Page 28 of Craving Sin (Touch of Evil 13)

“What do you think of Kavik?”

“Kavik loved my sister,” Aputi admitted as he brought his attention back to Bit. “But I understood at the time why our father wanted her to be with someone more suited for public service life.”

Bit finally took a tentative sip of his hot chocolate. His body welcomed the warmth of the beverage, which was now at just the right temperature. Without the sun, the wind was quite cold.

“My father accomplished great things as governor. He was even considered a presidential candidate by some highly influential people, but everything changed after Lusa’s disappearance.”

“You called Nanuq first?” Bit asked, mentally walking through the events of the evening. “Is that right?”

“Yes. My cousin thought I was kidding around, but I finally convinced him that Delilah and I couldn’t find Lusa. We had already called the police at that point, but it took an officer some time to get to the bar. I thought that maybe she had reached out to Kavik.”

“And had she?”

“No. As a matter of fact, her phone was still on the table, but I didn’t know that until later.”

“Was the road closure the reason why Delilah’s coworker didn’t arrive on time for her shift?”

“Yes. But once the state trooper arrived, the bar kind of just shut down after that. Everyone was being questioned, my father arrived, and it just got crazier from there.”

“When did Nanuq and Kavik get to the bar?” Bit asked, already knowing the answer. Still, he was testing the waters and inquiring about anything and everything that could trigger a forgotten memory. “Before or after the sheriff arrived?”

“After. Probably an hour later, after the road was finally reopened.” Aputi’s attention was diverted when the radio of one of the officers squawked before a dispatcher requested an update on their assignment. “The state trooper requested that everyone go home after giving their statements, but we didn’t listen. We all hopped into our vehicles and drove around, hoping to find her.”

A surge of frustration welled up inside Bit, but he pressed Aputi with more questions, hoping to catch a break.

“Did you drive around alone?” Bit hadn’t read anything in the missing persons report about what had taken place after the officer took control of the investigation. “Your father? Cousin? Kavic?”

“Delilah rode with me. Mom and Dad drove over to Lusa’s apartment, hoping that she might have felt sick or something and went straight home. Nanuq and Kavic each had their trucks, so you would have to ask them where they looked for Lusa. Like I said, we all drove around town searching for her.” Aputi glanced over Bit’s shoulder before bringing the conversation to an end. “I’d really like to get back to my family. They have waited a very long time for this.”

“I understand,” Bit said, turning and falling into step beside Aputi. “I’d like to speak with Kavic. Maybe something was bothering Lusa in the weeks leading up to her disappearance. I know he has answered that question many times, but I’m not talking about something obvious. I mean, I can always tell when something is bothering my best friend by the way she stirs her tea.”

“If that was the case, Kavik didn’t mention it to me or the others.”

“Do you think he would have mentioned it to Nanuq? I’m assuming that since they worked together, the two of them are friends, I imagine.”

“Truthfully? Not so much anymore. A lot of things have changed since Lusa went missing.”

Bit scanned the group, who were all still near the back of a newer-model SUV. Kavik was nowhere to be found, so he must have returned to his own vehicle. Bit could just make out the backend of his truck.

“Kavik quit his job at the conservation a couple of weeks after everything happened. Technically, the owners let him go because he wasn’t showing up for his shifts. He was too busy searching for my sister. Nanuq did his best to convince the owners otherwise, but they needed someone reliable. After that, Kavik and Nanuq stopped hanging out." Aputi slowed his steps until he came to a complete stop just out of earshot of his family. “Look, Kavik knew at the time that my parents disapproved of his relationship with Lusa. It took a long time for my mom and dad to realize they could have handled the situation better. Trust me, they would give anything to go back and tell Lusa to be happy.”

Bit had been listening intently while searching for Kavik and Nanuq, but neither man was in sight. The summary Aputi had given made sense, yet Bit couldn’t wrap his head around the explanation. He and Theo worked together, and he couldn’t imagine their friendship fracturing into dust if something happened to Sylvie or Brook.

If anything, their bond would only grow stronger.

It had, too.

Sylvie had nearly died in the hospital after being stabbed, and Brook had been abducted by a deranged woman who believed such horrific acts would make Jacob happy.

Theo, Arden, and Bit had only grown closer during that time.

“Aputi, did you see where Kavik went?” Bit scanned the entire area, but he couldn’t locate the man. They had gotten close enough to Kavik’s truck for Bit to know that no one was inside the cab. “Or your cousin?”

Aputi’s gaze was quickly drawn to Kavik’s truck, which had seen better days. Rust covered the back end, along with several other noticeable spots on the tailgate. Bit could have said that he had already checked that direction, but instead, he took the time to search the whole area.

Both Kavik’s F150 and Nanuq’s Ram 1500 were still parked nearby.

“I’m sure they’re around somewhere,” Aputi muttered before calling out to his father. “Hey, Dad? Where are Kavik and Nanuq?”

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