“Tean,” Jem said again, more loudly this time.
“I don’t know what you mean,” Brigitte said.
Tean glanced up.“Was there a romantic aspect to your relationship with Stephen?”
“Of course not.That’s impossible.”
“Because several people mentioned that you and Stephen spent a lot of time together while Gerald was busy working.”
“That’s not true.”
“So, they’re all mistaken?”
“Let it go,” Jem said.
“I don’t know if they’re mistaken or if they’re lying.”Brigitte took a few steps sideways and put the sofa between her and Tean.“But there wasn’t anything romantic about my relationship with Stephen.I told you he’s like family.He’s young enough to be my son.”
“For many women, that might be an argument in his favor.”
“Yeah, we’re done with this,” Jem said to Tean.To Brigitte, he said, “Do you know how Stephen and Gerald met?”
“Stephen was one of Gerald’s missionaries.Gerald counseled him with his struggle with, well, you know.And when Gerald wanted to help more young men, he reached out to Stephen.”
“That’s impossible,” Tean said, “because Stephen didn’t speak Spanish.How could he not speak Spanish after spending two years in Argentina?”
“I don’t know,” Brigitte said.“That was all before Gerald and I married.He was a mission president with Lynn, his first wife.”
“But you can see how it doesn’t make any sense for Stephen to claim to have served a mission in Argentina but not speak any Spanish?”
“I don’t know what you’re asking me.I don’t speak Spanish.It’s not like I ever asked him.”
With a warning look for Tean, Jem said, “Did Gerald ever say anything about Stephen?Or was Stephen the one who told that story about the mission?”
“You know—” She tapped her lips.“It might have been Stephen.I remember Gerald introducing me to Stephen when he hired him.But I don’t remember who told me that Stephen had been one of his missionaries.I think you’re right, my love.I think it must have been Stephen.”
“But why would Gerald go along with it?”Tean asked.“He would have known Stephen was lying.”
“Maybe he didn’t know,” Jem said.
Tean forced himself to take a deep breath.His phone, forgotten in his hand, timed out, and the screen went dark.“Jem, I think maybe I should be the one to ask Brigitte these questions.”
In answer, Jem turned back to his mom and said, “We know Stephen was working with someone else.Not only because Stephen couldn’t have killed Tafton; somebody else was getting a cut of the money that was coming in.”
Thoughts started to flash on like a string of Christmas lights, one after another.
Somebody who was involved in the conversion therapy group.
Somebody Stephen trusted.
Somebody who needed a nest egg in case things got bad.
Tean woke his phone.He typed in the information he remembered for Salvation Coaching LLC and began the search.
And there it was.
Jem and Brigitte were still talking about Stephen.About how Gerald had wanted him to handle the money.
“It was you,” Tean said.The words cut through their conversation.“He was splitting the take with you.”
