Page 39 of Craving Sin (Touch of Evil 13)

“We need to turn back unless we want to end up on our hands and knees,” Victor finally said with unease.

She carefully turned and started to make her way back to the previous spot that would lead them to the third passageway. All the while, she continued to reflect on their hiking route, Jacob’s reactions to certain areas, and his comments about Lusa Kalluk.

Brook led Victor down the passageway on the far right.

Surprisingly, they hadn’t traveled more than six or seven yards before the beam of her flashlight illuminated a vast chamber, with the ceiling soaring overhead in a glittering vault of ice. Columns of frozen water rose from floor to ceiling, some as thick as tree trunks and others as delicate as spun glass.

On the other side were two additional passageways.

“For all we know, this ice cave takes up half the mountainside," Brook stated quietly, her voice still reverberating against the icy walls.

Victor's expression was thoughtful, and something about his hesitation implied he had more on his mind than he was willing to say. Brook finally continued, her words carefully measured.

“You're concerned about bringing Jacob in here.”

“I never said that,” Victor countered, though his tone indicated otherwise. His voice carried a slight edge, amplified by the acoustics of the cave. “I just think we might want to regroup, is all.”

“Look, I wasn't exactly in favor of this plea deal myself.”

“I’m only here to ensure that Jacob doesn’t try to pull anything. My opinion about the plea deal doesn’t matter.”

“And what would that opinion be?” Brook inquired with interest as she began to make her way back to the cave’s entrance.

“Initially, I was fully supportive of giving the Kalluk family some closure. A day’s trip, totaling three days when you include the preparation and the flight back home. That’s a lot of overtime. I get it. I have two little girls, and I can’t imagine what Governor Kalluk and his family went through eleven years ago. But everything changed the moment we landed.”

Brook didn’t need Victor to go into detail about the moment everything changed, because discovering Kate’s body had thrown off her and the entire team—emotionally, physically, and mentally.

“You knew about Mitch Norona, didn’t you?” Victor asked, though it seemed as if he was reserving judgment. “I can’t imagine Carter was too keen on the potential mistrial, but a defense attorney with his hands as dirty as his client’s? That makes this entire recovery mission feel like a trap.”

“Unfortunately, you aren’t wrong.”

The admission hung between them as they stopped a few feet from the large crevice. Both turned off their flashlights due to the daylight streaming through the entrance, and it was clear that Victor was waiting for her to exit first.

She considered his words carefully, weighing her options.

“We can break the group in half. Restructure the dynamics.”

“Isn’t this something you should be discussing with Houser?”

One of the things she appreciated about Victor was his tendency to adhere to the rules. Over the years, Russell had come to understand the lengths to which Jacob would go to achieve his goals. Russell even admitted yesterday that he knew she kept tabs on Jacob and recognized that something was off with Mitch Norona.

Still, Russell hadn’t hesitated to participate in this recovery mission.

“Nothing wrong with another opinion,” Brook said before turning somewhat so as not to snag her jacket.

Those outside the cave resembled stranded mountaineers waiting for rescue. They were mainly spread out in groups of two. Russell had remained near Mitch, Justin was with Jacob, and the two forensic techs had settled comfortably against a couple of trees.

Interestingly enough, Mitch was handcuffed and none too happy with the recent development. She quickly assessed that the search warrant had yielded evidence of his involvement with Jacob…maybe even Kate’s murder.

Brook created enough distance from the entrance for Victor to exit.

“I think restructuring the dynamics of this recovery mission might be for the best,” Victor muttered after obtaining a visual of the group.

He joined his partner while Brook closed the distance to Russell’s location.

“We should speak in private,” Russell murmured pensively once Brook was within earshot. Something else besides word from Nathaniel had clearly happened in her absence. Russell guided her away from the group, though not so far that they couldn’t respond if needed. “Carter has instructed us to head back down.”

“No. We’ve been over this,” Brook countered, hoping the chill from the ice cave that had settled into the fabric of her clothes would dissipate soon. She was on the verge of shivering, but she managed to stave off the post-reaction. “Victor and I explored three tunnels inside that ice cave. It’s dark, cold, and quite simply a very confusing maze. Some of the passageways are too thin to squeeze through, while others open into voids with sudden drop-offs into other sections of the cave. I’m not entertaining the idea of taking Jacob inside, but I need him here for the time being. It’s that simple.”

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