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Jade had never been happier to find herself on the Glenn Highway, headed for home.
Dez knew Pastor Reggie’s kids from Sunday school, and she was happy to sit in the back of the van with them. With Reggie and his wife up front, that left enough space for Jade and Ben to sit side by side on the long drive back to Glennallen.
Reggie had a cough and was losing his voice. His wife was exhausted after a week in the Lower 48 with two little kids and was asleep about ten minutes into the drive.
Jade took advantage of the relative silence to think. At some point, it would probably hit her that she’d killed a man. She should also be more concerned that Sapphire was still alive. But right now, she was fixating on Christmas, wondering how she could move things around to find money for Dez’s gifts. The heating bill wouldn’t be due until after the New Year, but with such a small paycheck coming in at the end of the month, she couldn’t afford to waste a penny. She had no idea if the oil company would actually turn off heat to a home with a single mom and five-year-old girl, but she didn’t feel like testing her luck.
“Sounds like they’re having fun,” Ben observed after a round of giggles erupted from the back seat.
“Yeah, they’re pretty good friends.”
“I’m glad you two are on your way home.”
“So am I.” She glanced over at him. There were so many things it felt like they should be talking about. Like the fact that Jade would have to answer for her role in Gabriel’s death. That she’d seen people of color denied justice too many times, and she was scared.
That the woman who tried to abduct her daughter was still alive.
One thing among many that Jade still didn’t understand was the drugs in the IV. So far, Ben didn’t have any updates about what the police had learned from the nurse they caught. Had Sapphire put him up to it? Why would she kidnap Dez only to try to kill her the next day?
Sapphire was nothing like the villains Jade had learned to fear. She was capricious, led by dreams and whims and words of God that could come from anywhere. It made her unpredictable.
And terrifying.
Ben let out a sigh. “Long day, huh?”
Jade only had the energy left to nod.
“Why don’t you try to get some sleep?” he suggested, then cracked a grin. “I promise not to tease you if you snore.”