Dempsey threw the remote control down on the coffee table with a groan and picked up yesterday's newspaper, turning the pages over in search of something to read that he might have missed. It was a fruitless exercise and he knew it but he had another couple of hours to kill before he needed to go to work and he was unused to being up so early so he had no idea how else to fill his time. Lying in bed with no hope of returning to sleep was torturous, even more so for the way his mind had begun to go over and over yesterday's events driving him to distraction with uncertainties and 'what ifs.' Without warning the sound of the telephone cut into the silence and sent his heart thundering. He turned to look at the phone on the table next to him, contemplating for a minute not picking it up. The ringing continued however so he snatched the receiver up suddenly, waiting for the caller to indicate who they were before speaking.

"Dempsey?" It was a man's voice.

"Boss?"

"Would you mind getting that Yankee brain of yours into working order pronto, I want you in here early today. There's the small matter of government corruption that we need to discuss…oh and get Makepeace up on the way, she's not answering her phone." Dempsey fell silent for a moment. "Dempsey? Am I speaking to quickly for you at this time of the morning? Would you like me to make it simpler?" Dempsey's mind was still grappling with the prospect of having to face Makepeace at her house. "Get out of bed, get your partner and get in here…now!"

"She's probably asleep, try phoning her again boss," he suggested.

Spikings fought to hold on to his patience. "Lieutenant, I think we can safely say that she is asleep, which is why she isn't answering her phone, why I can't speak to her and why I am asking you for the last time to get out of there and wake her up!"

He sighed. "Alright, alright I'm going!"

"So good of you. Be here within the hour," he ordered, hanging up the phone.

Dempsey sat in his car and for once the early morning rush hour traffic was not trying his patience. The traffic jam he was caught in gave him a little extra time to consider what to say to Makepeace and to wonder how she would react.

Hey, maybe I'll be lucky and she won't have listened to her messages. It's possible. Then I can delete it. And if she has…well…I come on to her all the time right? So nothin's new. Okay so it was a little stronger come on this time but…stresses of the job and all that…it can make a man do strange things. But I ain't that desperate, I aint gonna pounce on her if she don't want it, so why'd she run off like that? A simple 'I'm busy tonight, let's take a rain check' would have done! Wait…so what was yesterday all about then? Come to think of it she was givin' me a fair bit of the come on herself! Yeah, that's right!

He groaned and accelerated around the car in front of him, suddenly irritated by his own thought processes. By the time he reached Makepeace's house he was a mass of tension.

He got out of his car and strode purposefully to the front door, punching the doorbell with his forefinger and holding it on the button with the anticipation that Makepeace would take some time to answer. He was surprised therefore when she opened the door immediately, fully dressed and ready for work.

"Oh! You're up," he said instinctively.

"Amazing," she said clicking her fingers at him, "for a police lieutenant your powers of deduction are truly second to none!"

He frowned. "Spikings has been trying to contact you, we thought you'd be in bed."

"Oh I see," she said, standing aside to allow him to enter, "so it was Spikings then. I heard the phone ring but I was in the shower." He had a sudden vision of her showering then which was swiftly followed by a vivid recollection of them standing under the stream of water.

Is he going to come in or is he just going to stand there staring at me? Okay, now I'm feeling awkward.

"Maybe he left a message," she said without thinking and inwardly cringing as she moved away from the door and back into the lounge. He sprung into action then and bolted through the front door after her, stopping suddenly when she turned around with a look of surprise.

"He asked me to come get you," he said quickly, "we gotta go now Harry. We aint got no time or he'll blow a gasket…you know Spikings," he added with a nervous laugh.

He thinks I haven't listened to the message yet.

"Yes, I know Spikings. I'll just get my bag then," she replied, walking to the bureau and picking up her bag and keys. As soon as her back was turned Dempsey moved towards the phone and answering machine to see if there were any waiting messages. She turned too quickly for him to check however, forcing him to make pretence of looking out of the window instead. She smiled with amusement when she realised what he was trying to do.

Serves him right for having second thoughts and leaving me standing at the office.

She strolled up behind him and gazed out of the window, moving her face in line with his.

"See anything interesting?" she asked with a questioning look, trying not to laugh. He jumped and turned to face her.

"No," he said shaking his head and faking innocence.

"Shall we go then?" she suggested, waiting for him to move.

When he made no attempt to leave she walked ahead of him to the front door with a knowing look. His eyes immediately shot to the answering machine again, however as he reached out to it he heard Makepeace call to him from outside,

"Hurry up lieutenant, Spikings is waiting." She popped her head back around the door and he groaned inwardly, giving up on the answering machine and joining her on the porch. She locked the door and dropped her keys into her handbag.

"Let's go," she said with a polite smile.