Where can you find the time lines to prove who held the return and who is liable for the item being late? If returning bank returned the item in the 24 hour period how long do there up stream banks have to hold the item?

This link will take you to the FRB Services page where the "Claim of Late Return" and the "Response..." forms are located. They recite the appropriate time frames for each at the bottom.

There is no specific time frame in which the check must travel from the paying bank back to the depositary bank - that time frame is beyond the paying bank's control.

The UCC merely says the paying bank must start the check on its journey before midnight of the banking day following the banking day of presentment. Regulation CC chimes in by saying the bank must use an "expeditious" method for return, generally described as the "forward collection" or "2 day/4 day" tests. You can find those standards discussed at 12 CFR 229.30 .