Chapter Fourteen;
Bradley

"She's not downstairs, they must've gone home." Millie breathed, puffed from running downstairs then back up again to check whether Eleanor Roxon had left the building yet. "Do you want me to find out from the front desk?"

"Don't worry about it, we'll go talk to them at their house." Max grabbed the car keys in one hand lazily and glanced at Stuart. "Is the obbo going ahead?"

Stuart shrugged. "The DI's out, but said he'd be back by three. He said no Bolt no obbo, but I'm sure I can convince him to run with Brecht. 'Til then, I have a Fletcher to find." He waved the phone he was holding in his left hand.

"Good luck." Millie grinned. She grabbed her jacket and followed Max from the room. "I'm not having a go," she clarified, unsure whether Max still had a short fuse with her, "but is it safe to assume they have any idea where we can find him?"

"I'm not assuming anything. I want to know where they didn't look when they were searching for Samuel, that way we can narrow the field." He unlocked the car and stopped, watching her join him. "Assuming it goes head, the obbo starts in," he glanced at his watch, "less than an hour, so this is just a dash for information. In fact, if you didn't have such a rapport with Eleanor Roxon, you wouldn't be coming at all."

"You certainly know how make a person feel special." Millie muttered, getting into the car.

Max followed. "I'm just putting it out there." Without looking at her, he started up the car.

*

"Officers?" Andrea frowned as she opened the door to Millie and Max. "Is something wrong?"

Millie gave her a bright smile, an attempt to put the woman at ease, as Max replied. "No Ms. Roxon, we were just hoping to talk to you about your son."

"My son? Samuel? Have you found him?"

Max shook his head. "No, we haven't. Can we come in?" She nodded and stepped aside. Max went in first as Millie tailed, having caught sight of Eleanor watching them from the top of the stairs. She gave Millie a wave and the PC returned it warmly. Max must have seen the exchange because he took a step towards her as Ms. Roxon rushed past them muttering something about tea. "Go talk to Eleanor, see if she knows anything." Millie gave a small nod and headed upstairs as Max went back to the kitchen to calm a now rather agitated Andrea Roxon.

Millie met Eleanor on the landing, the teen curled up in a quiet corner with a Macbook on her lap. She glanced up at Millie with a smile and Millie took a seat next to her, leaning against the wall. "University work?"

Ellie grinned. "Not exactly." She moved the laptop to show Millie. "I'm writing a book. A big action-adventure style." She clicked save on the word file and snapped the computer shut, putting it down beside her. "I heard DS Carter mention Sam. Is that why you're here? Why you had that photo?"

Millie nodded. "Yes." She shifted, getting comfortable, then turned to Eleanor. "Ellie, when we found your uncle's drugs in your room," Ellie hung her head in shame as Millie continued. "Well, someone else had been in there. It was the young man in the green hoodie. The man you identified as your brother."

Eleanor looked up quickly. "Sam was here?" She thumbed back to her room. "He was in my room?"

"Yes, we think so. Now, we need to find your brother because he knew about the drugs. We believe he was trying to take them. Protect you maybe?"

*

"We believe he was taking the drugs from your daughter's room. Is there the possibility he may be working for your brother-in-law?" Max asked, placing his tea down on the coffee table as he and Ms. Roxon took a seat in the small living room.

"There's no way. He never liked Craig, never trusted him." Andrea frowned. "I don't know why he'd be here. Last we heard he'd changed his name and moved home."

*

"Where's home?" Millie asked as Ellie frowned again into her knees.

"Manchester. We came down here from Manchester about 10 years ago. Dad's business brought us down."

*

"David's a plumber. He opened up a business back home but then expanded to London. After the Manchester arm went under we moved down here, Craig and Hayleigh came with us, a change of scenery they said. That was when they set up that place." Andrea muttered the last line in disgust. "At first it was okay, we enjoyed the change of pace, but then our house was broken into and everything was taken from us. I lashed out at David for bringing us down here, but we couldn't move back because by that time the kids were getting into high school."

*

"They started fighting about everything. Sam and I would just sit up here for hours and listen, wondering when it would stop. I was only 12, it was hard. Then, a year later, dad packed up and moved out. They both said it was for the best but Sam disagreed. That was when he changed, became Bradley."

"Bradley?" Millie frowned.

Ellie nodded. "It was the name we gave him when he was in one of his moods. Then, one day in August, he just wasn't around anymore. He'd packed up everything he had and left. He became Bradley for good."

*

"Did you search for him?"

Andrea looked up. "Did I search for him? What kind of question is that DS Carter? He was my son, he was only 15 when he left, of course I searched for him!" Her voice rose and Max heard movement upstairs. Her raised voice had drawn the attention of Eleanor and Millie. "He was my son and I drove him away with my fighting over nothing…"

"Mum, are you okay?" Eleanor appeared at the doorway, Millie behind her. Millie gave Max a judgemental look that simply said 'making people cry again?' then pushed Eleanor to go to her mother. As Andrea accepted Eleanor's hug, Max stood.

"I'm sorry to have distressed you Ms. Roxon. We'll let ourselves out." He waved at Millie and she turned away, pulling open the front door.

As Millie shut the door behind her she spoke. "Is that how you always talk to vulnerable women about their long-lost sons? Or just the ones affiliated with drug dealers."

Max stopped. "What do you mean by that?" He frowned.

"Nothing." Millie walked away, towards the stairs. Max frowned after her for a second then followed.

"Look Constable," he stressed the 'Constable' like it was an insult. "Whatever you think of my methods, that family know more about Craig Bolt's business than they are letting on."

"And the fact that they've been used, chased into hospital, tormented by your tactless line of questioning and been reminded they drove their son away doesn't matter?" Millie stopped, reaching the car.

"That's not the issue…"

"No, the issue is your ability to connect with people. Emotions scare you, don't they DS Carter?"

He frowned at her. "Get in the car."

She just shrugged, looking innocent. "I'm just putting it out there…" she mocked before dropping out of sight as she got in. With a frown at the roof of the car, Max joined her.