Текст книги "Cold Betrayal"

Автор книги: J. A. Jance

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Текущая страница: 23 (всего у книги 23 страниц)

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For the next six weeks Sister Anselm and Ali spent most of their waking hours working hand in hand with Andrea Rogers and the other Irene’s Place volunteers, shuttling The Family’s displaced women and children to new homes. The Encampment was now mostly deserted. Inspections of The Family’s housing facilities had revealed that they’d been built without permits and with little or no effort to meet building codes. Now all of them had been condemned. Rather than being sold, the structures were due to be demolished.

As The Family’s collection of livestock was sold off, the proceeds from those sales were placed in escrow to pay for some of the former residents’ care and keeping. Everyone knew that considerable funds were still squirreled away in Richard Lowell’s banking accounts in the Grand Caymans. The problem was, authorities were still trying to decide how much of that money was a result of a criminal enterprise and how much was legitimate. Once all that was sorted out, some legal determination would have to be made about who inherited the money. As one of Richard Lowell’s direct descendants, Enid Tower might one day be in a position to inherit some of it, but decisions about that were most likely years of legal wrangling away.

Six weeks after what the media continued to refer to as the Encampment Massacre, Andrea Rogers from Irene’s Place took the shelter’s passenger van and drove Patricia and Agnes to Phoenix’s Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix. Enid Tower, fully recovered and with Baby Ann properly strapped into a car seat, came along for the ride.

Ali and Sister Anselm made the same trip, driving down from Sedona in Ali’s Cayenne. Their reason for going was a joyous one, but memories of the lives lost on that cold February night made for a heavy burden and robbed them both of the easy camaraderie they usually shared on car trips. It was the Monday after the scholarship tea, and chatting about that gave them some much-needed neutral conversational ground.

Arriving at Sky Harbor twenty minutes or so after everyone else, Ali and Sister Anselm joined the others in the arrivals lounge just outside customs as the transatlantic flight from Amsterdam landed and deplaned.

The family Bibles, confiscated in Governor Dunham’s raid, had worked their magic. Two of the Not Chosens, both listed in the late Donald Gray’s family Bible, were Agnes’s half sisters, Christina and Donna Marie.

Sean Fergus, fast-tracking The Family’s DNA testing, had learned early on that the two half sisters—one who spoke and one who now wore thick glasses—were two of the very few human trafficking survivors. Shipped off to Nigeria, they had somehow managed to stay together. They had been bought by someone in Lagos. What happened next was unclear, but they had been rescued and taken to a local orphanage. With no way to explain who they were or where they were from, the two girls had lived in the orphanage as children, cared for by the attendants. When they were too old to be orphans anymore and without papers that would allow them to go elsewhere, they had stayed on, becoming caretakers for the younger children.

Now, through the intervention of Sean Fergus and Interpol, Donna Marie and Christina had been issued U.S. passports. They were coming home to the place from which they’d been spirited away at the age of six—a place they barely remembered.

As passengers from the flight made their slow way into the customs area and sorted themselves into lines, Agnes stood with her face pressed against the plate glass, looking down at the process.

“Will they recognize me?” Agnes asked anxiously. “Will they know who I am?”

“I’m sure they’ll remember you,” Ali said reassuringly.

Sister Anselm nodded. “The face of kindness is something a child never forgets.”

A minute later, Agnes spotted them. “There they are! It’s them. They just got into the far line on the left.”

The two women in question wore loose-fitting, brightly colored dresses that flowed when they walked. Their feet were clad in flip-flops, but their dark blond hair was braided and pinned in a crown around their heads.

Ali’s first thought was that Christina and Donna Marie were far better dressed than Enid had been when she had shown up at the hospital.

Ten minutes later, the new arrivals stepped warily onto an escalator that carried them upstairs. As they rode up, Agnes hurried to station herself just outside the sliding glass doors at the top of the escalator.

They stepped through and then stopped abruptly, staring at the soaring but unfamiliar room around them. Only when Agnes stepped forward to greet them did the one wearing glasses notice her. A moment later, the three of them were gathered into one another’s arms, weeping and laughing in a warm embrace.

Ali was struck by how much younger the two newcomers looked. Difficult as their lives might have been at the orphanage, they’d received better care there than The Family’s Brought Back girls had received at home.

Finally, Agnes said something. As they broke free, Agnes led them to meet the other people in the welcome party. “These are my friends,” she said. “Patricia, Enid and her baby, Ann, Ali, and Sister Anselm. And these”—she smiled at the young women—“are my sisters, Christina and Donna Marie.”

The new arrivals shook hands with Ali and Patricia and bowed formally to Sister Anselm. Ali realized that somewhere along the way, a Catholic sister of some kind must have impacted their lives.

“Agnes says she’s my sister,” the one called Christina said, nodding in Agnes’s direction. “I remembered her all this time. I always thought she was my guardian angel.”

There was a stir behind them. Ali turned in time to see Bill Witherspoon wheeling Governor Dunham toward them in a wheelchair. Her leg was wrapped in a toe-to-hip cast, but at least it was still attached. There was some hope that she would one day be able to walk again without the aid of crutches or a cane.

“Actually,” Ali said, “Agnes is only one of your guardian angels. Here’s another. Her name is Virginia Dunham, and she’s the governor of Arizona.” To the governor, she said, “These are Agnes’s sisters, Donna Marie and Christina.”

“I’m so happy to meet you both,” Governor Dunham said, smiling and holding out her hand in greeting. “Welcome home.”

TOUCHSTONE READING GROUP GUIDE

Cold Betrayal

Ali Reynolds is no stranger to tough situations—or family drama. When her new daughter-in-law Athena approaches her about some unusual threats being made to Athena’s grandmother Betsy, Ali recognizes something fishy and agrees to help. Meanwhile, Sister Anselm enlists Ali’s aid in tracking down the identity of a pregnant Jane Doe who has come under her care—a woman who Sister Anselm believes might have escaped from a dangerous cult. As Ali works tirelessly on the two cases, it becomes obvious that unhealthy family dynamics are at play in both investigations. In Cold Betrayal, Ali and her friends learn the unfortunate truth that sometimes the family we’re given cannot be trusted.

For Discussion

1. Our first encounter with Betsy Peterson involves a police investigation that ends with the abrupt conclusion that Betsy is mentally unstable in her old age. Do you think that Betsy’s situation was a result of ageism? Do you think the police officer who came to investigate the gas at her home might have been more sympathetic to a younger person?

2. Bella and Princess are both miniature dachshunds beloved by their respective owners, Ali Reynolds and Betsy Peterson. In what ways do these dogs act as heroes in the novel? Do Bella and Princess share any other similarities besides their breed?

3. “She had left the pigpen then, but that conversation marked the beginning of Enid’s rebellion. She was struck by the injustice of the way The Family’s boys were treated and the way the girls were treated.” Discuss Enid as a symbol of rebellion in the novel. In what ways does she rebel? Are the gender injustices the sole reason for Enid’s rebellion?

4. Revisit the scene when Enid is hit by David Upton’s van. In this moment, did she make the right decision by running away from the sheriff and out onto the highway? What were her other options? Would you have made the same decision in her place?

5. Discuss the significance of water in the novel, particularly in the scene when Enid is hit by David’s van. “Enid felt something wet fall on her face. At first she thought it was a drifting snowflake, but then she realized it was a tear—a single tear.” Directly following this moment, her water breaks. What is the connection between snow, tears, and new life? What are these water images metaphors for?

6. When Athena confides in Ali about her difficulties with her parents, a possible theme of the novel emerges as Ali replies: “growing up in that kind of family dynamic must have been tough.” Discuss how tough family dynamics are relevant to many of the characters in the novel. Is “Growing up in that kind of family” to blame for all of the characters’ problems in Cold Betrayal? Why or why not?

7. Evaluate David Upton’s character. Do you like him? Why do you think that Sister Anselm and Ali trust him so completely and so immediately? Is his character something like a guardian angel?

8. What role does small-town living play in the novel? Do both Betsy and Enid suffer from living in places where “everyone knew everyone else’s business”? How might Betsy’s circumstances have been different had she lived in a big city? How might Enid’s?

9. Ali confronts the difficulty of her decision to investigate The Family: “Did she keep poking her nose into the problem or did she let it go? Do something about it or turn away? And was she prepared to deal with the consequences of both taking action and not taking action?” Briefly discuss the consequences to which Ali alludes. Ultimately, do you think the good of her decision to unravel The Family’s secrets outweighs the bad? Why or why not?

10. Consider the role of female characters in the story. How are they marginalized? How are they heroes? Consider Ali, Enid, Sister Anselm, Governor Dunham, and The Brought Back Girls in your response.

11. Is the death of Richard Lowell justified? Do you think that Ali made the ethical decision in the moment she decided to shoot him in the back? Why or why not?

12. Do you agree with Ali that the operation led by Governor Dunham “had ended in disaster”? Do you think there can ever be a happy ending when family members are involved lies and betrayal?

13. In the end, to whom or what do you think the title Cold Betrayal refers? Who has been betrayed? Who has not?

A Conversation with J.A. Jance

What inspired you to set part of the novel in a cult like The Family? Did you have to research any real cults in order to better understand how a cult like The Family may have functioned?

I set this story in a cult in America, but the kind of marginalization the women in The Family suffer is emblematic of similar treatment in cultures around the world. I think this is something that merits serious discussion. And no, I didn’t need to research cults to know about this.

The situation with Betsy Peterson seems a commentary on our society’s tendency to dismiss the aging. Would you agree that Betsy presents an alternative point of view to this commonly held belief?

Yes, I think it’s easy to dismiss “older people.” I think there was far more life in Betsy than the people around her wanted to believe.

Suspense Magazine has referred to your Ali Reynolds series as full of “red herrings.” Do you plan these red herrings to keep readers in suspense, or is the process of writing one of discovery for you alongside the reader?

I have never knowingly installed a “red herring” in any of my books. So yes, in my case the process of discovery is the same for the writer as it is for the reader.

Do you think that Ali Reynolds has changed over the course of these novels? Now that she is married to B., do you think her character has a different point of view?

Yes. She learned to trust again. And she has found a worthy partner. I think both those things make her more capable and more interesting.

Do you agree that Sister Anselm was perhaps unethical in her decision to allow David Upton to visit Enid’s bedside alone? What is it about David’s character that made him so instantly likeable?

I guess Sister Anselm trusted him because I did. I see David Upton as the Good Samaritan. He’s all about looking out for others rather than himself—including going to collect the two Brought Back Girls.

Discuss the role of women in Cold Betrayal. For you, are the differences between the women in The Family and Ali, for example, significant? Or do you see them as more alike than dissimilar?

Ali knows how to negotiate the modern world. The women from The Family have untold learning to do in order to catch up. I’m glad there is a whole cadre of caring women prepared to help them do just that.

In addition to the Ali Reynolds series, you’ve written the J.P. Beaumont series and the Joanna Brady series. What is it that attracts you to writing about the same set of characters? Do you come to know them better with each novel?

I’ve come to know these people so well that writing a book about them is like receiving a holiday family update in an annual Christmas letter.

When you write, do you picture a particular kind of reader? Do you write for a certain audience, or does an imagined reader not play a role in your writing process? Would you classify your novels as female-centric, male-centric, or more universal?

I wrote the Walker novels in hopes of making the Desert People and their environs come alive for the lady in upstate New York who would never travel to the Arizona desert, but most of the time I’m thinking about the story rather than potential readers. And yes, I see them as more universal.

Can we expect Ali Reynolds and Sister Anselm to team up again in the near future?

I can’t imagine that they won’t.

What advice do you have for aspiring young writers?

You can’t be a writer without first being a reader!

Enhance Your Book Club

1. Cold Betrayal is part of the Ali Reynolds series. Read another book in the series, such as Moving Target or Left for Dead. Compare and contrast the novels. Which characters appear in both novels? Which characters are new? In each, does Ali Reynolds come out as the hero? Is her character different in Cold Betrayal now that she is married to B.? Why or why not?

2. The Family presents a portrait of a troubled cult where the men are not only encouraged to take many wives, but are also the only members taught to read and write, as well as the only ones permitted to vote. Of course, not all groups that practice polygamy treat women as terribly as The Family in Cold Betrayal. Have a movie night with your Book Club and watch HBO’s original television series Big Love (2006–2011). Discuss the ethical and moral dilemmas of polygamy, considering carefully the gray areas between right and wrong. In what ways are the characters in the television show similar to the wives in Enid’s “family”? In what ways are they different? Had Enid’s family been more like the family in Big Love, do you think she would have escaped?

3. Family betrayal is perhaps the most painful kind of betrayal, and the characters in Cold Betrayal understand this all too well. Over a potluck dinner, consider the ways in which the definition of “family” changed throughout the course of the novel. In the end, did the characters find new families, people in their lives they could rely on more than the ones with whom they share DNA? Share a time with your group when you or someone you know has been betrayed, either by a family member or a close friend. What about that experience hurt so badly? What took you by surprise? Did you learn anything from that experience? Would you characterize your experience as a “cold” betrayal, or was it warm, or even scalding? Do you think the characters in the novel learned any lessons, and if so, what were they?

About the Author

Photograph by Mary Ann Halpin Studios

J.A. Jance is the New York Times bestselling author of the Ali Reynolds series, the J.P. Beaumont series, the Joanna Brady series, as well as four interrelated Southwestern thrillers featuring the Walker family. Born in South Dakota and brought up in Brisbee, Arizona, Jance and her husband live in Seattle, Washington, and Tucson, Arizona. Visit her online at JAJance.com.

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ALSO BY J.A. JANCE

ALI REYNOLDS MYSTERIES

Edge of Evil

Web of Evil

Hand of Evil

Cruel Intent

Trial by Fire

Fatal Error

Left for Dead

Deadly Stakes

Moving Target

JOANNA BRADY MYSTERIES

Desert Heat

Tombstone Courage

Shoot/Don’t Shoot

Dead to Rights

Skeleton Canyon

Rattlesnake Crossing

Outlaw Mountain

Devil ’s Claw

Paradise Lost

Partner in Crime

Exit Wounds

Dead Wrong

Damage Control

Fire and Ice

Judgment Call

The Old Blue Line

Remains of Innocence

J.P. BEAUMONT MYSTERIES

Until Proven Guilty

Injustice for All

Trial by Fury

Taking the Fifth

Improbable Cause

A More Perfect Union

Dismissed with Prejudice

Minor in Possession

Payment in Kind

Without Due Process

Failure to Appear

Lying in Wait

Name Withheld

Breach of Duty

Birds of Prey

Partner in Crime

Long Time Gone

Justice Denied

Fire and Ice

Betrayal of Trust

Ring in the Dead

Second Watch

WALKER FAMILY MYSTERIES

Hour of the Hunter

Kiss of the Bees

Day of the Dead

Queen of the Night

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Touchstone

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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2015 by J.A. Jance

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Touchstone Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.

First Touchstone hardcover edition March 2015

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Interior design by Akasha Archer

Jacket design by Ervin Serrano

Jacket photographs: ice structure © Shutterstock, chain © James A. Guilliam/Photolibrary/Getty Images

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Jance, Judith A.

Cold Betrayal : an Ali Reynolds novel / J.A. Jance. – First Touchstone hardcover edition.

pages ; cm. – (Ali Reynolds series) “A Touchstone book.”

1. Reynolds, Ali (Fictitious character)—Fiction. I. Title.

PS3560.A44C65 2015

813'.54—dc23

2014029530

ISBN 978-1-4767-4504-6

ISBN 978-1-4767-4507-7 (ebook)

Contents

Epigraph

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Reading Group Guide

About the Author