“Myra, listen to me,” Charles said soothingly. “Nikki was in a bad emotional state when we sent her off to the island and she knew it. She was more than willing to go, to take time off so that she could get back on an even keel. She understood the rules—no contact with the office, no contact with Jack Emery and contact with us only once a month. She also understood our phone calls would deal only with pleasantries. She agreed, Myra, to take time off, to go away. It was her idea in the first place. I don’t want you blaming yourself for any of this. Nikki knew back in May that she was teetering on the edge and she knew we only wanted what was best for her. If she’d been here when all of this happened, she would have teetered off that shaky ledge she was standing on. She’s healthy and strong now. She’ll be able to handle this.”

Myra’s voice rose shrilly. “This, this, this! Why don’t we give this a name, Charles?”

Charles’s voice was still soothing and calm. “Because talking about this upsets you. You’re screaming at me, Myra. I’m going down to the war room to call my people and arrange Nikki’s return home. She’s ready to return; she told us so on Sunday when we spoke to her.”

“I want to be the one to bring her back, Charles. No matter what you say, I still feel like this is all my fault.”

Charles stood up and clicked his tongue. “It is not your fault, Myra. In fact, the equestrian world has you to thank for bringing the situation to light. And, no, Nikki does not need her mommy to bring her home. She left on her own because she’s a big girl, and she’s going to return the same way: a big girl.”

“Those are just words, Charles. We live next door to the Barringtons and we had no clue that they were starving those beautiful horses. I still can’t believe seven of those magnificent animals died because we didn’t get to them in time. What kind of people allow animals to starve to death? And the miserable court system, which failed me after Barbara’s death, failed me again when the judge ruled the horses should remain under the Barringtons’ care. Those people are monsters and they’re walking around as free as the air they breathe. All thanks to that ... that ... twit from Nikki’s firm who represented them in court. Nikki would never have allowed that to happen if she had been here. Maddie must have been asleep at the switch.”