Allan Smiled back and was able to wave at Joleen and Matty while saying 'hi' to Alexander. There wasn't much more he could do before being walked into the house. It was a weird thing they had started doing and had bothered him at first, but once you start taking such close steps together you get into a natural rhythm.

He took the the open spot on Alexander's other side, in a rather luxurious armchair, and politely took a cookie before pulling out a little notebook and pen from his breast pocket. "These are delicious-" he paused to swallow what may have been the most deceitfully gooey thumbprint cookie he had ever eaten, "-but I've got nothing more than dead ends." Allan flipped the book open. "I tried talking to Raymond in class, to see if his dad knew anything that he wasn't telling you, but the only thing he knew was that the tractors had motors." Allan sighed. "I have no idea why Ray's in a mechanics class; he hates power tools. You gotta wonder how something that big and loud can just disappear without a trace, though."

Allan set the notebook on the coffee table and grabbed his own lemonade with one hand and what looked like a puff pastry filled with a spoonful of crab dip. "Oh yeah, Ellie. My mom wants the recipe for those sandwiches you brought last time. She's been trying to copy it and can't get... something." He looked the pastry over before popping the whole thing in his mouth and taking a sip of lemonade.