Free Point of Betrayal by Ann Roberts Page A

great gifts.”
    “They certainly do,” Georgie agreed. “You girls will need to stop by the store before you leave. I’ll give you a special discount.”
    “That would be so nice,” Jane said in her fake voice.
    Ari could tell she didn’t like Georgie, so she wasn’t surprised when she turned and asked Evan, “Did you always want to be an educator or have you thought about a career in politics too?”
    He laughed. “No, I think we’ve got enough politicians in the family. I always knew I wanted to be a teacher.” He threw a glance at Sam. “And if it weren’t for me, Sam and Nina never would’ve met.”
    “You introduced them?” Ari asked.
    The men exchanged a grin, and Georgie said, “Yes, and I may never forgive my number two son,” she joked, but her tone was laced with acid. “While I’m distraught over what happened, and I admire Sam for volunteering to plan Nina’s funeral, I knew she wasn’t right for him.”
    “Don’t go there, Mother,” Sam said sharply.
    “Honey, I wasn’t insinuating anything. I know you’re still getting over Nina—”
    “I was
never
over Nina, Mom. That’s the part you couldn’t understand. It’s my duty to plan her service.”
    He threw his napkin on the table and stormed out of the restaurant. Evan and Steve stared at their plates while Georgie toyed with her olive. “Have you ladies heard about Steve’s impending appointment?” she asked as if nothing had happened. “The governor is going to ask him to lead a special task force to investigate potential changes to the child abuse laws in California.”
    Ari chose her words carefully. “Are they insufficient?”
    He cleared his throat before he spoke. “Well, they’re rather antiquated. The governor is concerned that loopholes exist which allow many criminals to escape prosecution.”
    “And next year is an election year,” Evan added. “The appointment could lead to something
bigger
.”
    “That’s hardly the point, son,” Steve said. “This would be a valuable examination at any time.”
    Evan said nothing but continued to look cynical.
    “If I may ask, what did Nina think of the task force?”
    “I think you just did, dear,” Georgie said.
    The two men ignored her snide retort, and Evan looked at his father. Neither commented, and Ari sensed it was a point of contention between them and Nina, a social worker who likely had clear opinions about child abuse laws, especially if domestic violence victims were criminalized.
Biz will hate this guy
, she thought.
    “Let’s just say,” Steve said, “Nina didn’t share my vision about reform. I’m sure she was a fine social worker, but her perspective was limited by her own experience in her own school.”
    “That’s my school too, Dad,” Evan added. “Nina and I were on the same page.”
    “About everything,” Georgie snorted into her drink.
    Ari sensed she was drunk and becoming less inhibited with her comments.
    “Of course, the governor’s interests are far more utilitarian,” Steve said, ignoring his wife. “I’m just honored that he’s considering me.”
    “We’ve earned it, honey,” Georgie added, raising her drink. “After all that money I’ve contributed.”
    Steve seemed to bristle at his wife’s comment. He dabbed his lips with his napkin and stared at his plate.
    Attempting to lighten the mood, Evan asked, “Are you ladies interested in dessert or is that against your fitness regimen?”
    Jane and Ari exchanged a glance, and each reached for her purse simultaneously. “We should get back,” Ari said. “Traveling days are tiring.”
    “I couldn’t agree more,” Steve said.
    The two men rose and shook their hands while Georgie’s farewell was a dismissive nod with only a thin smile.
    Once they were inside the rental car, Jane exclaimed, “Reality TV was never that good! What a bunch of suspects!”
    Ari frowned, not sure she saw any of them as capable of murder. “I’d like to know more about Eden Glass and