Page 13

13

Bobby “Bit” Nowacki

June 2025

Wednesday — 12:16 pm

A solitary raven perched on the hood of a vehicle in the clearing. His glossy black feathers shimmered subtly, even though the sun had slipped behind a thick blanket of clouds. He seemed rather intent on his observation of the Kalluk family, who were all currently engaged in a muted conversation behind an SUV.

Bit shifted with unease as he studied the raven. It was as if the bird was delivering a message from the universe. He had engaged in enough role-playing games to know the many superstitions associated with ravens. One stood out the most—a raven appearing alone instead of in pairs was a message that someone would soon die or suffer a great loss.

Hadn’t the Kalluk family suffered enough?

“…let the others know. I’m driving back to the hotel now. I have agents heading to Norona’s residence and place of work in Baltimore to execute the warrants.”

“Copy.”

Special Agent Russell Houser’s voice was clear as it came through the satellite radio. Bit remained standing next to Nathaniel, predicting that Brook would want an update. There wasn’t anything new to report about the case, but Bit also wasn’t finished speaking with some of the key players involved in Lusa’s disappearance.

What worried him most was that he hadn’t heard from either Theo or Sylvie in quite a while.

“This is probably what Walsh wanted all along,” Nathaniel muttered in disgust as he reached into his jacket. He pulled out a set of keys. “Are you driving back to the hotel? I assume Brook wants you there when I conduct a search of Norona’s room.”

Judge Colletti had granted the warrants and subsequently removed Norona and his firm from the trial. While the law firm had already been informed, Nathanial was responsible for notifying Mitch of the situation due to their current circumstances.

The plea deal was off the table, and a mistrial had been declared.

The federal prosecutor was forced to start from scratch.

"Boss doesn’t think Jacob had us come out to Alaska or find out about his connection to Slick Mitch for the judge to declare a mistrial,” Bit said as he shifted his weight from side to side. Someone in the Kalluk group had brought coffee and hot chocolate, knowing they faced a long day ahead. He wouldn’t mind having something warm to drink right now, either. “I’ve never really known Boss to be wrong.”

Nathaniel followed Bit’s gaze to the others before he sighed in irritation.

“I need to ask the Kalluk family some more questions.” Bit pulled his phone from his jacket. Still no word from Theo or Sylvie. “I’ll meet you back at the hotel soon.”

“Look, what Brook said this morning made sense, but she’s not the one who has to deliver the news to the former governor. With this new information about Norona coming to light and Special Agent Kate Lin’s murder, I doubt I’ll extend another plea deal to Walsh,” Nathaniel said with frustration. “That means the Kalluk family won’t be able to bring their daughter’s remains home. I know Brook thought there would be enough time to see this through, but I had to end it.”

“Nathaniel, do you copy?”

Just as Bit suspected, Brook’s voice came through the radio.

“I’m here,” Nathaniel replied after lifting the radio and pressing the side button. “Bring everyone back, Brook. It’s over.”

“No, it isn’t. Jacob is aware that he no longer has representation, but he is still willing to show us where Lusa’s remains are buried.”

“Did you not hear me, Sloane?” Nathaniel exclaimed, turning around so that his voice wouldn’t travel over the wind. Still, Bit noticed that Toklo was now observing them intently. “Bring the group—and the prisoner—back now.”

When Brook didn’t immediately respond, Nathaniel lifted the radio to his mouth once more.

“You worked with the FBI for years, Sloane. You know very well that the Fifth and Sixth Amendments will come into play if you don’t end this. Walsh needs new counsel before any other deal can be made.”

Bit noticed Nathaniel hadn’t mentioned that such a plea deal probably wouldn’t be offered a second time. He didn’t want Jacob overhearing the prosecution’s future plans. Given the evidence collected regarding the 1996 murder of Stella Bennett, a conviction was secured. The death penalty, on the other hand, was the only reason Jacob had offered to provide closure to the Kalluk family.

Considering the political ties, no other family could have pushed for such a plea deal in the first place.

“Jacob has revoked his right to counsel.”

“Damn it, Brook.” Nathaniel raised his voice to the point that he now had the attention of the entire Kalluk family. “No judge will?—”

“My call, Carter.” Russell had taken the satellite radio from Brook. “I brought a pad of paper and a pen in my pack. Walsh is waiving his right to counsel, and I have it in writing, along with several witnesses who can testify that the request was voluntary. According to Walsh, we’re twenty minutes away from the site.”

Nathaniel pressed the radio to his forehead. He had no control over the situation, and it was evident that nothing he said would be considered in the decision.

“Carter, these are our coordinates,” Brook said after having reclaimed the radio. Her voice lowered significantly. “Send in the other agents. Now.”

Nathaniel might have been surprised by Brook’s request, but Bit wasn’t at all shocked that she was taking precautions. She believed Jacob was likely to attempt an escape, and she wanted agents ready for when that attempt happened.

Nathaniel would notify the chopper, and the three agents on board would be lowered to the ground. She or Russell could have made such a request, but by going through Nathaniel, they were alerting the federal prosecutor to a potential situation.

“Consider it done.”

Nathaniel handed Bit the satellite radio a little harder than necessary after notifying the pilot to search for a clearing. The three agents aboard were to hike toward the coordinates that Brook had provided them.

“Since you’re sticking around, keep this close. You have two officers and four other agents at your disposal.” Nathaniel nodded toward the two separate groups that had taken up positions on either side of the clearing. Bit hadn’t planned on staying too long, but then again, he had no idea what Brook thought he could discover that they hadn’t last night. “Don’t mention a damn word to Governor Kalluk about there being a mistrial or that Jacob waived his right to counsel. I have enough on my plate as it is. Contact me if anything changes, and I’ll let you know if the warrants turn up anything useful.”

Bit wasn’t comfortable being left in charge, but at least four federal agents were available to take over if he needed to leave the site. He carried the radio with him as he made his way over to the Kalluk family. Their focus remained on Nathaniel as the federal prosecutor got into one of the SUVs and drove off.

“Has something happened? Is there something we should know?” Toklo asked with concern as those around him stepped to the side so that he could speak with Bit. “Has my daughter’s remains been found?”

“Not yet, Governor Kalluk.” Bit wasn’t sure if he should address the former governor by his title or not, so he played it safe. He held up the satellite radio. “As soon as I have some information, I will pass it along to you. While we wait, I’d like to speak with Aputi. I have some follow-up questions.”

“Of course,” Toklo replied, nodding toward his son that he should step forward. “The temperature has dropped since the clouds moved into the area. Would you like something hot to drink? My wife brought some hot beverages for everyone while we wait to hear from Miss Sloane.”

“I wouldn’t mind a cup of hot chocolate.” Bit thanked Mrs. Kalluk after she handed him a paper cup. The steam rose in the air as he and Aputi began to distance themselves from the group. Nanuq and Kavik weren’t near the rest of the family. They weren’t even in view, but Bit had caught sight of them earlier. “I appreciate your time, Aputi.”

“Sure.” Aputi came to a stop in front of an officer’s patrol vehicle. “I’m not sure what else I can tell you about that night. Everything was in my statement, and I spoke with Mr. Neville at length yesterday.”

“I understand Lusa went to the restroom around an hour into the evening,” Bit said, mentally agreeing with Aputi. This entire morning seemed like a waste of time when there was so much more to be done to figure out who killed Kate. “Can you recall if anything unusual happened beforehand? Was your sister acting strange? Did she receive a phone call or text? Was she preoccupied?”

“No. Everything was fine. We were waiting for Delilah to finish her shift. She was supposed to have gotten off at seven o’clock that night, but a coworker was late. Lusa and I were already on our third game of pool and our second round of drinks when she excused herself to use the restroom.”

Bit lifted the hot chocolate to take a sip, but the steam was still rising into the air. He decided to let the drink cool a little longer. He thought about Delilah serving the drinks at the bar and decided to take a different approach to jog the man’s memory.

“You said that when Lusa didn’t return after fifteen minutes, you became concerned,” Bit recalled from Aputi’s statement. “Did you see Delilah during that time?”

“It was more like twenty or thirty minutes,” Aputi said with a frown, shifting his weight in regret. “And yes, Delilah came by to ask if we wanted another round. The two of us ended up talking about the road closure. It was the reason the bar was so crowded, because anyone who lived in Whittier couldn’t go home until the officers cleared the area.”

“Why was the road closed off?”

“Fatal accident. Old man Croc, who owned the hardware store on the east end of town, didn’t even make it to the hospital. Of course, we didn’t find out about his death until the day after. We spent most of the night searching for Lusa.”

“Did you and Delilah talk about anything else?”

“Now that you mention it, Delilah took the opportunity to ask how the conversation went with Lusa and my dad. They had gotten into a huge fight that morning.” Aputi’s gaze drifted toward his family. A somber expression crossed his features. “Dad threatened to cut Lusa out of his life, but he never would have gone that far.”

“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?”

Toklo gestured to his left before realizing that neither of the men was nearby. He stepped outside the group to survey the other side of the truck.

“I don’t know, son. They were here a little while ago. They couldn’t have gone far.”

Bit wasn’t inclined to agree, but he also didn’t want to sound the alarm without some shred of evidence that Kavik and Nanuq had something to hide.

What would either of them have to gain by killing Lusa?

Bit instructed Aputi to go be with his family, hinting that maybe the men had gone to relieve themselves in the woods. While Aputi appeared to accept that excuse, Bit continued his way across the clearing until he reached two of the four federal agents.

“Listen, we might have a problem,” Bit informed them, not missing the way one of the agents scanned him from top to bottom. He wasn’t usually one to take the lead in these types of situations. He had a mirror. He was rather scrawny and didn’t necessarily have a commanding presence, but his mentality had changed in the years working at S&E Investigations. “I need the two of you to fan out. It’s probably nothing, but two of the men who accompanied the Kalluk family have wandered off—Kavik Aningan and Nanuq Kalluk. I need to speak with both of them.”

Bit waited ten minutes before deciding to inform Brook about the current events. During that time, he tried to reach Theo and Sylvie, but neither answered their phones. What could they have possibly discovered at the cabin that prevented them from returning close enough to Silverton to have cell phone reception? It didn’t help that Aputi and the rest of his family realized something was very wrong.

Once Bit had Brook on the satellite radio, he didn’t waste any more time.

“Boss, we have a problem.”