Page 3

3

Sylvie Deering

June 2025

Tuesday — 1:14 pm

S ylvie had to lower the visor as she sat in the passenger seat of the SUV. Although the sun was obscured by thick clouds, a slight glare still reflected off the screen of her electronic tablet. She couldn’t help but groan in frustration. A headache had surfaced after re-reading the statements about Lusa Kalluk’s disappearance for what felt like the hundredth time. The annoying brightness on the display didn’t help, either.

“Maybe we should have pushed harder,” Bit said from the driver’s seat. He was going a little too fast for her liking, which was why she had opted to read through some of the documents that had been uploaded to the firm’s software program. If she weren’t peering out the windshield, she wouldn’t worry about any oncoming traffic. “Then again, I didn’t like the look of the fisherman’s front lawn. Do you think he booby-trapped his porch?”

Given Mekhi Hale’s irritable demeanor, she wouldn’t bet against such a reaction towards intruders. Not that they had tried to enter the man’s home. All they had accomplished was parking in the driveway, where they had been met with the barrel of a shotgun.

Sylvie had managed to hold her credentials up through the window, which succeeded in getting Mekhi to lower his weapon long enough to hear why they wanted to speak with him. Unfortunately, the moment she mentioned Jacob Walsh, Mekhi ordered them off his property, stating that if he had known the guy had murdered people, he would never have given him part-time work.

“Maybe,” Sylvie answered honestly. “We can always try to talk with him tomorrow. Maybe he’ll have a change of heart overnight.”

Bit, now steering with one hand, took a swig of his energy drink before placing the tall can back into the cupholder. They were about thirty-five minutes from the hotel and were scheduled to meet up with the rest of the team soon.

“Hey, why don't we pretend we're in one of Boss’s morning briefings? Come on, Little T. It'll help take your mind off missing Coco.”

At the mention of her precious white cat, Sylvie couldn't help but smile, imagining Coco back at the office being spoiled rotten by Arden. There were times when she was sure Coco would prefer to live with Arden. On the other hand, Sylvie had spent the past five months moving into her new home on the outskirts of Georgetown while preparing for the recovery mission of Lusa Kalluk’s remains. Coco loved the additional space she had to run around. The front bay window, where the morning sun streamed in from the East, was her favorite spot of all.

“Alright,” Sylvie agreed before powering down her tablet and storing the device in her tote on the passenger side floor. She then reached into the snack bag and pulled out a small bag of chips. “Let’s start with the victim—Lusa Kalluk.”

Sylvie liked the idea of discussing some of the key points in the missing persons investigation. It was part of their investigative process, and Brook's methodical approach to the briefings had always been beneficial to them.

“Lusa went missing on a Friday night in the summer of 2014.” Sylvie tore open the bag of chips. “She had planned to spend the evening with her boyfriend, her best friend, brother, and cousin playing pool at a local bar.”

Sylvie paused to eat a chip.

Then another one.

She hadn’t had time to eat breakfast or lunch, and now she was starving.

“Aputi, Lusa’s brother, was the only one who ended up joining her.” Sylvie reached for her water bottle. “Delilah Swan, the best friend, had to extend her shift serving drinks at the same bar. A coworker was late for her shift. So, while Delilah wasn’t playing pool with Lusa and Aputi, the waitress was still on site.”

“There is no evidence that points to Aputi or Delilah having anything to do with Lusa’s disappearance,” Bit pointed out before holding out his right hand. “Skittles?”

Sylvie finished sipping her water before leaning down to retrieve the small red bag of candy. She tore off the top before handing it over.

Kavik Aningan, Lusa's boyfriend, was stuck at work alongside her cousin, Nanuq. At the time, both were working for a wildlife conservation organization. That night, a fence had been knocked down and required immediate repairs. It was Aputi who informed Nanuq that the sheriff had been called to the bar because Lusa was missing.

“Aputi also called his parents, too. Right?”

“Yes.” Sylvie munched on a few more chips before licking the salt off her fingers. “I spoke with all of those involved via video conference over the past few months, and no one recognized Jacob. Either they are lying, or Jacob never set foot in Blackpeak.”

While Mekhi Hale lived in Silverton, Lusa Kalluk had gone missing from Blackpeak. The two towns were somewhat close, but the sizable mountain in between made the drive at the base take almost a full hour.

“Maybe Jacob didn’t venture into Blackpeak or Whittier,” Sylvie suggested after savoring a few more chips. “Maybe he stayed closer to Silverton due to the town’s almost nonexistent population.”

“What about Slick Mitch?”

“Brook didn’t want us to push the narrative of his involvement in front of Nathaniel. The only time she ever approached him about her unease over Mitch’s association was in January, when the defense attempted to get the evidence recovered from the campsite thrown out. Even though Nathaniel agreed that Mitch replacing the public defender had come out of the blue, it wasn’t against the law.”

“No one from Slick Mitch’s law firm ever paid a visit to the federal prison. Personally, I don’t like either one of them,” Bit said before shaking the bag of Skittles so that several fell into his mouth at once. “The one thing we can all agree on is that Jacob is up to something. I still don’t get why Boss doesn’t just come clean with King P.”

Bit often gave people nicknames, such as calling her ‘Little T’ because of her love for hot tea. The only person he usually referred to by his first name was Jacob, as if Bit didn’t think he was deserving of such effort. As for Nathaniel, Bit had named him King P, in reference to the plea deal made with Mitch Norona.

No one had been happy with the decision to take the death penalty off the table.

Well, no one except the Kalluk family.

Sylvie understood their need for closure, but in her opinion, Jacob’s demands were too extreme—he refused to provide an exact location, insisted on being present, and required that the recovery mission occur in June.It screamed a setup, which was why Brook had taken every precaution to ensure they didn’t lose control over the situation.

“We can prove that Slick Mitch was in Alaska in 2014.”

“Just because Mitch took a fishing trip doesn’t mean that he crossed paths with Jacob.” Sylvie had been about to eat another chip when she held it up to prevent Bit from going down a rabbit hole. “I know that we have proof Jacob worked for Mekhi and that Mitch chartered Mekhi’s boat for a day of fishing, but we can’t prove that the two occasions occurred simultaneously.”

“It’s common sense, Little T.”

“It’s Brook’s decision, and we need to back her up.”

Sylvie empathized with Bit’s frustration. Jacob never said or did anything without considering the future, and it was as if they had stepped into a dark room without flashlights. Mitch’s involvement in the trial had come out of nowhere, and every breadcrumb the team found linking the two men to the state of Alaska seemed too convenient.Sylvie understood Brook’s reluctance to rush ahead without solid evidence. If they revealed their hand too early, they might never obtain the answers they sought.

Sylvie suddenly lost her appetite.

She tossed the chip back into the bag. It made her nauseous to think Jacob had orchestrated such a recovery mission as a means to escape from federal custody. He had made such attempts before, but those had been contained at the federal prison.

Out here…in the wilderness?

Out here…where he had the advantage?

“Jacob is setting us up,” Sylvie muttered in disgust as she folded the top of the chip bag. “We all know he is going to try to escape, and Nathaniel was foolish to offer up such a chance.”

“Escape…or die trying,” Bit said before throwing her a quick, knowing glance.

“If it’s the latter,” Sylvie murmured, settling back in her seat, “then maybe, just maybe, Brook can finally have some peace.”