After Eden told Georgia her idea, Georgia called LeJeune. “I need a plane.”
“What?”
“You heard me. The flight time between Chicago and Nauvoo is only half an hour. I need to be there before noon.”
“You mind telling me what this is all about?”
“I’d rather tell you in person when I land.”
“This better be good.”
“Is getting her kids out worth renting a private plane for the afternoon?”
“Why noon?”
“Can you do it? And can you please send a female agent with me?”
“I’ll get back to you.”
Georgia disconnected and turned back to Eden. “So what do I say when I walk into the school?”
Eden picked up a slice of bacon. “You may not have to say anything. The school is— well— informal. The teachers aren’t real teachers, you know. They’re girls of fourteen or sixteen who only know a little more than the students they’re teaching. Plenty of kids ten or older leave after a couple of hours anyway.” She chewed the bacon.
“Why?”
“They have work.”
“Doing what?”
“A lot of kids work on the family farm. Getting the fields ready for spring planting. That’s more important than school.” She took another bite of bacon. “This is really good, Agent Summerfield.”
The agent nodded.
“The girls babysit, collect eggs, milk cows, cook meals, clean the house. Some kids work in their father’s factories or stores for a shift or two.”
“But that’s child labor. Isn’t it illegal?” Georgia asked.
“Of course it is. But they don’t care. Someone’s got to do the work.” She sighed. “I guess I was lucky Porter doesn’t have a farm.”
“Sure. You were lucky,” Georgia said sarcastically. “But let’s not talk about that right now. if someone does see me, they’ll think I’m you. And that you’ve come back to the sect. What do I say?”
“That’s simple. That you needed a break and while you were away you realized your place is here with your family. People will eat it up.”
“Except whoever sees me is going to report back to your husband faster than you can say ‘Prodigal Wife.’” Georgia got up from the table. “Here’s another question.” She massaged her temples. “If you had a female hostage, where would Porter keep her?”
“I understand he wants to trade me for your mother?”
“That’s what we think. We never got a ransom call. But it seems logical.”
Eden’s mood changed. Fear settled over her like a dark raincloud. She wrapped her arms around herself and started to rock.
“What’s going on, Eden?”
“Porter won’t want to trade. He wants to kill me.”
Georgia leaned forward. “Why?”
“I know too much.”
“About what?”
“He and some of his ‘Brothers’ put together a scheme to sell drugs and weapons to other Brothers both here and to other Fundamentalist sects. Ever since Warren Jeffs compound was forced to disband, everyone’s wanted revenge. It’s like,” she paused, “everyone’s in a constant state of agitation. They want to fight.”
“Warren Jeffs was arrested for raping a lot of young girls. But there wasn’t any violence when they took him in.”
“That’s right,” Eden said. “But ever since then, Fundamentalist Mormons have been on the defensive. They want to reassert their will. Let the world know they are a force to be reckoned with.” She scoffed. “Of course, in Porter’s case, it’s mostly to make money selling the drugs and weapons. Most Mormons, especially the uneducated ones, don’t have a penny to spare. And Covid has made things worse.”
“Even with all the Mormon farms and shops and factories?”
Eden nodded. “I overheard Porter and some of the other elders talking about it one night. The next morning, I made a big mistake. I told him what I knew and that it was wrong. That he shouldn’t break the law like that.” She tenderly ran her fingers down her cheek, as if recalling a bruise. “I couldn’t eat for two days.”
“So you’re saying an exchange for my mother is a charade.”
Sadness unfolded across Eden’s face as if she already knew what would happen, and it wasn’t a happy ending. “Of course, it is. Please. Don’t let them make a trade. They’ll kill you. And your mother.”
“So, do you have any idea where they would keep her?”
Eden took a breath and was quiet for a moment. Then, “In the motel someplace. That’s become Porter’s headquarters, so to speak.”
“Really? I stayed in that motel. That’s what started this whole thing.”
“There’s a room in the back on the second floor. You can’t see it from the front. There are a bunch of small rooms close by it. Closets. I think that’s where they’re stashing the drugs and weapons.”
“I know someone who saw the room.” Georgia recalled how Jimmy had gone upstairs with the old woman who owned the motel to see Raymond Benson’s apartment. “Do you know who Raymond Benson is?”
“Not really. Does he work in the motel?”
Georgia nodded. “For his mother. She owns it. But here’s the thing: Storing contraband in a semi-public place with people coming and going at all hours isn’t a bad cover.”
“Porter is smart. And cagey.”
“How did he talk the old woman into letting him use the motel?”
“He did her a favor.” She paused, reluctant. “He got rid of her husband for her.”
Eden was about to go on when Georgia’s cell buzzed. “Davis.”
“Tell me the plan.”
Georgia explained to LeJeune.
“You’re sure it’s you and not her who’s coming?”
“I’m sure. I need a car waiting to take us to the school and then back to the airport where the female agent will babysit the kids on the way back to Chicago and Eden. She’ll be at the same safe house, right?”
“No. We’ll need a new one. But that’s not a problem. Be at Chicago Executive Airport in forty-five minutes.”