Page 16 of Craving Sin (Touch of Evil 13)

There were times when Bit was a realist, other times an optimist. Either way, she had complete faith in him. If the unsub had made a mistake in any way, shape, or form…Bit would be the one to find it.

Like Jacob, Mitch hadn’t been the one to kill Kate. Both had alibis that established their presence in Maryland and Baltimore. That wasn’t to say they didn’t have her blood on their hands.

Still, Brook had detected true surprise in her brother upon hearing the news.

As if on cue, a knock came at the door. Without waiting for an answer, the knob turned, and Nathaniel Carter entered the room. In place of his usual tailored suit, he had opted for a pair of jeans, a long-sleeved black t-shirt, and a matching jacket. She glanced down at his hiking boots, which didn’t have a scuff on them. It was a good thing she was going to change his plans today, because he would have regretted not breaking them in within five minutes of the hike.

“Russell already told me about Kate's rental car being found on the side of the road,” Nathaniel shared as he eyed the room service cart. “May I?”

“Of course,” Brook responded as she switched her focus to the surveillance monitors. “Kate Lin isn’t why I asked you here, Nathaniel.”

“Hey, Russell was in charge of the forensics team. From my understanding, they’ll meet us at the rendezvous point with the proper equipment.” Nathaniel had poured himself a cup of coffee before snagging a poppyseed bagel. He took a large bite before setting it on a plate, not even glancing in her direction. “Between the forensics team, Agents Brall and Genedet, Walsh, Houser, Norona, you, and me…that makes for one hell of a group. Add in the chopper that will be keeping track of our positions, and I’d say we have things covered. Oh, and Houser is supplying the backpacks. We shouldn’t need much, considering Walsh gave us a general idea of the site being an hour from the clearing. I don’t want to?—”

Brook was done wasting time.

“You need to ask Judge Colletti to sign search warrants for Mitch Norona’s home, hotel room, office, all vehicles registered in his name, all devices, and financial records,” Brook instructed without hesitation. Normally, she wouldn’t have interrupted him, but they were short on time. Nathaniel had picked up a butter knife to spread some cream cheese on his bagel, but he slowly lowered it to the plate. “You need to do it now, before we leave the hotel.”

Nathaniel slowly turned to face her, searching her gaze for any indication that she was joking. He shouldn’t be too surprised by her request, considering that she had expressed her concerns earlier this year.

“We’ve been over this, Brook.” Nathaniel crossed his arms and widened his stance. She gritted her teeth in annoyance at his defiance. “How Norona got Walsh’s case isn’t our concern.”

The silence in the room seemed to thicken as Nathaniel's expression hardened, his eyes narrowing when he realized that Brook wasn’t going to back down. He flicked his gaze to Bit, who quietly popped Skittles into his mouth one by one, not masking his interest in the conversation.

“Let me put this another way,” Nathaniel said, taking a deep breath to steady himself. “Do you understand how unprecedented such a request would be? I mean, what reason could you possibly have to believe Judge Colletti would approve a search warrant for a defense attorney?”

“It’s come to our attention that Mitch Norona was in Alaska in 2014 and 2015.”

“Traveling isn’t against the law.” It had taken a moment for Nathaniel to speak, and even then, his tone was cautious. He was right to assume there was more to her statement. “You said yourself that Jacob would have gone someplace remote. What you’re suggesting is that the two of them knew one another for over eleven years, and…”

Nathaniel shook his head at the implication, attempting to keep a level head about this latest development.

“We discovered a photograph of Jacob working on a private fishing charter. Although we aren’t certain about the date the picture was taken, Jacob’s claim that he can guide us to Lusa Kalluk’s remains places him near Silverton in 2014. That same year, Mitch Norona also chartered a private fishing trip. Can you guess which fishing charter out of all of Alaska?”

“I can answer that one for you, King P,” Bit said, tapping on his left wrist even though he wasn’t wearing a watch. It was his way of telling Brook this request was taking longer than it should. “A fishing charter out of Silverton, owned and operated by one Mekhi Hale.”

Nathaniel refrained from commenting on the nickname, but his annoyance was evident. Still, he continued to shift his focus between Brook and Bit until he sank onto the edge of the bed. It was clear that he needed time to process the information. He stared at the worn blue carpet while gathering his thoughts. Meanwhile, Brook continued and finished sharing every detail to date regarding their inquiry into Mitch Norona.

“Let me get this straight,” Nathaniel finally said, holding up a hand when Bit would have given it another attempt. “Or better yet, let me see if I can accurately theorize what you believe to be past events—Mitch Norona was on vacation to celebrate his bar exam, chartered a private fishing boat for a day, struck up a friendship with one of the dockhands, and they…what? Kidnapped and murdered a local woman from a bar? Wait, wait, wait.”

Brook had been about to clarify that she wasn’t entirely sure the two men had formed a friendship. It was likely that Mitch had gotten himself into trouble with Lusa, and Jacob helped him out of it. Brook still wasn’t confident they had an accurate read on the potential timeline. However, she remained silent. Nathaniel was having too much trouble accepting the implications as they stood now.

“You’re going to stand there and tell me you believe it’s plausible that Norona and Walsh buried Kulluk’s body, and…what? Kept in touch for eleven years? That a defense attorney knew about the whereabouts of a serial killer for over a decade, but intentionally didn’t say a word to anyone?” Nathaniel’s disbelief was evident, but he was refusing to comprehend the bigger picture. He then zeroed in on Bit. “How many fucking crimes did you commit to get proof that Norona took some fishing trip?—”

“Watch where you take this conversation, Prosecutor.” Brook stepped forward to ensure Nathaniel’s attention was fully on her. “My team adhered to every letter of the law to link Norona to Walsh. Everything my colleagues have uncovered was through social media, followed by some phone calls to confirm specific details. I authorized them to do this when you refused to even consider for a moment that Norona showing up out of the blue to replace a public defender wasn’t cause for concern.”

“The investigation is done, Brook. Don’t you get that? We’re in the middle of a damned trial,” Nathaniel pointed out in exasperation. “Your role is done. The only reason you are here is because your brother wouldn’t lead us to Kalluk’s remains otherwise.”

“Nathaniel, you’ve seen the photographs of Jacob’s victims. You know that he turned himself into the FBI just so Sarah Evanston would think it was safe to come out of witness protection. You’ve read the reports of his numerous attempted escapes. I stand before you as proof of how cunning and patient he can be in achieving his goals. I have theories about why Mitch Norona began representing Jacob, but Lusa Kalluk doesnotfit the profile of Jacob’s victims. There’s a chance DNA remains on whatever is left—maybe some fabric or jewelry. We need Norona’s DNA first, so you can either contact Judge Colletti and request a warrant or?—”

“Or what, Brook?” Nathaniel asked quietly, his eyes narrowing in response to such an ultimatum. “Are you really going to stand there and threaten a federal pro?—”

“Or Chris Donovan revokes his offer for you to join his firm. And yes, I know the amount of money he offered you to switch sides. It’s lucrative, and it would certainly set you and your wife up for a really nice retirement when the time comes.”

Brook would never have resorted to such a tactic had Kate Lin’s body not been dumped at the end of an airstrip runway in the middle of nowhere. Since joining—and leaving—the FBI as a consultant criminal profiler, Brook had made many difficult decisions. Too many, in fact, that almost certainly punched her ticket to hell.

She had understood a long time ago that she would pay for her brother’s actions. She had made her peace with her punishment a long time ago. As long as Jacob ended up in the depths of hell with her, it was worth the price.

Nathaniel’s jawline ticked with fury, but he wasn’t a man to react without first thinking through the consequences. It was one of the traits that made him a damn good prosecutor. His brief huff of disgust was audible.

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