Page 18

18

Bobby ‘Bit’ Nowacki

June 2025

Wednesday — 1:16 pm

S everal voices echoed through the dense Alaskan pines, bouncing back hollow and distorted.

“Kavik!”

“Nanuq!”

Bit instinctively jerked to the side when a branch of leaves brushed against his face. A smaller twig snagged on his knitted hat, and he reached up just in time before it was yanked off his head. He was far more comfortable in front of a computer and couldn’t fathom why anyone would choose to be out in the wild among blood-sucking insects and animals that might consider humans a main course in their daily meal.

Making his way back to the clearing, he figured the others could continue their search. He checked his phone for the fourth time in fifteen minutes. Theo and Sylvie still hadn’t contacted him, and every call Bit initiated went directly to voicemail on both their phones. He would give them one more hour before he raised his concerns and requested that the chopper make a detour to the other side of the mountain.

As for Nathaniel, he had been gone for over an hour. It was understandable that the search warrants being carried out in Baltimore would take more time, but one hotel room in Blackpeak?

Bit pulled his beanie down further to shield his ears from the biting cold. The overcast sky made the fifties feel much colder than it had been earlier. Most of the Kalluk family had joined the search effort, but standing at the back of the open SUV was Lusa’s grandmother. She wore a thick coat and had her arms crossed over her midsection as she anxiously gazed in the direction where her son and daughter-in-law were helping search for Nanuq.

Brook and the others knew that the two men were missing, and it was reasonable to suspect that one or both of them had a role in Lusa’s disappearance and Kate’s death. They had been each other’s alibi on the night in question, and no one had questioned their whereabouts two nights before when Kate had been killed.

The more time that passed without a word from them, Bit became increasingly concerned that they had left the area to pursue Brook and the others. Were Kavik and Nanuq trying to assist Jacob in escaping federal custody?

Bit’s phone rang as he walked toward the rental SUV.

Unfortunately, the call wasn’t from Sylvie or Theo.

“Reach out to Brook and Houser,” Nathaniel directed, forgoing any type of greeting. His voice was just as irritating over the phone as it was in person. “I want Norona to be read his rights and officially arrested.”

“You found something?”

“You might say that. We discovered a burner phone tucked beneath the mattress and box spring in his hotel room. While nothing has been found at his Baltimore residence or law office yet, the series of text messages on the burner clearly indicate he was in contact with the person who murdered Kate Lin.”

Bit wasn’t used to experiencing such intense anger. The strong emotion surged within him, making it difficult for him to respond to Nathaniel’s request. Since yesterday, Bit has struggled most with his resentment toward Kate for not calling him to verify whether Brook's email had been genuine. Kate had put her faith in a source and believed in the authenticity of the words.

He was mostly upset with himself for not anticipating such a terrible tactic.

It would have taken less than a minute to create a program that allowed email recipients to verify authenticity. A simple code could have prevented Kate’s death. As soon as they returned to D.C., his first stop would be the office. He planned to implement a program on each team member’s devices—a plugin designed to analyze every received message for signs of forgery or tampering. The algorithm would consider multiple factors and ultimately display a small tree icon to confirm credibility.

Bit had overheard Nathaniel mention that the unsub might have a lot of experience in technology, but that wasn’t the case. Anyone with access to the Internet could find directions on how to create an email address without revealing one’s location. Unfortunately, the instructions for the one used in Kate’s case had been shared to the public by someone very, very gifted.

“Did you try and trace the number associated with the text messages?”

“I’m not an amateur, Mr. Nowacki.”

“What was discussed between Slick Mitch and this other person?” Bit asked, ignoring the federal prosecutor’s irritation at being questioned about the chain of evidence. Bit could run circles around those working for the federal government when it came to anything tech-related. “Was Kate’s name literally mentioned in the messages?”

“Let’s just say that Norona wasn’t on board with the murder, but that decision had been taken out of his hands. He asked why the other party had escalated the situation by killing a federal agent. Norona then instructed the other party to make sure that nothing could lead back to them, and to also make sure everything else was in place. It’s the reason we need to get Brook and the others off that mountain. It’s clear that this is some type of ambush.”

“Bring me the phone.” Bit didn’t care if Nathaniel thought he was overstepping his bounds. Brook had put Bit in charge of their side of things while she was busy with Jacob. “I think I might know who has the other burner. It's a fifty-fifty toss-up between Kavik and Nanuq. There is even a chance they are in it together.”

“What are you talking about? What makes you say that?”

“We can't locate either of them,” Bit explained, his gaze sweeping over the area once more. He probably should have notified Nathaniel earlier, but he had gotten caught up in the search after touching base with Brook. “They have both up and disappeared.”

“I'm heading back there now,” Nathaniel said as his voice became somewhat more urgent. “In the meantime, alert Houser to place Norona officially under arrest. I want that man’s rights read to him.”

The satellite radio in his other hand came to life, prompting Bit to end his call with Nathaniel. Russell repeated the broadcast when Bit wasn’t sure he had heard the transmission correctly.

“The remains of Lusa Kalluk are inside an ice cave,” Russell disclosed again, his voice tight with concern. "Brook and Victor have gone inside, but Walsh is refusing to give the exact location. He wants to be the one to escort them the rest of the way.”

An ice cave with Jacob Walsh was about the last place Brook should be, and Bit was certain the team would agree. The three agents who had joined the group on the ground wouldn’t have visual, and there could be extreme dangers associated with unexplored natural ecosystems.

Brook is requesting immediate research on the ice cave formation. She needs to know how far it extends into the mountain, any documented passageways, and information about its structural stability—anything that might give them an advantage inside.

“Copy.” Bit released the side button before pressing it again to relay Nathaniel’s message. “Something turned up in Slick Mitch’s hotel room. He knew about Kate, and there is evidence that someone else is involved. You need to read him his rights and place him under arrest.”

“I’ll take care of it.”

Bit switched from the radio to his cell phone. He attempted to reach Sylvie and Theo again, but neither of them answered his calls. How was he supposed to question the Kalluk family, search for two missing people, and dig up information on some ice cave in the middle of Alaska?

It didn’t help that his emotions were getting the best of him.

Bit pocketed his phone as he walked toward where he had parked the SUV. His sneakers were caked in mud from a damp area in the underbrush. The troopers and agents would continue combing the dense area while he did his best to multitask.

He was already creating a mental checklist of geological databases and topographical mapping system sites that he could access without any issues. Cave systems could be complex, featuring narrow passageways and dead ends. If Jacob planned to lead them into a trap, Brook needed to know all possible escape routes.

Nanuq's truck caught Bit’s attention as he passed it. Something about the bed of the pickup seemed off. Bit paused, circling back for a closer look. The truck's paint job was weathered, the blue faded to a grayish shade in places, with rust claiming the wheel wells. However, it wasn't the truck's condition that made him stop.

In the truck bed, barely visible, were distinctive tire marks—the kind made by ATV wheels. They formed parallel lines in the fine layer of dirt coating the metal, evidence that something had been loaded and then removed.

If Nanuq had brought an all-terrain vehicle, he could have offloaded it before the clearing. No one would have heard the engine if the four-wheeler had been hidden far enough away. He could then easily have caught up with the group covering the territory on foot. Granted, he would have had to ditch the ATV at some point due to the incline, but the possibility still existed.

“Agent Houser?” Bit waited for Russell to confirm receipt of his transmission. “We still haven’t located Kavik and Nanuq, but I’ve come across evidence that suggests they might have had access to an ATV.”

“I’ll alert the agents surrounding the area.”

Bit didn’t like putting off collecting his laptop from the SUV to research the ice cave for Brook, but he needed to speak with one of the state troopers or federal agents searching for the two men. The ATV theory could prove to be true, which would mean that Nanuq would have dropped off the four-wheeler somewhere along the dirt road where there was an easier access point.

Bit was able to locate one of the federal agents.

They spent a few minutes discussing the possibility that the men might already be out of the area and heading up the mountain. Bit suggested allowing the family members to continue searching to avoid upsetting them, while also involving other state troopers and federal agents. They couldn’t search Kavik or Nanuq’s vehicle without a warrant, which meant they needed proof that one or both men had been working with Norona or Walsh.

Until someone or something gave them cause to search the vehicles, they were at a standstill. Bit informed the agent that Nathaniel should be arriving soon. He would be able to give more insight into any possible warrants being granted with what little evidence they currently had on hand. Technically, two men going for a walk while waiting around for word from the recovery mission wasn’t a crime.

As Bit rounded the back of his rental vehicle, something caught his attention—a splash of darker color against the tall grass and weeds at the edge of the clearing. He squinted, trying to make out if it was a piece of trash.

It was a boot.

A heavy work boot, partially obscured by the weeds, pointed at an odd angle.

Instead of extending his hand to open the SUV’s hatch, he slowly lowered his arm. He lifted his gaze to scan the wooded area behind the underbrush. When nothing else unusual made itself known, he lifted the radio and switched the dial to a local channel. Once he had alerted the troopers and federal agents to his location and the reason for his request, he slowly approached the body.

Each stride revealed more and more of the male subject.

A leg.

A torso.

An arm flung outward.

Finally, Bit found himself standing over Kavik Aningan, the man’s eyes staring unsightly up at the sky. A dark stain had spread across his chest, the fabric of his jacket torn and soaked through.

Not a gunshot—the wound was too ragged, too broad.

A knife, or something similar, had been driven with enough force to penetrate the heavy outdoor clothing.

Bit could only guess as to the reason for Kavik’s death. Any speculation didn’t matter at this point. What mattered now was that Nanuq was unraveling, and there was no predicting his next move.

Unless…

Bit spun around to find two federal agents walking toward him. With a few instructions to wait for Nathaniel to arrive at the scene, as well as instructing the forensic techs in the vicinity that they had an active crime scene, Bit radioed the others to locate Aputi Kalluk.

“Did you find them?” Aputi asked as he materialized from the opposite side of the clearing. He was actively searching the area behind Bit. “An agent said that you needed me. Are they okay? What were they doing that they couldn’t?—”

“I’m sorry, Aputi. Kavik is dead.” There was a lot of pressure on Bit to manage this situation. He normally would have taken time to be empathetic, having just experienced such an announcement himself regarding a friend. Unfortunately, there was no time to allow the man a moment to absorb the news. “This is now a crime scene, and federal agents are rounding up your family members. You’ve already been through something like this before. We’ll need statements, timelines…you know how this is going to go. Please, help me.”

“I—I don’t know what else I can tell you,” Aputi said, clearly in shock. He had even reached out to a vehicle to help balance himself as he tried to come to terms with the situation. “Nanuq and Kavik were with us this morning, drinking coffee and hot chocolate. We had all taken the day off work to?—”

“I’m not talking about now.” Bit could hear the engine of a vehicle approaching, but he didn’t bother to glance in that direction. He stayed focused on Aputi. “Nanuq and Kavik gave each other alibis. The owners of the wildlife conservation confirmed that part of a fence had come down. I pulled those photographs, and the work was done. Only I think that Kavik did the work himself, and Nanuq made his way into town.”

“Nanuq would never…” A spark of anger had Aputi stepping forward. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. I was at the bar that night. The road was closed off. You can ask anyone. Even if Kavik and Nanuq had wanted to come into town, they couldn’t until the road closure was lifted.”

“Not if Nanuq used his ATV to get around the debris of the accident.” Bit held up the radio to make his point. “Nanuq might very well be headed up that mountain to try and stop my boss from discovering Lusa’s remains. I don’t know how or why, but Nanuq is somehow involved in your sister’s death.”

“First, it wasn’t that type of accident that closed the road. It was a hit-and-run. Old man Croc was walking his usual route to the bar that night and got hit by a car,” Aputi amended, his anger still simmering at the surface. “And Nanuq is more like a brother than a cousin. He would never?—”

“Kavik is dead,” Bit stated bluntly, refusing to revert to his usual laid-back demeanor. Kate deserved justice, too. “Nanuq was the last one with him. There is mud in the bed of Nanuq’s truck that suggests he transported an ATV recently. I think Nanuq got Kavik to cover for him that night based on some senseless lie, and Kavik finally came to his senses. I’ve seen this before, Aputi. Your cousin is spiraling out of control, and more people are getting hurt. Think back. Why would Nanuq have killed your sister?”

Sometime during Bit’s spiel, Aputi had come to some sort of realization.

The man’s gaze had veered toward the ground in stunned skepticism, and he was shaking his head at an internal thought that literally had him bending over at the waist. He rested his hands on his knees, but Bit didn’t push this time around.

There was no need.

“Lusa…she…” Aputi straightened before wiping a hand over his mouth. He was struggling to get the words out. “It was nothing.”

“It was obviously something,” Bit countered.

“I mean, I have to be grasping at straws,” Aputi said, attempting to convince himself that his cousin wasn’t a murderer. While Bit waited for more information, he noticed that Nathaniel had finally returned from the hotel. “A—a few days prior, my sister mentioned Nanuq’s fundraiser for the wildlife conservation. He used my father’s influence to raise a quarter of a million dollars. Lusa thought…well, she thought that figure was low.”

“Are you saying that Lusa believed Nanuq was skimming from?—”

“No,” Aputi exclaimed, holding up his hand to ward off the accusation. “I mean, it was a misunderstanding. Nanuq cleared up the misconception. He explained that some of the high-net-worth individuals didn’t donate as much as originally thought. He…”

Bit wasn’t sure where the hit and run came into play.

Or Jacob, for that matter.

Nanuq was now their prime suspect, and Nathaniel was going to have to take over the crime scene so that Bit could concentrate on gathering information regarding the ice cave, as well as figuring out why Sylvie and Theo were still MIA.

“All you had to do was share this information with the police back in 2014,” Bit said with disappointment. No one wanted to believe that a family member could resort to stealing, let alone murder. Brook was a prime example. “Not only would…never mind. A federal agent will take your statement. Again. This time, try telling the truth.”

Bit walked away, noticing Nathaniel standing near Kavik’s body. Two of the forensic techs were already taking photographs and processing the scene. Before Bit joined them, he needed to warn those in harm’s way. He raised the radio to his lips after turning the small dial on top of it to the correct frequency.

“Agent Houser, there’s been another development.”