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She couldn't help but feel like her father was trying to distract her from the real issue at hand. The fact that he had been stealing from her was still gnawing at her, and she knew she had to confront him eventually.
Still, she wondered if this was the right time to bring all of that up. They were supposed to be having a nice dinner. It was their chance to reconnect and start over.
"I saw somewhere that you and Alex went to Wyoming. How was that?" April asked.
Alex was one of her father's best friends. He'd seen more of her father than she had in her entire life.
Richard smiled, happy to change the subject. "Oh, it was incredible. The hiking trails were breathtaking. We even saw a few moose. It was nice to get away from everything for a while."
April wondered what Richard would have to get away from. He had next to no responsibilities. What could his trips possibly help him escape? He didn't have anything to run from.
She put on her best smile, trying to be happy to hear her father talk about something he enjoyed. She took a bite of her steak, savoring the flavor.
"That's great, dad." April nodded, feeling a pang of jealousy. She wished she could have gone on a vacation instead of being stuck at home, worrying about her crazy life.
But then something caught her eye. A flash of silver in her father's jacket pocket. She tried to play it cool, but her heart was pounding in her chest. Was it something else he'd stolen from the bed and breakfast?
As Richard continued to talk about his adventures, April's mind was racing with thoughts of what could be in that pocket. She tried to focus on the conversation at hand, but her eyes kept darting back to that glimmering silver.
Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. "Dad, what's in your pocket?" she blurted out. She couldn't shake the feeling of unease that was creeping up on her.
Richard's eyes widened, caught off guard by her sudden question. "What? Oh, it's just a little something I picked up on my travels," he said, trying to brush it off.
April wasn't satisfied with his answer. "Can I see it?" she asked, her voice firm.
"Of course," he said, slowly pulling the silver pocket watch from his pocket.
As she examined it more closely, she realized it was nothing she recognized. It gave her a breath of fresh air.
"It's lovely," she said with a smile. "Which travel brought it to you?"
Richard hesitated for a moment before answering. "Oh, this one was from my trip to Europe last year. I found it in an antique shop in Paris."
April's suspicions eased a little at his answer. She handed the watch back to him and tried to focus on the rest of their dinner, but her mind was still racing with questions.
Did this mean that he wasn't a thief, or that he just didn't steal the pocket watch?
She couldn't help but feel like there was more to the story. But for now, she decided to let it go. She needed to investigate further, but was this really the right time? When they were finally able to bond?
As her father continued to talk about his recent adventures, her throat grew incredibly dry. She began to overthink everything that happened the past few days. The jewelry box, the elephant, the gold soap dispenser.
The secret that she knew he was probably stealing from her sat like a rock in her stomach.
In every instance, Richard was nearby. He had a history of coming back just to take things from her and her mother. Usually it wasn't objects, it was time, money, love. Things that he wouldn't return.
Now she was convinced that it was him. His pocket watch was just a fluke. Her paranoia is looking for a reason to confront him now. Which she should be doing instead of pretending like everything is fine.
When the waiter brought the check, April tensed up. She hadn't seen how much it cost and she hoped that Richard had enough money to cover it. Her suspicions began to return as he took out a wad of cash and laid it on the table with a flourish.
He clearly had more money than what she was used to seeing him have, and it made her question again where he'd gotten all this cash from.
The probability that he took her things and sold them for the cash was so high. It was all she could think about until she couldn't have convinced herself of any other possibility.
"Dad, can I ask you something real? Like serious," she said, cautiously.
"Of course," he replied with a smile.
April swallowed hard. "Did you take those things from the bed and breakfast?"
