Chapter Twenty-Two;
Neil

"The cocky son of a gun even asked the women to bring their passports with them." Stuart slapped the handful of passports down on the cruiser's small dining table.

"He knew we'd be here and he knew what we were looking for. Someone tipped him off."

"My bets are on Mrs. Bolt. She's been playing us from the beginning." Stuart growled as he passed another small slip of paper with Bolt's handwriting on it to the DI. This one said 'getting warmer'. He'd been leaving notes all over the ship. He'd known that they were coming all right. "We should've known."

"I've sent Stevie and Millie to go pick her up. If she knows anything, I have faith they'll get it out of her."

"Hopefully, because this place is so clean you can smell the antiseptic." Stuart growled as he came across the last note which read 'so hot it burns' stuck to the microwave. "I hate this man."

"So do I, but first we need to prove he's done anything wrong."

"Okay, so, it's all circumstantial at the moment but let's assume we can link this boat to Bolt, then link it with my tip-off, then we…" Stuart trailed off. "I have nothing Guv."

"We can use it to force a slip-up. Bolt wasn't taking a pleasure cruise this afternoon for nothing, which means he's got something to hide."

"So, what do we need?"

"Well what we really need is an answer to the question: who owns the Sahara?"

*

"So, what's this about drugs then?" They were halfway back to Sun Hill when Bolt spoke for the first time.

Max glanced sideways at the man. "You know what it's about."

"Okay, but, let's just pretend I don't."

"I'm sure you're aware that we can't talk about the case without your lawyer present Mr. Bolt." Max turned away from the suspect, catching a hint of a smile from PC Gayle as he drove back to the station.

"I'm aware, I just thought I'd ask." He grinned and looked out the window for a few seconds before glancing back at Max. "You're not going to find anything on me."

"You sound pretty certain about that."

"I'm 100% certain DS Carter, because I'm clean as a whistle."

Max ignored him. They already had the prints from the bags and just needed to match them with Bolt's prints when he got to the station for confirmation. Bolt's prints on file had already come back positive. PC Gayle spoke over Max's thoughts. "Before or after the clean out Mr. Bolt?"

Bolt laughed. "What would I clean out? My porn collection? Oooh, don't tell the missus."

Max thought of something. "You knew we were coming this afternoon. You were waiting for us." Bolt grinned a superior, smug grin. "Who told you?"

Bolt just raised his eyebrows and fell silent again. Max frowned at him until they reached Sun Hill and PC Gayle pulled him from the seat and through the station backyard into the custody area. Just as they took off the cuffs and allowed him to start emptying his pockets, Max's phone rang. Nodding at PC Gayle, he left them and headed back into the main part of the station to take the call.

"DS Max Carter." Max frowned into the phone as he listened to the voice at the other end. "Really? And you're certain?" He glanced through the doors back into the custody area where Bolt was now grinning at the custody sergeant as he was read his rights again. "Yeah, thanks." He hung up then dialled again. "Yeah, Guv, some bad news."

*

The front door opened after the first knock and the redheaded woman smiled from the doorway at the two Constables on her doorstep. "Yes?"

Stevie flicked her warrant card out. "DC Moss and PC Brown." Hayleigh nodded at Millie with a sly smile then looked back at Stevie as the detective continued. "We'd like you to come down to the station with us if possible Mrs. Bolt."

"Is there a problem?"

"Your husband has been arrested. We were hoping you would be able to help us with our inquiries."

Hayleigh laughed. "I know what that means DC Moss. It means you want me to help you incriminate my husband. I don't think I'll be coming down to help your 'inquiries' officers. Now, if you don't mind…" she made to close the door, but DC Moss stuck her foot in the doorway.

"Then we'll have to do this the hard way."

Hayleigh smiled. "As you wish officers." She stepped outside, holding her arms out in front of her. "Knock yourself out DC Moss."

"Hayleigh Bolt, I'm arresting you on suspicion of aiding the possession and supply of a Class A drug. You do not have to say anything, but any…"

Hayleigh cut her off as she was led away from the house, turning back to PC Brown who was still on the doorstep. "Lock up the house for me would you PC Brown? The keys are inside the door. Oh, and my lawyer's phone number is there too. You know, just in case." She winked as Stevie led her back to the car. With a frown, Millie picked up the keys and the small business card on the table inside the doorway, and then shutting the house up behind her, pocketed the keys and followed the others back to the car.

*

Neil flipped his phone shut and turned to Stuart who had stopped looking around the boat to listen in to the conversation. "That was Max. He just had a call about the drugs he and PC Brown found in the Roxon residence." Stuart nodded. "Turns out most of it is fake."

"What?"

"Most of the bags were talcum powder. Max suspects someone's switched them."

"Samuel Bolt?" Stuart suggested. Neil shrugged. "So, how much is actually Class A?"

"A little over a kilo." Neil replied and Stuart sat down heavily on one of the benches. The minute he sat down, however, he jumped right back up again. "What?"

Neil watched the DS lift up the cushion and look down at a well under the seat. Inside it was a small box and a handful of documents. Stuart picked up the box and opened it, but it was empty. He sighed. It had looked so much like the kind of box old hand guns were stored in. It yielded nothing though, and Stuart dropped it to the table, his attention turned to the papers. As he read them he smiled and held them up to the DI. "Guv, I think I can tell you who owns this boat now."