminal records and Jessica didn't recognize the men's voices. So it probably wasn't a planned abduction. Maybe they chose her on a whim."

"No!" Jessie cut in, remembering. "It wasn't random. The man with the gun clearly said it was her they wanted."

"You're sure baby?" Dempsey checked.

She nodded.

"So they knew Maggie…" Dempsey was walking again, running nervously a hand in his hair. Harry knew he was back to his old cop's habit, building up a theory.

Mrs. Duncan stifled a sob. "Who would want to hurt my little girl? She's always been so nice." She buried her face behind a tissue.

But Dempsey didn't pay her any attention, he was back to the table, searching through the files. "Is that the people you checked?" he demanded rashly, showing Chas a list of names.

"Yes, these are the friends your daughter and Maggie's mother named us yesterday. But there's nothing to find. Most of them are regular teens."

"Well there has to be someone! Something!" he was starting to be 'possessed' by the case just like he used to get years ago when lives were at stake and the enquiry seemed to go nowhere.

He knelt near his daughter. "Try and remember. When you were in this alley did you see anything? At the back of your mind, visualize it."

Jessica closed her eyes and took a deep breath, but not long after she was staring at her father with tearful eyes. "No, there's nothing else. I told you everything. They came out of the van and we tried to fight them, but… But there was nothing I could do."

"Then what about their clothes, their hair, their voices? What about the vehicle? Was there something special about it like marks or scratches?"

Harry started frowning as she heard him churning out questions to the poor girl who was shaking her head desperately. Maggie's mother stifled another sob near them and Dempsey rounded on her.

"So what about her frequentations? Did you notice anything strange lately? Phone calls? Visits?" he turned to Chas "Did you check her e-mail address?" but without waiting for an answer he was already back to facing the women. "Did she have a row with someone ? At school maybe? Or somewhere else, she had a job on Saturdays right?"

"She only had friends!" her mother whimpered.

"Seems not! Come on! One of you must think of someone! Anyone!"

"Ok! That's enough!" Harry boomed. She got up and pushed violently her husband out of the room into the corridor then shoves him into the ladies' locker room.

"What are you doing?" complained Dempsey as she pushed him with one finger towards the back of the room. "Hey! What's the matter with you?"

"I've had enough!" she answered vehemently.

"Enough what?"

"You know exactly what I mean."

"I haven't the faintest idea!"

"You haven't?" she was ironical.

"No!"

"Well listen to me carefully!" She bore her eyes into his. "I don't know what you think you're playing at but I don't like it. I really don't! You're not a cop anymore, so why don't you let Chas do his job!"

"Look I'm trying to help here! If we wanna find Maggie, we need new hints, new tracks! You know that! Jess or Lucy have to know something, someone, and they're not helping. We need that name!"

Harry looked at him in total disbelief. "They're not helping? I'd rather say that YOU're not helping, lieutenant!" her voice was louder and louder with every word "Don't you realize who you're talking to anymore? Lucy is Maggie's mother and Jessica, your daughter, is her best friend! That's who they are! So for god's sake will you stop behaving like an INSENSITIVE STUPID BASTARD!"

Dempsey's face had slowly hardened during her little speech. They were now staring at each other with contempt, almost hatred. Harry's eyes were shining with angry tears. It seemed the last twenty years had evaporated into thin air and they were back to those days when they couldn't stand each other.

"Stupid bastard am I?" he repeated in a voice too calm to be genuine. "Well let me tell you something lady! The enquiry's going nowhere. If we haven't got any new clue in the next two days, the odds on finding Maggie safe and sound will be close to zero!" He threw her a challenging look. "I don't know if you remember but she's our daughter's best friend!"

Harry wasn't fazed at all. "So what? You want to work on the case, you want to play cops and robbers again? Well so be it, but don't forget the stats coming with the job!"

"What stats?" he asked furiously.

"The highest rate of suicides, alcoholism" she paused and bore her eyes into his "… of broken marriages."

Dempsey opened his mouth but didn't say anything. The seconds stretched into eternity till Harry turned her head and made to leave the room. Standing in front of the closed door she addressed to him with a sad voice.

"Like I said, you're not a cop anymore. Do us a favour, leave it to Chas."