Chapter Forty-Three

The midwife assured me that she would send someone to fetch me when Brighten was getting ready to deliver, so I headed back to the office to let Blossom know.

I was about to enter the office building when I was brought up short. A small white car parked just outside the door seemed familiar. I stepped around it to get a better look and I knew at once who was inside the office. I whispered a little prayer of thanks to Mom for making the phone call I’d asked her to. The stars had aligned, and I now had a huge opportunity.

Blossom gave me a weary wave. “How’s Brighten?”

“She’s making some progress, but it’s slow.” I looked over at the two men sitting at a table just outside the Bishop’s office. Blossom followed my gaze, rolling her eyes.

“Just what I need right now, a surprise audit. Apparently, they received some sort of anonymous complaint from a disgruntled employee at the mill.”

I sat down in the chair next to her desk and said quietly, “Blossom, you’re looking beat, and your babies need attention. Why don’t I watch the phones and you find a place to nurse them in private and change their diapers.”

Blossom looked relieved and immediately packed up her twins. “Just tell everyone who calls for the Bishop that he’s gone to Cardston and will be back tomorrow.” She was out the door in minutes. Neither of the two men working at the nearby table looked up or even seemed to notice the personnel change.

I got up, took a deep breath, and confidently strode across the room. Entering the Bishop’s private sanctuary, I closed the door firmly behind me. Brighten had told me which filing cabinet I needed and where the keys were hidden. I had it open in minutes. I went back to the office door and opened it wide.

I knew him immediately by the balding head, baby-blue polyester suit, and wide white leather belt with matching loafers. The other man wore the obligatory grey flannel suit, his dark hair trimmed very short and carefully parted on one side.

“Hello, Matt,” I said. “Remember me?”

The two heads shot up in unison and turned to look at me. Matt looked flustered, confused. The other man looked wary.

“I’m sorry?” Matt said. “I’m afraid I’m at a loss.”

I gave him my sweetest smile. “I’m Daisy. You gave me a ride when I was a teenage runaway, near here, five years ago, remember?”

Matt’s face positively pulsed with red heat. He glanced at his colleague and gave a nervous giggle. The other man’s eyebrows shot up, his eyes wide.

“Always ready to help out a stranded young woman.”

Matt was sweating now. He pulled a crumpled linen handkerchief from his wide pocket and swiped at his mouth.

I stepped just outside the office door. “Great to see you again. I wonder if you could do me another favour. I need some advice on the tax papers I’ve been collecting for your audit. Could you step into the Bishop’s office with me and take a look at something?”

Both men shifted uneasily, but I hadn’t really given Matt an option. In my next breath I could expose him as the opportunistic creep that he was—a man trying to pick up young, lost girls in hopes of sexual favours, while he was supposed to be on the job in a government-issued vehicle. Matt’s career was on the line, and he knew it.

“This is a little irregular,” Matt said. “Tax auditors aren’t really supposed to speak to staff while they’re doing an official audit.” He glanced at his partner and gave him a reassuring smile. “But depending on what you need, I might be able to help you without breaking any rules.”

In the time it took to cross the room and retreat into the Bishop’s office, the door firmly shut behind him, Matt gained confidence. “What’s your game, little lady? What are you trying to pull?” He was full of righteous indignation.

I was taller than Matt and I stepped closer, looking down on him. “If I remember correctly, your pickup line was something like, ‘When I’m home I’m the perfect husband and father, but when I’m away I’m a bad boy.’ I was fifteen, Matt, a child in the eyes of the law.”

The haughty look slid from Matt’s face.

I put one finger to the side of my cheek, pretending to think. “You asked me if I was a bra burner, remember? And, ah, you suggested I should wear a miniskirt to show off my legs.”

Matt had the good grace to hang his head and look ashamed. “I really don’t want my family or my boss to hear about any of this.” His voice was a whisper.

“And they don’t need to. It’s up to you. I just need you to look at a second set of books and tell me if they are the same as the ones that you are auditing.”

Matt blinked in surprise.