Chapter 23
“Come on in, Silas. Would you like a glass of sweet tea?” Chuck was glad that Silas had made the reporters leave, as he was not sure how he would have handled them.
“I’d love a glass, thank you.”
“Hey, I want to thank you for getting rid of that group of vultures,” Chuck chuckled nervously.
“No problem; I just told them they were trespassing on private property, and if they didn’t want to spend some time in our jail they’d better leave.” Silas laughed at the surprised look on Chuck’s face.
“I guess after Andrew wouldn’t answer their questions, they decided to come bother you. Let’s hope that since the highway is far from the house, they’ll give up and leave.” Silas grinned at Sandy when she handed him a glass of sweet tea.
“I hope so, I don’t like the idea of them hanging around here,” Sandy groaned as she handed Chuck a glass of sweet tea as well.
“Well, you don’t have to worry about that anymore,” Silas forced a grin.
“I hope not. I have some knitting to work on, so I’ll leave you two alone to discuss things. I’ll be in the living room if you need me.” Sandy hated to think of what they were facing, so she figured it would be best for her to leave them alone to discuss what they needed to do next.
Both men nodded their understanding and watched Sandy leave the room before resuming their conversation.
Chuck took a sip of his tea then set the glass down on the table. He looked at Silas unsure if he should speak, but decided that he needed to get a few things off his chest.
“Silas, do you think that I could be in trouble for killing that kid?” He held his breath and waited for an answer.
Silas understood Chuck’s concerns, but he also knew how the simplest things could become complicated.
“I don’t see that you would, Chuck. You caught them in the act of robbing you, and then they fired at you. It’s a clear case of self-defense, besides, you’re protected by the Texas Castle Law. I’m sure there will be those who want to make it into something that it’s not, but you have the law on your side.”
Chuck nodded his understanding, but there was still a hint of doubt stirring in his mind.
“I know, but look what’s happening to others involved in shootings lately. You know how much those special interest groups love to spin and twist the facts to fit their agenda. That kid was part of the whole border issue, so you and I both know there will be those who claim I’m racist and was just out to murder him because he was here illegally.”
Silas knew that Chuck was right, as he had seen it earlier at the City Hall. He wanted to tell Chuck that people would believe in his innocence, but he also knew there would be those who would use it as a tool to further their agenda.
“Chuck, I’m not going to sugarcoat this. Yes, there are going to be people who will try to make this into a big deal. There will be those who demand that I arrest you and that you face punishment for shooting that kid, but you and I both know that he would have killed you if given the chance. That was no ordinary kid. You saw all the tattoos on him. He was one of those gang members we’ve all heard about, and our government brought him and his friends to our town.”
Silas felt his blood surge at the idea of gang members brought to Sandley by the government of United States of America. What happened to the promise of protecting the people? What happened to securing our borders? Silas had always believed in the rule of law, so this blatant disregard of the law stumped him.
“Silas,” Chuck said, unsure if he wanted the answer.
“Go ahead and ask. We can’t have any secrets between us during this.” Silas saw the fear on Chuck’s face, and it broke his heart.
“After everyone left and I was burying Buck by the creek, and I wondered why I didn’t just shoot all three of them and hide their bodies,” he looked down at the tabletop and shook his head in shame.
“I know I can be a bit of a hard-ass, but I never thought of myself as a killer. Silas, I had no choice but to shoot him. I was just lucky to have been a better shot. Then when they hauled his body away and took the other two to the jail, I knew that I had difficult times ahead of me.”
Silas looked at Chuck, not sure of what to say. He understood Chuck’s fear, and he wondered if the same thought to shot the other two and hide all of their bodies would have crossed his mind.
Silas smiled, wanting Chuck to know that he was not alone in this. “I don’t know what to say, but I don’t blame you for how you feel. You did what you needed to do and never feel otherwise. I promise to stand beside you through this, as will the rest of the townsfolk. We are all facing challenging times, but we need to stick together. Now, I want you to keep quiet and stay away from those media people. I don’t want you to give them the opportunity to twist anything you say. Do you understand?”
Chuck nodded but still was too ashamed to look at Silas.
Realizing there was nothing more to discuss at this time, Silas stood. “Well, I need to get going. I want to drop by the hospital and check on Shelby Fletcher before I go home.”
Chuck looked up at Silas with concern clearly showing on his face, “I heard she was in bad shape. People around town seem to think whatever it is, came to town with those people.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard that too. I sure hope not because things already seem to be at a boiling point. I can’t imagine what would happen if that were proven to be the case.” Silas knew tempers were short with the developments over the past few months, so with the shooting and possibility of a dangerous illness brought to town, he hated to think what could happen next.
“I’ll check back with you later,” Silas smiled as he held out his hand.
Chuck took the offered hand and returned the handshake. “Thanks, and I’ll do my best to stay away from those reporters.”
Silas turned and walked to the back door. “Thanks for the sweet tea, Miss Sandy. I need you to keep a close eye on Chuck and make sure he behaves himself,” Silas grinned when he saw Chuck roll his eyes.
“I will, Silas and thank you for your help earlier,” Sandy said from the living room.
When Silas reached the end of Chuck’s driveway, he was surprised to see several of the News vans still parked along the highway.
“Damn, why don’t they just leave Chuck alone?”
Silas knew the answer to his question, but he wondered if they, in fact, would respect Chuck’s privacy.
As he turned out on the highway, he had to laugh at the glares of hate from the reporters gathered there.
“Go ahead and stare all you want,” Silas chuckled to himself.
Silas had just turned into the hospital parking lot when his cell phone rang. “Hello.”
“Silas, you need to come to the grocery store. I’m having a bit of trouble with some customers,” Paul said excitedly.
“Are you in any danger?”
“No, but they’re destroying the store! Please hurry!” The call ended abruptly.