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Charlie was dumbfounded when he’d heard they charged Sonny with Angie McCoy’s murder. It was just like his sister, however, to deal with one crisis at a time. Sonny’s situation was dire, but it was under as much control as Vanessa could provide. The next crisis was the lack of muscle to care for the farm. Vanessa couldn’t do that alone; she needed his help.
He was driving back from Utah to provide that help when Vanessa called, ecstatic to tell him Sonny was out on bail and was with her eating dinner at Natalie’s house.
“That’s marvelous news, Vanessa,” Charlie said. “Natalie and Jeff are the best. I’m still a few hours out, but will be there as soon as I can.”
“If I’d have been sure Sonny would get out on bail, you probably could have stayed in Utah,” Vanessa told him. “Is it too late for you to go back and finish out the week?”
Even though her world was being torn apart, Charlie was not surprised that his sister reserved a block of concern for him. “It’s no problem, Vanessa. I was around for the first half of the sale, which was the most important part. Emmett can take it from there. I packed my clothes and am on the road. Turning back would be a pain in the neck. Besides that, I think it will be good for everyone if I stay close to the farm until things get straightened out.”
“Thanks, Charlie.” Vanessa sighed. “I don’t know exactly what was going on between Sonny and Angie, but I’m sure he didn’t kill her.” Her voice broke.
“Vanessa,” he said, “I don’t believe for a minute that Sonny killed Angie, and I don’t believe for a second that he would risk losing you for Angie or for anyone else. He loves you. I’m sure of that. You just hang on. I’ll be home in a few more hours and we’ll figure everything out.”
“What would I do without you, Charlie? You’ve never let me down.”
