The Bishop's Wife by Mette Ivie Harrison Page A

felt, too. But how could we ever know anyone well enough to know what to do in a situation like this?
    â€œI told him that I’d like him to come over and talk to me sometime,” said Kurt, “if he could manage it. I wanted to give him comfort and advice officially, if I could. I told him that he could bring Kelly and you would watch her, if he needed help.” He wasn’t making eye contact, which was odd, since he had more or less just volunteered me for something.
    â€œAnd what did he say?” I was willing to watch Kelly, for whatever reason.
    Kurt stood up and started moving papers around his desk. “He demanded that I promise that his parents-in-law would not be here.”
    It was the wrong thing to say to Kurt, who was losing patience with Jared Helm’s attitude at last, I thought. “You think he might be guilty now?” I asked.
    â€œI don’t want to think the worst of him, but he’s making it difficult.” He sighed, and kept at his organizing.
    For whatever reason, Kurt and I both tended to clean when we got upset. It made for a very clean house when we were having extended arguments.
    â€œMaybe he’s just a jerk,” I said, trying to ease Kurt’s mind. “Maybe he’s a bad husband, but not a murderer. He seemed so devoted to Kelly when I brought the bread over.”
    â€œIf he’s just a jerk, then where is Carrie?”
    It was the million-dollar question, wasn’t it?
    â€œWhat about his job?” I asked. “He can’t be earning money if he’s at home all day.”
    â€œI asked him about that several days ago, if he needed any church assistance. He said that he could work from home for a while and promised he would tell me if he got into any financial trouble. Apparently he works for his father’s business, and it’s all programming stuff that he can do remotely.”
    â€œWell, it can’t stay like this forever, with all those news vans. The story is going to get old and they’ll go home,” I said.
    â€œAnd what does that mean for the chance of finding Carrie Helm?” said Kurt. His desk was now clean. If he wanted to do more cleaning, we’d have to move someplace else. Unless he wanted to get out the vacuum.
    â€œIf she’s dead, they will have to find her eventually. Bodies don’t just disappear,” I said.
    â€œThis is Utah,” said Kurt. “Do you know how many millions of acres of untouched land there are in this state?”
    I felt sick at the thought that Kurt on some level had come to the same conclusion I had, that Jared Helm had killed Carrie and then disposed of the body somewhere. I kept questioning my first instinct on this, but what if I had been right from the beginning? What if the Spirit had been speaking to me and telling me what to think about Jared? What if Kurt was finally feeling the same spiritual impression?
    â€œThere would have to be evidence somewhere,” I said. “Some video camera at a gas station. Someone who saw him buying something at a store.” I was trying to think like a detective, like a professional, and not just a bishop’s wife.
    Kurt folded his hands together, as if coming to a decision. “But in any case, that’s something for the police to deal with,” said Kurt. “I’m in charge of Jared and Kelly’s spiritual welfare.”
    â€œNot Carrie’s?” I asked.
    Kurt flushed. “Carrie has left the ward, so no, I’m not her bishop now. Unless she comes back.”
    That seemed rather cold. Though technically, it was true. Kurt’s obligation was to a specific geographical flock. “And if she’s dead? And died while in our ward?”
    â€œThen God will take care of her better than I could. I deal with the living,” said Kurt. “We all have our roles, and we should stick to them.”
    We moved back to the kitchen and called Samuel for dinner. But as