Episode #156 - A storm in all its raging cruelty threatens Collinwood, but there is a force threatening Collinwood far more sinister--and far more cruel than the raging storm--and it has unleashed itself against one woman in particular.
Collinwood's front doors blow open. Liz, seemingly in a trance, exits the drawing room and walks upstairs slowly. Feeling faint, she calls Roger, then Vicki, begging for someone to help--but, overwhelmed, she topples downstairs. Roger comes out onto the landing. Liz, did you call me? he asks. He spots her lying at the foot of the stairs and runs down, kneeling beside her, asking what's the matter. He yells for Mrs. Johnson or Vicki, his voice frantic, trying to rouse Liz, but she doesn't move or respond.
Can't you hear me? asks Roger--VICKI! Vicki comes out onto the landing. Something's happened to my sister, says Roger, help me! Did she faint? asks Vicki. I don't know, he replies, I just found her here on the floor. Vicki kneels next to Liz and caresses her face. I'd better call a doctor, says Vicki. Yes, hurry! commands Roger. Liz comes to consciousness, and Roger tells Vicki to wait. Liz, are you all right? Roger asks her. What is it? she asks--I'm all right, she says, but what am I doing here? Roger helps Liz to her feet. She anxiously asks him what happened. Do you still want me to call a doctor? asks Vicki. Yes, immediately! yells Roger, frantic. Nonsense, says Liz, I'm perfectly all right, I must have fainted for a minute, but I'm perfectly all right now--don't embarrass me by calling a doctor. Are you sure you're all right? asks Roger. Positively, insists Liz. Then let's go into the drawing room, says Roger, and get you some brandy. He helps her carefully into the drawing room, telling her to take it easy. Vicki closes the outside double doors. Please stop acting as if something were wrong with me, Liz tells her brother. Do you have any idea what could have happened to you? Vicki asks, helping Liz sit on the sofa. Not the faintest, says Liz, I saw Roger hovering over me. Roger pours a drink and brings it to Liz, but she refuses it--I don't need it, she says. I totally disagree, he says. I don't want it and I can't spend the afternoon propped up like this, says Liz. Afternoon? asks Vicki. I have far too many things to do, says Liz, I'm expecting a business call from Mr. Metcalf. Metcalf? asks a startled Roger. And Vicki, says Liz, do you know whether Mrs. Johnson has finished sorting the linen; I want to give her the menu for tomorrow. Liz! cries Roger, what are you saying? I'm saying I want to give Mrs. Johnson the menu for tomorrow, repeats Liz--why the strange stares? Did you say afternoon? asks Roger. Yes, I can't sit around here all afternoon, says Liz. It's past 10, says Roger. It's after 10 o'clock at night, says Vicki--and you already gave Mrs. Johnson the menus for tomorrow. Liz is dumbfounded. And Mr. Metcalf's call came through at half past 3 this afternoon, adds Roger. That's impossible! says Liz--you mean it really is night? You mean you don't remember? asks Roger. Of course I remember! says Liz--Mr. Metcalf was going to call us...it is night? You don't remember half the day, Roger tells her. She rises to her feet and rubs her hands nervously together. Wait, let me think for just a minute, she says--I remember having lunch with you two and David and scolding David because he criticized Mr. Johnson's cooking. Yes--and then? asks Roger. Then I wrote some letters in my room, recalls Liz, looking up, and...and... Keep trying, then what? asks Roger. I'm not sure, says Liz, I went back to my room...no, how strange. Can you remember where you were before you fainted? asks Roger. Not really, it's all terribly blurred, says Liz. Are you sure I can't get the doctor? asks Roger. No, let me keep trying, says Liz, one hand clutching the other--isn't it silly, I just don't seem to remember where I was or what I was doing.
You were near the stairs, Vicki reminds her. Maybe if I started up the stairs again, says Liz, it would all come back to me. Go very slowly, cautions Roger. I was walking up the stairs, says Liz, when I didn't remember where I was or what I was doing. Could you have been our for one of your walks? asks Roger. Yes, I was outside, she says, now, walking up the stairs, very strange--where was I going?--what was I doing?--I just can't remember. She nearly faints again. Vicki rushes to her aid, holding onto her. What is it? asks Roger. Help me! begs Liz, get me to my room, quickly. Easy, dear, says Roger, quietly, helping her, you'll be all right.
Blue Whale - Joe puts a musical version of "Yesterday" on the jukebox, which will be appropriate to what follows. Carolyn comes in, sees him, and walks right past him, not saying a word. Could you tell me whether or not Mr. Devlin was in here tonight? she asks the bartender. Not so far, he says. Aren't you going to say hello? Joe asks her. I didn't think you'd want me to, says Carolyn. If he comes in, can I give him a message? asks the barkeep. No, thanks, says Carolyn. You making the rounds in search of your boyfriend? asks Joe. Carolyn swings a look of hatred on him. Sorry, says Joe, I didn't have to say that. You certainly didn't, she agrees. Are you OK? he asks. Of course I'm OK, she says. You seem a little quiet, he says. There's nothing wrong with being quiet once in a while, is there? she asks. No, I guess not, he says. You almost sound as if you're not mad at me anymore, says Carolyn. I'm still mad at you, he says, and your boyfriend Devlin had me on the merry go round, but that doesn't mean we're going to be rude every time we run into each other. I don't suppose you want to hear me say I'm sorry, do you? she asks. Not particularly, replies Joe. Because I am, she says. I doubt it, he says. I thought you weren't going to be rude, she says. Not rude, honest, says Joe. Thanks, she says sarcastically, and starts to walk away. Wait a second, he says. What for, to hear more of the truth? asks Carolyn bitterly. No, he says, I didn't mean to hurt you--sometimes a guy can't help it. Whenever I said that to you, you didn't believe me, she reminds him. Whenever I said what? he asks. That I never hurt you on purpose, she says. I see what you mean, he says, wiping his face, then I'd better warn you, Carolyn, I do want to hurt you.--I can't help it--I want to get even--I'm going to try not to--but that doesn't mean I don't want to. I understand, she says. So maybe we'd better steer clear of each other, suggests Joe. I wish we could be friends, she says wistfully. No, not a chance, won't work, he says. But we like each other, she reminds him. I never said I liked you, says Joe, I said I loved you. But you don't anymore, she says, so why can't we be friends, at least let's try
--let's sit down and have a drink together--could we, the two of us? So you can make your boyfriend jealous when he walks in? asks Joe. I don't think he'll be in, says Carolyn quietly. Oh, he says, well I really can't, anyway. Please, Joe, she begs, it would really mean so much to me if we could be friends. I can't because I've got to pick up Maggie when she finishes work, he explains. Oh, of course, says Carolyn, annoyed with herself for forgetting--I heard you'd been seeing her--she's very nice, isn't she? The best, he says. Do you see her often? asks Carolyn. As often as I can, says Joe. That's nice, says Carolyn. Yes, says Joe. The bartender reports to Carolyn that she has a phone call and can take it at the bar. She nods. I guess that's the call you've been expecting, says Joe--tell Burke I said hello. He leaves. Carolyn takes the phone. It's Roger, who says he's been calling everywhere trying to reach her--you've got to come home right away. I can't, not right now, she protests. It's very urgent, Roger tells her. What is it? she asks. Your mother, says Roger--we don't know--the doctor's with her now. Doctor? asks Carolyn--you mean she's sick? Very sick, says Roger, you'd better hurry. Yes, says Carolyn, I'll be there as soon as I can. She hurries from the bar, blonde hair bouncing on her shoulders.
Carolyn, a scarf on her head, rushes into Collinwood. She pulls off the scarf and runs upstairs, meeting Roger on the landing. How is she? demands Carolyn. We still don't know, says Roger. Is the doctor here? asks Carolyn. He left about half an hour ago, says Roger. What did he say? asks Carolyn. He said he didn't know what it was, says Roger, He doesn't know? asks Carolyn. It's not a heart attack or a stroke, says Roger, at least we have that much to be thankful for. Is she in her room? asks Carolyn. Yes, says Roger, but I don't think you should go in. But I have to! she insists. She needs all the rest she can get, says Roger. I have to at least see her, says Carolyn, trying to walk past him. Then pull yourself together, and no hysterics under any circumstances, orders her uncle. I'll be all right, she promises. Don't be too shocked, warns Roger--her memory seems to be affected--there may be moments when she doesn't recognize you. This stuns Carolyn. Not recognize me? she asks.
Liz lies in bed, Vicki tending to her. Why can't I remember? asks Liz helplessly. Vicki touches her hand and tells her to try to rest. Carolyn enters. Mother? she asks. Who is it? asks Liz. It's me, Mother--Carolyn. Carolyn? asks Liz. That's right, says Carolyn. I'll be downstairs if you need me, says Vicki, and leaves the room. Carolyn sits on the bed. How are you feeling? she asks Liz. It's so cold in here, says Liz--why can't I go to my own room? This is your room, Carolyn tells her. Yes, of course, says Liz, why can't I concentrate? What you should try to do is rest, says Carolyn, caressing her mother's face. What's happening to me? asks Liz, agitated. You're sick, says Carolyn softly, but you're going to get better. I'm not sick! insists Liz, something's happening to me--something terrible is happening to me! She sits up with a violent motion and Carolyn catches her. Please, try to lie quietly, says Carolyn. I can't lie quietly! says Liz, I've got to find out what's happening to me! You're going to be all right, her daughter assures her, nothing is going to happen to you! Yes it is! says Liz, something terrible! No it won't, we won't let it, says Carolyn--now please try to rest! Liz settles down. Rest, yes, she says, that's what I need...rest, I'm so terribly, terribly tired. Can I get you anything? asks Carolyn. I don't know, says Liz. Try to sleep, and I'll just sit here, says Carolyn. Carolyn, it is you, says Liz. Yes, it's me, I'm right here with you, says Carolyn, tears in her voice. I was walking up the stairs, says Liz. When you got sick, says Carolyn. No! says Liz, not sick, I was walking up the stairs...no, it was before, it happened before--I was walking up the stairs before it happened--I was walking up the stairs. Her agitation grows. Don't try to remember, please, says Carolyn, try to rest, please. Carolyn? asks Liz, you're crying. No, says Carolyn, no I'm not. Why are you crying? asks Liz. I'm all right, Carolyn assures her. My baby's crying, says Liz--why is my baby crying?--what happened to my baby? Nothing's happened to me, says Carolyn, upset, I'm all right, see, I'm here, with you, and I'm all right. You know what I always told you about tears? asks Liz, remember that?--tears are only good for watering cabbages--remember? I remember, says Carolyn--oh, Mother, she says, hugging her fiercely, I love you so much! Then help me! cries Liz, please help me--don't let it happen to me, don't! I promise you, says Carolyn, holding her mother's shoulders, nothing is going to happen to you! Please, begs Liz, take my hand, hold me, quick!--hold my hand, please, why don't you help me
--why doesn't somebody help me? Carolyn, cheek to cheek with Liz, holds and rocks her mother as Liz continues to beg for someone to save her.
Liz lies on her bed, awake, moving her head from side to side.
Carolyn comes downstairs. Vicki waits anxiously in the drawing room. Carolyn joins her. Is she asleep? asks Vicki. Yes, says Carolyn, Uncle Roger is with her now--she seems so frightened--she keeps saying that something terrible is about to happen to her--what could it be? I wish I knew, says Vicki, I wish that doctor knew! I know that Mother swore never to leave Collinwood, says Carolyn, but should she be in the hospital? He didn't think it necessary right now, says Vicki--I don't know, he's coming back tomorrow to make some more tests on her. I'm so scared! wails Carolyn. We've got to believe that she's going to be all right, says Vicki. But what if...what if...? asks Carolyn. She's going to be all right! says Vicki defiantly. Yes, says Carolyn, I believe that, I do--I believe that she's...she sits and bursts into tears--I can't help it, I can't lose her, I can't. Vicki rubs her shoulder reassuringly and says, "You're not going to lose her." She's all I have, all I've ever had, says Carolyn, I don't want to be alone, I can't lose her, I can't be all alone! You're not going to lose her, says Vicki--I think it would be a good idea if you went up to bed. I don't want to sleep, says Carolyn--I couldn't, anyway. Try, says Vicki. Can't I just sit here, says Carolyn. I don't think that would be a good idea, says Vicki. Carolyn nods. Probably not, she says. Is there anything I can do for you? asks Vicki helplessly, anything you want? I wish you hadn't said that, says Carolyn--you reminded me--there is something I want--oh, Vicki, why do I feel this way--my mother's upstairs and something terrible is happening to her, and I'm so alone and frightened--and there's only one thing I want, and I hate myself for wanting it--I want Burke!--I want him to take me in his arms, hold me and never let me go. She says this as if she's in pain, then goes upstairs. Vicki watches her leave, then looks up at the clock. It's midnight.
2 AM - The clock beside Liz ticks. Walking up the stairs, I was walking up the stairs, she murmurs--the storm, lightning, I was walking through the storm, yes, walking--where?--the cottage--that's right--inside, Laura, inside the cottage! Laura! She sits up. Laura, go, not David, Laura must go!--threaten--don't threaten me!--inside the cottage--I remember now--Vicki, Roger, come quickly, I remember, inside Laura's cottage, that's where it was, inside Laura's cottage! She leaves her bed and puts on her robe, then spots a dark figure in front of the window, silhouetted in lightning. Roger? Vicki? asks Liz. Is that you, Carolyn? Who's there? The figure comes closer. Who is it? Answer me! Who's there? Who is it?
Answer me! Liz screams, covering her face. The figure disappears. Liz grabs onto the bedpost and clings to it, sinking down. Vicki, Roger and Carolyn rush into the room. Liz' eyes are wide, unblinking. What is it? asks Roger. Mother? asks Carolyn. A bird, says Liz, high against the sky--fire--the waves against the rocks--the stones--the bird--fire--fire--fire!
The trio looks at Liz, knowing that something terrible has happened to her.
NOTES: What has Laura done to Liz? Just as she was about to remember, that dark figure appeared to her, seemingly terrifying her into not just forgetting, but putting her into almost a catatonic state. I bet Vicki has connected this with Laura already, given Liz' words. Will she be able to save the woman who might be her mother? We know what bird and fire mean, but what is the stones reference (not Rolling)?
I felt bad for Carolyn--until she confessed that she still wants Burke. Get over it, girl, he doesn't want you anymore! You should only know what Liz walked in on in the cottage! Also, Carolyn wails about not wanting to be alone--that she wants her mother to live so she won't be alone. Why does that come across sounding selfish to me? This also shows how much Roger cares for Liz. They're constantly arguing, but when he sees that his sister is ill, Roger is concerned.
It was good to see Joel Crothers again; I was missing the group outside the family--too much Collins for me in recent eps. Joe is a nice fellow and I really can't imagine him wanting to hurt anyone, not even Carolyn. Yet he claims he feels the urge and refused to be her friend. He has Maggie now. Was Carolyn looking for some boyfriendly comfort from her ex?
Episode #157 - Dawn has come to Collinwood, gray and cold--the night storm is over, but there is no sun to be seen--the night's vigil is almost over, but the deeds of the night remain to haunt the day.
Vicki lies asleep in a chair in the drawing room. Fire! she calls out. Bird. Stone...stone! She wakes up. Vicki rises from the chair, rubbing her face with he hands. She turns off a lamp. The stone, she says. The picture goes blurry, and Vicki smells jasmine. Josette?--I know you're here, says Vicki, I can feel it--please help me--please
--help me understand the words Mrs. Stoddard kept saying--fire, the bird, yes, the stone, that's it, isn't it--the stone in the graveyard, the crypt--that's where I'll find the answers, isn't it?--she scent's fading--please, stay with me!--please help me!--please don't leave me! But Josette goes. All right, says Vicki, I'll go, but I'm afraid. She sits on the sofa. I'm so afraid, she repeats.
Vicki comes downstairs at Collinwood, still wearing the same clothes as the night before. She puts her coat on the foyer table. Hearing a car pulling up outside, she runs to the window to see who it is, then goes to the door. It's Frank. Come on in, she says. I'll get my coat, she says. Where are we going, what's happening? he asks. I'll explain it later, on the way, she says. Where? he asks--you call me at five o'clock in the morning, you say you'll explain it when I get here, now I'm here, you say you'll explain it on the way, and when I ask you where... I just don't want to waste time! says Vicki. What's going on down there? asks Roger, appearing on the landing. Vicki asks how Liz is. She's still sleeping, thank goodness, says Roger, Carolyn's with her--Gardner, what are you doing here at this hour? I wish I knew, says Frank, something wrong with Mrs. Stoddard? Hasn't Vicki told you? asks Roger. Not yet, says Vicki. What happened? asks Frank. I'll explain it to you later, says Vicki. Where are you two going? asks Roger. I'm sorry, says Vicki, but after this night it was so difficult, and I saw I couldn't get any sleep. That's certain enough, says Roger. So I asked Frank to take me for a drive, says Vicki. A drive to where? asks Roger, perplexed. No where in particular, she says, just out of the house to relax--I won't be gone long, I promise. I want to know what happened to Mrs. Stoddard, says Frank. It's another one of those terrible, unexplainable things, says Roger--it happened last night. she fainted right there at the foot of the stairs, says Vicki. Then she is sick, says Frank. That's what we thought, says Roger, but then she seemed to recover almost immediately. But when she came round, says Vicki, she couldn't remember anything that happened to her just prior to her fainting. And when she seemed to try to recall it, she got terribly weak all of a sudden, says Roger. The doctor examined he and couldn't find anything wrong with her, adds Vicki, except for the weakness and lapses of memory. He ruled out the obvious, says Roger, it wasn't a stroke--then he made some more tests and left, saying all she needed was rest. And she's resting now, says Frank. Wait, that isn't all that happened, says Vicki. Roger gives her a look. You realize, Gardner, I'll expect you to maintain a professional silence about this, says Roger--Mrs. Stoddard is ill--that's all anyone in Collinsport has to know. Of course, says Frank. In the middle of the night, we hard her cry out, says Roger. We should never have left her room, says Vicki. We heard her say, I remember--now I know. Presumably she knew what happened to her, says Vicki. We rushed into the room...he can't get out the words.
She had fallen at the foot of the bed, says Vicki--she wasn't unconscious--but she kept repeating the same words over and over again. None of it made any sense, says Roger--it was awful to see her lying there. He goes into the drawing room, trying to compose himself. Vicki goes to him. Perhaps I shouldn't go, she says, at least not for a little while. No, I'll be all right, Roger assures her, I think it would be better if you did go out for a while. Is there anything I can do? asks Frank. Yes, says Roger, I think you should take Vicki out for that drive--the change will do her good. Are you sure you're going to be all right? asks Vicki. Of course, now you run along, says Roger. Maybe it would be good for you to get out, says Frank. Today's going to be a difficult days for me, says Roger, and I'm going to need you help--you'll be better able to give it after you've gotten some fresh air. Roger's right, come on, says Frank. All right, but I won't be gone long, says Vicki. That's a good girl, says Roger, run along. Out in the foyer, Frank helps Vicki into her coat. Where are we going at this hour of the morning, he asks, and don't tell me out for a drive, or you want to relax. No, it's not going to be very relaxing, she warns--I want you to take me back to the cemetery--back to the crypt. Frank doesn't look thrilled to hear their destination.
Crypt - Frank knocks vigorously at the door, but there is no answer. Vicki insists he's got to be here. He'd answer if he was, says Frank. We can't have come all this way for nothing, says Vicki, please keep knocking. He does, calling out, asking if anyone is there. Maybe I dreamt it, says Vicki--that Josette is tying to help me. But you said you smelled the jasmine, he reminds her. I don't know, says Vicki, I dozed off, and I kept hearing those words Mrs. Stoddard said. Bird, stone, fire, says Frank. And I woke up on the word stone and thought of this place, says Vicki, and the gravestones, and that's when I smelled the jasmine--or thought I did. She knocks herself. We've come back to see you, just like we said we would! she calls--we've come back!--can't you hear me? I hear you, says the caretaker, standing in the woods behind them. Good morning, says Frank. We came back like we said we would, says Vicki. The stones are down in the storm, intones the caretaker, some of the graves are no longer marked--I have to check my records. Would you please help us? asks Vicki. Come inside, out of the cold wind, he says, unlocking the door. Frank thanks him. They all go inside, the caretaker looking around to make sure no one is following. The room is spooky. Frank turns on the overhead lamp. They didn't like it, says the caretaker, they knocked over all the stones, I have to look in my books to find out where they go. Don't you think it was just the storm itself that knocked them down? asks Frank. No, I saw them in the lightning, says the caretaker--there was no peace in the night at all. Would you--I know you're very busy, says Vicki, but would you please do us a favor--these books, they're the records of all the people buried in this cemetery. This cemetery and the one seven miles to the north, he says, the one they dug up when the town got too big to hold the living and the dead--the living, they stayed, the dead they gave to me--their names are here. Then you must have fairly complete burial records of this whole area, says Frank. They're all here, says the caretaker, the dead who were once the living. Do you remember the woman that's buried there in the crypt? asks Vicki--L. Murdoch Stockbridge. L. Murdoch Stockbridge died by fire, says the caretaker. The name Murdoch, says Vicki, do you know it? L. Murdoch Stockbridge, died by fire, repeats the caretaker. Do you have any other Murdochs buried here? asks Frank. Or any records? Asks Vicki. Murdoch, yes, I know that name, he says, touching the tombstone--L. Murdoch Stockbridge, died by fire. Do you have any Laura's? asks Vicki, is there any way we can trace the parents of L. Murdoch Stockbridge--or do you have anybody by the name of Murdoch? Possibly a Laura Murdoch? Asks Frank. Laura Murdoch? Asks the caretaker. L. Murdoch, says Frank, Laura Murdoch. Does the name Laura Murdoch mean anything to you? asks Vicki. I don't know, he says. Please try to remember! begs Vicki. Laura Murdoch what? asks the caretaker. We don't know, says Frank. I'd have to know the last name, says the caretaker. Couldn't it just be Laura Murdoch? Asks Vicki. Laura Murdoch, the caretaker repeats, L. Murdoch Stockbridge, died by fire. I know that, says Vicki, but what about somebody with just the name Murdoch--can't you trace some family records? Laura Murdoch, he says--there's another name to it, though, not just Stockbridge this time, another name, Laura Murdoch what? Try to remember, pleads Vicki. She's here, says the caretaker, I know she's here, but the last name, I can't remember. Vicki smells jasmine--can you smell it? she asks--she's here--Josette? Child, what is it? asks the caretaker. Can you smell the jasmine? Asks Vicki. Yes, the caretaker says, far, far away. No, here, right here in this room, says Vicki. Laura Murdoch what? asks the caretaker. Josette, please help us, says Vicki, I know you're here. I'd remember it if I heard it, mumbles the caretaker, but no, it's not Josette. A book falls from the shelf. Frank picks it up and turns it over. Laura Murdoch Radcliffe, he reads. Yes, Laura Murdoch Radcliffe! Agrees the caretaker. Frank, says Vicki, how did you know? Look, says Frank, where the page opened to. She looks, repeats the name: Laura Murdoch Radcliffe.
Laura Murdoch Radcliffe, says the caretaker (I'm tired of typing that!), taking down another book--her other records, they must be here--her parents, her ancestry. Are you sure I can't do that for you? asks Frank, as he watches the caretaker searching the shelves--you can tell me where to look. Vicki looks through one of the volumes. Oh, no, says the caretaker, they wouldn't like it. Frank, have you seen this? Vicki asks him--these dates, 1840, and 1867. How young she was when she died, says Frank. No, how young she was when she died, says Vicki--doesn't that mean something to you? He shakes his head--1867? L. Murdoch Stockbridge died in 1767, points out Vicki, exactly 100 years earlier. And this is 1967, says Frank. Yes, a gap of 100 years every time, says Vicki. That is strange, agrees Frank. I think it means something, says Vicki. Do you know what it means, our being here? asks Frank. We're searching about the past of someone called Laura Murdoch, says Vicki. It means more than that, insists Frank--you think that Mrs. Collins--Laura Murdoch Collins--had something to do with what happened to Mrs. Stoddard last night, don't you? I don't know, says Vicki. But you do suspect there's some connection between the "L" or Laura Murdoch buried here and Mrs. Collins, right? he asks. Yes, she says, I guess so, she must be her ancestor. OK, and something Mrs. Stoddard said in her trance or whatever it was, the word stone made you think of this place and it was at that moment that you felt Josette Collins wanted you to come back here. I know, says Vicki--it all seems related, but only up to a point. Do you think Mrs. Collins had something to do with what happened to Mrs. Stoddard? asks Frank again. How could she? asks Vicki . Admit it, he says, we wouldn't be here if we didn't have some feeling that Mrs. Collins is responsible or in some way involved in what's happened at Collinwood. She might be, admits Vicki--I have to admit that. And aren't we supposed to be on the way to finding out? he asks. I don't know, she says, the more we find out, the more we get involved in this mystery. And suppose we do find out a few facts about Laura Murdoch Radcliffe, what does that prove? Asks Frank. But I have the feeling we're suppose to find them out! says Vicki. I've found it! declares the caretaker, she's here, ah, poor soul. What does it say? asks Vicki. She was a Murdoch, he says, Laura Murdoch married Robert Radcliffe--they say she was a beauty, too bad to die so young. Does it say anything else about her? asks Vicki. Several things, replies the caretaker--strange, very strange--they're not listed. Who's not listed, asks Frank. They should be listed, mumbles the caretaker, no Radcliffe would have married her unless they'd known who they were. Her parents, Laura Murdoch's mother and father, says the caretaker, they're not named here--just the surname, Murdoch--no Radcliffe would have married her unless it were known! You mean there's no ancestry listed at all? asks Frank. No, and that is never done, says the caretaker. Does it say anything else about her? asks Vicki. Only the way she died, he replies--here, read it.
He hands the book to Frank, who reads, Laura Murdoch Radcliffe, 1840, to 1867--died by fire. He looks at Vicki, who shakes her head in shock.
Drawing room - Mrs. Johnson had strict instructions that I was to see no one! blares Roger at Lt. Riley. So she said, Riley says, but I thought you'd prefer it if I gave you my information instead of telling it to your housekeeper. I consider this highly impertinent, complains Roger. Yes, that seems to be your prevalent attitude, says Riley, all right, I'll give my message to Mrs. Johnson. Well, what is it? asks Roger, in high dudgeon. In the first place, we have the medical records on your wife's tests, the ones she submitted to so kindly, and they verify what you told us in the first place--that the woman living here is certainly Laura Murdoch Collins, your wife. A fact that most husbands would be relieved to hear! says Roger sarcastically. The tests proved that--the dental examination, the blood work, says Riley. I have had an incredibly difficult night, shouts Roger, and I see no point in your wasting my time telling me things I already know. Aren't you at least curious what this does to our report? Asks Riley. Curious?--not in the slightest, says Roger angrily. Vicki and Frank return. Riley says he's glad Frank is here. What is it? asks Frank. He's come to tell us that officialdom has finally agreed with us--Laura is Laura--he could be commended for his perception. This surprises Vicki. Then those tests did turn out the way we thought that would, says Frank. Yes, and no surprises there, says Riley. And the woman who died in the fire, asks Vicki, she definitely is not Laura Collins. Of course she wasn't, snaps Roger--Gardner, in the capacity as the family lawyer, would you please cope with Lt. Riley, I would very much like to go to my room! Of course, says Frank--Lieutenant, perhaps you can just give me the report. I'd be glad to, says Riley--oh, Mr. Collins, you will be available for further questioning. Questioning? Asks Roger, that's absurd, what more questions could there be? This case isn't closed, and until it is, begins Riley. Listen, Lieutenant, says Roger, you suspected my wife of being an impostor, then you put her to no end of humiliation, to prove her identity--she cooperated with you fully, and so did I--and that is about all you can expect from us--Good morning. Roger exits, furious. Frank asks Riley to excuse Roger, who has had a difficult night. Yes, says Riley, sounding pissed. What else is it that you want to tell me? asks Frank. There seems to be no doubt that the woman living here is Laura Collins, says Riley, but we still have that dead body in Phoenix. And we know as much about, or as little about, that woman as you do, says Frank. I'm willing to believe that, says Frank, and yet we can't deny the fact that she, too, checked out 100 percent as Laura Murdoch Collins. Given the choice, says Frank, I think you'd accept the identity of a living woman to a dead one, especially one who died in a fire. That's what we're going to have to do, agrees Riley--we're going ahead with the burial in Phoenix--we have to bury that woman as an unidentified body. That seems the only possible solution, says Frank. It's no solution at all, says Riley, it just leaves everything up in the air--we're baffled, we just don't have any next move. Then you're stopping the investigation? asks Frank. For the time being, agrees Riley, we have no choice--but do you know something?--if I weren't a sane man, I'd put down exactly what the facts indicate--just one thing--there are two Laura Collins!
--but as I say, I am a sane man and want to stay that way--so we'll settle for utter confusion. Vicki is processing all this as Riley bids them good morning and Frank leads him to the door. Frank returns to Vicki. Two Laura Murdoch Collins, says Frank. Do you really think there are two? asks Vicki. Of course not, says Frank, do you? I don't know, she says, I was thinking that perhaps there aren't just two--there are four, and all tied together with the same mysterious link. They all died by fire
--100 years apart, says Frank. Except for the one living now, says Vicki--she hasn't died.
NOTES: Oh, but Vicki, she has! That woman in Phoenix is clearly Laura's previous life, her pre-Phoenix life, if you will, and the woman we see here is Laura reborn. Yet, given what is to happen, does this make sense? Laura is mentioned in the 1897 flashback as having been married to Jeremiah, which will be yet another discrepancy.
I'm surprised and pleased to see how helpful and believing Frank is. I feared Vicki would alienate him with her crazy crypt trips, but he seems as interested in solving this as Vicki is. They do remind me of Barbie and Ken, boy and girl detective, but I like them together.
Roger sure was nasty to Riley, but I guess after the awful night he's spent with Liz, that's understandable. The fact that there appear to be two women, one living, one dead, with the same matching teeth and blood type is pretty odd, beyond rational science, but Riley would rather just forget it than pursue it. Vicki and Frank feel differently. They now have woman born 100 years apart, all of whom died by fire--and a body that is Laura's duplicate dead in a fire in Phoenix. Coincidence? I think not!
Love, Robin
