Disclaimer: Bet I could own it now if I wanted to. Reckon it's going cheap? Damaged goods and all that?

A/N: For Krissie who will NEVER get her Math! Mwah ha ha!

Chapter Ten;
Green

Max had been the one who opted to stand outside and chat with the small contingent of Witness Protection as the women went in and dealt with the family. Max didn't like 'family business', even his own disgusted him, but he did like arrests. He'd happily just wait out here until Samuel Bolt made his appearance (or lack thereof which now seemed likelier by the minute as they ticked on). It was why he was stunned when Beth, whom he'd been chatting to cheerily, snatched up her phone with a frown. Her frown deepened when she heard the news, snapping the phone shut and motioning for the two men with her to move.

"What is it?" Max asked, unhappy to be out of the loop for the first time ever. He preferred being right at the centre of each and every loop.

"That was DC Moss. Bolt's done a bunk and apparently Andrea covered it up." They rushed inside, leaving Max with the proverbial dust blown in his face. He leant back on the WP car with a frown, crossing his arms and watching the door. It was why he was the first one to see Millie Brown almost tug the door off its hinges as she stormed out, her eyes blazing and creating a rather scary image alongside her blowing red hair. He was pretty sure he'd never seen Millie like this before. To be honest he thought Millie had two settings – weepy and nice or shy and nice. Now she stormed from the Roxon safe house like a bat out of hell.

"PC Brown?" Max called as she started back towards the car, but he was beaten to the question by a smaller, angrier figure. Beth Green had just reappeared outside.

"What the hell was that?" Millie turned on her old friend with a scowl and Beth mirrored it perfectly. "Andrea is distraught. What did you say?"

"I just asked her a few questions. It's not my fault if she has something to hide." There was a ferocity in Millie's tone that almost made Max step back. Whoever this person was, it wasn't the Millie Brown he thought he had summed up; she was blowing that girl right out of the ballpark. "And if she's distraught then maybe she should've thought of that before she let her son go."

"What did you say?" Beth demanded, not keen to step around the issue. You had to admire that from the pint-sized baby-faced PC – she didn't take 'no' for an answer.

"I asked her what she knew of one of our suspects. A woman named Andrea of all things."

This made Max intervene. "You did what?"

Millie turned her attention on him and this time Max did step back, taken aback by the fire and hurt in her eyes. Millie wasn't just angry, she was distraught herself. "You think it's just a coincidence Max? Samuel doesn't seem to think so, I'm sure of it, that's why he beat Holman up to get the tapes. He and I both think Natovnia's 'banker' is his mother."

"If he thought that he would've said so in the interview," Max began to reason but it was pointless.

"Oh yeah? Well he also said he'd stay in the safe house but guess what, he didn't!" She pointed back to the house. "He was quiet in there and then something set him off. Something happened yesterday or today that convinced him Andrea is involved, that's why he ran off. We need to search that place, interview the Roxons again."

"You aren't touching them, they're in protective custody now, in our car…"

Millie cut her off. "Your care? Yeah, bang up job you've done so far!"

Beth prodded Millie hard in the shoulder. "Don't start this PC Brown. You pulled this family into this, not me, so don't go screwing up our leg."

Max pulled Beth away, coming between them. "Look, this isn't solving anything." It was unchartered territory for Max playing go-between. It was usually he who was jeopardising reasonable thought. Now, however, he was caught between two women he had a lot of respect for and to be honest he thought both had a very good point. He too had been intrigued by Natovnia's ally and her striking similarities to Andrea Roxon. Plus with Craig's connections was it so hard to believe the sister-in-law was involved? It wouldn't be the first time the girl had gone for the other brother, if that were the motive, or maybe because Craig provided a safety David couldn't? Either way, the idea was planted in Max's mind all along. But Beth had a point too – they needed the Roxons co-operative and alive. Getting Andrea Roxon offside wasn't going to help anyone. Without Eleanor's evidence against her uncle they had little reason to arrest him and drag with him the others (pulling them up from the ground like a line of weeds he liked to think). If Andrea bailed she'd take her daughter with her and there went most of their case. He shoved Millie back softly as she stepped forwards again. "PC Brown, wait in the car." Millie frowned but did what she was told as usual. So, the normal Millie was still in there after all? As she left Max turned on Beth. "Lay off alright? She feels strongly about this case."

Beth rolled her eyes. "Oh please, like she's the only one? Either put her on a leash Max or I'm going to my DI to request she stays away from this family." With a turn she stalked back into the house.

Millie was sitting gruffly in the front seat as Max joined her, death staring the dashboard in a manner that made even Max shudder a little. "Are you going to tell me what that was really about?" Millie just shrugged. "PC Brown, I know you're not the type to lash out for no reason, so what was it?"

Millie bit her lip. "It's stupid but I know there's something else going on in there." She glanced at him, the desire for support clear in her expression, and instantly he knew what he had to say. "You don't think I'm being ridiculous do you?"

"Millie, you have a copper's instinct second-to-none, something you showed everyone a few weeks back when you taught everyone not to misjudge single mothers with criminals for brothers and husbands." Millie smiled softly at the memory of Jade. She'd been in contact since the hostage situation. Lewis was growing up so fast. He was crawling around now like an eager little bugger. "So," Max continued, "if you say there's something going on then I'm inclined to believe you, but just remember – you need evidence."

"I'll get it sarge, we just need to keep a closer eye on them."

"Correction, we need to find Samuel and find out what he knows. If you're right and he beat up Holman to find out if, or maybe even cover that, Andrea is Natovnia's ally, he's in serious danger. Holman wants to convince us he's clean, but I wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw him."

Millie smiled softly, sniffing back the earliest onset of tears. Yeah, old Millie was still there. "Okay, so what about Beth? She's not going to let me anywhere near the Roxons again. Eleanor and I have a bond, she'll talk to me."

Max shrugged. "You could always apologize." Millie looked scandalized for a second but Max spoke over her. "You don't have to mean it, just say it to get back onside." He pushed open the car door. "How do you think I get away with so much?" Then, stepping out and shutting the door behind him, Max started towards the Roxon house. With a sly smile Millie eventually followed.