As the lift door pinged open, Max glanced at Millie to his left. She was staring straight ahead, as if she was unaware of his existence. Yet he knew that was not true. He knew she was thinking about him alright, but that her thoughts were unlikely to be flattering.
Max hadn't been at all keen to take her along to talk to Michelle and they had clashed once again before even getting to the flat door. Millie had been adamant that she understood the girl well enough to know exactly how to get the necessary information from her. Michelle was traumatised from a lifetime of abuse and had only recently found herself in a stable relationship. The very last thing she would be able to cope with was aggression from a domineering police officer. Max hadn't agreed but she hadn't given him a chance when Michelle had let them into her flat. Despite their difference in rank, Millie immediately took the lead giving him no opportunity to speak and instead he found himself a bystander to their conversation. For once he was stunned into silence by the strength of her determination. He had to admit though, she was right. Michelle had told them what they needed to know and with the support of her boyfriend had agreed that she would testify if necessary.
It was therefore with mixed feelings that Max stepped into the lift after Millie and pressed the button to take them down to ground level. The DI was away "connecting" with his son and that left a vacuum in CID. Max was determined to fill it but realised that he was going to have to up his game in terms of his people skills where his colleagues were concerned. He tried to convince himself that was part of the reason why he had allowed Millie her head with the witness. The other part, well he wasn't so sure anymore.