Chapter Six;
Cray

"How long has it been?"

Stuart checked his watch. "An hour. You don't think we've missed him do you?"

"I hope not. There's still 2 ½ hours till the boat comes in." Stuart started tapping the wheel. "Stop that."

Stuart pouted. "Well, we're in a good mood aren't we?"

Max ignored him and looked back at the house. "There's absolutely no one moving around in there."

"Maybe we should give uniform a call, send PC Brown in. They're expecting her anyway, to follow up the 'Anderson case'."

"No, she might tip them off."

Stuart snorted. "Good to know you still think so highly of uniform."

"I don't have a problem with uniform." Blank-faced, Max kept watching the Bolt house.

"No, I forgot, just her." Stuart teased. "What do you think Max? You'll be alone in CID and she'll track you down and kill you for calling her an airhead last time she had the misfortune of sharing a case with you?"

"Something like that." Max returned, completely deadpan.

"As if anyone actually needed an excuse to kill you before…" Max glanced at him. "Just saying."

"Yeah, well, don't." He turned his attention back to the house just as the front door opened and a tall, pretty redheaded woman stepped out.

"Bolt married that? Well, he's many things but clearly not so bad with the ladies."

Max had seen Hayleigh Bolt's picture many times and always thought her very pretty, but seeing her in real life was different. He watched her for a moment then snapped his attention back to the house. "Where's Bolt?"

"I don't know but where's she going?" Stuart asked. Max watched her then opened the passenger door. "Where are YOU going?"

"I'm following her. You stay here. If she leads us to something relevant, then I'll call you." He shut the passenger door and started walking after her.

Twenty minutes later they entered Canley High Street and she stepped into a corner grocery store. Frowning after her, Max eventually crossed the road and followed her in. Grabbing a basket and pretending to look like he had a reason to be there, he watched her assessing milk labels and was about to write her off and leave when her phone rang.

"Cray? Where are you? You rushed off when I was trying to talk to you." Max stepped behind a shelf and listened as she put one of the milks back and turned around. "No, don't give me that 'business' stuff, I don't believe it. Where the hell are you?" She turned towards the shelving unit Max was standing behind and started grabbing a few cans, seemingly not looking at what she was putting in her basket. "Oh forget it." She shut her phone angrily and stuffed it in her back pocket. Max saw his chance and slipped out from behind the shelf and joined Hayleigh as she stood there fuming, glaring at tins of asparagus like they were to blame. With the tiniest of movements, he removed the phone from her back pocket and pocketed it. She didn't even notice. As he made to slip away again, she spoke. "How can there be so many varieties of asparagus? I mean, seriously, it's only one stupid vegetable." She glanced at him.

He gave a weak smile. "You should see the variety of mashed potato. In the end though, it's all just tastes like dirt."

She grinned. "Good point." She grabbed a can then turned back to him and held out a hand. "Hayleigh Spark." Max noticed the use of her maiden name.

Taking her hand he shook it. "Max Carter." He motioned to the basket. "You like beetroot?" She had five cans of beetroot in her basket.

Looking at it, she laughed. "I didn't even see what I was picking up. Thanks." She started putting them back.

"No problem." He walked away, off to the other side of the store where he pulled out her phone and checked the last number who called. He copied it into his phone then ran through her list. Craig's number on the list didn't match the last number called, but he copied that down too. Then, grabbing a bag of chips off a shelf so it looked like he had a reason to be there, he started back towards Hayleigh. She was headed for the cash register. "Excuse me." Hayleigh looked up. "You dropped this."

Hayleigh touched her back pocket then grinned. "Thank you so much. I keep forgetting that's not a secure pocket." She took the phone back and stuck it in her jacket pocket, zipping it up tightly.

To keep making conversation, Max stuck his small amount of supplies on the counter next to hers. "Don't worry about it. I do it all the time too. I've lost four phones in my time, my ex-wife hated me."

"Yeah, my husband thinks I'm an idiot but this coming from a man who is constantly losing his car keys." She handed some money over and grabbed her bags just as the man started bagging Max's items. "Thank you again mister… sorry, what was it?"

"Carter."

"That's right. Thank you mister Carter." With one last brilliant smile, Hayleigh left the store. Handing over twenty pounds and not waiting for change, Max grabbed his 'shopping' and left, watching her head back home. She wouldn't be leading him to Bolt, but she had given him something even more valuable. A mobile phone number. Watching her turn a corner out of the High Street, he smirked.

"No, thank you Mrs. Bolt."