False Pretenses - Kathy Herman [1]
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
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
CHAPTER 42
AfterWords
A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
DISCUSSION GUIDE
Acknowledgments
This is the first time in my writing career that I haven’t signed the first book of a new release to my mom. So I’d like to mention her here. My mother, Nora Phillips, closed her eyes and slipped into the arms of Jesus shortly after I started writing this book. Her sudden death was a shock to me but was no surprise to Him, who called her into His presence. I rejoice for Mom, yet I miss her so. She was a close friend and ardent cheerleader. There’s just something about a mother’s praise and encouragement that is different from anyone else’s. Trust me, if there’s a library in heaven, she’s already trying to get my books added. It’s hard letting go of her, but I take comfort in knowing that my loss is temporary. Our joy will be eternal.
The bayou country of southern Louisiana provides the backdrop for this new series and many of the images I describe in the story. But Saint Catherine Parish, the town of Les Barbes, and the Roux River Bayou exist only in my imagination.
During the writing of this first book, I drew from several resource people, each of whom shared generously from his or her storehouse of knowledge and experience. I did my best to integrate the facts as I understood them. If accuracy was compromised in any way, it was unintentional and strictly of my own doing. I also made good use of numerous Internet sites related to the history of the Acadians as well as to idiosyncrasies and customs of the Cajun culture and language.
I owe a debt of gratitude to Retired Commander Carl H. Deeley of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for reading over selected scenes and answering my many questions relating to command posts, containments, and hate-crime investigations; and to Retired Lieutenant Gil Carrillo, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Homicide Bureau, for answering my questions about false confessions, bagging evidence, identifying shoes from casts taken at crime scenes, withholding evidence, and dealing with department leaks; and to my brother, Chuck Phillips, for helping me understand the differences in firearms. I love gleaning what I can from experienced individuals who “know their stuff.” You gentlemen made my job easy.
I want to thank my friend Paul David Houston, former assistant district attorney, for explaining the steps involved in legally changing a person’s name, for researching the statute of limitations on certain crimes in the state of Louisiana, and for helping me to create a believable crime scenario. As always, Paul, you’re an absolute joy to work with. Your thorough, concise, and speedy replies to my questions are so appreciated.
A special word of thanks to those whose prayers kept me going, especially through a difficult time of grief: my tenacious prayer warrior and sister, Pat Phillips; my ever-standing-in-the-gap friends Mark and Donna Skorheim and Susan Mouser; my online prayer team—Chuck Allenbrand, Pearl and Don Anderson, Judith Depontes, Jackie Jeffries, Joanne Lambert, Adrienne McCabe, Deidre Pool, Kim Prothro, Kelly Smith, Leslie Strader, Carolyn Walker, Sondra Watson, and Judi Wieghat; my friends at LifeWay Christian Store in Tyler, Texas, and LifeWay Christian Resources in Nashville, Tennessee; and my church family at Bethel Bible Church. I cannot possibly express to you how much I value your prayers.
To the retailers who sell my books, the church and public libraries that make them available, and the many readers who have encouraged me with personal testimonies about how God has used my words to challenge and inspire. He uses you to fuel