Episode #176 - Once again, unseen forces hover over Collinwood, gripping those within in a vise of terror--and a beautiful woman sits, staring into the hypnotic fire, her eyes seeing something in the heart of the flames while a short distance away, a man feels himself overwhelmed by something so terrifying, it bears no name.
We see Peter enter the now-darkened drawing room and Laura mentally attack him from the cottage, using her mind to render him unconscious. He regains consciousness and struggles to his feet. Vicki races to his side, asking what's wrong. I don't know, he groans, I don't know. We see flames, both in the fireplace and on the screen. As Vicki kneels beside Peter, who is bent over double near the fireplace, Laura sits in the darkened cottage, her face ugly as she works her hideous magic on her enemy, Peter Guthrie.
Vicki has her arm around Peter, urging him to snap out of it. (odd) I can't! he cries, I can't! He goes to the window and opens it.
Laura continues to stare into the flames, concentrating so hard, she doesn't hear when David enters the cottage and calls, "Mother? Are you all right?" She doesn't respond, and he anxiously asks what's the matter, finally shaking her. She comes out of her deep trance. David, she says, focusing her gaze on him.
Back at Collinwood, Peter is free from her spell, weak, gasping.
What happened? he asks Vicki.
What was the matter with you? David asks Laura. Nothing, she says. You looked so funny, he says. I was just daydreaming, she says. I never saw anybody stare into a fire that way before, he says. Sometimes you can see pictures when you look into the heart of it, she says. What kind of pictures? he asks. I can't describe them, she says. How am I going to learn anything if nobody tells me? he pouts. Someday very soon, when we're together, just the two of us, I'll tell you, she promises, breathless. But we're together now! he says. I mean when you leave Collinwood, she says--what brings you here now? There's nobody up at the house, he says, and I was feeling kind of lonely and thought I'd visit you--you said I could. Of course you can...don't you ever want to be by yourself, David? she asks. (nice--he's by himself enough, Mom!) All alone? he asks--not much. I guess that's where grownups differ--I do, she says. You want to be alone now? he asks. Let's just say that I enjoy being here by myself, she says. What were you doing? he asks. Staring into the fire and thinking, she says--I must get back to it. OK, he says, I can take a hint--I won't bother you anymore. He goes to the door and opens it. David! she says, wait! She goes to him, closing the door. Don't be mad at me, she says. If you don't want me to come around, I won't, he says, hurt. Of course I want you around! she assures him. It didn't sound like it, he says. I was deep in thought, you startled me, that's all, she says. You said you wanted to be alone, he says resentfully. You mustn't count every single word I say, she says. Then how will I know whether to believe you or not? he asks. (go, David!) You can believe I love you and want you with me, she says, caressing his hair. It didn't sound like it, insists David. Darling, didn't you ever wake up and not realize what you were saying? she asks. Sometimes I've done that, he says. Well, then, there you are, that's exactly what happened to me! she says. But you weren't sleeping, he points out, your eyes were wide open! But there are times when you do sleep when your eyes are open, she says. It doesn't make any sense, he says. I apologize, she says--forgive me? I guess so, he says. Show me, then, she says--come over and give me a hug. She sits by the fire and he comes over to hug her. There, she says, oh, David, there are so many things I want to tell you, teach you--all kinds of wonderful things! Tell me about them, asks David. For instance, how to dream with your eyes open, she says--how to stare into the fire and see pictures beyond your wildest imagination! (how to harm people.) Can I try it now? he asks. Do you really want to? she asks. Very much, he says. Look into the fire, she says eagerly. Both of them do. I don't see anything, he says. You've got to look into the very brightest part, she insists. I still don't see anything, he complains. Never mind, she says, patting his knee, soon you will--I'll teach you. I wish I could do it now, he says, when will you show me how?
Very soon, she says, when we're together forever--it's getting dark, you'd better get back to the house, they'll be looking for you. I guess so, he says. I want you to remember something, she says, holding his arms--no matter how it seemed, you're always welcome here. OK, he says, and kisses her cheek goodbye. He leaves. Laura returns to staring into the fire.
Peter is cleaning his glasses. You certainly gave ma a fright, says Vicki. I gave myself one, too, he confesses. What happened? she asks. I don't know, he says, pouring a drink--suddenly I didn't know where I was or where I'd been--it was just as if I was losing myself--what did it look like to you? I looked at you and all I could think of was Mrs. Stoddard on the awful day she got sick, says Vicki--I looked at you--I saw Mrs. Stoddard. Peter's forehead creases with concern.
What can it mean? asks Vicki. I don't know, says Peter, sounding annoyed with himself--I was in here, but why I can't quite remember--I felt faint, only not faint, as if something were drawing all my strength out of me--I tried to fight, but it was no good--whatever it was was stronger than I was. It couldn't have been Josette, could it? asks Vicki. I don't think I have anything to fear from Josette, he says, but this thing, I was panic-stricken, and I'm used to dealing professionally with all sorts of inexplicable phenomena--I don't panic easily. Can you remember what led up to it? she asks. I was here, he says, and then suddenly I couldn't remember how I got here or where I'd come from--and my sense of time was all mixed up--it seemed like it was early afternoon, but here it is, 6:30 (the clock chimes) and the whole thing must have just happened a few minutes ago. That's exactly what happened to Mrs. Stoddard, says Vicki--she lost track of a great deal of time, couldn't remember where she'd been, and shocked to see how much time had passed. That's where the similarity between our cases ends, he says--because I do remember now, where I was and what I'd been doing--I'd paid a visit to Laura Collins--and she wanted me to stay away from her--she was, to say the least, rather intense about it. But Dr. Guthrie, says Vicki, Mrs. Stoddard also paid a visit to Laura Collins. The door opens. It's David, and Vicki asks him to please come in--where have you been?--you should have been home an hour ago. I was visiting my mother, he says. Vicki and Peter exchange glances. How long ago were you with her? asks Peter. Just a little while ago, says David. When did you leave the cottage? asks Vicki. A few minutes ago, says David. Did you notice anything unusual about her? he asks. Funny you should ask, says David. Tell us what happened, says Vicki. You know how she's usually so glad to see me? he asks--this time she wasn't--it seems like she didn't want me around. What was she doing? asks Peter. Nothing, says David. If she was doing nothing, says Peter, you couldn't have interrupted her, could you? That's the thing I can't understand, he says. Vicki ushers him to the sofa; she sits down and asks him to try to describe it to them. Why do you want to know? asks David. If you describe it step by step from the beginning, says Peter, it would help you understand what was so strange. Maybe, says David, I don't know. Let's try, says Vicki--we'll pretend it's a test of memory and see how many details you can remember. (good one, teach!) If I pass, what kind of mark will I get? He asks. You'll get something much better than a mark, she promises, if you do very well. What? he asks. Tonight you'll get two desserts, she says, ice cream and chocolate cake. He sits beside her, grinning--deal! he says. All right, says Peter, sitting across from him, begin. I came into my mother's house without knocking, he says, she told me I didn't have to--she said her home was my home, and she didn't hear me come in--even though she was sitting right there--she was just sitting there, staring into the fire--she didn't hear me, not the way she was staring--I never saw anyone staring into a fire so hard! What do you mean? asks Peter, try to describe it. It wasn't just that she was looking in the fire, says David--it looked like she was part of the fire!--just like in my picture! Vicki and Peter look seriously at each other.
My mother kept reminding me of the way she looked in the picture, says David--it was so strange, I kept calling her, but she didn't hear me--I was sitting right nest to her, as close as I am to you, he tells Vicki and I kept calling Mother Mother Mother!, but she didn't hear a thing--I shook her and she blinked her eyes a couple of times and looked at me, and it seemed as if she was coming from a long way away. Did she explain? asks Peter. She said she was just daydreaming, says David, and that's when she started acting different, like she wanted to get rid of me--and then when I started to leave, she wanted me back again--she hugged me and everything's the way it always is--she told me how you could see all sorts of things in the heart of a fire, and that's what she was looking at when I came in. What sort of things? asks Peter. Things so strange I could never imagine, David says, so I asked her if I could see--and we both looked into the fire very hard, together--but I didn't see anything
--she told me she'd show me how when we were together--always. I see, says Peter. And then it was time for me to go home, so I came, says David--so can I have my supper now? he asks Vicki. Yes, she says, run out to the kitchen and tell Mrs. Johnson you're ready. OK, he says, and starts to leave. She stops him by the kitchen and advises him not to mention anything to Mrs., Johnson about what happened with his mother. OK, he agrees, you'd better come in and tell her about the two desserts--otherwise she'll think I'm fibbing. (this from a kid who twice tried to kill!) I'll come in in a few minutes, promises Vicki, and David leaves. Peter joins Vicki and tells her one thing is very clear--David interrupted his mother just the moment I came out of the daze. But how? asks Vicki. If I knew the answer to that, says Peter, I'd know the answer to everything that's been happening around here at Collinwood ever since Laura returned. Do you think she has some strange kind of power? asks Vicki--it seems so incredible! What of all the things that have happened seem credible? he asks--if everything were everyday believable, there's be no reason to send for me, would there? No, agrees Vicki, I suppose not--but what is the nature of this power, what is it? I'm not so sure it's a power, he says, it may be more like an influence. That's a shade of difference I don't understand, she says. Something very close to ESP, he says. You think she's done all this by suggestion? asks Vicki. No, he says, excited, it's more profound, there's something here I've never encountered in my whole life. Roger or no Roger, says Vicki, I'm keeping David away from her. That's an excellent idea, says Peter, as a matter of fact, until it's all cleared up, I think you should keep away from her, too. If what you say is true, it's not very healthy for you, either, Vicki reminds him. Now that I know about it, I can protect myself, he says, the most important aspect of this whole thing is, no matter what power Laura Collins possesses, that power must be destroyed.
The front door blows open by itself, and Laura, staring at them with intense hated, enters. (neat little parlor trick, Laura!)
David came to visit me, says Laura--he left his scarf. He hands it over to Vicki. That's impossible, says Vicki. You're holding it, how can you say that? asks Laura. I dressed him to go out, says Vicki, and he wasn't wearing it. Oh, says Laura, perhaps he left it the night he stayed over with me--and I just noticed it--at any rate, I know how meticulous you are about things, so I came right over with it. That's very kind of you, says Vicki--if that's the real reason you came. What other reason could there possibly be? asks Laura--it's a long walk on a cold night. You really shouldn't have bothered, says Vicki, closing the still open doors, you could have done it in the morning. Vicki and Peter stare at each other. I didn't want you to be worried, or scold David for losing it, says Laura. Thank you, says Vicki, if you'll excuse me, I have to see to getting David his supper. She exits the foyer. I really don't understand what that girl has against me, Laura tells Peter, wandering into the drawing room, except perhaps jealousy--David has grown so fond of me. I think Vicki would be the last person in the world to be jealous of a child's fondness for his mother, says Peter evenly. In that case, her attitude is really beyond me, says Laura. Is it? he asks--I'm beginning to think nothing in this world is beyond you. She smiles. My, she says, how very flattering you are, even if I have no idea what you're talking about. You don't? he asks--I'm disappointed. There, you see, she says, there is one thing very much beyond me--she sits on the sofa--comprehension of you--what kind of person goes into your work?--meddling into things that should best be left alone. She puts a cigarette into her mouth. (cringe) I'm sure you know a great deal--about those things, says Peter, lighting her cigarette with a lighter. She stares into the flame, then up at him, and lights her cig. She noisily puffs out the flame. You're very flattering again, she says, giving me credit for subjects of which I'm totally ignorant. Now you're being modest, he says. You really do stump me, she says--I don't know how you can be so kind and complimentary one minute, and the next do everything you can to thwart me--after all, what am I?--only a woman who wants nothing more out of life than to get her son. Why are you so desperate to have him back? asks Peter. Oh, Dr. Guthrie, really, she says--even a parapsychologist should know enough about human psychology to realize that maternal instincts are the strongest in the world. IN the world, yes, he says. Must you always be so cryptic? she asks. Aren't you surprised to see me up and around? he asks. Why should I be? she asks. Isn't that why you came up here to the house? he asks. She blows out a plume of smoke. I'm afraid I don't know what you mean, she says, you're getting too complicated for me. Complicated things are sometimes the most fascinating, he says, for instance, you. Am I complicated? she asks, I wouldn't have thought it. Very, he says, agitated, and I'm beginning to know all about you. Just what are you beginning to know? she asks. I think you have some sort of power, he says (hitting that hornets nest with a stick again, doc)--or influence. Really, what kind? she asks. A very special kind, he says. How I wish it were so, she says, it would make everything so simple--so much easier to get David without all this aggravation. Its sphere would seem to be limited, says Peter--to things like putting your sister in law into a trance and almost doing the same to me, he accuses. Oh, Dr. Guthrie, she says, you're beginning to believe all those things you practice. There's no good denying it, he says--I know what you are. What am I? she asks. Someone who possesses a force far stronger than anything I've ever seen in this world, he says--and when I'm sure what it is, I'll tell you--and everyone else as well! She rises to her feet--will you? she asks--will you really? They stare each other down, and she laughs at him,
then leaves the drawing room.
NOTES: I can't help but feel that Peter was ill-advised to let Laura in on what he suspects about her. She can crush him like a bug under her foot, if she wants, and now he revealed that he knows she has some sort of power. Surely he realizes she's more powerful than he is.
Poor David--his mother seems to love him, then she doesn't, and he must have been hurt by the way she treated him at the cottage--but he interrupted Mommy doing something bad, which was lucky for Peter! Laura hates the man, that's clear, but she doesn't have to say so; sparks seem to fly from her eyes whenever they speak. I loved their little cat and mouse game; it was wonderful to watch! Peter threw down the gauntlet--will Laura pick it up--or burn it?
Episode #177 - Twice in a short span of time, two people at Collinwood have been stricken by mysterious forces--a man and a woman--but only the man has recovered sufficiently to be aware of the full implications of what has happened to him.
Peter is in the drawing room, looking at his notes. Carolyn comes down and greets him good morning. Vicki told me you wanted to speak with me, she says. I do, he tells her--please, sit down. She does. She was very mysterious, says Carolyn, something very important had happened, but she wouldn't say what. Something very important as far as this case is concerned has happened, says Peter. Don't keep me in the dark--what is it? asks Carolyn. Somebody else may have experienced just about the same thing your mother did--I did, Carolyn. That can't be, she insists--you're well, you're here. If what I suspect is true, he says, then I was extremely lucky. What exactly happened? she asks. Just yesterday afternoon, right here in this room, I suddenly found myself becoming faint--I lost all consciousness of where I'd been, and even how much time had elapsed--I didn't even know how I'd gotten here. That's exactly what happened to my mother, says Carolyn--how awful for you. At the time, I thought so, he says, but now I think it's extremely fortunate--you see, I know who my adversary is--as I told you, something happened to stop the job of putting me into the trance, and unlike your mother, I know where I was and who I was with--I had just paid a call on Laura Collins. Carolyn gazes up at him, smug, smiling.
Carolyn jumps up from the sofa. Laura--of course! she says, I knew it from the very beginning, there was no one else it could have been. Before you get too excited, he warns, you must realize this is only speculation . Not to me, she assures him, I know it's Laura. We have no proof yet, he says. What do we have? she asks. One of the greatest pieces of circumstantial evidence I've ever encountered, he says, but it won't stand up without something more--I've just been going over what I've been able to piece together. Let's both go over it, she says, perhaps between us, we might find something you overlooked. They sit on the sofa together and Peter opens the notebook. We'll start at the beginning, he suggests. (a very good place to start.) The first Laura Murdoch of whom we have any knowledge, he says, is Laura Murdoch Stockbridge--she died by fire in 1767. So what? she says--fires were a very common thing in those days. The next date is exactly 100 years later--1867--Laura Murdoch Radcliffe was also killed in a fire, he says. Could be coincidence, says Carolyn. I told you from the outset, he says, everything we know is circumstantial. Go on, she says. Do I have to leap ahead to the next date? he asks, showing her the notebook. No, she says, light dawning--1967!--a woman identified as Laura Murdoch Collins killed in a fire in Phoenix, AZ--we've proved beyond a doubt that the woman here is the real Laura and that woman unknown. Beyond a doubt? he asks her. It can't be, she insists, it's too incredible, it simply can't be. The key to the whole thing was staring us in the fact the whole time, says Peter, rising from the sofa--the name of the place where the latest poor, wretched creature was immolated. Phoenix? asks Carolyn. That's right, he says--do you know the legend of the Phoenix?. No, says Carolyn. The phoenix is a bird that arranges its nest so the sun will set it on fire, and out of these flames, a new phoenix is born, he says. What does that have to do with my aunt? asks Carolyn. Every 100 years, another Murdoch dies in fire, says Peter, now who's to say that out of those flames, a new Laura Murdoch isn't born? It seems impossible, a medieval legend, says Carolyn--this is the 20th century, that sort of thing just doesn't happen! In the glare of our scientific era, you can find no shadows? questions Peter, nothing that defies explanation? Yes, she admits, shadows, things I don't understand--but this! This is just another patch of darkness, says Peter. I still can't make any sense out of it, she says. Have you ever thought about reincarnation? he asks. Yes, she says, I've thought about it--and dismissed it--as far as this world is concerned, I think the dead stay dead. (LOL, Carolyn, are you in for a bunch of shocks!) Do you? he asks--then it almost sounds as if you're the detached scientist searching for an absolute truth--while I was some sort of poet. You don't really believe in reincarnation, do you? she asks. I don't know if I really believe in it or not, he says, but it's possible to form a hypothesis--suppose we say reincarnation is possible--following from that, could we not also conclude it might take place in the same manner as in the legend of the Phoenix--arising in flame? I suppose it could, says Carolyn. Wait a minute, he says, I suppose there might be some way of getting that absolute proof you want--I'd have to have the help of somebody who knows his way around this countryside--somebody who could be trusted to be discrete. I think I know someone just like that, she says--a boy I used to go out with, Joe Haskell. Can he be depended on to keep what I ask of him an absolute secret and not question any of it? asks Peter. I think if I tell him it's for my mother, he'll do whatever you say, unquestioningly, says Carolyn.
Good, says Peter, because what must be done might not be considered strictly legal--but make no mistake about it, it must be done.
Collinsport Inn restaurant - Be patient with me, Joe, it's not that easy, she says. It should be, he says, standing behind her, smooching her cheek and throat. Sure, she says, we all read fairy tales--and they lived happily ever after. (did Joe just propose?--he really got over Carolyn fast!) Why not? he asks. Because I'm not sleeping beauty, she says--my eyes are wide open, and I've got responsibilities. I'm no Price Charming, he says, and my eyes are wide open, too--you know what they see? Joe, she says, not wanting him to tell her, but he persists--the girl I love, he says, who I think loves me--is anything simpler than that? They kiss, long and sweet. She leans her head against his shoulder. Trouble is, the girl's got a father, she says. Everybody's got a father, he says, holding her close. But my father is different, she says, he doesn't play by the rules--instead of being the parent, he's the child--HE needs ME. Am I saying you shouldn't do what you can for him? asks Joe. How would you like him to come along on our honeymoon? she asks. That's going a little too far, says Joe. Not for my father, it isn't, she says--you know I can't leave him--you know what will happen--he'd stop working and drink himself silly. He's promised to go on the wagon, Joe reminds her. She begins to fill sugar jars. I've heard about that wagon ever since I was a kid, she laments, my dad's always promising to get on it--I've seen that wagon pull up to the house, then pull away again, my father just stands there, a glass still in his hand. It's his life, says Joe, you can't sacrifice our happiness to it. How much happiness do you think I'll have if he sets himself on fire again? she asks. That only happened once, says Joe. Once more and he may not be lucky enough to escape, she says. There are some who say that fire might not have been his fault, says Joe. A fire doesn't start by itself, Maggie says. They say it might very well be linked up to the strange things happening up at Collinwood, he says. Everything that's ever been wrong with my life has somehow been connected with the things at Collinwood, says Maggie--she sighs--a long time ago, my father was involved with Roger Collins--I can't prove it, but something tells me that's when my father started to drink--and now there are those paintings of Laura Collins. Maybe if things are straightened out up there, your father will be all right, suggests Joe. Maybe, she says, I don't know. The door opens. Well, says Maggie, speaking of Collinwood... Carolyn comes in and greets them. You want to join us? asks Joe. Carolyn thanks him and sits on a stool beside him. Any news of your mother? asks Maggie. She's still the same, says Carolyn--no change in her condition--the doctors are really baffled. What about Dr. Guthrie? asks Maggie. He may be our only hope, says Carolyn--Maggie, would you mind terribly if I spoke with Joe alone?--it's very important. No, not at all, says Maggie--you want me to move, or will you? She's smiling ironically. No, we'll go to a table, says Carolyn, I promise I won't keep him long. I don't care how long you keep him, says Maggie, just so I get him back. From what Joe says about the way he feels, says Carolyn, I don't think there's any question about that. If you two are going to keep talking about me as if I wasn't here, I might as well leave, says Joe. Let's sit over here, says Carolyn, and they sit together at a table. You remember the day you stopped by the house to pick up Mother's ledger, says Carolyn--you asked me if you could be of any help--does that offer still hold? Of course, he says. Good, she says, because I'm about to take you up on it. What you want me to do, he says--will it help clear up any of the mysteries at Collinwood? I hope so, says Carolyn. Then I'm doubly willing to do it, he says, because it's funny, it will help me--with Maggie--she's gotten it into her head that her father's drinking is connected to your family. I can't really believe that, says Carolyn, I think Mr. Evans just likes his drink. I would not be too sure, he says, remember that business about the paintings of your aunt-- Yes, the paintings of Laura, says Carolyn--Maggie may be right at that. Anyway, says Joe, she can't make any plans to change her life until she's sure her father's going to be all right--so if you need me, I'm ready. It's so awful, she says, I don't know where to turn--you're my last hope--if you turn me down, I don't know what to do. I told you I'd help you, he says. I'm so desperate about the whole thing, she says, you have no idea--she takes his hand in hers--I need you, Joe, I do. He looks into her face, perhaps remembering their past. Maggie, witnessing this, looks as if she wants to murder Carolyn.
I'm sorry, Carolyn says, I didn't mean to make such an exhibition of myself. Don't think anything of it, he says, I know what you're going through--what do you want me to do? First, I must ask you to keep everything in strictest confidence, she says. All right, it's a deal, he says--it'll be a secret. Even from Maggie, she adds. If that's the way it's gotta be, he says reluctantly. I wouldn't ask you if it weren't, she says. All right, I won't discuss it with Maggie, he promises. Thank you, she says, I know that cost a lot. Oh, wait until she starts asking me what you wanted, he says--I haven't begun to pay for it. I'm sorry, she giggles. What's the deal? He asks. I think I'd better fill you in a little bit about Dr. Guthrie, she says--he's not what people think he is. You mean he's not a doctor? asks Joe. He's a doctor, all right, she says, only not the kind of doctor we say he is. You said he was a psychologist, says Joe. That's part of it, she agrees, he's a parapsychologist, a psychologist who deals in psychic phenomena. You mean spooks, the occult, things like that? asks Joe. That's one way of putting it, says Carolyn--ESP would be another. What does that have to do with your mother? asks Joe. Mother has been given every conceivable kind of test, the biggest specialists in Boston have examined her, says Carolyn, and they've all come to the same conclusion--there is nothing physically wrong with her. She's in a coma! exclaims Joe. It's not an ordinary coma, explains Carolyn--my mother is in a psychic trance--somebody or something has put her into a trance. You mean she's been hexed? He asks, bemused. Stop fighting me, please, she begs, try to understand. I am trying, he assures her, but this is not easy to swallow. I realize that, she says, but it's the only conceivable explanation. What does this Dr. Guthrie have to do with it? asks Joe. She sighs. We decided to call Dr. Guthrie in because he's a specialist in this field. I have done a little bit of reading on this stuff, says Joe, and not everybody buys is, you know. People are skeptical about parapsychology because it's a relatively new field, she says, until very recently, its whole area of investigation was dominated by quacks and spiritualists--but parapsychology is different--it's a science--it's methods are scientific. Why hasn't it won more converts out there? asks Joe. Because what it investigates is very rare and special, she says, only not so rare and special as most people think. He rubs his eyes. I don't know, he says, I always thought of you as a very level-headed girl. I am! she insists, exasperated, then she spies Maggie watching them. Joe, give Dr. Guthrie a chance, she begs, his methods may be unorthodox, it doesn't mean they're unscientific. OK, he says, tell me more about it. I think from now on, I'd better let the doctor speak for himself, she says. When can we get together? asks Joe.
As soon as possible, she says--can you come with me now? I can't just walk out on Maggie like that, he says--I'll come by the house later tonight. She smiles. Thank you, she says, you have no idea how much I appreciate this. It's OK, he says, I'll see you later. She leaves the table and thanks Maggie for the loan of the man. There's a high rate of interest, says Maggie, and both girls laugh. Carolyn says she has to run, and she leaves. Maggie joins Joe at the table and asks what that was all about. Nothing much, he says. She wraps an arm around his neck Carolyn Stoddard doesn't come all the way down here and asks to speak to you in private about nothing much, she insists. As a matter of fact, he says, I can't tell you anything about it--I promised Carolyn I wouldn't. I see, she says coolly. No you don't, he says, taking he hand--what I can tell you is, nothing we discussed had anything to do with you. If it has to do with another girl and you, she says, especially THAT girl, then it has something to do with me--and she angrily starts to walk away. No it doesn't, he says, grabbing her arm--try to understand, he says, kissing her ear--you are my girl. Your girl you have secrets from, she reminds him. He continues to kiss her ear and hair and she gives in and says all right, I'll take your word for it--if we're going to get to that movie, we'd better get going. Oh, we can't go, he says--I have to go to Collinwood tonight. She turns around in his arms, upset, and faces him. Joe, you're not starting in with Carolyn again! she says. No, of course not, he assures her. It certainly sounds that way, she complains--she crooks her little finger and you come running.
Maggie, he says, holding her, you are my girl--I love you--nothing is going to change that. I hope so, she says, because I won't give you up without a fight--I mean that. She kisses him to underscore her declaration.
Peter sits looking into the fire. Carolyn carries in a tray with refreshments and sets it down on the table. Once again, the piano appears to be missing. Vicki's upstairs with David, she tells Peter. Where's Roger? asks Peter. He went out, says Carolyn, probably playing lord of the manor down at the Blue Whale--would you like some coffee? Yes, please, he says, and she pours. Since I've discovered this phoenix thing, he says, I can't get my mind off fire--all the things it means--a source of good like heat and light, and a source of destruction when uncontrolled. I thought dinner would never end, remarks Carolyn. Yes, it's amazing how people can dawdle just when you want to rush. This is the first chance I've had to speak with you, she says. Nobody's here? he asks. No, she says. What happened this afternoon? he asks. I spoke with Joe Haskell, she says, and he's willing to do anything he can to help. Good, says Peter, I just hope he doesn't change his mind. They sip their coffee. Why should he? asks Carolyn. He hasn't heard what I want him to do, says Peter. Neither have I, she reminds him. You will, in time, he promises her--when will I see Haskell? He's coming over this evening, she says--he should be here any minute--what is it you want Joe to do. I think I'll tell both of you at the same time, he says--are you sure that he's absolutely trustworthy? Oh, yes, she says, I'd trust Joe with anything. Good, he says, what I want him to do won't be easy for anybody to agree to. I wouldn't want Joe to get into trouble, she says, he's a very good friend. I never promised there wouldn't be any trouble, says Peter. But Joe is sort of uninvolved in all this, she says, it wouldn't be fair to involve him in something that might be dangerous for him. If we're careful, everything should go off without a hitch, says Peter. I hope so, says Carolyn, then gets up to answer the door. First, she tells Peter that she hopes she isn't getting Joe into anything for which they'll all be sorry. We can't think about that now, insists Peter--what must be done is the only way I can know certain things for sure--and I must know them. She nods, smiles, and goes to answer the door. I got here as quickly as I could, he says--what's up? I can't really tell you very much about it, she says, but Dr. Guthrie can--come on in. Joe and Peter shake hands. I'm very glad you decided to help us with this, says Peter. I'll do anything I can to help Carolyn's mother, Joe assures him. This may be a bit more than you bargained for, says Peter--has Carolyn told you anything about the nature of my work? Yes, says Joe, I can't say that I fully go along with it, sir. It's not important that you agree with either my methods or beliefs, says Peter, the important thing is that we're both interested in achieving the same results. I think we can be sure of that, says Joe. Good, says Peter, I hope you'll keep that in mind, no matter what I ask you to do. What exactly is it you want--you're being even more mysterious than Carolyn was, says Joe. I wasn't being mysterious, she says, I really don't know much more than you do. Before we get into all that, says Peter, there's something I have to ask you that you may find rather strange--I would like to know how you feel about reincarnation? I don't know, I haven't given it much thought, says Joe, as far as I know, you only live once, at least here on earth. Can you envision an afterlife here in this world? asks Peter--do you think it's possible people can be born over and over again--in other words, reincarnated? Not really, says Joe. That may make it a little difficult for you accept what I'm going to ask you to do, says Peter. What is that? asks Joe.
I want you to help me open a grave, says Peter, leaving both Joe and Carolyn stunned.
NOTES: Open a grave, huh? I suspect we're going to Laura Murdoch's tomb to see if there's a body there. The fact that Laura's body disappeared from that morgue did seem to mean something significant to her. Does this mean it's time to molt? Seriously, perhaps it's time to burn again, but not alone.
Poor Maggie, being forced to watch Carolyn cozying up to her boyfriend--who is apparently already so in love with her, he proposed marriage--which can't possibly work if they must take Sam on the honeymoon! I really do feel badly for Maggie, who doesn't feel the freedom to live her own life and have her own kids because she has to play mother to her drunken father. I do think Joe is Prince Charming!
Carolyn seemed very open to Peter's ideas, but grave robbing appears to be giving her pause, too. Will Joe agree to this madness, and Carolyn, now that she knows what the plan is? Stay tuned!
Love, Robin
