Page 38 of Craving Sin (Touch of Evil 13)
Sometime during Bit’s spiel, Aputi had come to some sort of realization.
The man’s gaze had veered toward the ground in stunned skepticism, and he was shaking his head at an internal thought that literally had him bending over at the waist. He rested his hands on his knees, but Bit didn’t push this time around.
There was no need.
“Lusa…she…” Aputi straightened before wiping a hand over his mouth. He was struggling to get the words out. “It was nothing.”
“It was obviously something,” Bit countered.
“I mean, I have to be grasping at straws,” Aputi said, attempting to convince himself that his cousin wasn’t a murderer. While Bit waited for more information, he noticed that Nathaniel had finally returned from the hotel. “A—a few days prior, my sister mentioned Nanuq’s fundraiser for the wildlife conservation. He used my father’s influence to raise a quarter of a million dollars. Lusa thought…well, she thought that figure was low.”
“Are you saying that Lusa believed Nanuq was skimming from?—”
“No,” Aputi exclaimed, holding up his hand to ward off the accusation. “I mean, it was a misunderstanding. Nanuq cleared up the misconception. He explained that some of the high-net-worth individuals didn’t donate as much as originally thought. He…”
Bit wasn’t sure where the hit and run came into play.
Or Jacob, for that matter.
Nanuq was now their prime suspect, and Nathaniel was going to have to take over the crime scene so that Bit could concentrate on gathering information regarding the ice cave, as well as figuring out why Sylvie and Theo were still MIA.
“All you had to do was share this information with the police back in 2014,” Bit said with disappointment. No one wanted to believe that a family member could resort to stealing, let alone murder. Brook was a prime example. “Not only would…never mind. A federal agent will take your statement. Again. This time, try telling the truth.”
Bit walked away, noticing Nathaniel standing near Kavik’s body. Two of the forensic techs were already taking photographs and processing the scene. Before Bit joined them, he needed to warn those in harm’s way. He raised the radio to his lips after turning the small dial on top of it to the correct frequency.
“Agent Houser, there’s been another development.”
19
Brooklyn Sloane
June 2025
Wednesday — 1:39 pm
Ice reflected Brook's flashlight beam in a sharp burst of refracted color before settling into a ghostly blue transparency. She adjusted the light as she advanced deeper into the cave. Victor followed closely behind, his flashlight joining hers in an attempt to chase the darkness away from them. The air was crisp and cold, reminding her that the team didn’t have the necessary equipment and proper apparel to venture too deep into the passageways.
A persistent drip created an offbeat rhythm to her steady heartbeat. When the main passage eventually divided into three separate tunnels, she paused to assess the situation. The chilled air carried a faint mineral tang—a subtle scent that hinted at the purity of such a wonder.
Instead, all she could imagine was Lusa Kalluk’s body frozen in time. Yet her mind couldn’t process that Jacob or anyone else had been able to carry her body up the steep incline. She thought back to their trek, and she was confident that Lusa’s body hadn’t been preserved in this ice cave.
Why, then, was this place so important to Jacob?
“We’ll cover more ground if we separate.”
“No.” Brook wasn’t going to allow anyone to stray without backup. “We stick together. I don’t plan on exploring too much of this place, anyway. Just enough to get a sense of what we can expect if we decide to bring Jacob inside.”
Brook had no intention of allowing Jacob to enter the cave, but she was leaving herself an opening to change her mind, just in case.
“We’re going to need supplies if he takes us too deep.”
“Let’s start with the tunnel on the left and work to the right,” Brook said, intentionally not replying to his statement. She was already doing what she could to stem the coldness from seeping into her layers. “Looks like a steep decline, so tread carefully.”
They moved ahead with careful slowness. Every minor descent, curve, and corner appeared to deepen their confusion. They pressed on until the passageway branched again, the space becoming increasingly constricted.
It didn’t take them long to return to the initial fork. This time, Victor took the lead down the middle passageway. The corridor was narrow, with walls practically pressing in on them from either side. A buildup of ice covered the floor, slick enough to threaten sending her sprawling with each step.
She kept one hand on the wall for balance.
