So there you go - bribery & corruption does pay! 11 reviews for Ch.6 since Friday afternoon! I could get used to this.

Chapter 7

Hangman

They arrived back at Dempsey's flat in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Dempsey felt a lot more sober than he should have done, given the amount he'd drunk and he knew this had something to do with the questions he had pinballing around in his head.

"Wow, that was some night!" Toni exclaimed as she flopped down onto the couch.

"Wasn't it though!" Dempsey sat down heavily beside her.

From the bathroom, Greg called, "That club was amazing, Jimmy. I had the coolest time."

"We'll be sure and go again before you guys have to leave."

"Yeah, that'd be great."

Greg bounced into the living room, grinning from ear to ear.

"So who's for coffee?" asked Dempsey, about to get up again.

Greg raised his hands. "Let me. Strong and black, right?"

"No, it's fine," Dempsey protested, "you're a guest."

Toni laughed impudently. "Let him make it, already. One thing you gotta know about Greg, he gives great coffee."

Dempsey shifted uncomfortably, scratching the side of his nose. "Okay… well, I'll errr… you go right ahead there pal."

Greg leaned forward. "I'll be back in two shakes," he said with overt campness before turning on his heel.

"So," said Toni, taking in the sight of her companion's slumped form. "Somethin' eatin' you, babe?"

"Me?"

"Yeah, you." She cocked at eyebrow at him. "I don't remember you bein' this quiet is all."

"Maybe I learned to calm down a little – happens to the best of us."

"Mmmm," said Toni, knowingly. "Just that it only seemed to happen after your partner beat it with Tall, Dark and Handsome this evening."

Dempsey's head rolled to the side. "Aww, c'mmon, cut it out. I already told ya, there ain't nothin' happenin' there."

"And I already told you, when she found out we weren't married, those big blue eyes lit up."

"Is that so surprisin' after she thought her partner had been keepin' somethin' like that quiet for over three years?"

"All I'm sayin' is your Harry had relief written all over that pretty face o' hers."

"And she ain't my Harry," Dempsey grumbled churlishly.

"No, that's right, she's Tall, Dark and Handsome's Harry."

Dempsey opened his mouth to bluster some more but catching the grin on Toni's face, he began to laugh.

"You, lady," he pointed a finger her way, "are what's known around this manor as a wind-up merchant."

"Jimmy, are you speakin' Pig Latin?"

She made a face and he laughed again. "I'm talkin' like a native now, ha?"

When Dempsey awoke on Sunday morning it was barely light outside. Despite the booze, he's slept fitfully, tossing and turning uncomfortably most of the night on the couch he had made up as a bed. He's slept on it many times in the past with no trouble at all; it was as wide as a single bed and as firm as a mattress, in fact, a little too easy to fall asleep on when you had a beer in your hand and the late night movie on the t.v.

But this morning he had a splitting headache and he realised that it was actually this that had caused him to awaken so early.

Groggily, he levered himself up into a sitting position, pressing the heels of his hands against his forehead in an attempt to relieve the pressure.

Carefully, he pulled back the spare duvet he had taken down from the top of the wardrobe last night and got unsteadily to his feet.

Strong coffee and a couple of pain-killers…

But the coffee seemed like a bad idea right now as he wasn't sure he could handle anything other than plain water.

In the kitchen he found a box of Paracetamol next to the butter dish and swallowed two down with a glass of tap water.

"You too, huh?" asked Toni, stepping gingerly through the kitchen door, her eyes immediately alighting on the pain killers.

"Oh yeah," he agreed, "feels like the mother of all hangovers. I swear I ain't had the Irish flu this bad since Nixon resigned office back in '74!

Toni took the glass from out of his hand and fumbled with the packet of Paracetamol. "I know I didn't drink enough to deserve this sledge-hammer I got poundin' in my head. I'm willin' to bet some bozo slipped us a Micky last night."

"What, in Stringfellows?" he began sceptically and then conceded, "hell why not? I guess they just have a better class of bozo in a joint like that."

Toni nodded wearily. "Listen, I gotta sit down. I feel like shit."

Shoulders hunched, she made her way across to the small breakfast table and lowered herself steadily into one of the two rattan chairs.

"You want tea?" Dempsey asked, flicking on the kettle switch.

He could cope with tea he realised, tea was milder than coffee and somehow comforting. Tea was one thing he was happy to applaud the Brits for.

"Thanks, Demp, tea would be good."

With his head pounding, he slowly dragged the teapot towards him across the counter. A 'proper' cup of tea had to come out of a pot. Makepeace had told him that and she knew about these things; she'd been 'taking tea' since she was knee-high to Earl Grey – whoever he was.

"Take it Greg's still asleep?"

"Uh huh. I'll take a cup through – find out how he's feelin' when he wakes up."

"Gotta be feelin' better than me, that's for sure."

"Yeah," Toni sighed, resting her head in her hands.

As though on cue, just when Dempsey had finished pouring out the third mug, Greg appeared in the doorway. The smile on his face told them everything they needed to know.

"Looks like it's just us two, Jimmy," said Toni.

"You two, what?" Greg asked. "What have I missed?"

"We're hangin' big-time, baby-cakes. Looks like we had our drinks spiked last night."

Greg paraded into the kitchen, a look of wonderment lighting up his face. "Spiked? No way!"

He took the mug Dempsey offered, looking at him carefully. "You do look a little… ashen."

"Thanks," said Dempsey, his usual smart mouth failing him.

"You need to sit your tush down before you fall down," Greg told him with concern as he put a guiding arm around his back and steered him to the breakfast table to sit beside Toni.

"Now I'm gonna make you two beautiful people somethin' to eat…" he raised a hand to their protests, "just somethin' light, you guys need to eat," Greg began opening cupboard doors in search of suitable foodstuffs. "And if you're feelin' better later we'll go sight-seeing."

He turned back to them, holding the unopened loaf of bread Dempsey had bought yesterday.

"If not, I'll run down to the video store and we can spend the day all snuggly-warm on the couch watchin' weepies. And you can feel sorry for yourselves while I take care of you," he added with a generous smile. "How 'bout that, huh?"

"Weepies?" Dempsey questioned dubiously, raising his tea to his lips.