Darkness at the Edge of Town (Iris Ballard #2)(28)
“If he was depressed, why didn’t he go see a proper counselor?”
“We couldn’t afford it. I was already in deep debt when we met because of my clotting issue, like fifteen grand in debt, and then with the miscarriage and those bills…the federal government wasn’t gonna pay for our whole stay like they did when you went to the hospital.” Since I was injured in the line of duty, the FBI helped considerably with my hospital bills. I’d have gone bankrupt otherwise. “I might not have agreed with their beliefs, but I was happy Billy found them, you know?”
“So they never asked for money?”
“There was a donation basket at the seminars, but they never straight-up asked. When I talked to people at the Temple parties, I got the feeling if you were living there you had to contribute, but that made sense.”
“How often did Billy attend the seminars?”
“The seminars? Whenever there was one—like two, three times a week. But a month in he was over at The Temple every other day for dinner, and in the last month he was there every single day. He even spent his days off being an ambassador and spreading the word over the county.”
“Spreading the word?” I asked.
“Yeah. Driving around hanging fliers anyplace that would allow them. He was gone for a whole weekend once. Or he was lying about that and was really shacked up with that putana Betsy. I knew she had a thing for him. Young, like early twenties if that, all curves and tits, with red hair.” Gia scoffed. “Guess you Ballards have a thing for redheads when it comes to breaking your vows.”
I let that dig slide too. “Can you remember her last name? Betsy’s?”
“No. I just remember her from the parties. She was always close by or following him with her eyes, but girls sometimes flirted with Billy. He never gave me cause to doubt him, even with that whore. The two times I spoke to her she seemed super shy. When she talked it was always compliments. Always. She was like a sad stray puppy or something. I mean, you know the type. The princess trapped in a tower waiting for a prince to save her when she could just tie some damn sheets together and climb down.”
“Do you think that would have appealed to Billy? Playing the hero to this girl?”
“What man doesn’t want to play the hero?” she countered. “Especially when his twin sister is literally doing that very thing and getting a shit ton of praise and riches for it? You know when he went balls deep into this fucking cult? When you were on every channel, on the cover of magazines, when we couldn’t walk down the damn street without someone asking Billy what it was like to have a big hero sister after he’d just lost another job.”
“That isn’t my fault,” I pointed out.
“I’m just trying to paint the damn picture you wanted me to, okay? So to answer your question, I could see Billy—I could see any man—fall for a girl who needs rescuing when he feels like dog shit and helpless himself. Duh. What does this bitch have to do with anything anyway?”
“Because last night one of The Temple’s attendees came up to me and told me he’d never believed in love at first sight until the moment he saw me. I think part of him believed the bullshit, but I have no doubt someone either put him up to it or convinced him I was his destiny. If they did it with me, then they could have done it with this Betsy. And if that’s true, if people are being knowingly pimped out, then that place needs to be shut down right fucking quick, and not just for Billy’s sake. That a good enough explanation for you?” Gia just stared at me with a frown. I sighed. “Why did you stop going?”
“Loads of reasons. I took on more hours at the diner. I didn’t like the dogma or seminars. It creeped me out how happy everyone was all the time. Eventually Billy just stopped asking me. That was about two months ago. That should have set off my warning bells, but we still had sex regularly. He didn’t change his routine. We didn’t fight. He did get quieter, a little withdrawn, but I thought it was because of all the shit going on with you. When I asked, that’s what he said it was. Lying bastard. Looking back…I guess it’s like that story with the frogs in boiling water, you know? Throw it in boiling water, it jumps out. Just raise the temperature and it’ll stay and boil until it’s dead.”
“That’s actually how cults work. Scientology doesn’t open with aliens for a reason.”
“Do you really think this Betsy was a plant? That she manipulated him on purpose?”
“Based on what I’ve seen, I’d say the odds are good, yeah.”
“Guess he was right. You did get all the brains in the family. How could he not see what she was doing?” She looked up and rolled her teary eyes.
“Frogs in boiling water. And he’s still in the damn pot, Gia.” I frowned. “Tell me about Mathias Morning and the others in charge. Was there anyone else who stuck out as more than just another member?”
“Helen, definitely. She ran the seminars, the parties, acted like a housewife/den mother at The Temple. I don’t know how much say she has in policies and crap, but everyone at The Temple seemed to respect her, even Mathias. She seemed genuinely nice, though. Never set off my bullshit barometer, not like Mathias or Meg, or…fuck, what was his name? Ken, I think. He’s Mathias’s right-hand man. I didn’t like him. At all. He was hard, you know? You could still smell prison on him.”