26. Chapter Twenty-Six
Jacob Walsh January 2025 Monday — 10:12 am
The maintenance staff at the federal prison had yet to replace the fluorescent light bulb overhead. The faint buzzing was a constant, irritable sound that, in all likelihood, was meant to irritate the prisoner sitting at the table. A subtle reminder that one couldn’t simply exit through the sole door to escape the confines of torment.
Jacob did his best to tune out the antagonizing noise by inhaling slowly. He continued to steady himself with rhythmic breathing that successfully subdued any doubts that his time enduring this hellish misery was coming to an end.
The abrupt click of the door latch echoed throughout the small room.
After slowly opening his eyes, Jacob found a familiar face belonging to the individual who crossed the threshold. It had been eleven long years since Jacob had last laid eyes on the man, yet the resemblance between them still remained despite the aging process—the same color of hair, texture of hair. The same square jaw couldn’t be overlooked, either. While there was no biological connection between them, he couldn’t help but wonder if his dear sister had noticed such similarities.
Jacob deliberately lifted his gaze to the security camera tucked not-so-discreetly in the top lefthand corner of the room. He didn’t doubt that Brook monitored every single twitch of his finger on a daily basis. There was no need to give her any confirmation regarding his previous connection to Norona.
“The federal prosecutor finally agreed to the plea deal.”
“Finally?” Jacob would have thought the prosecutor would have jumped at the idea of giving another family closure. “What were his reservations?”
“The Bennett trial is a slam-dunk with the DNA evidence found at the campsite. He wasn’t eager to give that up, and Kalluk used up a lot of political capital back in 2014. More than we had banked on.” Norona remained standing, never once making a move to pull out the chair across from Jacob. “Surprisingly, it was your sister who got him to see reason.”
Jacob refrained from speaking while mulling over such a misstep on his part. A frisson of agitation rippled underneath his skin. His sister had grown bold to accelerate the timeline this way. A part of him relished the challenge she presented. The other? Well, it was sometimes difficult for him to stem the visions of her beautiful face mangled by the sharp blade of his knife.
If Brook had convinced the prosecutor to give the Kalluk family closure, then maybe her heart still bled with compassion. She had always been the sympathetic one. A childhood memory of such an instance sent a flicker of amusement through him.
“The Alaskan trip is scheduled for next month,” Norona continued as he slipped his hands into his pockets. “Arrangements will be made to—”
“No.”
Norona blinked, clearly taken aback by the abrupt refusal. He opened his mouth as if to protest, but he was a smart enough man to stop himself. He glanced away, the muscle alongside his jawline twitching in response.
“The trip will take place in June.”
“I should warn you that such a lengthy continuance might not go over well with the prosecutor or the judge.”
“And I trust you’ll come up with a good reason for them to agree to my terms.” Jacob needed to change the landscape. The game between him and his sister had gone on long enough. “You’re a clever man, Mitch. That’s why I chose you.”
The unspoken implication hung heavy in the air between them. Norona knew he was trapped, ensnared by the web of secrets and favors that bound him to Jacob.
“I’ll make it happen.” Norona dipped his head and turned toward the heavy door, his footsteps echoing in the confined space. His hand hovered inches from the flat surface of the steel door before he turned back around. “After this…after Alaska, are we even?”
The question was more a plea for mercy than anything else.
Jacob slowly smiled.
“What do you think, Mr. Norona?”
The defense attorney’s lips tightened in anger, but Jacob figured that his ire was really self-loathing. After all, it was his own choices that had landed him at Jacob’s mercy. Without another word, Norona faced the exit. He used the side of his fist to bang on the hard surface. Before too long, the guard opened the door and Norona slipped across the threshold without a backward glance.
Jacob could visualize everything so clearly.
Brook would insist on keeping him close. She would no doubt be within feet of his presence at all times. The mere thought of such close proximity to her filled him with a perverse sense of anticipation.
“I'll have to remember to pack my toothbrush,” Jacob muttered, amusing himself with the thought. “I do so look forward to our family reunion, dear sister.”
~ The End ~
A buried truth resurfaces, unleashing a chilling reality in the next gripping thriller by USA Today Bestselling Author Kennedy Layne…
Brooklyn Sloane, a former FBI profiler, has spent her career overshadowed by her brother’s heinous legacy. For years, she has searched for a way to bring Jacob Walsh to justice, haunted by the faces of his victims and the devastation he has left behind. Now, a sliver of hope is in sight, and she fully intends to deliver closure to the shattered families left behind.
When a federal prosecutor strikes a plea deal with Jacob, Brook unwillingly finds herself part of the agreement. She reluctantly agrees to accompany him to the remote Alaskan wilderness. Jacob claims he’ll reveal the burial site of one of his victims, a young woman whose disappearance has plagued her family for years.
Upon landing, however, the team is greeted with a shocking new horror. On the tarmac of the isolated airstrip lies the freshly mutilated body of an unidentified woman. The gruesome scene bears eerie similarities to Jacob’s signature style, yet he’s been under tight federal custody for years. With no witnesses and a killer potentially hiding in plain sight, Brook and her team must navigate the unforgiving Alaskan frontier. Even worse, she must balance her distrust of her brother against the urgent need to unmask a potentially new killer.