the couple about Albert Grabelâs largess, so I just smiled. âSelf-employment can be tough, thatâs for sure. Now, what did you want to talk to me about? Do you have some information about the murder of Solomon Royal?â Hopefully, this pointed question would steer the Lawlers away from the recruitment speech I feared theyâd rehearsed. I had no intention of driving to Zion City and handing out anti-polygamy leaflets.
âWeâve got some ideas about that, but first we want to give you some background on the way things are run at Purity,â Leo said, as the couple moved from the desk to the frayed sofa across from me.
I suppressed a sigh of impatience and settled myself more comfortably into the chair.
âThe legal situation is a little convoluted, but hereâs the short version,â Leo continued. âThe polygamists circumvent bigamy laws by divorcing one wife before they marry another. Of course, the relationship with all the other so-called ex-wives remains exactly the same. The guy sleeps with every one of them, but thatâs not all. Most of the husbands keep a record of each womanâs menstrual cycle so that they can âcatchâ her at her most fertile. Making babies is the name of the game, Lena.â
I didnât get it. âYou mean theyâre purposely impregnating all those women? But
why?
â
Leo gave me a wry smile. âTwo reasons. One, the official reason, is religious. The polygamists believe that the more children a man has, the higher level of Heaven heâll be sent to when he dies and the more servants heâll have to wait on him.â
He made a face, then continued. âBut thatâs not the real reason, which is that the more babies the women pop out, the more money the compound gets. See, the women are divorced, and that makes them single mothers. In this state, single mothers collect hefty welfare. The more children, the more welfare they collect, so when you figure that thereâs about three or four hundred single women out there, each of them having an average of a baby a yearâ¦â He let his voice trail off.
I suddenly understood. âHoly shit! Thatâs a lot of money!â
Leoâs frown reminded me that I was in the presence of good Mormons.
âExcuse my French,â I muttered. âBut, Leo, thatâs got to be a small fortune!â
Virginia stared at her husband, and for a moment, I thought she might say something, but she didnât. For such a loquacious woman, she remained oddly silent.
Leo continued. âThe women never see a penny of it, either. All the compoundâs welfare money, all the profits from their cattle, mining and gaming interestsâyes, they own a couple of casinosâis funneled through the Purity Fellowship Foundation, supposedly a charitable trust. Even the homes at Purity, theyâre all owned by the Foundation. Itâs been estimated that the Foundation controls anywhere from $150 million to $300 million, but nobody knows for sure. Not that it makes any difference, because as the financial arm of a religious organization, itâs tax-exempt.â
My jaw dropped so low I was surprised it didnât fall off my face. Any decent detective knew that the two primary motives for murder were love and money. So my next question was a no-brainer. âWho manages the Foundation?â
âProphet Solomon Royal used to manage everything, but the jobâs been passed to the new Prophet of Purity.â Leo paused and looked at me in anticipation.
I dutifully asked the next no-brainer. âAnd the new prophet isâ¦?â
âDavis Royal, Solomonâs favorite son.â Leo sat back against the sofa cushions with a satisfied smile, having made clear his own suspicions about the murdererâs identity.
Virginia looked up from the floor, her face tense with irritation. âMoney, money, money, all the time you talk about the money. What
Katheryn Kiden
B. B. Hamel
Darren Shan
Stan & Jan Berenstain
Mary Daheim
Mort Castle
Latrivia Nelson
Graham Johnson
Thalia Frost
L.E Modesitt