Life On The Other Side: Bolt

CID takes up a campaign to bring down local brothel-king Craig Bolt on rumours of supporting the trade of underage prostitutes. What they uncover is more than they imagined…

In Part 1: Bolt, the team follow up Craig and his wife Hayleigh as they traffic women in from overseas, but all these women have passports and working VISAs, and all are of legal age. Can they prove Bolt is into something deeper than what they find?

Rated M
PC Millie Brown/DS Max Carter/OC
Crime

Chapter One;
Bolt

DC Stevie Moss stuck the picture up on the whiteboard. The dark-haired figure, three-day-growth covering his chin, growled back at them, his sneer meeting every face in the room. "His name is Craig Bolt. He's just come down from Glasgow and he's suspected of running two underage brothels in the area, one on the Barton Street patch and one on ours."

DS Stuart Turner stepped forward to explain what he knew. "The only registered brothel on our patch is run by his wife Hayleigh, but as far as we know, everyone there is over 21." He wrote an address on the board. "That said; we're following this one with interest because as far as we can see, it's not all it says it is."

"We've had six reports of abuse on the girls at the brothel. Just last July one girl was thrown down two flights of stairs at her mother's home on the Maycroft. She didn't press charges, but it was believed to have been Bolt." Stevie spoke up. "And it seems that this is how he treats any girl who tries to leave his line of work."

"What about the underage girls allegation? Where'd that come from?" PC Millie Brown, who was seated up the back, spoke up.

"An old colleague of Bolt's is an informant of mine. He mentioned it in passing, I don't think he actually meant to." Stuart gave a sly smile. "But he's given us exactly what we want. Bolt has been on the radar for a while now, but we've had nothing more than possession charges on him. He's as slippery as a frog in butter."

"Your analogies scare me Stuart." Stevie muttered, stepping forward again. Millie, and the other PC with her, Ben Gayle, both chuckled too. At the front of the room a very serious-looking DS Max Carter stayed still and silent, just staring at the board in his usual brooding way. Millie didn't look at him. It was pretty much public knowledge amongst the relief that Millie had taken a liking to Max a while ago, something that she'd neither accepted nor denied, taking the high road and staying completely silent on the matter. Of course hoping, in that silence, that her colleagues' big mouths hadn't let the rumour spread to CID. Stevie continued as Stuart just grinned a reply. "This is where you come in PC Brown, Gayle, we need you to get into the brothel, find out if Bolt's in there. Any way you can, it's up to you."

"We'll just say we're looking for information, on a break-in down the road." Millie suggested. Max glanced up. She looked away. "That should get us inside, if they have the least bit of decency." She smiled.

Stevie gave a lazy, one-shouldered shrug. "Maybe not a safe assumption, but see what you can do. Once you know Bolt's in there, send through the keyword on the radio which is 'Anderson' and we'll come around."

"You going to pick him up there and then?" Ben asked, frowning.

Stuart shook his head. "Max and I will be following him. My informant says he has a job this afternoon at the docks. A delivery. We have no idea which dock though, so we need to find him. While you're doing that, the rest of us will be following up some other locals of his."

Millie nodded. "And if he isn't there? What's the codeword then?"

Stevie shook her head. "Nothing, just head back here. Hopefully someone will find him." Stevie gave a smile. "Alrighty, let's get to it. Hunting, my favourite part of the job." She turned to discuss something silently with Stuart as Millie and Ben stood, making for the door.

Max caught up with them. "Millie," Millie stopped and glanced back at him as Ben swapped a look with her and kept on to the car. "Be careful of Hayleigh Bolt, she's got a record."

Millie gave one of her usual brilliant smiles. "I know, I read the file. Don't worry, I'll get her to talk." Then, politely ignoring the fact he seemed very ready to say something else, Millie continued on her way.


A/N: Beware… I have a new ship! I believe they're calling it Mix. Beware me and my love of Mix…