Page 17 of Critical Doubt

"My secret weapon."

"Use it wisely."

"I'll be in touch." She ended the call as she drove down Abby's block. The driveway and street were crowded with vehicles, but she squeezed into a spot a few houses down from Abby's. She got out of the car and waited for Ryker, who had to park a bit farther away.

As he approached, unwanted tingles shot down her spine, and she told herself to get a grip. The man smelled like the river. His clothes were soggy and wrinkled. She should not be thinking he was attractive, but she was…

His dark hair was wavy and damp, and despite his now more noticeable limp, he was still compelling with his dark eyes, absurdly long lashes, and full, sexy mouth. This was not the time or the place to have those kinds of feelings, but her body wasn't as up to speed on that fact as her brain.

"Looks like the crowd from the church is here now," he murmured, not appearing happy about that.

"Hopefully not everyone." She didn't want to deal with her father right now.

As they approached Abby's front steps, she realized she was going to have to deal with her dad again. He was with Colonel Bill Vance, his long-time friend, and someone who had always been very nice to her. Even now, Colonel Vance was giving her a warm smile, while her father wore his usual stoic, emotionless expression.

"Savannah. I saw you at the church, but I didn't get a chance to speak to you," Colonel Vance said. "How are you?"

"Hanging in there."

"It's a sad situation," he said, his smile dimming. As his gaze moved past her to Ryker, he suddenly straightened. "Stone. I didn't see you there. I'm sorry about all of this. I heard you went into the river after Davis. I would have expected nothing less."

"Colonel," Ryker said, as they shook hands. "It's good to see you again. Unfortunately, I was unsuccessful in finding Todd and bringing him back to safety."

"You did your best. I'm sure of that. James is inside. He's kicking himself hard, too. But this isn't on you or James. It was a tragic accident."

"We should go," her father interrupted. "We have a dinner meeting."

Savannah couldn't believe her dad wasn't even going to acknowledge her, but he was already walking away.

Colonel Vance gave her an apologetic smile, then lingered behind while her father strode down the street to his car. "You look like your mother, Savannah. Your dad misses her more every time he sees you."

"Well, that isn't very often."

"I keep telling him he needs to work things out with you. I don’t think he knows how."

"It doesn't matter. You should go. He doesn't like to wait."

"I don’t worry too much about what your dad wants," Vance said with a smile. "But take care of yourselves—both of you."

As Vance left, Ryker said, "Your dad is an asshole."

"I can't argue that. I'm glad he's gone. Hopefully, I won't have to see him again any time soon." She turned toward the house. "Let's find Abby."

The front door was unlocked, so she walked in. The two-story, Craftsman-style home was decorated in warm, cozy chaos, lots of family photographs around, paperbacks and kids' books on the tables as well as numerous quilts on the walls or on the couches and chairs as Abby was a big quilter.

There were three couples and two teenagers in the living room, some of whom looked familiar, but no one she knew well enough to stop and say hello to. They moved down the hall to the kitchen and family room, where another dozen people were milling about. Abby saw them immediately and rushed across the room.

"Did you find Todd?" she asked Ryker.

"No, I'm sorry," he said heavily.

Abby's hopeful gaze turned bleak. "This can't be happening. I can't tell Tyler that Todd is gone, too. I can't do it."

"Where is Tyler?" she asked.

"My parents took him to their house. Tyler knows Todd was in an accident, but nothing else," Abby replied. "I just don't understand why no one has found him yet. You jumped into the river so fast, Ryker, as did James and Daniel." She tipped her head to the men, standing by the fireplace.

"I guess it wasn't fast enough," he said. "But Todd got out of the car. I have to hope he's in the woods somewhere and just hasn't found his way back."