Page 52 of Obsessed Fox

Easton and I snickered. Then we looked around the room when no one joined us and realized our mistake. Now wasn't the time for jokes.

"What does it matter if we find out where the marshals moved them?" Matthew complained. "They're missing."

Maverick was patient when he answered. "Yes, but we need a starting point. If we know where they lived, we can look at CCTV footage in the area. The marshals would be stupid not to have surveillance on the home."

"So they might already be looking for them?"

There was so much hope in Matthew's voice.

"I can promise you they are looking for them," I told him. "It doesn't look good that they lost someone while under their protection. The marshals’ office will be scrambling to try and get them back. That's good for us. We can see how their investigation is going."

"I just can't believe he lost them. Special Agent Donald Rogers has been great. He gave me updates when he shouldn't. He’s been with them since the beginning. He considered them family since he didn't have any of his own. It's why he didn't mind it taking so long. He had no one to come back to."

That was good to know. It also meant he couldn't be easily bribed. A man with nothing didn't have anything to lose. It was the ones who had their own families that you needed to worry about being blackmailed.

"We'll find them," Maverick reassured him. "In the meantime, can you tell us more about your assignment."

"I'm not sure the FBI would call it an assignment. I signed on to be a confidential informant when they first approached me. I was just supposed to give them information on Atlas and his followers. They knew The New Beginning was being funded by someone but they didn't know who. I was willing to help them find out if it meant them keeping Sarah and our baby safe."

"Then Maisie killed Atlas and everything turned to shit, right?"

Matthew looked at me with wide eyes. "Don't worry, they know, and your sister is aware they know."

Maisie was in the living room, not the kitchen with the rest of us. While she appreciated the help my team was providing, she didn't want to be a part of the inner workings.

"Uh . . . yeah. After I told Mar she needed to leave town, I called my handler at the FBI. He was pissed at first but then told me he would take care of things. The next thing I knew, Atlas was reported missing, no one could find a body and I was able to convince a few of his followers to let me lead."

"Was there anyone who gave resistance to you taking over?" Maverick took on the line of questioning while the rest of us listened in.

Except Nolen. He just continued typing like his life depended on it.

"Well, sure. A few actually. Mostly those who were closest to Atlas but the FBI took care of that as well. They were arrested for different charges and it let me move people up who trusted me."

Well, that explained the members going to jail. The FBI was orchestrating everything.

"And after all this time you still don't know who's backing the organization? You haven't met them or communicated with them?"

"Well, sure, I communicate with him or her. They message me every few months to check in, but no, I haven't met them yet. Everything is done through disposable phones. One is mailed to me but never at the same time or day, and I'm given no warning. It shows up and I'm expected to respond to the messages that come through."

Talk about paranoid. Whoever is behind the organization knows how to cover their tracks.

"What are you supposed to do with the phones after you've finished with them?"

I know this was all information that was important but it was obvious Maverick was doing it to keep Matthew's mind off the search Nolen was doing. It was working too. Matthew kept talking and not once did he glance over to where my friend was typing away.

"Destroy them, but I've only ever done that after the FBI cloned the phone or did whatever techie stuff they do. Not that it mattered. They never found anything, and believe me, my handler would get frustrated."

I would too after twelve years. That was a long-ass time to be running an operation with no results.

"I thought after our last communication I was getting close to a meetup but then my handler told me that someone was looking more closely into Atlas's death. At first I thought it was whoever was messaging me covering their bases, but they told me it was my sister. The FBI wanted to come here and bring her in for questioning but I convinced them I could get her to stop."

Guilt gnawed at my belly. I was the one to convince Maisie to let us continue searching. It was my fault we were in this position.

"I'm sorry we didn't listen. I truly just wanted to give your sister peace of mind. When we did our initial search, it looked bad that you took over for Atlas. Maisie was convinced there had to be another explanation. I just wanted to give her that."

Matthew ran his fingers through his hair, not in frustration but more in acceptance. "I get it. Mar and I were always close. I never wanted her to know what I was doing. I never wanted her to see me as this person, so I get it. I don't like it, but I get it.”

"Wichita, Kansas!" Nolen boomed and punched his fist in the air. We all looked at him. "That's where Sarah and Olivia live. Wichita, Kansas. There’s footage on the house but it was erased except for a small window. I'm guessing that's when they were kidnapped. It's a nice little neighborhood, so I'm sure othershave footage we can tap into. I've already booked us a jet. It takes off in two hours, so I suggest everyone grab their stuff."

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