The Whole Truth (22 page)

This roused Maud to words. “It was in the paper,” she muttered. “All about the robbery.” Why did Maud sound so suspicious?

Daddy had noticed too. “What do you think about that, Maudie?” he asked quietly.

Maud averted her head. “I’d rather not discuss it.”

Daddy looked relieved. “That’s the best idea, I think. Tell me all about your school. I hear you’re head girl!”

Maud recited her duties, but her voice was cold and detached. “How long are you staying?” she asked suddenly.

“I really should go tomorrow,” said Daddy. “It’s not fair to ask you to hide me out here any longer—what if you get caught?”

“Tomorrow!” cried Polly. “Oh, Daddy, please stay at least until Monday, after Maud goes back to school!”

Maud was silent—why wasn’t she supporting Polly? Daddy looked from one to the other.

“I’ll stay until Sunday afternoon,” he said finally. “Now, let’s not think about that yet, Doodle,” he added as Polly started to protest. “Let’s just enjoy this precious time together. You’d better get back to the house now, before the others wonder where you are.”

“We’ll come early in the morning with your breakfast!” called Polly, after they had kissed him good-night.

Polly couldn’t stop talking. She sat on Maud’s bed in the box room and released the burden of this tense week in rapid sentences—all about how difficult it had been to sneak out and lie and plan.

“And Biddy and Vivien saw him!” Polly moaned. “What if they tell someone, Maud? I trust Biddy, but I’m not sure about Vivien.”

“Is there anything bad you know that you could threaten her with?” asked Maud. Her voice was detached, as if she didn’t really care.

“Well, a while ago she broke her mother’s best teacup. Biddy and I were there. She buried it in her yard. Her mother hasn’t noticed yet that it’s gone.”

“Talk to her on Monday—say you’ll tell her mother if she tells anyone about Daddy,” said Maud, in the same dull voice.

“Okay,” said Polly reluctantly. She never liked confronting Vivien, but this was so important she would have to.

Maud was pulling her nightgown over her head. Polly took a deep breath. “Why were you so rude to Daddy, Maud? You hardly talked to him!”

“He shouldn’t have come,” mumbled Maud.

“What?”

“You heard me, Poll. Daddy shouldn’t have come! He’s spoiled everything. You and I were both contented. We’d put him out of our lives, and that was a good thing. Now everything that happened that summer has come up again. And he’s made you lie and steal for him.”

“That was
my
choice,” said Polly. She stood up, her heart pounding. “I can’t believe you’re saying these things, Maud. He’s our father! He loves us! He came all this way just to visit us! And you seemed glad when you first saw him.”

Maud’s voice quivered. “I couldn’t help it. You’re right, Poll, he
is
our father, and he loves us and I—well, I love him too, of course. But we have to get him out of here as soon as possible. Then everything will be
safe
again, the way it was before.” She sighed. “I’m sorry to be this way, Doodle. I’ll try to be nicer to Daddy tomorrow. It’s really hard, though.”

“Hard to be nice to
Daddy?”

Maud got into bed and faced the wall. “I don’t want to talk about it, Poll. Seeing Daddy is such a shock, I need to be alone to absorb it. Wake me up when you’re ready to take him his breakfast.”

Polly ran to her room. She lay awake, while Tarka twitched and yelped in his sleep. He was probably dreaming of chasing squirrels. Polly wished her own life were as easy.

“Why are you two being so secretive?” Aunt Jean asked. She had bustled into the kitchen after lunch, just as Maud and Polly were about to leave. “You keep going off on your own and I’ve scarcely had a chance to catch up with Maud!”

“Leave them be, Jean,” said Noni. “Polly wanted to have Maud to herself this weekend. They have things to discuss.”

“What things?”

“That’s their own business, Jean.”

“But where are you girls going? You’ve already been out all morning!”

“Jean, will you stop being such a Nosy Parker! You know Polly has a cabin in the woods. That’s probably where you’re spending your time, isn’t it?”

Polly nodded. “Noni, can we take some cookies and tea there?”

“Take whatever you like. Dinner’s not until six, so you can stay until then.”

“But Clara, I wanted to show Maud the new altar cloth I embroidered!”

“She can see it this evening. Run along, hens, we’ll see you later.”

Polly couldn’t believe Noni was making it so easy. She shovelled
food into her rucksack, grateful that for once she didn’t have to steal it.

They had already spent all morning with Daddy, playing so much chess that Polly’s brain was woolly. Maud had asked Daddy a few stiff questions about his life in Kelowna, but soon she’d stopped talking. Every time Daddy asked her something she responded so coldly that he gave up.

Polly couldn’t bear the hurt look in his eyes. She tried to keep up a nervous chatter, but most of the time the three of them sat silently around the chessboard. The happy reunion they had enjoyed yesterday had dwindled into awkwardness.

“We’ve brought you tea and oatmeal cookies!” Polly called now. Daddy was outside as usual.

He looked up from his book. “You spoil me.” His smile was so sad. “Shall we have another game?” he said quickly.

Too quickly,
thought Polly. As long as they were playing chess they didn’t have to talk to one another.

“No chess,” said Maud bluntly. “Daddy, I have something I want to say to you.”

“Uh-oh,” said Daddy. “I’m in trouble with the Boss!”

Maud refused to smile. “Daddy, are you
sure
you didn’t steal that money? I’ve read all the papers and it certainly looks as if you did.”

“Maud!” cried Polly.

“Hush, Doodle, let her be. Maud, sweetheart, I hate it that you think I’m a thief.”

“But if you were innocent, why did you run away as if you were guilty?”

“I’ve told you, Maud. The money was found in my possession. If I’d stayed, I would have been convicted and gone to jail for years. You would have had to live with that disgrace.”

“We already do!” said Maud. “We do in the family, anyway. Everyone thinks you did it and they’re all ashamed.”

“I’m sorry about that, but your mother’s family never did like me. I hope
you’re
not ashamed, Maud.”

“Of course she isn’t!”

Maud frowned at Polly. “Let me finish!” Her voice became more and more Maudish. “I’m sorry, Daddy, but I
am
ashamed. I think you
did
take the money. I understand why—you wanted to support us and you were tired of never getting good jobs. And you were upset about me leaving school. I understand, but it was still wrong. It’s a
sin
to steal. It’s against God’s commandment. You should have stayed and taken the consequences.”

Now Maud was standing, her cheeks flaming. Daddy tried to touch her, but she shrugged him off.

“I’m really sorry, Daddy, but I don’t believe you. I’m glad we don’t live with you and I wish you’d never come!” Choking on a sob, Maud ran away.

Polly gasped. She crept onto Daddy’s lap. “I can’t believe Maud said that! What’s
wrong
with her?”

Daddy took out his handkerchief and wiped his eyes. “You know our Maud,” he said, his voice strained. “She’s always seen things in black and white. It’s easier for her to believe I was wrong and to dismiss me. Then she can stay in her secure world and not have to think about me.”

“I
hate
Maud!” said Polly. “She’s so different from the way she used to be! How can she not believe you?”

“Don’t hate her, Doodle,” said Daddy. “I don’t blame her, really. Perhaps I
would
have stolen the money, if I’d been really desperate. You never know the depths you might go to to save your family.”

“But you didn’t,” said Polly firmly.

Daddy wiped his hand over his face. “I’m glad you believe that, Doodle.”

They sat in the sun for a while, then Daddy said gently, “I think you should go back to your grandmother now, Polly. Give me a kiss.”

Polly stumbled to her feet. “I’m going to tell Maud to apologize! And I’ll bring you some dinner. We’re having venison and apple pie.”

“I’ve really appreciated how well you’ve been feeding me, Doodle,” said Daddy. He hugged her so tightly her chest felt crushed. Polly hugged him back, called Tarka, and walked away, forcing her voice to sound cheerful as she called over her shoulder, “See you later!”

Polly marched straight to Maud’s room and opened her door, but Maud snarled, “Go away!” Polly slammed the door as hard as she could and stomped downstairs. At dinnertime she fumed as Maud and Gregor discussed a book they’d both read. How could Maud talk so coolly, as if nothing had happened?

“You’re not eating a thing, hen,” said Noni. “Are you feeling all right?”

“Our Polly won’t eat a dear deer,” laughed Gregor, “but she’ll eat dear little lambs and dear little chickens!”

“Leave her alone, Gregor!” said Noni sharply.

“Sorry, Pollywog,” said Gregor. “How about you and me going fishing after dinner? Want to come, Maud?”

Maud nodded, but Polly refused. She had to take Daddy the leftovers from dinner.

As usual, she waited until the grown-ups were safely in the living room with their cards. She’d forgotten her rucksack at the cabin, so she packed the food into a paper bag. She was so exhausted that
her arms could hardly lift it. How much longer was she going to have to do this? she wondered wearily.

“I’m back!” she called as she arrived at the cabin. Tarka ran ahead, barking a welcome. But the cabin was empty. Daddy’s few possessions were gone. On the table was a piece of Polly’s drawing paper with writing on it.

Daddy had left.

Polly skimmed the letter, then read it again more slowly. She started to sob as the words registered. Then she gasped. There was no steamer tonight, so Daddy must still be on the island!

Shoving the letter into her pocket, Polly dashed to the trees where she had first seen Daddy—only a week ago. She searched all along the beach but couldn’t find him.

Gregor and Maud were bobbing in the rowboat by the point. The sea was so still that she could hear Maud laugh. How
could
she?

Then Polly spotted another boat: a crab boat slowly
put-putt
ing out into the pass between Kingfisher Island and Walker Island—heading towards Vancouver.

She dashed to the end of the wharf. A young man was crouched there, emptying crabs from a trap. Polly knew everyone on the island—he was David Hayes.

“Hi, there, kiddo,” said David.

“Do you know who’s in that boat?” Polly asked frantically.

“Yup. My brother Frank and a stranger. He waved to us as we were coming in with our traps and offered to pay us to take him to the mainland. It’s such a calm evening that Frank said he would. Frank will have to spend the night in Steveston, but he can stay with our sister.”

Polly wanted to scream at the boat to come back, but it was too far away. She waved uselessly as it disappeared from sight.

“Do you know who that fellow was?” asked David. “I’ve never seen him here before. He said he’d come to the island to find work, but of course he had no luck. I was surprised he had money he looked so hard up.”