Page 34 of Craving Sin (Touch of Evil 13)

“Brook, think about what it is you are doing,” Russell murmured as he came to stand beside her. She began to remove her jacket while giving him a chance to speak. “We have a location. We should all head back down the mountain. Another forensics team can come back tomorrow with a plan in place. The techs who are with us don’t have access to the appropriate equipment, anyway.”

“You’re missing the bigger picture, Russell.” Brook pulled the thicker shirt over her head before adjusting it in place. She continued speaking after picking up her jacket. “Jacob wants inside that ice cave. Why?”

“Does it even matter?” Russell turned so that his back was toward Jacob. “Brook, your brother is in federal custody. Has been for years. I know that he has tried several times to either manipulate the system or plan an escape, but we’re in the final stretch. Whoever takes over Jacob’s defense will be thoroughly vetted by Judge Colletti himself. With the waiver signed and in my possession, the death penalty is back on the table. We’ve won.”

Brook understood Russell’s rationale. Even her team would be in complete agreement that they had achieved what they had set out to do on this trip.

Only the end result wasn’t cut and dry.

“Mitch didn’t abduct or kill Lusa Kalluk. He also didn’t kill Kate.” Brook zipped her jacket before leaning down to retrieve a flashlight from her backpack. She then handed Russell the satellite radio. “You heard Bit. Kavik Aningan and Nanuq Kalluk are missing, and no one seems to be able to find either of them. I’m not sure if that’s by chance or intentional, but if there’s any possibility that one or both of them might be involved, they could have found another way inside that ice cave. I’m not leaving this mountain until I know the truth. Kate deserves at least that, Russell.”

17

Sylvie Deering

June 2025

Wednesday — 1:09 pm

The beam from the flashlight Theo had thrown down to Sylvie sliced through the glacial darkness, illuminating a cavern of ice stalactites and stalagmites. Frigid air pressed in from all sides, immediately soaking into her jacket. She stared at the rotted boards that had given way beneath her feet over half an hour ago. During that time, Theo had been searching for something to haul her up to solid ground.

“Anything?” Sylvie called out, using her boot to move aside one of the decayed boards. The sketchbook in her hand had gone flying the moment the planks had given way. It had to be nearby, and she wasn’t leaving until it was in her possession. “What about the bed frame?”

“Not long enough.”

Theo’s voice was muffled, indicating he wasn’t near the perforated boards. She had been fortunate to escape any serious injury. Had she been incapacitated, nothing Theo could have found would have helped to excavate her. The shattered wood jutted up at jagged angles, some even spiked with rusted nails. What spoke volumes about her luck was the surrounding ice formations, which could have easily broken her back had she landed on one.

Her breath misted in the harsh beam of her flashlight as she swept it slowly over the debris field around her. She hadn’t wanted to stray too far from her spot, but it was clear after searching for so long that the sketchbook wasn’t among the rotted boards. The plastic on the ice must have carried it farther from the impact zone.

Theo had carefully examined what remained of the wood above her. Upon closer inspection, he had discovered corroded hinges on the backside. What they had thought were merely rotted planks had turned out to be remnants of a cleverly disguised trapdoor.

Self-recrimination filled her as she moaned in frustration.

She should have been more careful. Theo had warned her twice about the weak area in the floor, but she had been so caught up in wanting the cabin to appear untouched that it didn’t even cross her mind when she walked toward the nightstand.

She tipped her head back, squinting into the blackness.

“Theo, I need to spread out a little. I can’t find the sketchbook.”

“Don’t go far.”

Considering she had been stuck in an ice cave for the past half hour, she had given a lot of thought to the trapdoor. Jacob was highly intelligent, so it didn’t surprise her that he would want another means of escape.

Could such an assumption point to the presence of another exit nearby?

Sylvie was about to say the same to Theo when a sudden scraping noise echoed nearby. She stiffened, the hair on her neck prickling at the realization that she might not be alone down here. Gripping her flashlight tighter, she swung its beam toward the source of the sound. The light sliced through the shadows, exposing the jagged walls in all their wonder.

“Theo?” Sylvie tried her best to keep the unease from her voice. “Are there any animals that live in ice caves? Anything big enough to pose a threat?”

“Ice worms, maybe?” A moment of silence followed, which did nothing to lessen her anxiety. “I mean, bears might find shelter in caves during winter, but I don’t think it would be an ice cave.”

Theo’s tone lacked conviction, and she thought she heard him mumbling something about being glad it was summer. While she wasn’t thrilled to learn that ice worms existed, she assumed any larger wildlife was likely more afraid of her than she was of them.

“Okay,” Sylvie said to herself before measuring her breaths to steady her heart rate. “Just worms. Small ones. I probably can’t even see them.”

She angled her flashlight downward as she continued searching the sketchbook. By repositioning the beam, she floodlit the larger of the two passageways. Given the slight slope, the outer plastic of the evidence likely allowed the sketchbook to slide in that direction.

“Sylvie, I’m going outside for a minute. The only things long enough to reach you are the boards from the outhouse. I’ll lower some down, and we can rig something for you to climb up.”

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