Desert Wives (9781615952267) (19 page)

I refused to let it go. “Sinned? Was she with someone else? Still, that's no reason to…”

Earl Graff slapped me. Slapped me so hard that little pinpoints of light danced around my head, like in the comic books. I staggered for a second, trying to keep my balance, and then, without even thinking about it, I spun around and smashed the karate-hardened edge of my hand against Graff's nose. A ragged blossom of blood and snot spewed forth as Brother Earl squealed, then hit the floor.

The other men stared in shock, and I heard running feet as the women emerged from the kitchen to find out what was going on.

“He hit me first,” I pointed out, but it did little to erase everyone's stunned expressions, especially the men's. They looked like they'd just seen a rabbit transmogrify into a wolf.

“Sister Lena!” Ermaline was the first person to find her voice. “Go home to your husband right now! We'll take care of Brother Earl
and
Cynthia ourselves. You're no longer welcome in this house.”

As I started for the door, the men and women huddled around the moaning Earl. All except for Ermaline, who studied me with narrowed eyes.

“Just who
are
you?”

I left the house without answering.

Chapter 14

“So you smacked the sonofabitch?” Saul asked, as he applied an ice pack to my face.

His expression made me suspect that given the right circumstances, he just might be capable of murder. I looked around and didn't see Ruby, but that was no guarantee she wasn't listening somewhere, so I kept my voice low.

“I did it without even thinking. I'm not used to being hit.” At least not since I'd graduated from Arizona's foster care system, I could have added. But there was no point in burdening Saul with horror stories of my past.

“That eye's going to turn black,” he said.

It wouldn't be my first black eye, so that didn't bother me. What did bother me was knowing Ermaline would turn her daughter over to the man who'd hit me—and he was probably a lot angrier at Cynthia than he even was at me. She had not only rejected him, but done it in such a public way that the entire compound and the authorities knew. How would he make her pay for such humiliation?

“As soon as I fix you up, I'm going to go over to Ermaline's and finish what you started,” Saul muttered. “Damn creep's not going to go beating on
my
wife.”

“I'm not your wife. And I took care of the problem, at least the immediate problem. If you pop Earl one, the rest of them will probably drop-kick both our butts out of here tomorrow even without a court order. So please calm down. Cynthia's the one who needs help, not me. Somehow we've got to stop that marriage.”

He dabbed at my eye again, shaking his head. “How do you propose we do that, Miss Tough Nuts? You now see that our local sheriff won't do anything about it. Hell, Howard Benson's own family tree is filled with polygamists, so he's not going to get all hot and bothered over this deal. All he saw today was a runaway minor who needed to be returned to her parents.”

“But Saul, she doesn't want to marry Earl Graff! It would be nothing more than rape.”

“I know, I know. But there really isn't anything we can do about it now, is there? Not without blowing your cover even further than it's already blown. I'd grab the girl myself and drive her off to Zion City in my pickup if I thought I could get through the compound with her, but haven't you noticed how carefully they watch me every time I leave? For months now they've been afraid I'll do something like that, so they do everything but frisk me.”

I tried again. “It's not a real marriage. The man already has a pile of wives.”

He eased up with the ice pack for a moment and stared me straight in the eyes. “As far as these people are concerned, including Sheriff Benson, it
is
a real marriage.”

My heart ached in admission that Saul was right. No wonder the law never prosecuted the polygamists. Too many of the law officers in Utah sympathized with them and looked the other way while they did their thing. With no cooperation from the law
or
her mother, Cynthia was doomed.

“Saul, there's something else I don't understand. Why did the Circle of Elders give Cynthia to Earl Graff? She's the daughter of the last prophet, and if I've been able to figure out the pecking order here, she should have been destined for a better marriage. Besides, Prophet Davis said that he wasn't going to allow them to force girls into marriage anymore.”

His laugh was ironic. “Looks like a coup d'etat might be shaping up, doesn't it? Davis might be popular with the ladies, but you've seen what the Circle of Elders thinks about him. If you want the truth, I think they did it just to spite him. Cynthia is just the opening shot in a full scale war.”

That sounded probable to me, too. I decided to think about that later. For now, I closed my eyes and let him continue attending to me.

I had almost fallen asleep under his tender ministrations when I heard him say, “Think you can remember how to make those biscuits?”

I opened my eyes with a start. “What?”

“I'm starved, Lena. And those biscuits you've been bringing home are all gone.”

I stared at him in disbelief. “My face looks like hamburger, an innocent girl is being forced to marry a creep, and you're thinking of your
stomach?
”

“Lena, let me tell you something. I was in Korea, at Inchion Reservoir. We were surrounded by thousands of Red Chinese and weren't sure if we'd live to see morning, but we still ate our rations.”

He had a point. Going hungry wasn't going to help Cynthia, so I reluctantly got up and went into the kitchen.

My biscuits turned out to be the size and density of hockey pucks. Saul and Ruby ate them, but with pained expressions. I contented myself with some Ramen and thought about Cynthia. There had to be a way to get her out of the compound and away from Earl Graff. I felt certain that if I worked on the problem long enough, I'd find a solution, but for now, my duty to my own client came first.

I'd been in the compound more than a week, yet I was no closer to finding Prophet Solomon's murderer than the day I arrived. Yes, Virginia had warned me that Purity's inhabitants were secretive, but she'd neglected to mention the almost harem-type seclusion the polygamists' women lived in, as well as their almost total separation from the men except for fertilization time. While I knew I needed to talk to the men, I didn't see how I'd manage, given my violent behavior at Ermaline's. They'd be even more on their guard. But perhaps not all was lost. Tomorrow I'd talk to Tony Lomahguahu and he might be able to give me more information.

After we'd finished the biscuits, Ruby spoke for the first time. “You need to get the Circle of Elders to pray over your eye, Sister Lena.” She didn't ask how I'd received my shiner. She'd probably been eavesdropping.

The thought of Earl Graff and his henchmen in the Circle praying for my healing struck me as hilarious, but I refrained from laughing out loud. “I don't think so, Sister Ruby.”

“God is the most wondrous healer.”

I grunted. “God, maybe, but not the guys around here. And if I remember correctly, didn't your first husband die after being prayed over?”

Her indrawn breath told me that in my irritation, I had once again gone too far. Forcing myself to sound contrite, I said, “I'm sorry, Sister Ruby. Please remember that I am unused to the ways of faith.”

Too late. Without another word, Ruby shoved her chair back from the table and left the kitchen.

“Nice going, Lena,” Saul said. “Keep that up and pretty soon no one in Purity will talk to you.”

I was washing the dishes when I heard the front door open and the sounds of men, all talking at once, enter the house.

“Sister Lena, you'd better get out here,” Saul called.

I dried my hands and walked into the living room. Waiting for me were Davis Royal, looking more blond-on-blond gorgeous than ever, and ugly old Earl Graff. Saul had his fists balled as if ready to take a swing at Earl, but Davis had positioned himself between the two. Smart man. Sister Ruby, who'd emerged from her room, completed the party. She stood watching from the corner, her face blank.

“I try to get away to do some work on behalf of the compound, and things fall apart,” Royal said, sounding aggrieved. “Sister Lena, Brother Earl has leveled a serious charge against you.”

“Bitch hit me,” Graff growled, his jowls trembling with rage. Was it my wishful thinking or had his nose already swelled to twice its size?

I took a step toward him, and he shrank back, a protective hand covering his nose. “Only because you hit me first, Brother Earl.”

Was it my imagination, or did I see a twitch at the corner of Royal's gorgeous mouth? “Brother Earl, you didn't say anything about that. Is it true? Did you hit Sister Lena?”

Saul gestured toward me. I noticed that his fists were still clenched. “Look at her eye, Brother Davis. She sure didn't do that to herself.”

Royal approached me. I'm a tall woman, but he had to stoop while he examined the area around my eye. His handsome face was so close to mine that I could smell mint on his breath. My knees began to buckle. But he gave my cheek a final soft caress and stepped back before I could make a complete fool of myself.

“Brother Graff, I haven't heard your answer.”

Graff shuffled his feet for a few seconds, then finally muttered, “The woman needed correcting.”

“So you hit her.”

“Like I said…” Graff sounded like a weasel with laryngitis.

“I heard what you said the first time, Brother Graff. You don't need to repeat it.” Royal's voice was still mild, but his blue eyes had grown cold.

I tried to explain myself. “Brother Davis, Sheriff Benson brought Sister Cynthia back, but she said she didn't want to marry Brother Earl, then Brother Earl threatened to punish her, so I said…”

Royal raised his hand to silence me. To my surprise, I shut up.

He turned to Graff. “It doesn't matter how great you felt the provocation was, Brother Earl, I will not have violence in Purity. I will not have violence of
any
kind, especially not against women.”

Graff's jowls trembled as he nodded his head.

Royal wasn't through. “Yes, I know that under my father's leadership, it was sometimes thought necessary to correct our beloved sisters when they stepped out of line, but this is a new day, and there is new revelation. If you have trouble with any of Purity's women, and you do not feel you can handle that trouble without violence, you are to come to me. You will not strike
any
of them, not even your wives.
Do you understand me, Brother Earl?
”

Graff went white at the change in Royal's voice, and his own was barely audible when he replied, “Yes, I understand.”

“One more thing, Brother Earl. Sister Cynthia is not yet sixteen. Do you remember what I said about marrying an underage girl?”

Graff's face looked like that of a child who had just lost his bag of candy to a tougher, bigger kid. “She'll be sixteen in a couple of weeks. What's the big deal?”

“The
law
is the big deal, Brother Earl. The
law.
” Then he turned to me. “Sister Lena, you say Sister Cynthia does not want to marry Brother Earl?”

Both Saul and I spoke at the same time. “That's why she ran off.”

I added, “She's terrified of him! And with good reason!”

Royal shook his head. “I don't like this at all. Let's say Sister Cynthia truly was of marriageable age. Granted, a young woman seldom knows her own mind, but when she shows outright
fear
of her intended husband, well, the situation obviously needs to be examined closely.”

Did I hear right? Was Davis Royal actually going to help Cynthia? My hopes lifted, so I decided to crawl further out on my limb. “Brother Davis, I must tell you that Cynthia's mother seems in favor of the marriage.”

He shrugged. “What Sister Ermaline wants is of no consequence to me. She has her own sins to atone for.”

What sins?
I wanted to ask. But I didn't dare.

Deep in thought, Royal stood in the middle of the room, his muscular arms crossed over his broad chest. He looked like something you'd expect to see on the Acropolis. Just before I started to drool, he unfolded his arms and motioned to Earl Graff.

“Come back to my house with me, Brother Earl. We have much to discuss.” Then he turned, nodded politely toward Saul and me, and ushered Graff out the door.

Silence gripped the room for a moment, then Saul said, “Lena, don't ever get yourself in a situation where you're alone with Earl Graff.”

I nodded, having seen the look Graff gave me as he left. “Do you think Royal might stop the marriage?”

“Maybe. He seemed concerned about the situation.” Then he looked over at Ruby, who still sat quietly in the corner. “Sister Ruby, Sister Lena has had a very bad day, and I think it might be nice if you made dinner tonight for a change.”

“But I'm supposed to do the laundry! And maybe in an emergency, some housework,” Ruby squeaked. “It's not my job to cook!”

Saul scowled. “It is today. We'll eat at five. The instructions are on the side of the Ramen packages.”

Face livid, Ruby rushed out of the living room and down the hall, stomping every inch of the way. She slammed her bedroom door so hard the photograph of Saul's naval officer son fell off the wall.

Rehanging the portrait, Saul said, “We need to talk, Sister Lena. Follow me to the bedroom.”

Like a dutiful sister wife, Ruby had made his bed. She'd even smoothed out my own night dress and draped it across the bedspread. I was touched by this evidence of thoughtfulness until I realized she probably hoped I'd get pregnant as quickly as possible, and thus be easier to control.

Saul perched on the bed, leaving the rocking chair to me.

“Are we going to have another hot night, Brother Saul?” I quipped.

He frowned. “If you don't start watching your mouth, we might not have any nights left in Purity at all. Look, Lena, most of the men around here hate me, and now they're beginning to hate you, too, yet you haven't even come close to finding out who killed Prophet Solomon, have you?”

“No, but…”

He interrupted me. “I wasn't going to tell you this because I didn't want to worry you, but you'd better start seeing some action on this case, because both of us may be gone soon. Remember why I drove into town yesterday, before all the offal hit the fan?”

I thought for a minute. “To see your attorney?”

He nodded. “Well, he told me I'll almost certainly lose my case, and even tried to get me to settle out of court.”

My heart sank. “What kind of settlement?”

“The compound's attorneys have offered me ten thousand dollars to drop the case now and just walk away from the house.”

I couldn't believe it. “But this house has to be worth ten times that!”

“Sure is, but the alternative is not only to lose everything, but to have to pay court costs, too. Apparently the agreement I signed with Solomon to hand over all my money in exchange for the ‘protection and friendship of Purity' is legally binding.” His voice was steady, but his knuckles, as he knotted his hands into fists again, were white.