Page 4 of Chasing Infinity

I bark out a laugh and grip the back of my neck. "You've got to be fucking kidding me. This guy again?"

"Things are a little more complicated than that."

"This is a small town, Charlie. Of course, things are complicated. Spill it, then we can get to the real reason I'm here," I order. I choose to ignore that we resemble a pair of two old ladies gossiping about the town's juicy business right now.

He sighs loudly, as if this is the last thing he wants to do, but concedes, "They're not dating per se, but just seeing each other. They both have different ideas of how they want their relationship to progress. You know Eli, he's been in love with her since he first saw her."

"I'm aware," I say through gritted teeth.

"But Addie is more just looking for a friends-with-benefits deal, I think. Something to take the edge off when she has a bad day." I grit my teeth at his phrasing, not liking the mental image that gives me. "I can't imagine she sees herself settling down with him. She's always had eyes for someone else, you know? And as history has shown, Eli doesn't live up to that for her."

I scrub my hand over my face, trying not to dwell too hard on the fact that I want to throw up at this recent development. "Okay."

"That's it? Okay?"

I scowl at my not-so-much friend. "I don't know what else you want me to do. Your bestie and his incessant puppy-love isn't my problem."

"What about Addie?"

"Parks is a grown woman." And a fucking beautiful woman at that. The image of her plump lips falling open when she ran into me this morning pops into my brain, and I shake my head, trying to clear it, focusing on where I am. "She can handle herself."

I've spent way too long daydreaming about Addison Parks, and I know that despite it all, I'll spend much more time continuing to do just that. Later tonight, when I'm alone, I'll break apart every second of our interaction today, analyzing all aspects of what we said to each other. But, for now, I shove it to the back of my mind so I can focus on the task at hand.

"So, about this nice card you sent me," I begin. About a week and a half ago, I received a plain white envelope with my name and address written on it. I found a Willow Heights City Hall business card when I opened it. Nothing was written on the card. It was enough to send a message and confirm that my coming back for my mother's funeral was not the only reason I was supposed to be back here.

Sullivan steeples his fingers and looks at me, his green eyes turning severe. I realize I'm now talking to the Sheriff of Willow Heights, the Charlie I grew up with, now pushed to the sidelines. "I think I have him."

"You think? What does that mean?" I ask him, praying to whatever God is up there that I didn't come back to this godforsaken town for a hunch.

"I had someone undercover at the right place at the right time, and I think we have a lead."

"Again, with the 'you think' bit. Charlie, drop the façade and just tell me what the hell you got."

"My guy heard Mayor McCoy talking about delivery to someone named Orville Marks. I haven't heard of anyone in that town, but I'm looking into it. We'll check databases for neighboring towns and go larger if we have to. I think this might be our way in."

I frown. I guess there might be something here. It's not much to go on, but something, at least. "Did he allude to anything illegal? Or literally, anything else that could get us a warrant?"

Charlie looks contrite as he shakes his head. "Unfortunately, no, but I'm hoping that now you're back in town, we'll be able to smoke him out a little. Hopefully, he'll think we're onto him—which we are—and he'll trip himself up."

I fall into the chair in front of his desk. My hand rubs at the back of my neck to soothe the tension. "He'll definitely know we're onto something."

"Why's that?"

"Because I basically said as much," I mutter, looking out the window at a squirrel climbing a tree. I try to dampen the white-hot fiery anger that boils in my chest whenever my father crosses my mind, but it's no use. "He might believe that my mother's death gives him a free pass, which, sure. I'll give him that one. But I told him he'd be in cuffs the next time he'd see me."

"Well, that might be a little extreme. We still have a long way to go before we get there. We don't have any solid proof yet."

"So, what's the plan then, Chief?" I say, turning back to him.

"Just lie low for now. I have my guys out there with their ears peeled, just in case he slips up again. I want you to re-acclimatize yourself here in town, maybe rattle him up a bit, but don't pursue anything. Then he'll let his guard down, and we'll get him."

"Do you want me to—" I shrug my shoulders, unsure, "Make him think I'm not after him or what? That I've given up?"

Charlie's eyebrows pull in. "No, I don't think that would be the best course of action. You two have always been at each other's throats. If you pulled a full one-eighty on him, he would know something was up. I think you should just go back to how it was before."

"Before?" I scoff. "Sorry, man, with all due respect, but that's a bullshit plan. Not only am I a completely different man than I was then, but now my mother's gone. Before is nonexistent."

"That's all I got right now, Noah. Don't make it obvious that we're trying to nab him, and we'll be fine."

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