Page 48 of Fierce Hope
“Gillian Wycoff.”
Deke froze, mentally cycling through what he knew about the name. “Wycoff ... as in Kent Wycoff’s wife? Church board member?”
Jade’s head snapped up, her eyes widening in shock.
“Copy that,” Frazer confirmed. “We picked her up an hour ago. Looks like they did begin their ‘business’ relationship through one of those task-for-hire services, but they started texting each other directly before the hit-and-run. Chad kept screen captures of all of it. She lawyered up immediately—not a word since her attorney showed up. But we don’t need her to talk with the evidence we have.”
“She making bail?” Deke asked, his eyes meeting Jade’s concerned gaze.
“Most likely. Her lawyer’s hourly rate is unreal. My guess is she’ll be out within the hour. Delgado won’t be going anywhere, at least.”
Deke thanked him for the update, promising to check in later, and ended the call.
Jade stood motionless beside a display of avocados, her face pale. “That can’t be right. Gillian Wycoff? I barely know her.”
“No interaction beyond church services?”
Jade shook her head, absently picking up an avocado and testing its ripeness with practiced fingers. “We might have exchanged a few words at church functions. Her husband’s on the board ... but there’s been rumors they separated recently.”
She scrunched up her nose. “How would someone like Gillian Wycoff even know someone like Chad? From what Sarah said about him, he cobbles together part-time jobs. The Wycoff’s own lakefront property and jet to Hawaii every other weekend. They’re from completely different worlds.”
Deke guided their cart to a less crowded corner near the canned goods. Jade followed, her face troubled as she processed the information.
“Chief Frazer found texts between them on her phone,” he explained. “Whatever the connection, it’s real. The question is why.”
“I just can’t imagine ... wait.” Jade’s expression shifted. “Kent. Maybe it has something to do with her husband? He’s been supportive of the youth ministry funding. Could she be jealous or something?”
“Possible,” Deke acknowledged, though it felt thin. “People do irrational things during separations.”
“Still ...” Jade looked down at the avocado still clutched in her hand, seeming surprised to find it there. She placed it carefully in the cart. “It doesn’t make sense.”
From years of sensitive investigations, Deke recognized the look of someone who sensed a missing piece but couldn’t identify it. He felt it too—the nagging dissonance of a solution that checked all the boxes but still felt wrong somehow.
“What are you thinking?” he asked.
“I’m thinking someone’s finally answering for what happened, and I should be relieved.” She hesitated. “I am relieved. But ...”
“But it doesn’t feel finished,” he completed her thought.
“Exactly. And I can’t imagine what she’d be warning me away from. Neither she nor her husband have ever been clients. It makes no sense.” She pushed the cart forward again, moving mechanically through the motions of shopping while her mind clearly worked on the puzzle. “Is she in custody?”
“For now. With her resources, she’ll make bail quickly.”
Jade nodded, then suddenly stopped in the middle of the organic produce section. “Can we ...” she looked almost embarrassed, “can we pray? Right here?”
The request caught him off guard—not because it was unusual for Jade, but because he’d never been with someone who treated prayer as something so natural it could happen between selecting bell peppers and checking tomatoes for ripeness.
“Of course,” he said, feeling strangely honored by her inclusion.
She didn’t make a show of it—just closed her eyes briefly, her voice low. “Lord, thank you for guiding Chief Frazer to the truth. Thank you for keeping us safe. Please help us understand why this happened, and ...” she hesitated, “please guide us forward from here. Amen.”
“Amen,” Deke echoed, finding himself oddly moved by the simple prayer. When Jade opened her eyes, the connection between them felt both strengthened and more complicated.
An elderly woman pushing her cart past them smiled warmly. “You two make such a lovely couple,” she commented, clearly having assumed they were praying over their shared shopping.
Jade blushed but didn’t correct her. The moment hung between them, heavy with implications, until Deke broke the silence.
“I was thinking,” he said, returning to safer territory, “with Chad’s confession and Gillian’s arrest, technically the threat’s been contained.”
