Harry drove out of SI-10 and towards home at break neck speed, trying her best, but even more annoyingly, failing, to lose Dempsey in the traffic.
She pulled up outside her house and noticed that Dempsey didn't continue on to the guest house but parked behind her car. She fumbled for the house keys in her bag before opening the car door, getting out and storming towards her house.
"Harry," Dempsey called out from the open door of his car. He rose out of his seat.
"What?" she said, turning on her doorstep.
"You want me to call for ya tomorrow mornin'?" he asked.
"Are you going to tell me what is making you and Spikings so happy about this case?" she countered.
"Aint my place to tell," he replied. "Frustratin', aint it?"
She tutted. "What?"
"Bein' kept in the dark," he answered.
"For goodness sake! That's just downright childish Dempsey!" Then she opened her door, entered and slammed it shut behind her.
Dempsey grinned, made his way through her front garden and up the steps.
"Harry," he called out, knocking on her front door. "Harry." He could sense her behind the door. "You got no electricity," he sang in a playground sort of way.
Holy cow! She'd forgotten to meet the electrician!
Damn him! She wasn't going to ask for his help! She'd just have to make do.
Now for the second little treat he'd had planned all day. Chuckling to himself, Dempsey left Harry's house, got in his car and drove back to the guest house. He picked up his belongings, said a fond farewell to Mrs B and returned to his new house, next door to Harry's. He parked his car a little down the road, so as not to alert Harry to his presence, slung his bag over his shoulder and let himself in.
Earlier that day he had taken a good look around the property and driven to the nearest supermarket to stock up his fridge with food and beer, and to buy some BBQ essentials. It was when he had spotted the BBQ around the side of the house that he had formulated the details of his plan.
Harry was feeling frustrated and worked up, and what was worse, she had nowhere to go other than The Club. She wasn't in the mood for The Club again. They'd all be there, chatting about all the trivia that always dominated their conversations, and she'd be among them, bursting with the adrenalin that always still buzzed around her body after she'd closed a case at SI-10. Well, she wasn't going to stay there in the dark all evening twiddling her thumbs. She'd just have to brave a cold shower, get changed and go out. The Club was better than nothing, she supposed.
Dempsey was sitting in his new front garden under the moon, stoking his BBQ nicely. He had his meat already cooking, his beers by his side, his feet up on the garden table… nice. Now for… the crème de la crème. Reaching out to his side, he found the button on the tape recorder, the tape having already been slotted in, ready to play. He turned up the volume to full, pressed the play button and waited.
The music that exploded out of the tape recorder and wafted around the neighborhood was a very foreign sound to those English country lanes. It was a very American sound, invading the tranquility of the evening.
With great pleasure, Dempsey sang along…
Oh, say! Can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming;
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there:
Oh, say! Does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
Harry had just finished getting changed after a ridiculously cold shower when that excruciatingly loud noise hit her ears. She froze for a moment, trying to figure out what it was. Then she raced down the stairs and flung open the door.
Dempsey was happily singing along to himself, whilst at the same time, eyeing Harry's front door with anticipation. He was just praying for the reaction he had hoped for. Minutes later, she emerged, and he wasn't disappointed.
Racing down the front steps, she seemed to have intended to run further until she spotted Dempsey and crashed to a halt.
"Dempsey?" she shouted out in astonishment over the noise.
"Howdy neighbour!" he replied, holding up his bottle of beer.
"What?" she held out her hands, utterly speechless for a moment.
Wow, she looked… different. He could honestly say that she looked as good, if not better, in a pair of tight black trousers and a figure hugging off the shoulder black top, than one of those fancy cocktail dresses she wore. And that was saying something. Hell, and she looked even more sexy when she was furious! Dempsey was getting seriously aroused.
"Dempsey!" she screeched. "Have you completely lost your mind?"
"What d'ya mean?" he asked innocently.
"What are you doing there?" she shouted back.
"Good news, we're neighbours. Doug rented me this place," he informed her.
Harry's eyes widened in horror. "I'll kill him!" she grated out.
"Ah, c'mon Harry, where's that good old English welcome?" he teased.
"Dempsey! For God sake, turn that off!" she shouted, pointing to the tape recorder.
"Why?" he shrugged, "it's good music. Makin' me feel real homely!" he came back.
"Dempsey! I'm not joking! Turn it off!" she yelled, attempting to make a short cut across the flower garden and hedge to get to that tape recorder.
Dempsey chuckled to himself as she scrambled and stumbled, unable to make her way across. Practically hyperventilating with panic, she changed her mind, and he watched as she quick marched around the hedge to his front driveway, across his lawn and over to the tape recorder, pressing the stop button with relief.
"You are quite literally insane!" she exclaimed.
"Now what d'ya do that for? Ya ruined the party!" he answered with a grin.
Practically beside herself, she ignored him and turned to march back to her house, changing her mind after just a few steps and doing an about turn for the tape recorder. She opened it and whipped the tape out.
"This is confiscated!" she announced, storming back down his driveway.
"Hey," he shouted after her, "That's stealin' my property! There are laws against that Sergeant! Thou shalt not covert thy neighbour's ox! Ox, tape recordin', same thing," he said to himself, with a giggle. He watched as she disappeared into her house again… her completely pitch black house… and he chuckled to himself. "Harry, Harry, Harry," he said, with a huge, grin on his face.
Harry paced the dark confines of her hallway until gradually, the shock of having Dempsey move in next door, as well as the horror of hearing the American National Anthem blaring out across her beloved English countryside, faded. Then, utterly inappropriately, she gave way to a few chuckles of her own.
Okay, so she was ready to go out now. She collected her belongings, scrambling for them in the dark, took a deep breath and pulled open the front door.
To her surprise, Dempsey had by then disappeared indoors. She stomped past his driveway, focused on the walk to The Club, until, without warning, she changed her mind. She needed to have this out with him. Changing course, she headed back down his driveway and up to his front door, ringing the doorbell.
It was a few moments before she heard movement within side. He was surprised; she knew it, she could tell by the unguarded look on his face when he opened the door.
"Hey neighbour," he quickly regained himself, "you want a cup of sugar?" he offered. "Or maybe some candles?" he grinned, turning to walk across his hallway and into the kitchen.
She followed him.
He had clearly transferred the BBQ food into the kitchen by then and sat down to eat a plate full of overcooked meat.
"Is there anythin' I can do for you neighbour?" he asked. Damn, she still looked as sexy as ever!
"Yes, actually there is," she replied, "you can tell me why this house of all places?"
He shrugged. "It was available."
"Hmm," she glared at him suspiciously. "You owe me an apology," she said suddenly.
He frowned, "For what?"
"For your attitude earlier. And a 'thank you' wouldn't go amiss either," she added.
"A thank you?" he questioned.
"Yes, for helping you, for risking time in prison for you, and my career," she stressed.
He searched her face, seemingly unsure of how to reply. Then he rose from his seat and turned to open the fridge. "You want a beer?" he asked.
"Dempsey?" she came back, watching as he pulled two bottles out of the fridge. He opened them and handed her one.
"Alright, let's call a truce," he replied.
She narrowed her eyes at him and declined the beer. He placed it back down on the counter top and returned to his seat with the other bottle. She continued to glare at him. He tried to ignore her and went back to eating, glancing up to see her still watching him angrily.
"Ah, c'mon, pipe down will ya!"
No reply. She folded her arms and continued to glare at him.
"Alright! I appreciate your help! Now will ya stop actin; so uptight?" he asked.
She huffed, and moved to the counter to pick up the beer bottle.
"You want some food?" he offered.
"No thank you," she answered primly.
He glanced down at the blackened meat. "Nah, me neither. It aint that good," he said, placing down his knife and fork and pushing his plate away. He picked up his beer and flung his feet up on the kitchen chair, sitting back with a grin on his face. "So, can I have my tape back now?" he asked.
Her eyes widened. "No. No you can't," she replied.
He laughed.
"You didn't even tell me why Danny faked his own death," she accused.
He sighed and took his feet from off the chair. She joined him at the table, waiting expectantly.
"After I got that phone call from him sayin' that the Borelli's had found out he was alive, before I got back to The States," he began to explain, "they got to my mother 'cause they found out Danny had been livin' with us all that time. They also found out about me. He figured that, as long as it was known he was alive, the Borelli's would go after us, but if they thought he was dead, they would have no reason to. He got support from some people in the NYPD to cover up him bein' alive. But he didn't figure on me not leavin' it alone. When I got so close to bringin' down the Borelli's, Danny panicked and sent Jackson to ward me off. She's with him, or she's coverin' him. Not sure if he wants her to, but she's doin' it," he explained. "Danny was just protectin' me," he stressed. "Dumb kid!"
Harry watched him for a while as he played with his beer bottle.
"But he's alive," she said softly, her eyes lighting up.
He smiled. "Yeah. One hell of a shock, after all this time though," he pointed out.
She didn't doubt it.
"Err," he went on, "I was kinda thinkin', it bein' such a shock an' all… maybe I came down a bit hard on ya Harry," he admitted.
"Hmm, perhaps you did," she replied.
"Yeah well, I'm sorry alright," he reluctantly said, taking a swig of his beer.
She smiled. "Apology accepted."
"So, you goin' out somewhere tonight?" he asked, assessing her clothes once more.
She shrugged. "I was contemplating going to the club for a few drinks."
"Contemplatin'?" he questioned. "You don't seem so keen on that idea."
"I don't know," she admitted, "sometimes I find it hard to wind down from a case. They are all a bit oblivious." She sighed, "Sometimes I get bored with it all," she came out.
He grinned.
"You don't have to look so smug," she observed.
"I know what ya mean," he replied, not wanting to start another argument. "It was the same with me. There aint noone who knows like… for example, ya partner," he hinted.
She fell silent.
"Aint there nowhere else near here to hang out?" he went on.
"Only the village pub, but most of the people that go there, also go into the club. Oh don't get me wrong, the club is okay, but," she screwed up her nose, "it's not exactly the kind of place to go to if one is feeling wild and reckless," she laughed.
His eyes widened with excitement. "You feelin' wild and reckless Harry?"
A smile crept over her face but she shrugged, glancing away, "I don't know, perhaps." Her eyes shot to his again.
He grinned. "So what we waitin for? Let's be wild an reckless tonight!"
She laughed. "It's probably not wise."
"Harry," he said, leaning across the table towards her, "that aint soundin' like the answer of someone who's feelin' wild and reckless."
She thought about it for a moment. "True," she concluded. "Let's go," she said, jumping up from her seat.
His heart thudded with excitement as he put down his beer bottle and stood with her. Bloody hell, she was full of surprises tonight. This evening was turning out even better than he had planned!
"You order a cab, I'm gonna go freshen up," he said, turning to rush for the door.
She shook her head. "We won't get a cab out here."
Dempsey paused on his way out of the kitchen, and turned back to her.
"But we do have an 'Eddie'," she went on.
He shot her a questioning look.
She laughed. "He sometimes offers to be chauffeur if he gets paid."
"Great," he replied, "so phone him."
And with that, grinning from ear to ear, he disappeared upstairs to change his clothes.