Page 20 of Craving Sin (Touch of Evil 13)

“Is there a reason we can’t drive there?” Theo asked as he slid both items to the edge of the table.

“The only way up the side of that mountain is either to hike or to take an ATV. Even then, an ATV will only get you so far.”

Mekhi leaned down and picked up the writing utensil with his callused fingers.

He grimaced at the size of the pencil.

“And how did Jacob get to the cabin?” Sylvie asked as they both examined the sketch being put to paper. “Did he hike or have access to an ATV?”

“Don’t know. Didn’t ask, didn’t care. I already told you that no one asks questions around here. I paid Jacob under the table, and he paid Atka under the table. Simple exchanges that benefited everyone involved.”

Theo was beginning to understand why Jacob had targeted Mekhi Hale in the first place. When Jacob had arrived in Silverton with the fisherman, no one had questioned his arrival. He kept his head down, accomplished what he was paid to do, and didn’t socialize with the residents.

Silverton had been the perfect place to disappear.

Mekhi’s drawing was shaky yet precise. Theo could easily make out certain landmarks as the pencil was slapped down on the table with finality.

“You see this spot? Blocked by downed trees, debris, and basically a lot of undergrowth. Happened many years ago, and I haven’t been up there since then. Before you ask why, I used to hunt a lot. Anyway, there used to be a small path to the left, right about here, wide enough for a four-wheeler. You should be able to navigate through it just fine. You’ll find the cabin about two klicks from that point.” Mekhi gave them both a pointed stare. “I trust I won’t hear from either of you after today.”

Without another word or even a brief glance at the other patrons, Mekhi exited the diner. The piercing noise of the bell overhead accurately conveyed his frustration throughout the establishment.

“Let’s get a move on,” Ed exclaimed, the toothpick in between his thin lips barely moving. He didn’t have a limp like Mekhi, but the older man still seemed to shuffle toward the door. “I keep an ATV in my shed. I live right down the road, so you can follow me. Remember to park around the side so you’re not in my way. If you aren’t back by dark, I’ll make sure to send someone after you.”

“That’s comforting,” Sylvie murmured as she stood from the booth. “It’s a good thing I brought a jacket.”

Sylvie might have tossed a jacket into the back of the SUV, but they still weren’t fully prepared to take a four-wheeler into the mountains.

“Ed, you don’t happen to have a backpack that we can borrow, do you?” Theo asked as they stepped out into the gravel parking area out front. “We’re going to need to take some essentials with us, which means we’ll need to stop in at the convenience store.”

“I might have a spare you can borrow,” Ed said with a slow smile.

Once again, the toothpick in the man’s mouth barely moved. Theo got the sense that he would be paying more than a hundred dollars for the upcoming excursion.

“Do you know what this means, Theo?” Sylvie had waited to pose the question until Ed was out of earshot. Theo came to a stop in front of the SUV. “We literally just discovered where Jacob stayed during his time here. I get that Mekhi and the other residents want their privacy, but at some point, forensics is going to need access to this place. What if…well, what if he hunted here? Jacob could have buried his victims’ remains on that mountain, Theo.”

Theo monitored Ed as he settled in behind the steering wheel of his truck, which was in no better shape than the one Mekhi drove around town. The engine purred to life as if the vehicle were brand-new, though.

“Why don’t we check out the site before making any decisions?” Theo noticed when Sylvie got the meaning behind his suggestion. She adjusted her black-rimmed glasses and waited for him to finish his thought. “If Brook believes that Jacob didn’t kill Lusa Kalluk, I trust her judgment. Only that would mean Jacob has ulterior motives, which has been par for the course. I doubt he would bring us here if there was even the slightest chance we could discover more victims. Maybe, just maybe, his reasons are tied to whatever is inside that cabin.”

10

Brooklyn Sloane

June 2025

Wednesday — 10:12 am

As the scent of pine gradually replaced the lingering odor of gasoline, Brook quietly observed the organized chaos surrounding her. Various SUVs, government vehicles, and two forensic vans were parked in a secluded clearing at the base of the mountain just outside the town of Blackpeak. The initial team would include her, Special Agent Russell Houser, Mitch Norona, Jacob, Special Agents Brall and Genedet, and two forensic technicians. Once the location of the remains was confirmed, seven additional forensic technicians would be dispatched to the site.

There was no denying that the atmosphere was charged with anticipation as the small group finished preparing for the hike to the location of Lusa Kalluk's remains. Brook was only half-listening to Russell as he spoke on the phone, his voice tense and urgent. He was engaged in a conversation with a local federal agent who was trying to determine what had happened to Kate Lin after her vehicle had been abandoned on the side of a back road in the dead of night. Security footage showed her arriving at an airport, renting a car, and then driving away to an unknown destination.

Brook had worked on both profiles last night, and she was confident that whoever abducted Lusa Kalluk was also responsible for Kate's death. Unfortunately, the characteristics of the unsub didn’t match Jacob in the least. Adjusting her posture, Brook straightened her shoulders and tilted her head slightly, trying to catch fragments of the conversation.

“…in Kate Lin’s rental car. There were vast amounts of blood near…”

Russell's words faded into the background. Brook had already received the update that Kate had been killed just feet away from her vehicle. Everything following that moment until her body was dumped at the end of the runway was subjective, which led Brook back to Lusa Kalluk.

The first victim usually held all the answers.

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