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"What?" His brows furrowed, and he sat up straighter in his chair. "What things?"
"There's been little... trinkets going missing. I think you took them. An elephant, a soap dispenser, little items have disappeared."
Her father stared at her in disbelief. His mouth dropped open as he thought about his words carefully. It made April's nerves even worse. She was terrified about what he would say next.
"I can't believe you think I would steal from you. What have I done to make you think I would ever do something like that?"
April didn't want to mention the fact that he'd left her several times before, even throughout her childhood. But that wasn't what this was really about. It was about stopping him from taking everything else in the bed and breakfast she'd worked so hard for.
"I mean, you did just pay for dinner with a wad of cash. This is a nice place. How can you afford to go here? You don't have a job or any income," she tried to explain kindly, though it didn't work. It was hard to say 'get a job and stop stealing from me' nicely.
Richard's face hardened. "I have my ways," he said cryptically. "But I assure you, I am not stealing from you or anyone else. I may not have a traditional job, but I have my own sources of income."
April didn't know what to believe. She wanted to trust her father, but the evidence seemed to be against him. Her heart sank. She had been hoping for some sort of explanation, but his reaction only confirmed her suspicions. A mix of anger and disappointment washed over her.
"I just need to know if you took the things from the house. Please, I need the truth," she said, her voice shaking with emotion.
Richard shook his head. "I haven't taken anything from you, April. You're jumping to conclusions. I can't believe you would do this to me."
Before April could jump in, he continued, his voice raising little by little, "And I don't appreciate your accusations. This is getting ridiculous."
"Dad, wait," she said, reaching a hand across the table to grab his. Before she could, her father stood and grabbed his things, storming off towards the door.
April felt like she'd been punched in the stomach. She had wanted to believe her father so badly, but this was all too much for her. Tears welled up in her eyes as she watched him walk away, and she felt horrible for confronting him like that.
She had confronted her father with her suspicions, and it had only made things worse. She wanted to apologize, but she knew it was too late.
Sitting there alone, April felt a mix of guilt and sadness. Clearly, she had upset her father. She shouldn't have confronted him, especially in such a public place.
She thought about that as she walked home. Richard was already gone by the time she started down the street. Thankful she wasn't going to run into him, she realized she had time to think on her own.
The more she thought, the more April started to realize that maybe her father wasn't the one who was stealing all along. Sure, he had money and didn't have a job to explain where it came from. But there were other possibilities.
Maybe he was doing odd jobs for people? Or perhaps he had received an inheritance from a relative? It could be anything, really.
She knew her dad wasn't perfect, but she also knew deep down that he wouldn't do something like this to her. He may not have been the best father in the world, but he wouldn't steal from her.
When she could see the house in the distance, she realized that if her father wasn't stealing from her, that meant someone else was.
Who could want all of her knickknacks? Why would someone want to take her things?
It was a question that demanded answers. She would find those answers, just not today.
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
The next morning, April awoke to an empty bed and breakfast. There were no guests scheduled for the entire day and evening. The house was still and quiet, with all of her things exactly as she had left them the night before.
In fact, the house was a little too quiet. Not another sound came from outside of her room. April walked the main floor, looking in each part of the lobby, kitchen and entryway. Her father was nowhere to be found.
At first, she thought it was strange that her father hadn't returned home yet, until she noticed that his bedroom door was slightly ajar. It was then that April realized he must have gone somewhere else for the night.
There was an eerie silence that filled the air. But it was welcome compared to the chaos of the day before.
Because there were no guests to attend to, Millie had no reason to come in and work. She had the day off, the first in the past three consecutive days. April guessed it was a welcome break, just as it was for her.
As April wandered the empty house, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. It was as if the entire place was holding its breath, waiting for something to happen.
She decided to take advantage of the peace and quiet by doing some much-needed renovations on the bathroom she recently tiled.
