Chapter 10
CHAPTER TEN
Hendrix
I wanted to kill Nolen for destroying Maisie's good mood. She was really getting into the groove at the bakery when Nolen burst in.
Now the three of us were sitting at one of the tables inside Willow Creek Security. Nolen was typing away on the computer, Maisie couldn't stop looking back and forth between me and my friend, and the energy pouring through me had my knee bouncing because punching my friend and co-worker was highly frowned upon.
I was pretty sure Mav would understand if I explained the situation. He liked Maisie, and everyone in the office loved her food, so really, they would back me up.
A throat clearing pulled me out of my murderous thoughts. "Did you hear what I said?" At some point in the last few seconds, my friend stopped typing.
I shook my head. "Nope, I was too busy deciding if knocking you out was worth the hassle."
"Me?" Nolen pointed both hands at himself. "What the hell did I do?"
I, in turn, pointed at Maisie. "You upset her. I just got her in a better mood and you ruined it."
"You're the one who told me to come find you if I had anything," Nolen griped. "I just did as you demanded. How the hell was I supposed to know Maisie would be in the bakery today? Last time I checked, you said she was taking the day off."
I didn't want to admit he was right about everything he’d just said. I had come into work this morning and told him where I would be and to come get me when he had information. That was when I assumed Maisie would stay at my house and relax.
"Just tell us what you found," I snapped instead.
"Alright, alright." Nolen shook his head. "After our discussion, I looked more into Matthew O'Brien and his involvement with The New Beginning. He did, in fact, take over after Atlas went missing but that's not the only restructuring that's occurred in the organization."
"What do you mean?" It was the first words Maisie had spoken since Nolen barged in nearly ten minutes ago.
"Do the names Samuel Hurst, Isaiah Barkley, and Gabriel Frost ring any bells?"
Maisie bobbed her head fast. "Yeah, they followed Atlas around like lost puppies. Anywhere Atlas was, the three of them weren't far behind. They did everything Atlas told them no matter how illegal it was. Matty and I used to joke that the three of them shared one brain."
"Well, all three of them are serving time in prison for different offenses. Now, guys like this, I wouldn't think much about it, but before Atlas disappeared, they didn't have a rap sheet, and I mean nothing. Not even a parking ticket. Then all of a sudden it was like they went on a crime spree. Aggravated assault, armed robbery, break and entering. The crimes over the last ten years are all over the map, and let me tell you, they weren't smart criminals because they got caught pretty quickly."
"What do you think it means?" I rubbed my palm along my beard. I didn't know where Nolen was headed with this.
"I'm not sure, but you know I don't believe in coincidences. I get the feeling Matthew wanted to replace these three with people he trusted and found a way to do it."
"I know you have a shit ton of proof, but I still can't believe Matty would do this. The stuff Hendrix showed me isn't the brother I grew up with."
We’d had this same discussion over and over last night before Maisie finally decided she was done and went to bed before dinner. I didn't have the slightest idea how to get her to realize people changed. I knew it was hard to believe, but the sooner she realized the possibility, the better chance we had of figuring things out. If that was what she wanted. She still hadn't told me what she wanted to do.
"Okay, so maybe we look at it differently, then."
Both Maisie and I gave him a strange look but it was me who opened my mouth. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"Maybe instead of taking over for Atlas, Matthew's trying to change what the organization does."
"I'm not following," Maisie said.
That made two of us.
Nolen threw his hands up. "Honestly? I'm not even sure what I'm trying to say but you seem insistent that your brother would never do this and I want to believe you."
Maisie gave him a small smile and in that moment I wanted to smash my friend’s face in. I wanted to be the only one who gave her reasons to smile.
"I appreciate you trying. Umm . . . do you think there's something else you could check for me?" Maisie fiddled with one of the chains on her pants while looking down at the table. I couldn't imagine what had her so nervous when she was normally so confident.
"Absolutely." Nolen had his fingers on the keyboard ready to grant her every wish. I rolled my eyes at his eagerness. My friend was such a people pleaser.
"Are you able to see if the sheriff ran my fingerprints?"
Nolen started to type and then stopped suddenly before snapping his head up. "Is there a reason you're asking?"
Maisie looked at me. Giving her a small nod, I told her without words that she could trust Nolen. The man had saved my life on numerous occasions. It was why I felt comfortable sharing the little I did.
"You might've noticed that my last name isn't the same as my brother's."
Nolen leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. "I did. Not completely uncommon."
"Well, we had the same last name up until I came to Willow Creek and had it changed."
"Go on." I could see the wheels turning in Nolen's mind. He might've looked into Matthew's background but he would never cross the line and search Maisie's unless asked. He was too much of an honest fucker, unlike me.
"See, I thought I needed to change it because I was on the run for a crime, but then Hendrix informed me that wasn't the case."
Listening to Maisie try to explain that she had murdered not one but two men was brutal. She was dragging things out when all I wanted her to do was spit the words out already. Nolen, on the other hand, was the epitome of patience. The man was getting on my last nerve.
"What kind of crime exactly?"
Maisie's gaze was firmly on the table in front of her when she whispered, "Murder."
It was a few seconds and a whole lot of blinking before Nolen spoke again. "I see."
I wasn’t convinced he did.
"Atlas Decker, to be exact." She still had yet to look up; not at all like the confident woman I was used to.
"Oh . . . umm . . . okay. I can confirm what Hendrix said is true. There's no person of interest in Atlas's disappearance and no fingerprints on file for his case. I hacked into the police department and looked into the case file when his name came up with your brother’s. I'm not sure what happened that day, but no one suspects you."
Maisie finally looked up. "None of this makes sense. I left Atlas bleeding out on his living room floor. The knife I used was still in his neck. There's no way my fingerprints weren't all over it."
The shocked look on Nolen's face would have been comical if this was any other situation. But it wasn't. This was Maisie. My Maisie. And there was nothing funny about her resorting to killing a man.
"I mean there was never any body found. Therefore, no murder weapon," Nolen replied matter-of-factly.
"And the blood in his house?"
I couldn't figure out why Maisie was pushing this so hard. She should be relieved there was no evidence of her first crime.
"There's no mention of any blood in Atlas's house in the case file."
She shook her head at Nolen's explanation. "It makes no sense."
Nolen looked at me. I could tell we were having the same thought process. I was the one to speak up though. "Cleaning crew." He nodded in agreement.
"What do you mean, cleaning crew?"
"There are people who specialize in this type of cleanup. They’re expensive though. Someone spent a lot of money to make sure Atlas disappeared with no trace and you were protected."
I watched the wheels turn in her head and I let everything Nolen and I told her settle in.
"I know what you're thinking but it couldn't be Matty. He didn't have that kind of money."
Nolen and I shared a look. We were of the same mindset but neither of us wanted to say what we were thinking.
"That's why we're going to keep looking."
That was Nolen. Ever the peacekeeper of the group.
Maisie pushed up from the table like her ass was on fire. "I need to get back to the bakery. I'm sure Janie could use the help."
"I'll come with you," I told her as I pushed up from my own chair.
"Please don't. I need to concentrate and I do that better on my own."
I didn't like it, but I would give her that.
For now, at least.
"I'll see you later, then." It wasn't a request.
"Yeah, sure." Maisie didn't make eye contact as she scurried out of the office, and I knew without a doubt I would be hunting her down later.
She didn't realize it yet, but now that I’d had her in my bed, I had no intention of ever letting us sleep separately again.