Chapter 5 - The Widower’s Gambit
Elias had a satellite phone.
We didn't call the police.
Instead, we called a trusted contact of mine from my military days—a cyber-security specialist named Vance, who owed me his life.
Within twenty-four hours, Vance had tapped into Julian's digital footprint.
The truth was worse than I imagined.
Julian was heavily in debt to a syndicate out of Seattle.
The motive for my murder wasn't just to be rid of a "broken" wife; it was a five-million-dollar life insurance policy that triggered upon my accidental death.
Through Elias's solar-powered tablet, I watched the local Anchorage news.
There was Julian, standing in front of the cameras with a perfectly manufactured tear rolling down his cheek.
Sylvia stood beside him, playing the stoic, grieving mother.
"My wife, Clara, was a hero," Julian told the reporter, his voice breaking flawlessly.
"The storm came out of nowhere.
We got separated.
I searched until I couldn't feel my hands, but... the wilderness took her."
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I stared at the screen, a cold, hard rage solidifying in my chest.
You have no idea what the wilderness is about to do to you, Julian.
