Page 82 of Critical Doubt

"I know. You did everything right."

"I hope so. I still can't believe he's alive. How is that possible? There was a cremation. We had a funeral. And he's not dead?"

"If you hadn't seen him, too, I might not have believed my own eyes."

"This just blows me away. I never ever imagined that he wasn't dead. Do you think Todd is alive, too?"

He gave her a bewildered shrug. "I have no idea."

"Paul had to have help faking his death. Maybe it was Todd who did that. Maybe that's why he kept wanting to apologize to Abby."

"It makes sense, but we don’t know why Paul did what he did."

"To get out of trouble. He must have felt he was in danger." She frowned. "Is it the same danger that's come after you?"

"You're asking me a lot of questions I can't answer. Let's go to the hospital. Hopefully, Paul survives and tells us everything we need to know."

She nodded and followed him out to his truck. The hospital was about fifteen minutes away, and they didn't speak on the way. Her brain was spinning, and Ryker also seemed to be lost in thought.

Once they reached the hospital, they were sent up to a waiting room on the third floor. Paul was already on his way to surgery. They would have to wait to learn more.

They sat down together on a small couch in the waiting room.

"What did Paul say to you?" Ryker asked. "Before I got back."

She tried to remember exactly what he'd told her. "He said to tell Abby he was sorry. That he'd done it for her and Tyler. You heard the rest."

"Yes. He said they were only supposed to scare me, not hurt me, and he couldn't let that happen."

"But he didn't give a name. He didn't say whotheywere." She paused. "He also said something about you would have never fallen for the lie. What's the lie?"

His jaw tightened. "This whole situation is insane. Paul allegedly fell off the roof of Todd's house. The police department in Dobbs took his body to the morgue." He paused. "Did Abby see her husband? Did she identify his body?"

"I never asked. I never thought I needed to." A painful realization hit her. "I have to call Abby. I have to tell her that Paul is alive." She pulled out her phone.

Ryker put a hand on her arm. "Maybe you should wait, Savannah. What if he doesn't make it?"

"But she'll still have to know he was alive."

"Agreed. But do you want her to have to wait to find out if she's going to have a second chance with her husband?"

His argument made perfect sense, but she knew down deep in her heart that if she didn't tell Abby immediately, her friend would never forgive her. "I have to tell her, Ryker. If it was me, I'd want to know. And it will take her time to get here. If I wait, and she misses an opportunity to see him…"

"I get it. You're right. Call her."

"I just don't know what to say. How do I tell my best friend that her husband wasn't really dead but now he might be dying?"

"You're just going to have to say it."

She drew in a deep breath, turned on her phone, and then punched in Abby's number.

"Hello?" Abby said, a moment later.

"Hi, it's me."

"You don’t sound good, Savannah. Where are you? Has something else happened?"

"Yes."