The Weary Travelers faith-sharing men's small group started a book study on Catholic author Jim Sano's novel "Stolen Blessing". After reading the novel over the summer, I prepared this reading plan for our book study and discerned the following themes:
- Introduction - Chapters 1 - 7
- Mystery - Chapters 8 - 13
- Search - Chapters 14 - 19
- Wrong Person - Chapters 20 - 25
- Confession I - Chapters 26 - 31
- Elizabeth - Chapters 32 - 37
- Jacob - Chapters 38 - 43
- Confession II - Chapters 44 - 49
- Forgiveness & Hope - Chapters 50 - 53
Below are my thoughts on chapters 26 to 37 of "Stolen Blessing" [and *SPOILER ALERT*]:
Chapter 26: Fr. Tom is concerned as evidence begin to mound against Jack, specifically evidence found in Jack's black BMW which is also caught on camera in the alley behind Erick's apartment. Jack, of course, denies it all. Erick does not believe that Jack is capable of kidnapping Elizabeth. [Note: I like the interaction between Sr. Helen and Fr. Tom, along with thirteen-year-old Michael Bernard.]
Chapter 27: Jimi Johnson continues on his journey to Oasis of Hope Hospital in Tijuana. He thinks about baby Marie Perez and her mother, Mariana. He stops at a café for a bit to eat in Arizona. While there, an officer approaches him and asks him to come with them to the police station. He pleads with the officers to allow him to complete his mission of "love and mercy". However, at the police station, the officers found the gold bullions hidden in the car seat. They escort Jimi hack to Boston.
Chapter 28: Fr. Tom, Angelo, and Detective Brooks have a beer at Dempsey's. Detective Brooks share that, even though the evidence is mounting against Jack, Jack is still not telling them where Elizabeth is. Moreover, in addition to $30,000 in gold bullions, they also found $10,000 in cash in the lining of Jimi Johnson's jacket. Fr. Tom starts thinking about Rachel, Addie, and Jack and their involvement in the disappearance of Elizabeth and their possible motives. Angel comments that he believes who is behind this crime has thought about it for a long time because everything is seemingly planned out.
Chapter 29: Detective Books allows Fr. Tom to observe as he and Detective Mullen interrogate Jimi Johnson. He denies knowing Elizabeth. He denies knowing how the gold bullions ended up in his rental car. They end the interrogation without getting much from Jimi. Fr. Tom does not think he is lying. Fr. Tom goes to see Jack in his holding cell. Fr. Tom then goes to see Jimi in his holding cell. Nothing seems to make any sense to him.
Chapter 30: Fr. Tom runs into Mariana as he was exiting the police station and she entering. She asks Fr. Tom to help her, saying that Marie needs Jimi and Jimi needs Marie, and that it is too late for her with her illness. Back at the rectory that afternoon, Detective Brooks calls and tells Fr. Tom that Mariana confessed. She confesses to kidnapping Elizabeth, attacking Erick with the baseball bat, and handing over Elizabeth to someone named "Homeboy" in exchange for $10,000 in cash (p. 128). This "Homeboy" approached her a while back during her pregnancy and gave her his card with just his number on it. Angelo thinks there are too many other things about the case that do not make sense.
Chapter 31: Fr. Tom goes tot he hospital to see Erick and finds him wandering the halls of the hospital. The nurse tells him that Erick has a few more days in the hospital before he can be released. Fr. Tom asks Erick if his assailant could have been a woman. Erick says he does not recall. Fr. Tom then tells Erick that Mariana Perez confessed but she also does not know where Elizabeth is. Erick says he does not know how Addie is feeling, or how he is feeling for that matter. Fr. Toms tells Erick to keep praying.
Fr. Tom then goes to see Mariana who wants him to hear her confession (p. 135 - 136). Her father was a (not so good) Catholic but he had all his children baptized. Fr. Tom tells Mariana to think of God has the Father she wishes she had, a Father who loves her. Mariana confesses that she saw Erick & Addie with Elizabeth and that they were arguing hard. She wants to give Elizabeth to people who would want her so that she could have a family who loves her. She also does not want Jimi to go to prison for something that he did not do nor was he aware of. After the confession with Mariana, Fr. Tom talks with Detective Brooks who tells him about an eyewitness who saw two people leaving Erick's apartment and cradling a baby.
Chapter 32: Fr. Tom and Angelo discuss the case over spaghetti. Detective Brooks shows up at the rectory and asks if Fr. Tom and Angelo want to take a ride with him to Providence, Rhode Island. They are going to Visitation House, a Catholic pregnancy center ran by Sister Gerard. This could be the break in the case that they need. Sister Gerard did not connect the dots until she saw a picture of Mariana on the news. A young woman named Katie O'Donnell arrived at Visitation House early Sunday evening with a baby that she claims to have given birth to; however, Sister Gerard recalls seeing Mariana parked out front waiting on the young woman.
Chapter 33: Sister Gerard confirms that she recognized Mariana Perez from the news. She tells the three men about her encounter with Katie O'Donnell. There was not kidnapping reported in Rhode Island so Sister Gerard knew of a devout Catholic couple who was looking to adopt a baby girl. The baby girl went home with the couple on Wednesday after all the necessary government paperwork was completed. The couple's name is the Larson (Sam & Becky) and they named their adopted baby girl, Esther (Becky's grandmother). After leaving Visitation House, the three of them head to Wickford, RI, to see the Larsons.
Chapter 34: The Larsons are not home; however, Detective Mullen is able to track down the address for Becky's mother while they are having dinner. They go to New Britain, Connecticut and break the news to Sam & Becky Larson, who are both devastated by the news. Sam tells Detective Brooks about how he came to know about Visitation House (p. 150). Sam says that the name of the man he spoke with at the fundraiser is Jacob and identifies Jack's photo as the person he spoke with. One the trip back to Boston with baby Elizabeth, the three of them agree that Jacob and Mariana were behind the whole thing, although they are not sure of Jack's motive.
Chapter 35: Elizabeth is reunited with her parents at the hospital. Erick and Addie cannot believe that Jack is still one of the primary suspects, along with Mariana Perez. Fr. Tom shares with Erick what he knows so far about the case and the evidence against Jack. However, something still does not sit with with any of them - Fr. Tom, Angelo, and Detective Brooks.
Chapter 36: Fr. Tom talks to Addie after Mass and asks her a difficult question. After answering his question, Addie adds that she does not think Jacob is capable of doing what he is being accused of. Fr. Tom then goes to see Jack at the police station and notices that Jack is a bit depressed. Fr. Tom tells Jack that neither Erick nor Addie believes that he committed the crime. Then, he tells Jack to convince him that he is innocent. Under fierce questioning by Fr. Tom, Jack admits that he still loves Addie. Moreover, it appears that Jack harbors feeling of resentment, anger, and envy toward Erick for having the life that he hoped for himself (159-160). After leaving Jack, Fr. Tom learns that Mariana has been transferred to a women's security facility. He and Detective Brooks chat for a bit in front of the police station.
Chapter 37: Fr. Tom goes to see Erick at the hospital and offers to walk home with him. At their apartment, Fr. Tom, Erick, and Addie talk about Jack and how he could go away for a long time if he is found guilty. When Addie asks Erick if he thought Jack was capable, Erick gets angry and says he does not know. The "old" Jack would never have broken their trust in each other but Erick does not know about the "new" Jack. Erick responds, "Jack is guilty!" (p. 163) to the surprise of both Addie and Fr. Tom. Back at the rectory, a realization hit Fr. Tom, the metal box that the assailant took after hitting Angelo is now back in Erick's desk drawer. . .
Previous blog(s):
- Stolen Blessing" Book Study (Chapters 1 - 7) with the Weary Travelers https://dcnphuc2019.blogspot.com/2023/10/stolen-blessing-book-study-chapters-1-7.html
- "Stolen Blessing" Book Study (Chapters 8 - 13) with the Weary Travelers https://dcnphuc2019.blogspot.com/2023/10/stolen-blessing-book-study-chapters-8.html
- "Stolen Blessing" Book Study (Chapters 14 - 19) with the Weary Travelers https://dcnphuc2019.blogspot.com/2023/11/stolen-blessing-book-study-chapters-14.html
- "Stolen Blessing" Book Study (Chapters 20 - 25) with the Weary Travelers https://dcnphuc2019.blogspot.com/2023/11/stolen-blessing-book-study-chapters-20.html
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