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Chapter 6
Eight months later
Spring was knocking at our door. I could feel it in the air. The temperature was in the high fifties today, which was too cool for some people, but I thought it was glorious outside, and I wanted to get outdoors.
I got up early and went out to Broken Arrow to see my dad. I was in a great mood. It was Saturday morning, and I had the weekend off. The sky was clear, and the air was crisp, and I couldn't wait to go to the Morgans' and get outside.
It had been a few weeks since I had seen my dad, and I told him I would come by and visit and then eat some lunch.
He called when I was on my way out there, saying that he was at the main house. I was planning on making lunch at his house, and I had some groceries with me that I brought in a cooler. I told him I would stop and put the groceries away first, which I did.
I left my car at his house and walked across a few acres to the mansion where I saw my dad's truck along with a few other vehicles—some from a security company.
I went in through the side entrance since I could see some action in that area. My dad was talking to the guys from the security place, and he smiled and started toward me as soon as he noticed me. The other guys continued talking as Dad started coming my direction.
"Hey baby, you look beautiful."
"Is everything okay?" I asked, looking at the guys.
"Oh, yeah definitely. We've just been having some problems with the alarm, and they came by to check it out." He glanced at the guys. "I'm going to be a minute over here," he said, reluctantly. "They were scheduled to come yesterday, and they couldn't make it, so I need to stay here and explain this to them. It might be an hour or so."
"That's fine," I said with a nod. "I wanted to get outside. I might go fishing or out to the swing. I can meet you back at your place in a little while for lunch."
"Sounds good," my dad said, nodding. "Are you staying for lunch?"
I nodded. "I brought food. I already took everything over to your house."
"Okay, great, thank you. Do you want me to just call you when I'm done here?"
"Yeah, let me know when you're finished, and I can meet you back at your house."
My dad nodded, and I smiled and barely glanced at the guys who were still standing nearby, half-listening to our conversation. I walked away, going the way I came and they joked with my father about how nice it was to have a daughter that brought him lunch on the job. I pretended not to hear them since they hadn't meant for me to.
I enjoyed walking in these woods, so I took my time, looking around and breathing the crisp air. It was as if spring desperately wanted to come, but the last edge of winter still hung in the air. There were a few clouds in the sky, and the sun was peering through them. I had a clear view of the lake for a while, but then I lost sight of it as I headed back toward my dad's cottage. I hadn't been out here in a while, and I smiled at some of the familiar sights and sounds.
I came to a trailhead, and rather than continue walking toward my dad's place, I took the trail. I hung a right and continued walking into the woods, toward the opening where I would eventually find the tire swing. The trail had been overgrown last year when my dad first started back, but they had crews come in and clear it again since then. I looked all around, taking in the woods.
This trail was familiar, and I felt at home and relaxed as I stared at the trees and ferns. I couldn't help but think of Charlie as I walked. It was a place we used to go to all the time.
My heart ached for him, and I wondered what he was doing now. Savannah had passed away tragically. It had happened last fall on that trip to Europe. My dad told me when it happened, but I hadn't seen or talked to Charlie since then. I had an old phone number for him, but it had been so long since I used it that I had a hunch he had a new number by now.
The Morgans didn't meet in Arkansas that Christmas. They had plans to do it in the future, but there were still renovations and repairs being done around the house, and they decided to wait until the following summer. That was coming up in just a few months, which was why my dad was ironing out all the kinks with the alarm.
Anyway, I hadn't seen Charlie since the incident happened, so I looked it up on the internet to make sure it was the truth. There was an article about it, and some photos, and I felt absolutely gut-wrenched for Charlie.
I had run into a couple of other members of the family since I heard about it, but we never brought up Charlie or his wife. I had no idea what he was doing now.
I thought of him as I walked down the trail, and in my mind, I pictured him as a younger boy, a pre-teen, walking ahead of me, swinging a stick and clearing the woods. He and I talked sometimes, and sometimes we would simply abide in each other's presence, listening to the sounds of the woods like I was doing now.
I heard footsteps, and by the time I looked up, he was only a few feet from me. I yelped in fear and stepped back, holding my hand out and creating distance between myself and the bedraggled man.
"Oh my, what the, what in the… Charlie, is that you? My goodness, Charlie Morgan, you scared the living daylights out of me. What are you doing out here? I was just thinking about you!"
Charlie came in for a shy, brotherly hug, and I hugged him back tentatively.
"I was seriously just thinking about you," I said. "I came to… my dad is at the main house, seeing to some stuff with the alarm. I came out here to hang out with him, but he had to do that, so I told him I was going to the woods. What are you doing out here by yourself?" I asked, looking behind him as if expecting to see Casey or Caleb. "You remind me of Casey," I said.
Charlie laughed at that. "I'm going to tell Casey you think he looks like a homeless man."
