Chapter Eight;
Spark
Millie returned twenty minutes later and placed Max's phone down on the desk before heading off to the DI's office. Max followed her to the door as Neil glanced down at the information she'd just handed him. "The one he called from was a pay-as-you-go model, but the one his wife had on her list was registered. It's registered in the name of Craig Spark which is why we couldn't find it."
"Spark?" Neil asked, looking to Max for confirmation.
"His wife's maiden name." He slid past Millie and made for the information, assessing it. "You have the list of all calls made from the pay-as-you-go?" Millie nodded, motioning to the third sheet of paper. Max picked it up and frowned at it. "Okay, so that one was his wife." He picked up a pen and drew a line next to it then scanned for any other calls to her. There were two more and he crossed them off. "After the call I heard, he called the same number four times but they only went for a maximum 30 seconds apiece." He noted it down. "Can you track this one?" He handed the note to Millie who took it with a nod and left.
"The registered one isn't traceable, he's removed the battery." Neil stated, showing Max the other piece of paper. "Your only lead is the pay-as-you-go."
"Okay, I'll check the rest of these out. Hopefully one matches with the Kowalski number." He snapped up the piece of paper.
"A little birdy told me you have a problem working with PC Brown. This won't impact on the case will it?" Neil asked, not looking up from his computer.
Max frowned. "A little birdy named Stuart?" Neil didn't move. "There's no problem. And even if there was, I wouldn't let it impact on the case."
"Good. So, when you find out who owns the numbers on there, you and Millie can go talk to them." He glanced up, almost eager for a debate, but nothing came. Max just nodded and left. Neil went back to work.
*
"David Bolt." Millie dropped a piece of paper on the desk and Max realised it was the note he'd given her in the DI's office. She'd written in her own scribbled handwriting 'DAVID BOLT' in capital letters across the top. "DC Moss said the brother was adamant he hadn't spoken to Bolt recently."
"Well technically he hadn't when Will and Stevie chased him into a car accident." Max picked up the slip and glanced at her handwriting, noting how she drew her I's with a circle instead of a dot. For a second he wondered what a handwriting expert would say about that then went back into case mode. "David couldn't pick up because he was in hospital, still is from what I've heard. But why would Bolt call him?"
"Maybe he heard about the accident?"
"Maybe. But from whom? The only ones who knew were his contactable family. And that was his ex-wife and his… daughter…" Max scanned the list he'd been checking. "What was the daughter's name?"
Millie frowned. "Umm…" she frowned then jogged over to the desk she'd been working on before, Banksy's, and came back with a few handwritten notes. "Ahhh…" she traced her finger down the paper again, reading quickly. She stopped and tapped the paper. "Eleanor Roxon."
"Bingo." Max motioned to a highlighted number on his list. "Twelve calls in the last week to an Eleanor Spark."
Millie frowned. "She said she hadn't spoken to her uncle in a long time."
Max stood. "Well, if a long time means sixteen hours then yeah, it's been a long time. Grab your coat, we're going to go see Miss Roxon." He picked up the pieces of paper they'd collected as Millie went to the coat rack by the door and pulled out that tan-coloured coat Max could still recall finding covered in blood not so long ago. He frowned the memories away as he folded up the papers and pocketed them. As he reached her he chucked her his keys. "You drive." He walked out without looking back at her.