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Yay! I graduated! So here's a shiny new chapter to go with my shiny new degree…

Chapter Ten;
Blame Games

"Mum?" Millie rushed from the car and to the doorstep where Elizabeth Brown stood waiting, wringing her hands in much the same fashion Millie did when she was nervous. "When did you last see him?"

"About 40 minutes ago, he was playing with his trucks in the backyard." As Millie tried to stop her mother from crying, Max dashed into the backyard and stopped at the sight of the trucks sitting alone in a muddy patch, Oscar's shiny new red tow truck caked with dried mud. And there, right in the back of a faded yellow tip truck sat a small toothpick flag, red and white. Max swore under his breath and picked it up. It had quickly become Jankowski's calling card and Max knew instantly what it meant. They had his son.

Max rushed back inside and pointed one accusatory finger at Elizabeth. "Why weren't you watching him?"

"Max!" Millie glared at him. "Don't blame her!"

"Who should I blame then? He's a little kid and she left him alone."

Elizabeth looked hurt. "I only…" she looked to Millie for support. "I only turned my back for a few minutes, to make him some lunch."

"It's not your fault mum, you didn't know." Millie glanced at Max as he raised his hands to the back of his head and glared at the floor. "You don't know what this is all about." Max looked up with a warning that read 'don't say anything' but Millie ignored it. "Mum, Oscar could be in serious danger."

Elizabeth put a hand to her mouth. "What? No, he's just wandered off, he's an inquisitive boy."

Max joined them, holding a small item clenched between thumb and forefinger. "This…" he waved the toothpick flag in her face. "This was a warning. He's been kidnapped and you j…"

Millie pushed him away from her mother with a strength he didn't know she had. "Don't blame her! You wanted to leave us here and go fight Jankowski yourself. It was a trap Max! Can't you see that? He had no intention of talking to you. He didn't want to reason. He led you there with the intention of locking you in that container and leaving you there to die, then coming back for us." Elizabeth's quiet sobs broke Millie's thoughts and the anger softened. "If I'd been here he would've taken me too and I can't do another hostage situation."

"You should've been here. I told you to stay here and look after him."

Millie glared back at him, a dangerous look, and he shrunk back from a finger in the chest. "Don't you dare. Don't you dare make out that any of this is my fault."

"I'm sorry, I just… I need to find him." He made to grab his jacket and leave again but Millie's voice stopped him.

"If you find him he'll kill you and this time I might not be around to stop him." Max glanced back to find Millie watching him, tears evident in her eyes. He looked to the ground, unable to keep up the one-man campaign with the knowledge if anything happened to him she'd… he couldn't face it, but she seemed determined to make him. "Don't make me risk losing you both Max. I can't do this alone."

Eventually sense got the better of him and he dropped his jacket, pulling her into his arms. She sobbed into his shoulder, deep racking coughs that shook her entire body. He held her pressed to him, worried if he let her go she might crack. But she was holding out better than he gave her credit for and she stepped back after a minute and wiped her eyes. "What do we do?" Max finally asked, brushing her fringe off her forehead.

"We do this the right way. We need to get the police involved." Max looked away and she seemed able to read his mind. "Jankowski said if we got the police involved he'd hurt Oscar. He said if you went to meet with him we'd be okay. But we can't trust him, he's already crossed us once."

"Which is even more reason to take the threat seriously."

"We have no choice. We don't know where he is. We haven't got the resources to find him ourselves." Millie made him look at her by tilting his chin to her. "Sometimes we have to ask for help. It doesn't make you any less of a man."

"Okay." His voice was little more than a breathless whisper, but it bridged the small distance between them and Millie nodded.

"Okay." She gave a brave smile, despite the tears, then fished her phone from her pocket. Max watched on, one hand still on her waist for what he told himself was support for her but soon came to realise was to help him cope, and she held down the '2' button and speed-dialled before holding it to her ear. After a few seconds an answer came through. "Jen? Hi Jen, it's Millie here. Yeah, thanks for your help, I found him." Max realised how Millie had managed to track him to his freezer prison and almost smiled, but the revelation his son had been abducted soon flooded back, causing him to press his teeth to his bottom lip to stop it from shaking. "I was hoping to talk to the DCI if that's possible. Thanks." She caught Max's eye again and he watched her, her eyes still brimming with tears as she carried on bravely. "DCI Manson? It's Millie Brown. Yes, yes I know he's not in today sir, he's here with me. That's why I'm calling you sir. We need your help."