The old man is playing games

Lily nodded slowly, feeling the weight of her father's words. But Dad doesn't see it all, she thought, glancing out the window, and I have a feeling Noah has a way of always staying one step ahead.

Meanwhile, Noah shifted the car into high gear, heading toward Amelia's house. He had promised Adam he'd drop by after dinner with their neighbour, Arthur.

"Adam has his own set of curiosities," Noah thought, his gaze focused on the road ahead.

"He's a military man. He probably already suspects that I'm not showing everything, so his curiosity is going to keep him close."

As he drove, Noah's thoughts drifted back to the moment he'd seen Arthur's curiosity deepen over that tea. 

"For a person like Arthur, you need to show him enough to keep him interested. But you also need to dose it correctly, otherwise an underdose or an overdose will make him restless."