Episode #55 - "My name is Victoria Winters. Violent death is not a stranger to Collinwood, where the wind howls in anguish and mourning for departed souls. It seems to be asking, 'Why are they dead?'--and now a policeman is about to ask the same question."
Sheriff George Patterson stands in Collinwood's foyer, earnestly facing Liz and Roger. Liz introduces Roger to the sheriff, and Roger smiles and says he remembers him. "Is this visit in your official capacity?" Roger asks heartily. The sheriff indicates that it is, and Liz explains to Roger that she couldn't tell him over the phone--"It's about Bill Malloy," she said, voice shaking. Still full of bluster, Roger turns to the sheriff and asks, "Where was he hiding out?" "He wasn't," Liz sobs, throwing herself into her brother's arms. Roger, concerned, pats her back and says, "There, there, Liz, it can't be that bad." "I'm afraid it is, Mr. Collins," Patterson says seriously. "the thing is, we haven't found Mr. Malloy yet." Roger is puzzled; he doesn't understand. "Well, we're looking for him," the sheriff explains, "but now we know where to look." "Oh?" Roger asks. "Bill is dead," Liz tells her brother. "He drowned." "Really? Dead?" Roger asks, but doesn't sound particularly shocked or surprised. Sheriff Patterson says they are taking Liz' word for that--and Matthew Morgan's. "But you said you haven't found him," Roger says, and Patterson agrees they haven't--yet. "Then how do you know he's dead?" Roger persists. Liz explains that last night, after Carolyn and Vicki came screaming back into the house, they had seen a dead body--Bill Malloy's. "Matthew said it was nothing!" Roger protests. He was lying to protect them, Liz says. "Well surely you don't think we had anything to do with it!" Roger demands of Patterson, who quickly assures him of course not. He wants to question them, however, if they don't mind, and he ushers Liz and Roger into the drawing room and closes the doors.
Roger downs a drink as Sheriff Patterson stands by the fireplace, flipping through a notebook. Liz tells Roger, "You can see why I didn't want to tell you a thing like that over the telephone." Roger asks if anyone knows about this, and Liz says just Matthew and the police. Roger asked who notified the police, and Liz says, "I did, as soon as Matthew told me what he'd done." Roger asked what Morgan did, and Liz describes how Matthew, not wanting Malloy's body found at Collinwood, pushed it back into the water and let the tide carry it away. Roger asks why Matthew would do such a stupid thing, and she said he did it for them, to save them from the curiosity seekers, the reporters and photographers. Roger remarks scathingly, "Well, all he's done is add to the mystery...there'll be twice as many." Patterson, wide brow furrowed, bald pate gleaming, listens to this exchange with interest. He walks over and says perhaps not, it's not general knowledge that the body floated ashore at Collinwood. Liz, voice trembling, murmurs if he could possibly keep it former becoming general knowledge, they'd be awfully grateful. "Well, that depends," Patterson says. Sharply, Roger asks, "What does it depend on?" "Well, first of all, whether or not we find the body, and then, second if we do find it, whether or not Bill actually drowned or if something else happened."
Roger asks what he's suggesting, and Patterson assures him he's not suggesting anything; once he finds the body, he can determine what course of action to take. Roger nods and take a sip of his drink, deep in thought.
At the Collinsport restaurant, Maggie buses a table. Sam comes in and she greets her father warmly, asking if he wants something. No, he just thought he'd stop by. She wipes down the counter and Sam sits down in one of the tall seats. She teases him that she thought he'd be home painting a masterpiece. He said Burke called and canceled his sitting again. Maggie grins, cleaning out an ashtray, and suggests Burke wants a few gray hairs before Sam does his portrait. Sam says Burke said he was going to be busy, and Maggie says, "He's always busy!" Sam pops a cigarette into his mouth and lights it, then says it's just as well, he didn't feel like painting today, anyway. Maggie says he didn't get much sleep last night. Sam holds out a trembling hand to his daughter and tells her that's not the problem--"Look at that. I couldn't hold a brush even if I wanted to, it's shaking so much." He takes a deep drag of his cigarette. Maggie caresses the back of his trembling hand and says, "You used to want to." Yes, he knows. She offers him a cup of coffee, cheerfully saying, "It's good for what ails you!" She pours. She grins and suggests perhaps she does know what ails him--a hangover? He says that has nothing to do with the way he feels, and leans over, anxiously asking if she's heard anything about Bill Malloy. She says she hasn't heard a thing--but everyone's been asking about him. Sam continues to take deep puffs of his cigarette, asking who's been asking. The customers, she says, she hears them talking. He takes a sip of coffee, blows smoke from his nostrils and asks what they're saying. "They say it's strange," she says. "He's not the type to go off like that." She comes out from behind the counter, a fistful of napkins in hand, and begins to fill a napkin holder on one of the tables. "I suppose he had his reasons," Sam muses. "That's what they're wondering about," she says. Falsely casual, Sam asks if Burke's been in this morning. "Nope," Maggie says. "Collins?" Sam asks. No, not him, either, Maggie says. Sam rises from his seat and fishes in his pocket for a dime, saying he'd better try calling him at his office. Maggie stares at her father. "But why? You said that all Roger cared about was that you didn't do Burke's portrait." "So I did," Sam says. "I forgot. I'd better call and tell him I haven't been able to reach Burke." "But Pop," Maggie says, confused, "you just said that Burke had called and canceled the sitting!" Sam puts his hand on Maggie's shoulder and says distractedly, "I--I'm not myself, Maggie, it's Bill Malloy...not knowing." Maggie says she didn't realize he was such close friends with him, and Sam says, "We had a great deal in common." "HAD?" Maggie says. "You mean HAVE, don't you?" "Yes, yes, yes, of course," Sam agrees. He puffs on his cigarette, looking like he wonders himself what the right choice of tense is, and Maggie observes him soberly.
Back at Collinwood, Liz serves the sheriff a cup of coffee. Roger refuses any libations, sounding irritated. He paces around the sofa and asks, "Liz, why didn't you call me immediately?" She said she tried and was told he wasn't there. He insists he was there, where else would he be? Liz explains she left word for him to call her, but he says he never got the message. He paces. "Where is Matthew?" he asks. "There are some questions I'd like to ask him myself." Sheriff Patterson says he's showing his deputy, Harry Shaw, where he found the body. "I also notified the Coast Guard so they'll know approximately where to look," Patterson reveals. Roger asks if it's possible that the body might not be recovered, and Patterson says, "Well, anything is possible, but I hope they do find it--it'll be a help." Roger wants to know in what way, and Patterson says, "Autopsy!" Why would an autopsy be necessary, he thought it was proven Malloy drowned, or at least that the sheriff agreed he had drowned? Roger asks, almost too anxiously. It's the law, Patterson says. Sarcastically Roger says, "I suppose if you see a man fall off a 12 story building, you have to have an autopsy to determine the cause of his death." Yes, we do, the sheriff says. Roger says he never heard of anything so ridiculous, and Patterson says, significantly, "Well, for one thing, the party on the 12th story may have been shot before he fell." Roger looks sharply at the sheriff, his mouth a thin angry line.
Maggie carries a cup of coffee and an order of buttered toast from behind the restaurant counter and embraces her father as she places both in front of him. She asks him what he had on his mind when he came in. He asks about the letter he gave her--she put it in the hotel safe, right? Yes, she did: "You told me to keep it in a safe place, what's safer than a safe?" He says he was thinking about it and has decided the latter itself isn't that necessary. Why not, she asks, and he explains that it's served it's purpose whether it's there or not--the important thing is, somebody knows that letter exists. "Who?" soberly asks Maggie, and Sam sucks on his cigarette, turns away from her, and says, "It doesn't matter." Shaking her head, Maggie walks over and sits down opposite her father. She leans forward earnestly, puts her hand on his arm and asks, "Pop, now who would want to harm you?" He can't tell her, it involves others. Maggie asks if this person knows SHE has the letter, and Sam replies, "Of course not, if he did, why..." He stops, seems to suddenly remember who he's talking to. "No, no," he continues, "I didn't mention you at all, but just to be sure, you go and ask the clerk to give it to you, and then you give it to me--you'll do that for me, will you, Maggie?" "I don't think I will," Maggie says defiantly, shaking her head. "Maggie," I'm asking you," Sam says--"Go to the lobby and get me that letter!" Maggie orders, "First you tell me why." He says he told her why. "You haven't told me one single thing!" Maggie says shrilly. "You're in some kind of a mess--what kind, I don't know!" "You don't have to know," Sam insists, "give it back to me and forget all about it!" Brow furrowed, Maggie says. "Forget it? Forget the way you've been acting since Burke Devlin came back to Collinsport?" Face softening, she adds, "Forget that you're my father, that I love you?" Rubbing his forehead as if it hurts, Sam says, "Just get me the letter." Maggie rises, stands behind Sam and gently places her hands on his shoulders, saying, "Pop, you said you were afraid that something might happen to you. Well if it did, and something happened to you, I'd never know what it was all about! I'd never know who" (she hesitates as if afraid to say exactly what she was thinking and lamely finishes)...who might want something to happen to you." "Maggie, you're holding a pistol to my head," Sam protests. She gently tells him not to worry--SHE isn't going to pull the trigger. "You might trip and pull it by accident," Sam predicts morosely, glancing up at her.
Back at Collinwood, the gentle grilling goes on. Sheriff Patterson asks Roger when he last saw Bill Malloy "Mmmm, ten o'clock," Roger says, "right here in this room." The sheriff, scribbling in his little pad, asks if Malloy seemed like himself, and Roger says yes, neither worried nor upset. They discussed business. Patterson says Roger may have been the last one to see Bill alive. "No, George," Liz says, and she describes how she spoke to Mrs. Johnson, Malloy's housekeeper, yesterday. Bill was home at 10:30 last night, he got a phone call. Patterson says he'll verify that with Mrs. Johnson. Roger stands between them, back to the fireplace, his hands behind his back. Did she know who it was who called, he asks Liz, and she says no. Patterson says at least they know Malloy was still alive at 10:30. "Probably dead before 11:00," Liz says somberly, and Patterson asks, "Why do you say that?" "Roger?" Liz says, as though dumping the whole thing in his lap. Roger, pacing anxiously around the room, explains that he was supposed to meet him at 11 o'clock at his office to continue the business discussion. He went to the office and waited for an hour; when Malloy didn't show up, he went home. Patterson, rising from his chair, asks Roger if there was anyone at the plant who could verify those times, such as a night watchman. Roger says there are two other people who can verify the whole thing--Burke Devlin and Sam Evans. Liz looks taken aback--and suspicious--to hear this information. Patterson asks what those two were doing at this meeting, "I don't know," says Roger. "They said that Malloy had insisted that they meet in my office." Patterson remarks on what a strange combination THAT is: "I didn't think that you and Burke would..." the sheriff clears his throat uncomfortably and finishes, "Well, are you friendly?" "We are not," Roger says, his voice tinged with contempt. Patterson recalls that Bill thought a lot of Burke, but...Evans? "Any reason why he should be at a business meeting with you and Bill?" "None at all," Roger says, moving away from the sheriff. "I was honestly surprised to see him there." Patterson asked if he didn't say why he was there, and Roger replies, "He said Malloy called him and told him to be there--and he said he didn't know anymore than that." And what did Burke say, queries Patterson, and Roger promptly says, "The same thing. He knew NOTHING about it." So, the three of them just sat there for an hour and waited, observes Patterson. Roger explains that at one point, Burke went to Roger's house to see what was keeping him, and when he came back, he said the house was dark and no one answered the doorbell. Patterson says that means they can pinpoint the time of death sometime between 10:30 and 11:00. "Not necessarily," Liz says. "Why not?" Patterson asks. As Roger listens intently, Liz answers, "He might have decided not to go to this strange meeting and gone somewhere else instead." That's true, Patterson agrees, but you would think that if Malloy had gone to all the trouble of setting up this meeting, he would have at least called to explain. "Oh, I don't know," Liz says thoughtfully. "I saw Bill that afternoon. He may have seemed perfectly normal to Roger, but I knew he was upset." About what? Patterson asks. Liz couldn't say, but it worried her at the time. Did she ask Malloy? Yes, she did, but all he would say is that he had an important decision to make later. Roger, forefinger touched to his chin, turns to look at the other two as Patterson says, "Maybe he made it." "Made what?" barks Roger. "That decision," Patterson says. "We can't overlook the possibility of suicide." Roger and Liz exchange distressed, disbelieving looks at this statement, and Liz looks especially sad.
"Malloy a suicide?" Roger asks, crossing his arms and looking almost jolly. "Well, I must say, that never occurred to me." Liz says she doesn't think so, and Patterson agrees he doesn't think Bill the type to take his own life--but as he said, they can't overlook the possibility. Roger says the more he thinks about it, the more possible it seems. What reason? Liz asks, and Roger points out that Bill knew she was trying to get Ned Calder back into the company. Liz insists Bill was delighted at the prospect. "But that isn't necessarily what he thought," Roger theorizes. "He had given his whole life to the Collins enterprise, he might very well have been depressed at the thought of being demoted after all the years of faithful service. He may have brooded over it until, well, his mind snapped." Liz says Bill was much more interested in the fishing fleet than he was in the business end of the company," Liz insists. "If Ned Calder had come back as general manager, he would have had more time to spend with what he really liked--the boats." Peterson wants to know if Ned Calder is coming back, and Liz says, briefly no, which is something Malloy already knew, since he was there when she called Ned. She rises from the sofa and tells Patterson Bill was sorry to hear Ned wasn't going to come back. "I see," says Patterson. "But you did say he seemed terribly upset," Roger reminds her. "Yes, but not about Ned Calder--he was upset because he had a decision to make," Liz says, sounding irritated and angry. "So I refuse to believe the possibility that he might have killed himself." Patterson says he's inclined to go along with that--Bill was a careful, methodical man, not the type to have left any loose strings lying around. "Well," says Roger, "you seem to have known him pretty well." Patterson points out it's s small town and he knows everyone in it quite well--"some people a great deal better than they like to think."
Back at the restaurant, Maggie, pad and pen in hand, stands behind the counter, taking an order over the phone. Sam sits at the same table, looking miserable, smoking away. He gives a start when he realizes who Maggie is speaking to. "I know," she says cheerily, "lots of mayo! Coffee? OK, I'll have it sent right up, Mr. Devlin. Well, thank you! Who? No, I haven't seen Bill Malloy...OK." She hangs up. Sam rubs his fingers around his lips, goes to the counter, coffee cup in hand, and asks, "That was Burke?" Yes, Maggie says, and she guesses Burke is busy--he just sent out for food. "Say, does Burke have anything to do with that letter?" she asks her father. "Why should he?" he asks cagily. "Well, process of elimination, I guess," she says, spreading mayo on bread. "I mean, it has to have something to do with Roger Collins or Burke." "Maggie..." Sam says, and she adds, "Or both." Sam asks her to stop making all these wild guesses--he would hate to have to think she would ever learn what's in that letter. "If I'd wanted you to know," he says, voice rising, "I would have TOLD you instead of writing it!" She says he can't blame her for being curious--grinning, she says, "Maybe you have a girlfriend hidden someplace and you're afraid her husband will find out." "What?" he asks, disturbed. She says she was only kidding. This can't be that serious, or he'd let her in on it. He nervously takes a drag of his cigarette. Maggie, her tone suspicious, asks, "Pop, you wrote that letter before Bill Malloy vanished, and you said that you'd let it be known that that letter existed--does that have anything to do with Bill Malloy being missing?" "Maggie, I told you to stop all this guessing," Sam insists, refusing to answer any of her theoretical questions. Maggie persists, "But did the information have anything that was BAD about Mr. Malloy?" About him? Sam asks. He doesn't know anything bad about him. "I mean bad enough that if he thought that you would blab it around town, or that you'd written about it in a letter, that he might have decided the best thing to do would be to leave town. What DID you tell him, anyway?"
Sam, wandering away from the counter, admits he had a few drinks, a few too many, "Heaven only knows what I told him." His face crumples and he looks upset and frightened at the thought of the answer to Maggie's question.
Sheriff Patterson, leaving Collinwood, thanks Liz for the coffee. She walks him out to the foyer and thanks him for coming so promptly. Roger hovers in the background as Liz asks, "You will let us know the minute you hear anything from the Coast Guard, won't you?" He says he'll call her, then asks if Bill Malloy was, perchance, a secret drinker to her knowledge. "You should know better than that," chides Liz, and he says he thought he did, but he heard he was seen alone at the Blue Whale, uncharacteristically knocking back a few the day before yesterday. "He may have had a few drinks," Liz admits, "but not enough to...well, why do you bring that up?" Patterson says he wondered if Malloy might have had enough to explain his falling in the water accidentally. Roger jumps in and Liz stares at him as he says, "Now that you mention it, he DID seem a bit under the weather--and that was at 10 o'clock, you know." Patterson says he'll ask Malloy's housekeeper, a teetotaler, who would surely have noticed something like that. Patterson says there are several other people he wants to question as well, including Burke and Sam. Fingering his hat, he promises he'll be in touch, and Liz walks him to the door. Liz closes the door and faces down Roger. "Well," she says darkly, "how much of what you told him was the truth?" He regards her with glaring, beady little eyes, his face betraying nothing.
"You lied to me, didn't you?" she reminds him coldly. He asks if they have to stand in the hallway discussing this. She says she doesn't care where they discuss it, and he says, gesturing to the stairs, "There are ears in this house, primed to pick up tidbits of information." They're alone, she says, unless he is including the ghosts from his past, of course. "Very well," he says harshly, "I and my ghosts want a drink! My nerves are shot" He turns around and marches into the drawing room. Liz, shrugging her shoulders, follows. Roger quaffs his drink. Liz clasps her hands together and said, "You distinctly led me to believe that you were to meet Bill Malloy on a business matter alone." Roger, his mouth working, looking very uncomfortable, asks if he denied anyone else was present. "Omitting the truth is the same as lying," Liz asserts. Why must she jump on every little thing so vehemently? he asks. He had reasons for not revealing that Burke and Sam were at the meeting. Explain these reasons, she demands, and he says, "I did it because of you." "Because of me?" Liz asks incredulously. He knew she would be upset by it and didn't see any point in bringing it up until he learned from Malloy the purpose of the meeting and why he didn't appear at it. Liz finds it hard to believe that Bill called a meeting consisting of himself and the others and neither Roger nor the others were aware of what it was for. That's precisely right, Roger insists. Liz wants to know what Burke and Sam thought, and Roger says they were as mystified as he was. "Oh, Burke exploded all over the place," says Roger disdainfully, "he pretended to think the meeting was supposed to reveal something about his manslaughter charge." Perhaps that's what the meeting was about, Liz suggests. "Bill told me that even though I disapproved, he was going ahead with some plan to prove Burke innocent." Roger, irritated, voice rising, says, "Liz, I have told you again and again that all the evidence was brought out in the trial!" That's what she told Bill, Liz says, but he seemed to think he thought he could uncover something new. Shouts Roger, "I'm tired of defending myself! I will tell you now, outright, that it was a pack of lies!" Bill wouldn't lie to her, insists Liz, and Roger claims, "Then he's been repeating lies that have been told to him. Don't you see that Burke Devlin is out to murder me--he's out to DESTROY me!" "Bill said he had some evidence that could set aside Bill's conviction," Liz says. "LIES, all LIES!" Roger cries, his features a twisted mask of fury as he gets right into his sister's face. "If you can ever accept that premise, then you will believe me! You've GOT to believe me!"
Liz steps away and says, "Yes, I have to. I have to believe you." You can see the despair on her face--yes, she has to believe her brother--but she doesn't.
Maggie and Sam sit at a table in the restaurant, holding hands. Maggie is saying, "Pop, Mr. Malloy is a fair man, maybe he can help you." "Yes, yes," Sam says, almost to himself, "maybe he is the one man who can help me." At that very moment, the door opens and Sheriff Patterson comes in. He greets Sam and Maggie, who rises from her chair and offers him coffee. He accepts and asks for a donut to go with it, then sits in one of the tall counter chairs. Maggie heads behind the counter and Patterson asks Sam how he's been. Sam says he's been keeping pretty much to himself lately. Pattterson asks about his artwork, and Sam says business is slow; he gets an occasional commission. Patterson says someone told him Sam's doing Burke's portrait, and Sam wants to know who told him. "You know what Collinsport is like, Sam," says Patterson good-naturedly, "rumors fly around like moths around a candle--but being sheriff, I'm always the last one to hear anything." The phone rings, and Maggie comes around from behind the counter to the booth to answer it: "Collinsport Restaurant." Sam asks Patterson if there's any reason he shouldn't do Burke's portrait? "Not that I can think of," replies Patterson. Maggie tells him the phone is for him, and he goes into the booth and closes the door. Sam nervously rises and tells Maggie he can't stay there; tell the sheriff he had to leave. "What's the matter?" Maggie demands, and Sam says, "I can't tell you," and starts to head out the door. Patterson emerges from the phone booth, picks up his hat from the chair and says he has to skip the coffee. "That was the Coast Guard," he tells Sam and Maggie. "They found Bill Malloy--he's dead."
He hurriedly leaves. Maggie, hand clutching her mouth, looks stricken with horror; Sam wears the stunned expression of a man whose his last hope for living a normal life has just been stolen right out from under him.
NOTES: First of all, I always loved Sheriff Patterson's character. He seemed like a real cop and he delivered his lines with total professionalism. He fit in really well with the small town mentality, too, and displayed impressive intelligence. I also liked the fact that he didn't seem intimidated by either Liz or Roger. Dana Elcar really turned in a terrific performance in this role. He was, by far, the best of Collinsport's sheriffs.
Now--who did away with Bill Malloy? Roger, who seems almost thrilled at the possibility that Malloy killed himself? This episode certainly makes him seem guilty. Sam? Doubtful, but his trembling hands, concern about what others are saying and reference to Bill in the past tense say otherwise. Also, his sudden urge to get back the letter he gave Maggie make you wonder just what is going on in Sam's tortured mind. Speaking of tortured minds, it's also obvious that Liz doesn't believe her brother and feels he is implicated somehow in Malloy's death. Of course, he's her brother and she's determined to protect him, but she cared about Bill, too. What is she going to do about this dilemma? Roger seems to hope the body isn't recovered, disparages the sheriff's claim that they need to do an autopsy...why? Is there evidence linking him to this crime he fears will be uncovered? Sure sounds that way.
In any case, Bill Malloy is dead and we have a murder mystery on our hands. Possible suspects at this point are Sam and Roger, at least that's how it seems.
Now, we wait for the repercussions as everyone in Collinsport learns of Bill Malloy's death, and like the waves that wash endlessly to shore down on Widows' Hill, we know that those repercussions will be equally without end. Bill Malloy was a good man.
Episode #56 - Barely 12 hours have passed since Carolyn Stoddard and I have thought the tragic legend of Collinwood had become a reality--and that we had seen a dead body lying at the foot of Widows' Hill--12 hours that have brought no answers--either to me or to her.
Carolyn, in a nightgown, exits the kitchen area, a cup in her hand. She is heading upstairs when Liz asks her to come into the drawing room, she has something for her. I hope it's not a lecture for sleeping this late, says Carolyn, padding into the drawing room--I haven't done it for years. Of course not, says Liz, I'm glad you could--last night wasn't easy for you. What makes you think it's easy now? complains Carolyn--warmed over coffee--sleep till noon and your punishment shall be the dregs of the coffee. Liz gives her the watch, explaining that it was found by Joe on the cliff. Good old Joe, says Carolyn--holding it up to her ear and noting that, crazy as it sounds, it's still running--after being out all night on that spooky ledge--you, the cause of all that trouble, she tells the watch. About last night, says Liz. I know, Vicki and I were a couple of idiots, says Carolyn, and I'm sorry--the next time we think we'll see a dead body, we'll keep it to ourselves instead of scaring everyone half to death--including me--I'd better call Joe and thank him. You and Miss Winters were right, says Liz--you did see a dead body. We what? asks Carolyn. There was a dead body at the foot of the cliff, says Liz. The phone rings. Last night you said. . .begins Carolyn, and goes to answer the phone--she's right here--whose?--I'll put her right on--it's the Sheriff's office--they just found Bill Malloy's body--is that who it was last night? Liz, horrified, covers her mouth with her hand and turns away.
I see, says Liz into the phone, voice quivering--I see--yes, I suppose it is necessary--are you absolutely certain of that?--I mean, I suppose there's no question about who it is?--yes, of course, thank you very much for calling. Carolyn asks how it happened--are they sure it's Bill? Yes, says Liz. But he can't be dead! wails Carolyn. Liz puts her arms around her daughter. Last night, when Matthew went down to look, he said there was nothing there, says Carolyn--why did he lie? It wasn't exactly a lie, says Liz--there was no body there--Matthew pushed Bill back into the water. How horrible, says Carolyn--why? He thought he was protecting me from the notoriety of finding a dead man at the foot of Widows' Hill, explains Liz. He knew who it was, didn't he? asks Carolyn. It doesn't matter now, it's over, says Liz--he told me what he'd done and I called the sheriff. How could he do such a thing? repeats Carolyn--suppose the body had never been found again? But it WAS found! says Liz--all right, Matthew did a foolish thing, but he thought he was helping me--he thought it would keep people from talking--from saying that a third person had fallen from Widows' Hill, as the legend says. Is this where Bill died--at Collinwood? asks Carolyn hesitantly, distressed. The sheriff doesn't think so, says Liz--I can't talk about it anymore, not now. What did they say on the phone just now? asks Carolyn. They found Bill's body two miles down the coast--they said they couldn't determined the cause of death until an autopsy was performed, says Liz.
But he drowned, didn't he? asks Carolyn. You asked me what they said, Liz reminds her, upset, and I told you, now please, let that be an end to it. Does Uncle Roger know about this? asks Carolyn. I don't know, says Liz. Don't you think someone ought to tell him? asks Carolyn--do you want me to call him? No, says Liz, her hands on Carolyn's shoulders--I want you to take your coffee back to the kitchen where it belongs--and I want you to get dressed--and don't forget your watch. They hug. Carolyn picks up her cup and leaves. Liz dials the phone--I'd like to speak to Mr. Collins, please, she says--do you know where I might find him?
Blue Whale - Roger enters. He looks balefully around and spots Sam at a table, a pipe in his hand. I thought I might find you here, says Roger. Are you passing judgment on me? asks Sam--I happen to find this place very comforting at the moment--an oasis in a world of horror. He is drinking a boilermaker. You should have been a poet, says Roger, smirking, sitting at his table. I should have been other things than what I am, says Sam--do you know about Malloy? That he's presumed to be dead, yes, says Roger. Presumed?--you needn't be so delicate, remarks Sam, the poor man's dead--dead and gone--may his soul rest in peace--he drinks. Why are you so sure? asks Roger. You said you knew, says Sam. All I know--all anyone knows, says Roger, is that my caretaker found a body at the foot of Widows' Hill last night and pushed it out to sea--the fact that the body looked like Bill Malloy means nothing--unless the body shows up again for definite identification. It seems I've got news for you, says Sam, drinking--the same news that gave me this sudden, overpowering thirst. Roger leans forward eagerly.
Vicki makes her bed. Carolyn enters, looking sad, watching her for a moment, and offers to help. The two young women make the bed. Last night was quite a night, wasn't it? asks Vicki. Carolyn, working on the sheet, says yes. How soon did you get up? asks Vicki. Sooner than I wished I had, replies Carolyn--you're pulling too hard--there isn't enough to cover the mattress over here. Sorry, says Vicki--hey, now there's nothing here. Oh, why don't I let you make your bed by yourself? asks Carolyn, annoyed. She wanders away. I'm quite an expert at this, says Vicki--you know how many beds there were in the foundling home?--130--seemed like a thousand--of course, I didn't make all of them--I only helped some of the littler children--do you know what I think they did, I think they pretended they didn't know how to make beds so... Carolyn begins to weep. Vicki goes over to her and asks what's wrong. I hate this world, says Carolyn--nothing seems to go right, ever--ever! What's happened? asks Vicki. Do you know what Matthew did last night? asks Carolyn--he tried to keep people from saying the legends about this house are real. Which legends, you've got so many, says Vicki. Oh, we've got dozens, says Carolyn bitterly, one for every night in the year--step right up and see the haunted house--see the old witch and her daughter--shiver and quake as you walk along Widows' Hill and look over the edge--and for only s light extra charge we'll take you to the very spot where... She clings to the bedpost, unable to go on, crying. Vicki, says Carolyn, Bill Malloy is dead. Vicki shakes her head--oh, no, she says. One of the nicest, sweetest men I've ever known, says Carolyn. I'm so sorry, says Vicki. I do hate this world, says Carolyn. How did it happen? asks Vicki. I don't know, says Carolyn--why does life have to be like that--why? .
Roger nods and hangs up the phone at the Blue Whale. He sits back down with Sam and reports that the police found Malloy's body two miles south of Collinwood. Sam nods. The sheriff is holding an autopsy, says Roger. Why should they do that? asks Sam anxiously. I just spoke with his office, that's what they told me, says Roger. Why an autopsy? Asks Sam--the man was found in the water, wasn't he?--surely they know he was drowned. They know he's dead, corrects Roger, nothing more, but in a little while, they're going to want to know much more--I want you to understand one thing--if there's any possibility that Malloy was murdered, I'm going to do everything in my power to help find the man responsible. He drinks his beer. Why tell me? asks Sam. I just want that point absolutely clear, says Roger. Did anyone say he was murdered? asks Sam. Not directly, says Roger, but the question is there. What did you tell the sheriff? asks Sam. He wanted to know when I'd last seen Malloy, says Roger, what his general attitude was, that sort of thing? You didn't tell about the meeting the night he disappeared, did you? asks Sam. As a matter of fact, says Roger, I did. You're not serious! says Sam. Of course I'm serious, corrects Roger--just think a minute--on the night of his disappearance, Malloy called a meeting to which he invited you, me and Burke Devlin--now if I hadn't said anything about it, surely Burke would have and you know it. You mentioned my name, told them I was there? asks Sam. Well you were, Roger reminds him. Think what that will mean, says Sam--the sheriff will call me to the office, ask questions, what am I supposed to say?
Precisely what I tell you to say, says Roger. Sam takes a hit from both of the glasses in front of him. How's your drink? asks Roger--shall we order another? Sam rises and goes to the window, looking back distractedly at Roger.
That's how Bill's life ended, Carolyn sadly tells Vicki--fished out of the water--it's terrible--just terrible! she sobs. It is, agrees Vicki. And it makes you think, doesn't it? asks Carolyn--I mean there's so much you want to do in this life, and you never know when it's going to come to an end. I suppose that's true, says Vicki. Haven't you ever thought...? begins Carolyn--I mean you can be crossing the street!--just that--even right here in Collinsport--and suddenly along comes a car and that's it--it's over. I think it would be better if we talked about something else, says Vicki, rubbing her hands up and down her pillow. Do you know what Bill's dream was, what he once told me, says Carolyn--to spend one single, uninterrupted month sitting on a tropical island somewhere--looking up at the sky--he never got to do it--if you have a dream, there's only one thing to do--go after it--chase it down while you still have the time. Liz enters the room and says she thought Carolyn would be dressed by now. Vicki and I were just talking about life and death. Vicki tells Liz she's very sorry. Liz thanks her and says they all are--darling, she tells Carolyn--get dressed, go into town and see if you can find Uncle Roger. (Cell phone/beeper, where art thou?) Do I have to? asks Carolyn, I'd so much rather stay here with you. I think he ought to know about Bill, says Liz. But he must know by now, objects Carolyn--it's probably all over town! Do if for me, begs Liz, please? Carolyn nods and gives her mother a hug before she goes--did I ever tell you that I love you? she asks her mother. Where's David? Liz asks Vicki. In the kitchen, says the latter, he wanted to make his own sandwich. I think it's best to forget about his lessons for the rest of the day, says Liz, I'd rather he played outside. I'll tell him, says Vicki. Don't say anything about Mr. Malloy, Liz tells her, and if there's anything you want to do, there's no reason for you to stay here. There is something I've been meaning to do, but I've been putting it off, says Vicki, taking her pillow into her hands--it's about a man named Sam Evans. Liz just looks at her, then leaves the room.
Blue Whale - How long can we go on telling lies? Sam asks Roger--they are now standing by the window--how long can we continue building a wall with bricks that have no substance? Those bricks will be real as long as we say they are, says Roger. It won't work, insists Sam, What would you prefer? Asks Roger--telling the sheriff that Malloy called that meeting to clear Burke's name manslaughter conviction--that you had information that would prove me guilty of that crime? But to pile lie upon lie, says Sam, can't you see--it build up like an inverted pyramid that sooner of later must topple of its own weight! Not if we stand together, points out Roger as they both sit down at the table--I'd better point out something to you--if Malloy had shown up at that meeting and proved his accusation, you wouldn't be sitting here today--you'd be in prison, awaiting trial, as an accessory after the fact--you know that, don't you? Yes, says Sam, rubbing his beard. That would be better than a life sentence for murder, says Roger--yes, Evans, you have a lot to gain by Malloy's death, and don't think the police aren't going to wonder about it. Sam shakes his head--I didn't kill him, he says. Do you think a simple statement like that will satisfy the sheriff? Asks Roger--you've got to protect yourself, say just what I said--that you didn't have the faintest idea what that meeting was about or why Malloy asked you to be there. I did not kill him! insists Sam. He's dead, says Roger, you had motive. No more than you, says Sam. That's right, agrees Roger, that's why we must stand together. Sam rubs his beard--what about Burke? he asks--do you think he'll tell the truth? I'm sure he will, says Roger, but it's his word against ours--his word without a shred of truth to back it up--don't you see?--if we go on saying he was lying, no one can prove otherwise. No one, says Sam, but one man--and he's dead. Roger looks as if that means case closed.
Carolyn, in the drawing room, has the Collins family history book open to Josette Collins' page. Vicki enters, coat over her arm. Carolyn asks her if she's seen her mother. I think she's in her room, lying down, says Vicki. Poor Mother, says Carolyn, I wonder if she's going to put Bill's name in this book. That's only for your family, isn't it? asks Vicki. I suppose so, says Carolyn--only qualified, bonafide members of the Collins clan--the holy and the damned--have you looked through here recently?--you might find someone you know. I'm looking for someone who knows me, says Vicki--if you're still going into town, could you give me a lift? Sure, says Carolyn, you want to get away from this gloom for a while. It's not that, it's what you said upstairs, says Vicki. The fatalistic philosophy of Carolyn Stoddard, the blonde says--forget it--I was just feeling very low. I know, says Vicki, but it's true--if you want to get something done, it's foolish to keep putting it off--I don't expect to get hit by a truck today. I wish you wouldn't joke about it, says Carolyn. How much do you know about a man called Sam Evans? asks Vicki. Nothing, really, says Carolyn--I've met him once or twice--he's an artist--why? You know his daughter, Maggie, don't you? asks Vicki. Sure, she works in the hotel restaurant, says Carolyn--what about her? The other day we got to talking and became friendly, says Vicki, and she asked me to come to her house for dinner sometime to meet he father. That might be kind of fun for you, says Carolyn. Your uncle didn't seem to think so, says Vicki--when I mentioned it to him, he got very upset, tried to talk me out of going. Why should Uncle Roger care? Asks Carolyn. I don't know, says Vicki, could it be that Sam Evans knows something about me that your uncle doesn't want me to learn? Oh, Vicki, chides Carolyn, that is ridiculous. Maybe, agrees Vicki, but it could be. I'll tell you, says Carolyn, as far as I know, he's just an artist who drinks too much--what could he possibly know about you?
I don't know, says Vicki, but I won't find out unless I ask, will I? Carolyn shakes her head. Roger returns to Collinwood. Liz comes downstairs, saying she tried to reach him--did he hear the news about Bill? He nods--yes, terribly sad, isn't it? he asks. Just horrible, says Liz--have you been to the plant at all? No, I was in town, he says, but I came home directly when I heard the news--it's a funny thing, Liz, I've been hoping Matthew had made a mistake. That's what we all hoped, says Liz. The girls exit the room, and Carolyn hugs her uncle, saying she's so glad he's home. Roger hugs her back. Now, Kitten, he says. About the plant, says Roger--don't you think we should close down for the rest of the day--that's the least we can do for Bill, wouldn't you say? Of course, says Liz, I'll call right away--and she heads into the drawing room. Carolyn looks up at Roger. We've lost a good friend, haven't we? he asks her. Vicki, now in her coat, watches. Yes, agrees Vicki. Looks like I won't be going into town, says Carolyn--you're welcome to take my car--and she hands Vicki the keys. Thank you, says Vicki. Happy hunting, says Carolyn. Vicki leaves. Where is she off to? asks Roger. Some nonsense about Sam Evans, says Carolyn.
Is she going to see him? asks Roger, perturbed. Yes, says Carolyn--why, do you care? Of course not, he says, I hardly know the man. That's just what I told her, says Carolyn teasingly, and goes back into the drawing room while Roger looks quite upset.
NOTES: Vicki is on her way to see Sam--does he, as he hopes, know anything about her? Now the news is spreading through town. Roger and Sam have made a pact not to incriminate each other, much as they did 10 years ago. They don't want to go to jail, so they must stick together--or hang separately, I suppose. They are reprehensible, Roger especially. But Sam is right--their shabbily constructed lies can't hold up for long.
Vicki is now determined to delve into her past again. Will she learn anything pertinent from Sam?
Liz and Carolyn seemed genuinely depressed about Bill, but Roger really doesn't. I think he was jealous of him, and whether or not he killed him, doesn't want to see him return. To Carolyn, he was a father figure, to Liz, a right-hand man and perhaps more. He loved her, and she might have known it. When he was about to make his move, Paul Stoddard intervened and he lost her. Apparently, he stayed single and childless his entire life--and now no tropical island, either. Sad, sad, sad.
Love, Robin
