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Alice and Sam had kept up their conversation all the way to Crestview. Cole wasn’t sure if it was a reaction to being nervous, each for a different reason—Alice, because she didn’t know what they would find when they arrived, and Sam, because of the conversation he’d had with her—or that they were simply being polite. Over breakfast, Alice shared that Crestview called twice more the previous night with updates on Robert’s condition. They were unable to reduce his fever and were concerned that the infection was causing more brain damage. He was scheduled for an MRI that morning. Cole hoped they would arrive after the test was done and would be able to talk with Robert’s doctor.
He half-listened to their sharing of town happenings while his mind conjured possible scenarios. Automaticall
