The Bishop’s Wife (Linda Wallheim Mystery, #1)(85)

CHAPTER 29




On Sunday night, Kurt told me there had been an argument in priesthood between Alex Helm and Brother Rhodes over the subject of black people and the priesthood. Brother Rhodes had loudly insisted on the historical facts, which were that black men had been ordained in the early days of the church, but then the practice stopped and certain General Authorities said that it was because black skin was the “mark of Cain.” Others said that it was because blacks had been “less valiant” in the preexistence. Those General Authorities had gone silent when the 1978 revelation restored universal priesthood.

I smiled a little. “I almost wish I had been there,” I said.

“No, you don’t. When Alex Helm suggested that God had His own reasons for denying blacks the priesthood, Brother Rhodes insisted that there had never been any revelation to take priesthood from black men, that it was all just racism within the church and that Joseph Smith would have been appalled. Alex Helm nearly burst into flame, he was so incensed. He declared that he could not stay in the building with such a person, and walked out.”

“Hmm. Am I supposed to be unhappy about that result?” I asked.

“He marched into Primary and yanked Kelly out of her class. He gave a piece of his mind to the Primary Presidency while he was on his way.”

“He didn’t,” I said, my heart sinking. The Primary Presidency was a thankless job. I’d been one of the two counselors a few years ago, and in addition to the long hours spent planning programs, visiting children at home, and preparing lessons, there was also the reality that the most capable members were often used in positions other than as Primary teachers, which made staffing a constant problem.

“The three of them came to talk to me this evening, and we discussed what could be done for Kelly. But if Alex Helm stays in the home, they are going to find it difficult to contact her.”

Where was the best place for Kelly? I didn’t know anymore. Home with me? But that wasn’t even an option.

“Is there anything you would recommend the Primary Presidency try? Would you be willing to talk to them about how to work around him?”

I sighed. “I’ll think about it.”


I WAS STILL thinking when Anna Torstensen called me Wednesday of that week. She was staying in a nearby condo since the Gearys had moved back into the house, now that the police were finished with it.

“It’s definitely Helena’s body,” she said.

“Did they find dental records?”

“Yes. And a lot more than that. I don’t want to talk about it over the phone, though.”

“No, I can understand that. Do you want me to come over?”

“I’ll make some lunch,” said Anna. “We can pretend we’re just two friends having tea together.”

When I arrived, she gave me a choice between a raspberry-vanilla tea and an orange-chamomile tea. I chose the former because I was afraid the latter would make me too sleepy. I wanted to be alert for all of this.

She brought out sandwiches, tuna with cucumber on the top. They looked very fancy, and when I took a bite, I realized they tasted even better. Crisp and delicate. Even the bread was amazing. I hadn’t remembered Anna doing anything this elaborate before. The kitchen was smaller in this condo, but it had very nice equipment and was set up efficiently.

“I realized when I got back from the cruise that the last thing I wanted to do was go back to work at the bank. Full- or part-time, I had the revelation that I have a limited amount of time left in my life and since I don’t need the money anymore, I want to use it doing things that are fun. So I’ve taken up gourmet baking as a hobby. That’s homemade bread. I’m working on a few different recipes, to perfect them. And I’ve started to write a cookbook to share my secrets.”

“It’s incredible,” I said. Anna smiled at the compliment.

“So, this is what I know about her,” she said. “Helena was a convert to the church from Catholicism. Apparently her parents were very opposed to her joining what they saw as a cult. This was in the seventies, and a lot of people thought that about Mormons then. Polygamy, horns, and all that,” said Anna.

“A lot of people still think that,” I said. And I could understand it. There are things Mormons still do to make it seem like we are a cult. Secrecy about the temple. The fanatically positive view of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young. Forced tithing. Talk about preparing for the end of the world. And the way we make it difficult to leave the church, even when people want to.

“Well, the police have found her brother. Her father has been dead for years.” She tapped her teacup to the table. “But the brother apparently did not want to hear anything about her, said that she was dead to the family and had been since she joined the church and married Tobias.”

“Oh, how awful,” I said. That no one cared that this woman was dead seemed worse to me almost than what Tobias had done to her.

“So when she disappeared, they didn’t notice. That was part of the reason that Tobias got away with it.”

She was assuming that Tobias had murdered his first wife now. “Didn’t she have any friends?”

“No one has come forward to talk about her. She seems to have been very quiet.” Anna sighed, and then took a sip of tea. “I suspect that was what Tobias liked about her. And apparently, it was what he looked for in me, as well.”