Too Many Secrets

by Adele Broadbent

  My stomach churned the entire way. Did the trap belong to Isaiah? I should have taken him more food. What would Oscar say? Was he still mad enough at Isaiah to dob him in?

  Chapter 49—Becs

  By the time we reached Oscar’s, Mark had chilled a little. I think the march through the bush helped—but only a bit. I spent the whole way hoping Oscar was off on a hunting trip.

  The moment we stepped into his clearing, Oscar’s dogs went crazy. Mark whirled around, yanking me in behind him. When I saw them locked in their kennels, I pointed in their direction. Mark slumped with relief. ‘Come on, Becs.’

  The front porch wasn’t as tidy as last time. Boots and wood were strewn across the steps and a bucket of scraps lay overturned at the bottom.

  ‘Messy bugger,’ mumbled Mark before he banged on the front door. He took a deep breath as if building up again to blast Oscar. He lifted the trap, ready to thrust it at him—but nothing happened. He banged harder this time, while I looked down at the boots and bucket.

  ‘Something’s wrong,’ I said.

  ‘What?’ asked Mark. ‘Using these traps is wrong. That’s what’s wrong.’ He thumped the door again, getting madder by the second.

  I grabbed his arm that held the trap. ‘Stop it. Something’s wrong.’

  He stopped and stared at me. ‘What do you mean?’

  I leaned forward and turned the door handle. ‘Becs!’ hissed Mark. ‘What are you doing?’

  I pushed open the door. ‘Hello?’

  Mark pulled on my shoulder. ‘Becs!’ Ignoring him, I stepped inside. The first thing I noticed was the smell. ‘Aw, gross,’ I whispered, grabbing my nose. Mark stepped in behind me and pointed at a lump of meat on the bench, swarming with flies.

  ‘Hello?’ I called again, my mind working overtime on what we were going to find.

  ‘We shouldn’t be—,’ began Mark, when we heard a groan. I edged past the disgusting lump on the bench and moved round a carved kitchen table. Peering through a doorway I saw Oscar lying on a narrow bed. His face was as grey as the woollen blanket he was clutching. ‘Mark! In here, quick!’

  Oscar didn’t smell much better than the kitchen. Thick grey stubble covered his cheeks and chin and his hair was slicked in sweat. He was shivering even though the inside of his house was like an oven in the summer heat. ‘What’s wrong with him?’

  Mark leaned over Oscar. ‘Becs, it could be anything. He’s got a fever and he’s obviously been here a while by the looks of the meat on the bench. I just hope he’s not contagious.’

  I jerked backwards. I hadn’t thought of that. ‘We have to do something.’

  Oscar groaned again, louder this time. ‘Leg.’

  ‘What did he say?’ said Mark.

  ‘Leg.’ I pushed the blankets up away from Oscar’s legs hoping at the same instant he wasn’t naked. ‘He said leg.’

  Oscar’s right leg was bandaged. The calf had swollen to nearly twice its normal size, red and tight against the bandage. A green smelly goop oozed through it.

  ‘Aw, disgusting,’ I gasped, grabbing my mouth.

  ‘Come on,’ said Mark. ‘We have to move fast. That leg’s infected. We have to get him to a doctor.’ He raced back into the kitchen and came back with some water. ‘You’ll have to stay here with him while I get the ute. Try to get him to drink some of this. He’s dehydrated too.’

  ‘What?’ Stay? Here, by myself? I followed him out into the kitchen. Thankfully he grabbed a tea towel and wrapped up the swarming meat with it. ‘I’ll get rid of this for starters.’ He turned back to me. ‘Open some windows and let some air through here. I’ll be back soon.’

  Chapter 50—Becs

  Waiting for Mark to come back was torture. Oscar drifted in and out of la-la land. He woke once to look at me with glazed blue eyes, then drifted off again. I tried putting the cup to his cracked, dry lips but he turned away from it. When I tried tipping some water between his teeth he choked, spitting it back out again. ‘Come on, Mark. Come on,’ I pleaded quietly. ‘What’s taking so long?’

  Isaiah! He leapt into my thoughts. Where was he? I had to tell him. But I couldn’t leave Oscar. Besides, Isaiah could be anywhere and what could he do?

  With a roar, Mark arrived back in the ute. He scrambled back inside with Mum and Nick close behind. ‘Sorry, Becs. The old bugger had padlocked his gate and I had to cut my way through.’ I just nodded, glad I wasn’t on my own any more.

  Mum slid in beside me and gently lifted the blankets off Oscar’s leg. ‘Yuck,’ she said. ‘You’re right, Mark. We need a doctor. It’ll take too long to go and get one through town. We’ll have to take him in.’

  With lots of shuffling and some excellent swear words from Oscar as he swung in and out of consciousness, Mark and Mum finally got him onto an old mattress on the back of the ute. Mum sat on the back with Oscar while Mark drove as smoothly as he could back down Oscar’s narrow, overgrown driveway.

  Nick and I peered out through the back window at them. Mum looked nearly as pale as Oscar.

  ‘Is he going to die?’ whispered Nick, her eyes huge.

  ‘Of course not,’ I said. The same thought had gone through my head but I wasn’t going to tell Nick that. If this could happen to someone as tough as old Oscar, what chance did us townies have?

  Suddenly I felt like I’d just arrived in the bush again, with everything weird and unknown. I turned back to face the front. I had to find Isaiah.

  Chapter 51—Becs

  There was no doctor in town so we had to take him further down the road to a place called Poraiti. It all seemed to take forever. As soon as we got back to the shack, I raced off to the house to find Isaiah before the others could ask where I was going.

  He wasn’t in his shed. I ran around the back and called out, ‘Isaiah.’ Nothing.

  ‘Isaiah!’

  ‘Ssssh! Someone will hear you.’ Isaiah appeared from the bush.

  ‘Oh, thank goodness.’ I stepped up to him and without even thinking, wrapped my arms around him. I quickly let go again. ‘Oh. Um. Sorry.’ My face burned and I knew it must have been as red as my hair.

  Isaiah smiled. ‘It is OK,’ he mumbled. ‘Is something wrong?’

  I took a deep breath, willing my embarrassment away. ‘Come inside the shed and I’ll tell you everything.’

  I began right at the start with the trap. I was right—it was Isaiah’s. He wasn’t very happy about Mark finding it, either. That was until I told him about Oscar.

  Isaiah sprang to his feet. ‘Is he going to be all right? What happened? What should I do?’ His dark eyes were wild in his face.

  ‘You can’t do anything. He’s at the little hospital in Poraiti. They said he’s got blood poisoning, but he’ll be fine when the antibiotics kick in.’

  ‘Antibiotics? Papa said that was devil medicine.’ He paced back and forward and for the first time, I felt uneasy around him. ‘Isaiah,’ I said, trying to keep my voice calm. ‘You are cleverer than that. I know how much you read. Oscar needs the antibiotics to get better.’

  He stopped pacing and spun around. ‘But what happened? Why did he get so sick?’

  When I found out how Oscar had hurt his leg, I’d dreaded telling Isaiah. I knew what his reaction would be. ‘Oscar said he cut himself with the axe.’

  ‘What? But that is impossible! He hunts deer and wild boar with guns and knives. How did he cut himself with an axe?’

  ‘I don’t know, Isaiah,’ I said quietly.

  ‘It is my fault!’ he cried. ‘It was my job. I was supposed to cut the wood.’ With tears filling his eyes, he ran from the shed. I raced out after him, but he was gone.

  Chapter 52—Isaiah

  It was my fault. My fault. I should not have left. I pounded through the bush towards Oscar’s. Papa was right all along. When you question what you have, you end up with nothing. Oscar treated me like family and that was how I repaid him.

  I liked Becs bringing me the food. I liked the new blanket and pillow and
old jersey of her stepfather’s. But having them meant not doing my chores for Oscar. It was my fault.

  Finally I reached Oscar’s clearing. First I checked the dogs. They stopped barking when they recognized me and whined through their cage. Their water was empty. They slurped up all the water I gave them, so I refilled their buckets.

  The house was left open as Becs’ family must have left it. I didn’t go inside. It didn’t feel right. But I was glad Becs had. Who knew how much longer Oscar would’ve lain there. If they had just gone home…

  I slumped down on the front step with my chin in my hands. I had to think—but I did not want to. I knew a bit about blood poisoning and Becs was right. Oscar needed the antibiotics. Papa was still in my head with his old-fashioned ideas about things. Praying can’t fix everything, like he’d wanted us to believe. I knew that already. I’d prayed constantly they would come back and they had not.

  It must have taken Oscar a while to get that bad. When did he cut himself? Maybe even the day I left? Maybe he was cross at me and went to chop wood and swung too hard and…

  Chapter 53—Becs

  The panic in Isaiah’s eyes stayed with me all day. I knew he’d head straight for Oscar’s but I didn’t sneak out later to see him. He needed time to calm down. Even though Isaiah always stood up for Oscar, I was still surprised how upset he’d got over the old man. All that stuff about it being his fault because he didn’t cut the wood himself. It wasn’t his fault. It was just an accident.

  Isaiah’s words crept into my dreams that night and I woke with a start. I lay staring into the darkness. What if he blamed me? I found him the new place to sleep and I talked him into it. No. He couldn’t have stayed where he was. It was gross. I was just trying to help, that’s all. I groaned into my pillow. What if I wasn’t helping? What if I just stuck my nose into something that was working just fine, thank you very much. Was I just trying to make moving out in the country better for myself? Just like Mum said—being selfish? It took ages and ages to fall asleep again.

  Mum made pancakes for breakfast. Sort of a treat, I suppose, since the day before had been so awful. I didn’t eat much.

  When Mark suggested going to see Oscar, I blurted, ‘Yes! Can we? This morning?’

  They all gaped at me from across the table. ‘Gosh, Becs,’ said Mum. ‘I didn’t think you liked him that much.’

  ‘Well, he is our neighbour, and we did save him,’ I said, rapidly trying to explain my runaway mouth. ‘I mean, it’s not like he’s going to get any other visitors.’

  Mum smiled. ‘I don’t know, Becs. But I think it’s lovely that you’re thinking of others. Maybe our move out here has been all the more worth it.’

  I slid out from the table to put my plate on the bench. Whatever, I thought. The truth was I needed to see how Oscar was so I could go and tell Isaiah. I’d bet ten tui he was going nuts worrying about him.

  We all piled into the ute after breakfast. Mum packed a pair of Mark’s PJs (the ones she didn’t like) for Oscar, along with a toothbrush and stuff. You’d think he was one of our rellies or something. What had I started? But I was glad to get going.

  Chapter 54—Becs

  It was about half an hour to Poraiti Hospital. I must’ve been tired from all the drama because I dozed on the way. We’d been living in the shack for nearly two months. A busy two months. The move, Herrick House, Isaiah, finding the portraits, and Oscar’s accident. I didn’t have that much going on in a year at home in the city. And I thought the bush would be boring. At least I’d have something to write about in my next letter home. I’d only had one more letter and it was from Suz to tell me all about her new boyfriend. Drew was past history and I didn’t even know the new guy. She’d even said she might not be going to Ascot because he was going somewhere else. I’d wondered what Caro and Lexi thought. Were they still going to Ascot?

  Nick gave me a nudge when we pulled into the Poraiti Hospital and I sat up. Smallest hospital on the planet. Two beds in one room, a doctor’s office and a poky admission area. Well, that’s all I saw when we brought Oscar in.

  As we all climbed out of the ute, I suddenly wondered what reception I’d get. Maybe Oscar would blame me too? I hadn’t thought about that. I knew Isaiah had talked about me, so Oscar would know who I was. He’d know I was the one who helped Isaiah move. My stomach sank at the thought and all of a sudden it wasn’t such a good idea to be visiting.

  ‘Come on, Becs,’ called Mum from the front entrance.

  ‘Coming,’ I mumbled.

  I heard someone yelling from inside as soon as Mum pushed open the front door. I hurried up to see what the ruckus was. As Mark rushed in ahead of us, I glanced at Mum and could see she was thinking the same. What was going on?

  Nick and Mum were in front of me so I couldn’t see who was shouting at first. Mum stepped sideways, tucking Nick in beside her.

  Mark and the doctor were struggling with someone. Someone with a long, thin face wrapped in dark, straggly hair. His clothes were torn and dirty and he was yelling the place down.

  ‘Isaiah!’ I blurted. ‘What are you doing here?’

  Chapter 55—Becs

  Becs! I’m sorry. I wanted to see Oscar.’ For a second you could have heard a pine needle drop. (Yep, that’s way quieter than a pin.) Helping the doctor restrain Isaiah, Mark turned to gape at me. The doctor stared too. I wanted to make a run for it.

  ‘Becs? Do you know this boy?’ asked Mum.

  ‘Yes,’ I muttered, avoiding looking at her. I swear I heard her jaw hit the floor.

  Isaiah wriggled in the doctor’s grip. ‘Let me go!’

  ‘Isaiah, stop it.’ I shot over to the struggling group. ‘Let him go,’ I said. ‘He’s not going to hurt anyone. He’s only here to see Oscar.’

  Mark and the doctor swapped glances and warily loosened their grip on Isaiah. He leapt free and rubbed his arms. Standing in the centre of the tidy reception area, with its cream walls and shiny floors, Isaiah looked wilder than ever. I could only imagine what the others thought of him—and I had a pretty good imagination.

  I pulled him aside. ‘What are you doing here? You should’ve stayed home.’

  ‘I didn’t think anyone would see me,’ he said. I tried to look in the windows to see if Oscar was all right.’

  ‘You,’ I whispered, shooting a look at Mum and Mark, ‘no, we are in big, big trouble.’

  My excellent psychic abilities were right. When I’d convinced the doctor that Oscar and Isaiah were practically family, he finally led Isaiah off to see Oscar—leaving me alone to face Mum and Mark.

  Nick was just as gobsmacked as Mum. It was the first time I’d ever seen her speechless.

  ‘We’re listening, Becs,’ said Mum with a frown so deep her face nearly fell in.

  ‘Um. He’s just a boy I met.’

  ‘Where?’

  ‘In the bush.’

  ‘When?’

  I looked at the floor. They were staring holes right through me. ‘A wee while ago.’

  Mark decided to join in. ‘Where does he live?’

  I couldn’t believe how calm they were being. I think it was like the eye of the storm sort of thing. I’d been through a messy bit and this was the quiet before the hurricane. ‘With Oscar.’

  ‘How come you never said anything about him before?’

  ‘He’s a bit shy,’ I said. ‘He doesn’t like people much.’

  ‘And he likes you, is that it?’ asked Mum. Uh oh, I thought. Here it comes. I nearly took off like Isaiah always did—but they were in front of the only exit I could see.

  Mum took a deep breath and marched out. Mark nodded towards the door and I followed. The scary thing was they still didn’t know the half of it.

  Chapter 56—Isaiah

  Oscar looked small and old in the hospital bed. But he was madder than a cornered boar. ‘Isaiah! I could hear you yelling the place down. What are you doing here, boy?’

  ‘I had to come,’ I said. ‘Becs told me how she found
you. She told me you were here and I had to see for myself.’

  ‘Well, now you see me, and I’m fine,’ he said. ‘Cut myself is all.’ He yanked the blankets sideways to show his leg bandaged from shin to thigh. ‘Great fuss about nothing.’

  ‘Becs said—’

  ‘That girl’s been nothing but trouble since she arrived. I told you to keep in the bush. I told you they’d be trouble if you talked to them. And now everyone knows about you.’

  The guilt that brought me to the hospital poured out of me. ‘It is my fault you are here. I was to cut the firewood.’

  ‘You’re a fool!’ Oscar shouted down his bed at me. ‘I’ll be home tomorrow. You should’ve waited.’

  The doctor appeared in the doorway behind me. ‘Is everything all right?’

  ‘It’s fine, doc,’ said Oscar. ‘He’s just leaving.’

  The doctor nodded. ‘I apologize for any misunderstandings. I’ll be back to check on that bandage.’ He left the room again.

  ‘Humph!’ Oscar looked madder than ever. ‘You’ve really done it now, boy. Even if the doctor says nothing, the girl’s parents will. Bloody townies will have the authorities out here faster than a hare.’ He pointed a gnarled finger at me. ‘And who do you think they are going to pester first? Me, that’s who!’ He slumped back on his pillows, his face pale. ‘Damn fool boy,’ he muttered, closing his eyes.

  Chapter 57—Becs

  I slouched in the back seat of the ute all the way home. No-one said a word. I would’ve preferred for them to go ballistic and yell at me. Anything but the silent treatment.