A Sliver of Infinite

chapter 13

I surprise both my mom and Cheryl by continuing our conversation.

"Isn't that correct? You're in real estate, right?" I ask again, eyes narrowed with questions looming.

"That's right. Top realtor in all of Jefferson County!" she replies with pride.

"Okay, so...did you recently help a man named Martin close on a house on this street or possibly around the block?"

I need clarity. I need answers to ever impending questions racking my brain.

"Oh no darling, nothing on this block, or the next for that matter, has been on the market for years," she states, chuckling as if the idea was crazy.

"I'd be lucky to get my hands on one of these houses. Such historic charm. However they tend to stay in the family."

"So you've never heard of a guy named Martin? Recently divorced...bought a house for himself?"

"No, nope, never heard of him." She shakes her head, eyeing me curiously.

"Huh..." I stare off into the bookshelf past them, the look of confusion planted on my face. "I must have the wrong information then. Excuse me."

I head to my room and slump into the seat at my desk. Staring at the wall in front of me, I feel entirely lost.

What is really going on right now?

There's a sickening feeling in my gut. Either this guy Martin is not at all who Dane thinks he is, or, and I really hope this isn't the case, Dane isn't who I think he is.

There's a secret hidden beneath the surface of the dark, mysterious lake closing in around me. I can feel it there, yet I chose to observe the serene, tranquil beauty of the landscape all around instead. The beautiful scene is at my forefront, yet my subconscious is already too aware of the depth in the darkness.

Giving up the thought of ever achieving any actual progress on homework, I close my books and sit for a minute, mind working in overdrive.

What sort of trouble is Dane in?

Immediately pushing my anger for him aside, I set out to talk this out. I can't just sit and pretend this isn't happening, my curiosity demands I get to the bottom of this. Surely, we can figure this out together.

I sneak out of my window, in order to avoid questioning from my mother, and head over to Dane's place. Immediately spotting the fact that his truck is gone, my hope for some sort of clarity is also gone. Upon heading back to my room, the idea pops into my head.

If he's not going to tell me what's going on, I'll need to get some answers for myself.

Up his stairs I go, quietly twisting the knob of his door, luckily finding it unlocked. Opening it slowly, not knowing what to expect, I get an overwhelming feeling of nervousness.

"Dane?" I call out, hoping for an answer so I don't need to feel so guilty for my intrusion. I hear some movement, but notice it's only Tator, slowly making his way over to me from his bed.

"Hey big guy," I say softly, petting his oversized head before my curious eyes take over.

The flat is empty. Boxes are opened along the walls, papers are everywhere yet again. There are papers lined along the floor, connecting in an odd manner. I set off to investigate this "project" he's been secretly working on.

As I move in closer, kneeling to collect some of the papers, I take a look at the first one. It's an old property information sheet of the Robertson's house down the block, detailing the square footage, bathroom and room numbers, property taxes, as well as the estimated property value.