Page 18 of Critical Doubt

Despite Ryker's words, Savannah didn't think he was feeling that optimistic. Nor was she. Every minute made the situation worse.

"Anyone need a drink?" Colin Barkley asked, as he joined them.

Colin had grown up with them in Dobbs, although he'd been two years older. He was now a high school teacher in Ridgeview, a bigger city about fifteen miles away, but his parents and sister still lived in Dobbs, and he spent a lot of time there. Actually, he spent a lot of time with Abby. He'd been a very good friend to her over the years. When Paul was deployed, Colin had helped Abby with all the things Paul used to do—getting the oil in the car changed, replacing a smoke detector, giving her endless rides to the hospital when Tyler had gone through a serious illness a few years earlier.

"I brought everything over from the reception," Colin added. "There's plenty of beer and wine."

"I wouldn't mind a beer," Ryker said.

"I'd like something, too," she said. "I'll come to the kitchen with you." She actually wanted a few minutes to talk to Colin more than she wanted a drink, so it was a good opportunity to get both. Before she left, she turned to Abby. "Ryker cut his leg on the rocks. Do you still have a first aid kit?"

"Of course. It's upstairs. Come with me, Ryker. I'll get you fixed up."

"It's really nothing," he said. "I don't need anything."

"Don't be silly. You were in the river. Let's get those cuts cleaned up."

As Abby took Ryker upstairs, Savannah followed Colin over to the ice chest on the kitchen counter.

He pulled out two beers, popped the top on one, and handed it to her. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

She smiled at the knowing gleam in his eyes. Colin was the kind of guy who could be counted on to be steady when the rest of the world was rocking. While she'd never been as close to him as Abby had, she'd liked him, and she'd always felt better knowing that Colin was nearby if Abby needed him.

"Did you know that Paul had moved out?" she asked.

His smile faded. "Yes, Abby told me. She was very conflicted, but he was not in a good place, Savannah."

"That's what everyone keeps saying. I wish Abby would have said something to me."

"She was hoping Paul would be back before people knew he was gone. She thought she was handing out some tough love, and that he'd get help, and they'd get back together. But he kept drinking even after he'd left." Colin paused. "He needed to be out of the house, Savannah. His temper was on a hair-trigger. He was yelling so much that Tyler was starting to feel anxious. I understand that his anger was directed as much at himself as everyone else, but that didn't change what was happening."

"Why was he angry with himself?"

"He blamed himself for the deaths of the men on his team. He felt responsible for the ambush, at least that's what he told me. He was also angry that he couldn't go back to his job. He wanted to get justice by taking down the terrorists who killed his brothers."

She wondered if Ryker felt that way, too. "That makes sense, but he loved Abby and Tyler so much. I can't believe he was willing to let them go."

"He changed over the years. He was a warrior first, a husband and father second. Abby saw his injury as kind of a lucky break. He would recover, but he wouldn't go back to the army. She'd never tell you that, of course."

"No, she wouldn't."

"But Paul was devastated. He didn't know what to do if he couldn't fight. Instead of being there for Abby, being the support she needed, he became another weight on her shoulders. And she was tired. When Tyler got sick two years ago, it was all on her. All the doctors' visits, the hospital stays. When he got better, there were the bills. She's still underwater on money. I think that was stressing out Paul, too, because he wanted to support her, but he didn't know what to do."

"I wish she would have reached out to me. I could have lent her some money."

"She's proud. I offered to help a number of times; she always turned me down. I know her parents paid for some things when she was desperate, but that also irritated Paul. He felt like he wasn't providing for her. That made him angry."

She took a sip of her beer as she thought about what he'd said. "What about Todd? Was he able to help Paul?"

"He was trying, but you can't help people who don't want to be helped. I know he feels badly about it."

"And now we have another accident that doesn't make sense. How on earth did Todd drive his car into the river?"

Colin gave her a troubled look. "I sure hope he didn't have a moment of temporary insanity."

"Is that what people are thinking? That it was deliberate?"

"There's a lot of whispering going on. The cops said he tried to brake, so why would he do that if he wanted to drive into the river?"

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