Episode #196 - A man has come to Collinwood, a man from out of the past. And with him have come memories, memories that cannot be forgotten, and fears that cannot be overcome.

Liz gazes balefully at Jason, who grins at her. "Hello, Jason," she says, sounding like someone having a bad dream. You remembered my name, he says approvingly, I thought you might have forgotten. Looking stunned, Liz assures him she didn't forget. Then my surprise is a complete success, he exults. You're the last person in the world I expect to see (or wanted to see, her tone implies). Carolyn comes in, smiling, and Jason explains that he's been talking to Liz' daughter--she's every bit the great beauty you are, Liz, you must be very, very proud. Carolyn asks her mother if he always talks like that. Yes, as I remember, says Liz coldly. Jason says he hasn't fully introduced himself to her daughter, and Liz makes the introductions. Carolyn, beaming, shakes hands with him, and asks her mother who he is. Someone I used to know, supplies Liz. Used to know, repeats Jason--now Liz, you've got to stop talking in the past. She asks what he's doing here, and he gives her a crooked smile and says, "Why Liz, surely you should know."

He asks if she got his letter from Tierra del Fuego a few months ago. She tells him she never got it. He says he still admires this room very much--there are some things that should remain unchanged, like Collinwood. It's just as it was 18 years ago, not nice, the last time he saw it, he says significantly--she remembers that night, doesn't she?--that night keeps coming into his head. Yes, says Liz, looking sick, mine, too. Jason suggests they sit down. Liz asks to be left alone with Jason and instructs Carolyn to ask Mrs. Johnson to get some coffee. Carolyn tells Jason it's been wonderful meeting him, and he says more than wonderful for him--see you soon  Liz closes the doors and faces Jason. We were about to sit, he reminds her. You may sit, if you wish, she says. He interrupts what she's about to say by remarking how marvelous she looks--18 years might as well have been yesterday, she's exactly as he pictured her, except her beauty seems to have deepened. (What an operator!) She asks what he wants. Would it surprise her to know he doesn't want anything? Then what are you doing here? asks Liz. Just passing through town and just wanted to say hello, says Jason. You aren't the type who passes through a town like Collinsport, says Liz. Aw, now Liz, I think you're hurting my feelings, he chides. It's impossible to hurt your feelings, she says, what are you doing here? He'll repeat it for the second and last time--passing through town. He grins (he's a grinner!) Soon he'll be saying goodbye, farewell, au revoir, and then he'll just disappear over the horizon into the setting sun. When? she asks. Shortly, he says, standing, unless, of course, she wants him to leave this very minute--and his affable manner changes into something dark and threatening. She looks upset, and walks away from him, then says that isn't necessary, please sit down. He's glad to hear her say that--and he sits back down on the sofa. He understands how she feels? Of course, he assures her, it's a natural reaction--but he wishes she didn't have to be that way--he wishes he could feel everything is all right between them. Liz wishes that, too. You can, and will, he says, and he'll be gone before she knows it, and it might be 18 years before she sees him again--or never again. Liz is clasping her hands tightly together. Is that possible? she asks. Of course, he says--he heard she'd been in hospital. She was, but she's much better now, says Liz. Good, says Jason. He's been through a lot, too, that have made him take stock of himself, he's been checking over the pluses and minuses in his life and coming up with a great big zero. What does this have to do with me? she asks. Nothing, says Jason, except the things that happened 18 years ago are very important to him, and how he spent the rest of his time--he'd like to forget it, if possible. Liz sits down and says they agree about that. There, you see, they can get along, he says, putting his hands on either of the arms of her chair, imprisoning her there. He's smiling hugely. Well, now, he says, it wouldn't hurt you to smile a bit. Where are you staying? she asks. Glad you brought that up, he says, he's not really staying anywhere at the moment--to be perfectly frank, he was hoping for an invitation from her. You can't be serious, she says, but he says he's the most serious man alive, and she should know that--there are so many, many empty rooms in Collinwood, seems a shame to have so many empty, empty rooms. This is embarrassing, protests Liz. And the worst of it is, he says, is that you're making me feel unwelcome, and you don't want that, do you, Liz? She can't ask him to stay here! Yes you can, Liz, he says, and you will.She looks at him, finally getting the hint.

Study - Carolyn sits down, a paper in her hand, and reads it over. Vicki enters and Carolyn explains that she's catching up on her correspondence. Vicki tells her she noticed the drawing room doors are shut--who's in there? Carolyn tells her that her mother has a dashing, handsome visitor she hasn't seen in 18 years--Jason McGuire, a friend. When did he arrive? asks Vicki. A short time ago, says Carolyn. Vicki asks if he has an Irish accent, and Carolyn says yes. It's the same man, says Vicki, she was talking to Maggie in the coffee shop earlier, and this man started a conversation with her, asking all sorts of questions about the Collinses, even about Carolyn's father. This shocks Carolyn. He wanted to know where he is, says Vicki. They would all like to know that, says Carolyn, wouldn't we? Apparently, this man is from the sea, says Vicki. That's Jason, all right, rhapsodizes Carolyn, he's fascinating. But who is he? asks Vicki. Carolyn says a friend of Mother's, and she's terribly curious about him--does Vicki suppose he could be am old flame? Vicki doesn't know. He seems like the kind of man who could carry a torch for a woman around the world several times, says Carolyn, clearly smitten, except she doubts he'd have any trouble finding another woman. (Loves older men!)Whatever it is, she hopes Liz will find out soon why he's here--and she's sure it will be for an interesting reason! She smiles.

"You can't force your way into this house and expect to stay here!" insists Liz. Jason tells her before she says that foolishly again, she should recall the true basis of their relationship. She turns away, miserable. They are hardly strangers to each other, Jason reminds her. They have no relationship, says Liz. Some things are undeniable, says Jason. I have no intentions of backtracking 18 years, she says. No need to backtrack, says Jason, what happened 18 years ago is what we base the future on. What future? she demands. Today and tomorrow, says Jason, that's all there is to it--when two people have shared an experience, they usually owe each other something. We owe each other nothing, she says. You're making me feel like we were enemies, says Jason, and we were anything but that--they were allies. I know what we were, she says, ashamed. I don't think you do, says Jason. I think you've forgotten everything, forgotten the most important incident in your life. She hasn't forgotten, she assures him. Jason says he hasn't begged for anything in his life, and he doesn't intend to start now, but he'll tell her this--in view of what happened, and what could happen, turning him away is not the wisest thing she could do--and once again, his affable mask slips. How long will you stay? She asks. Long enough, he answers. What does that mean? It doesn't mean anything, really, he says, just tell them that I'm here for a "brief" stay. And he sits down on the sofa while she stands there looking like her world has collapsed.

Jason stirs his coffee, watching Liz pace. He wishes she wouldn't be so nervous about this, Liz, think of me as someone you'd LIKE to have as a houseguest--she doesn't have to go out of her way to entertain him. She has no intention of doing that, she tells him. See, he says, you might even get used to having me around. She'll have a room prepared for him, she says. He thought he'd just stroll around the pick one at random, says Jason, putting down his coffee cup. There's one on the main floor you can use, she says. Near the servants' quarters? He asks--no, thanks, I'm not a servant, I just might be the most important guest you've ever had. He'd like one on the second floor with a view of the ocean, please. Liz agrees. Jason chuckles and sits back down. Do we dress for dinner here? he asks. No, says Liz. Good, he says, he brought a limited wardrobe. Dinner can always be served in your room, suggests Liz. Ah, but I'm not the kind who likes to eat alone, he says, and she'll find his table manners quite up to par. She looks at him as if he's an animal who strayed into her home. Roger enters, apologizing for interrupting, but Liz is glad to have him interrupt this terrible conversation. Roger says he's continually barging into rooms. Jason says yes, there's nothing quite like the challenge of a closed door. Well, says Roger, a man after my own heart. Liz introduces them, and they shake hands. Nice to see you again, says Jason. Roger can't place him. They met only once, says Jason, 18 years ago. Where was that? asks Roger. Right here, says Jason. Liz explains to her brother that Jason was passing through town and stopped by to say hello. Roger offers him a brandy. Not now, but definitely later, says Jason. Taken aback, Roger asks, "Later?" I've asked Jason to stay over, says Liz. Stay over? asks Roger. Jason says he hopes he's not imposing. Of course not, says Roger, there is plenty of room. In that case, says Jason, he'll go collect his gear and see them all later. He grabs his cap, shakes Roger's hand, and readies to leave."Thank you, Liz, it was very nice of you," he says by way of a parting shot, then puts on his cap and leaves, satisfied. "Collect his gear?" wonders Roger aloud. "What is he, a transmission expert?" (bleeder valve specialist) Liz is preparing herself a cup of coffee, and says, Roger, please. Is it my imagination, asks Roger, or did I hear you say you were having him stay over? You heard what I said, she says. I thought you detested having strangers in this house, Roger   reminds her. Jason isn't that much of a stranger, says Liz. He hasn't seen or heard of him before, says Roger, and that, to him, is a stranger. I happen to know him, says Liz, from years ago. Yes, 18 years I think he said, says Roger--he doesn't seem like the sort of person you would have gone out with. He was a friend of Paul's says Liz. Well, that's hardly a recommendation, remarks Roger. He was passing through town, Liz says. Yes, and stopped off to say hello, says Roger--if he has to stop over to say hello, how long will it take him to say goodbye? He's amazed she would bring a friend of Paul's into this house--how well does she know him? Well enough to invite him to stay, says Liz. Did be bring a message from Stoddard, or seen him, asks Roger. Not that I know of, says Liz. Would you please tell me what you two have in common? demands Roger. Liz stands and walks away, not answering her brother.
Liz looks out the window, and Roger says he doesn't understand her at all--if he's a friend of Paul's, he's probably as bad as Paul, or worse. Must you indict everyone? She asks. Roger says he simply wants to know the sort of person he'll be tripping over in the hallway. Liz doubts Jason will be in anyone's way. How long will he stay? Asks Roger. Not long. Could you be more specific--one night? Two? Liz isn't certain. Roger says he'll narrow it down--will he be transient or permanent? lease, Roger. Surely you discussed it! His stay will be brief, Liz assures him, that's all I can say. Carolyn and Vicki enter and Carolyn is disappointed that she didn't get to say goodbye to Jason. Don't fret, he's returning, says Roger, you'll see him again, a lot more of him. Carolyn asks her mother to translate Uncle Roger. Yes Liz, tell her what I'm saying. Liz says she invited Jason to stay over. "Stay over?" asks Vicki. How marvelous, gushes Carolyn. What's so marvelous about that? asks Roger. He's such an interesting person! says Carolyn, it will be great to have him around--how long will he be here? Not long, says Liz. Carolyn tells her uncle this really is a surprise. That your mother is having a houseguest? Asks Roger drolly. Not only that, says Carolyn, but she didn't think Liz was too happy to see Jason. Oh, says Roger. You're mistake, says Liz, I was just surprised. Looked more like shock to me, says Carolyn. "I will not be cross-examined or have my motives analyzed!" says Liz, leaping to her feet. "I invited a houseguest and that is it." Vicki begs her not to allow herself to get too excited. (Vicki, Roger and Carolyn are lined up in front of the fireplace, leaving Liz standing alone by the sofa. It underlines how isolated she must feel right now.) Roger walks over to her, assuring her they aren't attacking her. They're obviously interested and concerned about her friend, that's all. "He isn't your concern," says Liz crisply, "so you hereby have my permission to ignore him." Actually, he seemed a pleasant enough sort, says Roger sarcastically, but if that's your attitude, I might take your advice--and he leaves the room. Carolyn apologizes to her mother for causing this. Not your fault, says Liz. I've been reading meanings into things that don't exist, says Carolyn. Liz tells her to be careful, especially now, and not misinterpret what she sees and hears. I'll try, Carolyn promises, and I'm not like Uncle Roger--I'll make Jason feel welcome. No, that isn't necessary, says Liz, too sharply, then adds, more softly, I don't want you to go out of your way. Don't worry, says Carolyn, it's no trouble at all! And she leaves, too. Vicki is the only one left. She walks over to Liz and asks if there's anything she can do. No, says Liz. You should get some rest, advises Vicki. I'm beginning to feel tired, says Liz. You need to get your strength back, says Vicki. Liz agrees she's going to need all the strength she can muster. Why do you say that? asks Vicki. Liz tells her she's going to need her support. You know you have it, says the young woman. Promise me now, more than ever, says Liz, that you'll never reveal you saw me in the basement last night. Vicki assures her she's already promised that. Promise again, begs Liz, because I have to trust somebody!
Jason is in a pay phone. "Of course it's me," he says smugly, "everything is going beautifully!"

NOTES: Liz being blackmailed--but with what? What secret do she and Jason share? The chemistry between them is obvious--were they ever lovers? Is he, perhaps, Vicki's father? Speculate! Carolyn has a crush on Jason, which goes to prove she doesn't have good sense when it comes to men.

Roger was very, very nosy, too nosy. His sister owns that house, and can invite anyone she wants to stay--unless he just had a bad feeling about Jason. He'd only have been in his early 20's the first time he met Jason.

Vicki, not even a family member, is Liz' most trusted confidant. And don't they look very much alike?


Episode #197 - There is a guest at Collinwood, a guest whose smile masks the suggestion of evils past, present and future. But one only needs to look into his eyes to discover the danger that his smile cannot conceal.

Jason stands on the landing at Collinwood, surveying everything below with a proprietary air. He goes downstairs with a jaunty step and meets Liz in the foyer. She greets him coldly. He says his sleep was fine, the pillow soft, it could spoil a man. Don't let it, says Liz, it won't last long. Is that any way to greet a man in the morning? he asks, especially a guest? You may consider yourself a guest, she retorts, but you're actually an intruder. It's a good thing I'm not easily offended, he says. Liz demands to know how long he will stay. He doesn't know, he's just beginning to relax, unwind, all he can say is he might be here for quite sometime. If I were to become difficult, she asks, would it make the time shorter? If you were to become difficult, he says, you might hurt my feelings, and then I might have to do something to retaliate. Liz' eyes sparkle with hatred.

Liz asks if he intends to threaten her continually. No, he thinks she's smart enough to realize what's at stake here--no, no, their relationship from now on will grow into something really good--they might even become friends. It won't go that far, she promises. He doesn't get it, he says angrily--she was in trouble and he helped her. Going to the stairs to make sure no one is listening, Liz orders Jason into the drawing room, then shuts the doors. Why did you come back? she demands, you got what you wanted, you said you'd never come back, and now you're here. I came back because I had to, he says, I have a right to come back. You have no rights! She says. Haven't I? he asks, advancing more closely, hasn't life been pretty good to you these 18 years? No, it hasn't, she says. Don't give me that, says Jason. I have a conscience, you know, she says, her mouth turned down. Your shortcoming, says Jason. Haven't you? she asks. Now you want me to have a conscience? He asks, incredulous. Isn't that the worst thing I could have? Why? she asks. Because if I have a conscience, I'd run right through that door and go to the police. She turns away. What's the matter Liz, he asks, isn't that what you mean by conscience--isn't that what you're asking--there is no conscience then--why haven't YOU been to the police all these years? You can't answer that, can you? It's hypocrisy time at Collinwood--fine conscience you've got. Liz sits on the sofa, saying he's taking away what little self-respect she has left, leaving her nothing. Oh, now Liz, he says, sitting beside her, his tone more kind, he didn't mean to that--this is no time for name-calling, or fighting with each other--something happened here, 18 years ago, and they are stuck with it. Liz agrees, but says it doesn't make them partners. He doesn't want them to be partners, he says, he just wants a little "consideration."--she may have had to struggle with her conscience for 18 years, and maybe he did, too, but it's a lot easier to suffer in surroundings like these. You had quite enough to take care of you, she   reminds him. Well, high cost of living, he says, gone with the wind--things didn't turn out quite the way he thought they would. So now you've come back for more? Liz says, looking up at him. He didn't expect her to talk so crudely. But accurately, she says. Call it what you will, he says, I'm here to take stock of myself, get my bearings--I'm broke, haven't got a penny. He tugs on the lapels of his suit jacket and points out how old it is--most of his things were stolen in Panama, this is all he has left. Why tell her? she asks. He thought she'd be more sympathetic. HOW sympathetic, she asks, knowing what's coming. Sympathetic enough, says Jason, to pick up the telephone and call the excellent haberdashery in town and tell them to expect me to come in and charge a few things. I see, says Liz, so that's how it is. It's painless, he says, and not too demanding of her. He leans close to her, and she rises from the sofa and walks away, coldly saying his presence is a demand on her. It won't be so demanding when they see eye to eye, he promises. What if we never see "eye to eye?" she demands. They will, he says, grinning, "I have faith in you."

Evans cottage - Sam dials the phone. The inevitable bottle of booze is on the table. Roger answers and Sam reminds him he needs those paintings. Roger hasn't had time to look for them. Make the time! says Sam. Roger asks who he thinks he's talking to. Roger! barks Sam, I don't intend to play games with you, or listen to your pompous speeches, I want those paintings and I want them now! Those dreadful paintings are not where I thought they were, says Roger. Try harder to find them, says Sam, because if you don't, I swear, I'll blow the whistle on you. He hangs up on Roger, who looks quite perturbed. (And now both brother and sister are blackmail victims.)

Basement - Roger, flashlight in hands, troops downstairs. He glances around, searching for Sam's paintings, presumably, shining the flashlight into nooks and crannies and amongst the books, boxes and old furniture lying down here. He spots the locked door and takes the padlock into his hand, rattling it. When it doesn't give, he walks away from it. Hearing footsteps, Roger hides. We see feet descending the stairs, and Jason comes into view. He reaches to turn on a light, then changes his mind, finally lighting a match. He almost burns his fingers, but spots the same door Roger just tried. He lights another match to check the padlock, and Roger shines the flashlight on the same thing--"Does that help?" asks Roger. "I didn't want you to strain your eyes." Jason turns to look at him, smiles. Welcome to the basement, says Roger, and Jason thanks him. What are you doing down here? asks Roger. Make a wrong left turn, bluffs Jason. Oh, you're lost, are you? asks Roger. Without a compass, says Jason. I don't believe you, says Roger. Search me, invites Jason, I don't have a compass. You're not lost, says Roger. Blinded by the flashlight, Jason asks him to turn that someplace else, please. Roger does as Jason asks. Roger wants to know why he was looking at that lock so closely, and Jason says it's very old, and he used to collect old padlocks.It looked as thought you had every intention of adding this one to your collection, observes Roger. I switched to collecting stamps, says Jason, but still can't resist looking at an old padlock. Let's get serious, says Roger, what are you doing down here? Would you accept curiosity, says Jason--there's a door, and a nice, old, heavy padlock--it's only natural to speculate on what might be behind it. Speculate as much as you like, but it's none of your business! says Roger. Just curiosity, says Jason again. I assumed the family treasures were hidden there. A wealth of dust, perhaps, says Roger. They walk away from the door and Roger turns on the light. Let's say I accept your story, that you're a tourist, as it were, in this basement, says Roger, then tell me, why are you here--in this house. I thought your sister explained, says Jason. Not quite fully enough, says Roger. Don't make a big deal about my presence here, says Jason, I'm just doing the tourist route. Didn't you leave here 18 years ago with Paul Stoddard? queries Roger. I left at the same time as Paul, says Jason. Where is Paul? Asks Roger. Beats me, says Jason. When was the last time you saw him? interrogates Roger. 18 years ago! shouts Jason, and heads for the stairs--right here--and he points to the basement floor emphatically. What do you mean? ask Roger. He was collecting a few personal things, relates Jason, and he came down here looking for something. And you haven't seen or heard from him since then? People sometimes said they heard about him somewhere, says Jason, but it never checked out--why, are you hoping he'll return? Of course not, says Roger gruffly. They are on either side of a pile of junk. Oh, don't you want him to come back? asks Jason. No, says Roger frankly, but he's one of the most prominent loose ends we have, and I don't want my sister left dangling by him. That's the kind of man he was, not very dependable, says Jason--by the way, I heard Liz had become something of a recluse? Where did you hear that? asks Roger. In town, says Jason. Recluse is a strong word, says Roger icily. I hear she never leaves the grounds, says Jason. That's...the truth, admits Roger hesitantly. In 18 years? Asks Jason. Approximately, says Roger. Why? Roger doesn't know. Jason, arms crossed, says it's rather odd--18 years since the last time I saw her, or I should say, since the last time she saw Paul Stoddard. Roger asks, "What's it to you?" Nothing, says Jason, just an innocent bystander, it all ties up though, don't you think--her shutting herself up coincides with the time Stoddard went away. Roger gives him a dirty look (and it seems to be very sloppily edited, as though something was cut out), and suggests they go. Jason agrees--he's allergic to dust, anyway. Roger has turned off the light and is way ahead of him, heading for the stairs. By the way, says Jason, what were you doing down here? "That is my business," retorts Roger. Jason checks the padlock, then joins Roger going upstairs. We see the padlock one more time.

Liz holds a key in her hand, on a chain, and she hears a door slam and begins putting roses in a vase. Roger bursts in and tells her he's been searching the house from turrets to foundations, looking for paintings--has she seen them? What paintings, she asks. About a dozen, he says, some in frames, some not. Family portraits? She asked, most of them are hanging. No, says Roger, he picked them up about 10 years ago and not important, but he needs to have them--has she seen them? Liz doesn't remember them. I need them for personal reasons, says Roger, and he's searched everywhere except the locked room in the basement. (uh oh!) They wouldn't be there, she says, but Roger wants to check anyway--does she have the key? She doesn't know where it is. What do you mean? he asks. Angrily, she says, "I'm telling you, I don't know!" Take it easy, he says, staring at her strangely. The paintings aren't in there, she says, she knows. Roger wants to see for himself. You can't, insists Liz. Furious, Roger wants to know why she keeps telling him that--what's in that room? Some personal belongings, says Liz, and she doesn't want anyone poking around! It must be very personal and important, since it had a special padlock on it--even your guest was looking at that lock. "WHAT?" shrieks Liz. Yes, he was making himself very much at home around here, says Roger, he found him in the basement looking at the same lock we'd discussing now. Liz, agitated, walks toward the piano, leaning against it. What is it, Liz? He asks, what is there about this room, anyway? Nothing! says Liz. An unsatisfactory answer, he says, things are very strange around here, and I intend to find out what it's all about--and he leaves the room. Liz is upset.

Sam drinks at the Blue Whale. Roger enters. Other patrons are being served by the bartender. Roger joins Sam, who notes his arms are empty--"I thought you were going to bring me something." I thought I would, too, says Roger, he doesn't know where his paintings are--he searched all over the house, everywhere--he can't locate them. Sam insists he has to be kidding. They sit at a table. Roger says he wishes he were--they were in the house. I didn't expect you to hang them, says Sam, but I didn't expect you to lose them! He didn't, says Roger, they must be around--unless someone threw them out. This horrifies Sam--how can anybody throw out paintings? Roger says he's only guessing, but it's a possibility they must be considered. Do you have any idea how much time went into those canvases? Asks Sam. Roger takes off his hat and puts it on the table--he knows, he understands! No you don't, says Sam, some of those paintings took me months to finish! Well, you shouldn't have given them away so readily, says Roger. Sam says he had to give them to him to make their transaction look legitimate--and he needs those paintings! He's been given an opportunity that may never happen again, he says intensely, you'd better come up with them. I'll try, promises Roger. This is my chance for recognition, says Sam, now, you'd better come up with the paintings, or I'll go to Burke Devlin and start talking--and I won't stop talking until you're behind bars!! Roger orders him to keep his voice down. You know I mean it, says Sam--find them!!There's one other place they could be, says Roger, and leaves the bar. Sam drinks.

Down in the foyer, Liz joins Jason, who is leaving to go into town to try on a few suits. He assumes she phoned them to expect him? She did, she says. He assures her he'll try not to be too extravagant. She wants to talk to him in the drawing room, she says, and he hopes it won't take too long--he wants to try on some shoes, too. He holds his cap in his hands. Shall I leave the doors open, or would you like me to close them? he asks. Closed, she says. He thought she'd say that. She demands to know what he was doing in the basement. Your brother and I were socializing, he says. She asks again. "To refresh my memory!" he says, his smile gone. You were trying to open the lock, she accuses. No, he wasn't, he says, he was looking at it--quite a heavy lock, take a lot of picking to open it, but he thinks he might manage. Why would you want to open it? she asks. He doesn't, really, he was just looking over the situation, he has a big stake down there. Then why were you down there, drawing attention to it? I didn't invite Roger down there, says Jason, what was he doing down there in the first place? Looking for something, says Liz. Yes, for a moment, says Jason, I thought we were looking for the same thing, but he doesn't seem to know anything. No, he doesn't says Liz, and he won't, because I intend to keep that door locked!Jason says to tell her the plain, honest truth, he hopes that door never gets opened--never.

Roger comes down the basement steps, holding the flashlight.He goes over to the padlock and begins hammering away at it with a heavy tool.

NOTES: Brother and sister being blackmailed, but they don't dare confide in each other--pity. I feel Sam's desperation to jump-start his career, and Roger surely wishes he could find the paintings and get Sam--and his threats--off his back. Note how Roger is acting entirely in his own interests; even though his sister emphatically told him the paintings weren't in the locked room, his desperate drives him there.

Excellent scenes between Liz and Jason and Roger and Jason. Dennis Patrick is wonderful, superb, and I love watching him bait Liz. You can almost imagine sexual sparks flowing between them, even though she despises him for his blackmail.

Great stuff!

Love, Robin

Episode #192 - Vicki leads David into the woods, where the flickering flames from the burning cabin are reflected in the surrounding trees and bushes. She assures him he's all right. David, apparently in a state of shock, stares at the conflagrations, calling FIRE. Vicki tells him it will die out. DIE! He repeats. Pulling at him, Vicki tells him not to look at it, they'll go home. HOME? He asks. Take my hand, says Vicki, struggling with him, don't look at the fire! Home, moans David, that was my home--and he points to the burning shack. No, she tells him, it's not his home, it's the fishing shack. They're going home that's not your home. FIRE! FIRE! cries David, seemingly still intent on leaping into the flames where he saw his mother disappear.

Vicki continues to struggle with David, who appears to be in a weird trance. She begs him to come home, and he asks where they are going. She tells him she knows he's been through a terrible experience...at that points, Burke joins them, and Vicki tells him how awful it was. Burke says he saw the shack burning from the beach--is anyone...inside there? No, no one, says Vicki. David was there alone, asks Burke. No, says Vicki. Was she there? asks Burke. Yes, says Vicki, and when Burke wants to go to try and save her, she dissuades him--she saw her, but she vanished. This surprises Burke, but Vicki says it's the only way she can describe it. Burke still wants to go see, maybe it was the smoke, and she's still alive, but Vicki tells him firmly no, she's sure--there's nothing more to be done.David says, "That's the fishing shack burning, isn't it?" Come on, we're going home, says Vicki, leading him away.

In the hospital, Liz tells Carolyn she's beginning to remember, she knows she is. Carolyn says please, don't even try, the doctor says she must rest. Liz says she must remember what happened, or she can't rest. Carolyn reminds her that just before she got sick, she was at Aunt Laura's cottage, and something must have happened to you there, but please try to sleep--she'll be right here. I was asleep, and dreaming, says Liz, Dreaming about Laura at the cottage. You called to us, encourages Carolyn, and said you remembered. I woke up, continues Liz, I called, yes, I remembered about the choir, I got up out of bed, there was a storm someone in my room, I couldn't see who it was. Seeing her mother is getting upset, Carolyn tells her to rest, just a little while, then she'll help her remember. Liz promises to rest, but first she must remember---please help? All right, if you promise to stay very calm, says Carolyn, who then says she, Roger and Vicki heard Liz calling, saying she'd remembered what had happened; but by the time they got to her room... Liz remembers--she got up--there was something in the corner, she could see it, it was so dark, a shadow, a shrouded fog, she couldn't see who or what it was, at first she thought it Vicki, Carolyn or Uncle Roger. It was Aunt Laura, wasn't it? asks Carolyn. Not the Laura they think they know, says Liz, she can't describe her face, it was distorted with hate, eyes blazing, Laura in some other form, almost some other being, horrible, you can't imagine what she looked like. It's all right, soothes, Carolyn, now you promised me you'd try to get some rest. I wanted to resist her, but didn't have the strength, says Liz, no one would have, her eyes were piercing through me! Mother, says Carolyn, she's gone now, forget her. Gone? Asks Liz. Carolyn talked with Uncle Roger--Laura has left Collinwood and will never come back--and no matter what the doctors say, that's why you're better--because Laura is gone. "Not with David?" asks Liz anxiously. No, Carolyn assures her, not with David. Liz leans back on the pillows, supremely relieved.

Liz is sitting up, asking Carolyn about Dr. Guthrie--when he was at Collinwood, did he do a lot of prying? This puzzles Carolyn--he was trying to find out what was wrong with Liz. Liz knows that, but asks if he went everywhere--he must have gotten to know it very well. They gave him the run of the place, says Carolyn. Then he did go everywhere? Asks Liz uneasily. Yes, says Carolyn, just about. Liz asks if he went to the Old House? Many times, says Carolyn. And the closed off wing, asks Liz, did he go there. Carolyn doesn't know about that. And the basement, asks Liz, did he go into the basement?He never mentioned that he did, says Carolyn--why? No reason, says Liz, but is clearly concerned--she must get back to Collinwood. Soon, very soon, says Carolyn. Liz insists she wants to go home right now. Carolyn says she can't go right away, she heard what the doctor said. Liz wants to make sure David is all right, but Carolyn says she already told her--Aunt Laura is gone, Uncle Roger put her on the bus himself this morning, and David is safe at Collinwood. Agitated, Liz says she wants to go to Collinwood tonight, she never should have left there in the first place--why did Carolyn let them take her? They had no choice, says Carolyn, easing her mother back against her pillows, but she assures her, they didn't know what was wrong with her, but she promises, David is all right. David? says Liz. Yes, says Carolyn, perplexed, that's why you feel you have to get back, isn't it, to make sure he's all right? Yes...David, says Liz, but she doesn't sound as if that's what she's talking about after all. I've got to be with him, says Liz. Carolyn wants to call Collinwood and tell them how much better she is, and check on David, too, so you don't worry--try to rest. Liz can't, not until she's at Collinwood.

Collinwood in shadow - David's room - Vicki sits on his bed, asking if he thinks he can go to sleep now. Yes, he responds. She says to call her if he needs anything. He asks if the fishing shack burnt down. Yes, she says. Too bad, he says, he had all his fishing stuff in there. Try to go to sleep, says Vicki, not wanting to discuss it. I wonder how it started, he muses. It doesn't matter, she says, try to get some sleep now. He asks about his mother--she's gone, isn't she? Yes, says Vicki. I was supposed to go with her, wasn't I, but it didn't work out that way, did it? he asks. Vicki shakes her head--no. Why not? he asks. Because you wanted to stay here with us, says Vicki. Is that how it was? he asks. Why did I decide to stay here? Because you know how much we love you and how much we'd miss you if you ever went away, says Vicki. My mother wanted me to go with her--was she angry or mad when I said I wouldn't, he asks. No, says Vicki. Are you really sure, he asks. Yes, she says, because, David, your mother wanted you to be in a place where you'd be the happiest--she loved you. Does she? he asks. Yes, she assures him, and always remember that. Maybe I'll go visit her, or maybe not, says David. Vicki says he doesn't need to decide that now. David says he's glad he decided to stay here. Are you? she asks. Yes, I wouldn't want to leave here--ever.Vicki pats his head and says she's very glad he feels that way--very glad. She leaves his room smiling, and he pulls the covers over himself and closes his eyes, contented.

Vicki and Burke sit on the sofa in the drawing room. Burke is surprised David doesn't remember anything that happened. Vicki says he knows his mother is gone, but vague about the rest of it. Probably in a state of shock, speculates Burke. She hopes he can forget about it all, and somehow it will stay erased from his mind. Roger returns, and gives Burke a dirty look when he greets him, demanding to know what's going on around here? He tried to forget a semi-forgetful evening in town and someone told him there was a fire at Collinwood. He pours himself a drink. In the fishing shack, says Vicki. Is that all it was, grumbles Roger. Vicki says she has something to tell him, and tells Burke she wants to talk to Roger alone. Burke agrees that would be better, and leaves the room. What is he talking about? Asks Roger.What's going on around here. It's Laura Collins, begins Vicki. Is she back? asks Roger, clearly scared. "Is Laura here?" She was, says Vicki, but gone now. Gone where, asks Roger. She tells him Laura was in the shack when it burned. Roger is stunned. Laura? Yes, says Vicki. Impossible, says Roger, I put her on the bus, saw her leave with my own eyes--are you sure it was Laura. I was there, says Vicki. You were there? he asks. She didn't escape? asks Roger. No, says Vicki. You couldn't have helped her? he asks. No one could have, insists Vicki gently. Roger can't get over it--Laura, he says. She didn't want any help, says Vicki, it was a fire, that's what she wanted. I can't believe it, he insists. "I got David out just in time," adds Vicki. DAVID? says Roger. Yes, he was in there, says Vicki. She wanted to take David with her? asks Roger. She wanted to take David with her, just like in the story of Laura Murdoch Radcliff, says Vicki. Roger looks like he's taken a hard punch. He sets down his drink and says, "David--she wanted to kill David--she wanted to burn him." He's all right, Vicki assures him. You saved David, didn't you? Roger asks. Yes, but he wanted to stay there with his mother. Roger shakes his head, saying he doesn't know what to say--where is he now. Upstairs sleeping, says Vicki, somehow, he's forgotten everything that happened. Roger walks away, then looks at the staircase. "I should have stayed here with him," he says regretfully, "I should have known he'd still be in danger." And he goes upstairs.

Vicki answers the phone--it's a cheerful Carolyn, who tells her Mother is better--she's going to be all right. Vicki says that's wonderful. Carolyn doesn't know what happened, but tonight, little by little, she began to get better. Vicki understands--Laura Collins burnt to death tonight. Burned? Asks Carolyn. Yes, it was awful, says Vicki. Carolyn asks about David. Liz asks if anything happened to him. He's all right, Vicki assures them, but Laura, says Carolyn. Burned? Asks Liz. Yes, says Carolyn. Vicki tells Carolyn to tell her--how much better is Liz? She can talk, move, says Carolyn ecstatically, she can remember--and she'll be coming home very soon--isn't that wonderful? Vicki agrees. They're finally free, and can stop being afraid, says Carolyn. Vicki hopes so, as does Carolyn, who hangs up. I've got to go home--back to Collinwood, murmurs Liz.

Roger enters David's room and looks at his son. David stirs. Roger fixes the covers, just staring down at him. He's about to go when David awakens. "Father? I thought that was you, but I wasn't sure." It's me, says Roger. "I", corrects David--don't you remember, it's incorrect to says it's me, even if it sounds very funny--you're supposed to say it's I. He's very matter of fact. Roger apologizes, as does David--you always told me it's very rude to correct your elders--I apologize. Roger sits on his bed, assuring him, "You don't have to apologize, son." David asks if he heard about the fishing shack. Yes, says Roger, go back to sleep, I didn't mean to wake you up. It burned down, says David. Roger tells him he knows--try to get some sleep. That's too bad, laments David, I had all my fishing junk in there. Roger says they'll see that he gets more. There was one pole he especially liked, Matthew helped him make it, a long time ago, says David. Don't worry about that--or anything, says Roger, in a tone that makes David ask if he's all right.Yes, says Roger, standing up stiffly, of course I'm all right--try to go back to sleep now, son. David asks if he was looking for something. No, says Roger. Then what did you want? Asks David. Oh, I just wanted to...he sounds as if he's going to cry--nothing--I didn't want anything, says Roger. David doesn't understand. Roger says he doesn't, either, there's so much that's so hard to understand--so much.

Drawing room - Burke tells Vicki the fire is almost completely out--Joe is keeping an eye on it. (No fire trucks in Collinsport?) Vicki asks if they should call the police, or an ambulance? They can call the police tomorrow, and no need for an ambulance, says Burke. Then she was right, says Vicki, there's nothing there. Just a pile of ashes and some burned-out fishing tackle, says Burke. Vicki walks away, saying she knew about the way she was going to die--she heard her telling David a story once, that could have been about herself--a beautiful phoenix who was consumed in fire, and reborn from it's ashes. Impossible, says Burke. That was a story she told a child, says Burke. I know, says Vicki, but she's gone, and left nothing behind. She left one thing, says Burke, fumbling in his pocket. He shows Vicki a locket, which she immediately recognizes. The fire didn't destroy it, says Burke. Vicki takes it from him--the woman who died in the fire in Arizona was wearing this, says Vicki. Are you sure? asks Burke. Yes, there's only one like it in the whole world, says Vicki, and Mrs. Collins was wearing it when she first came here. How could she, asks Burke, if the woman in Phoenix was wearing it? Because she was Laura, says Vicki wonderingly, holding the locket, "Laura Murdoch Collins."Whoever that was, says Burke. Yes, whoever that was, says Vicki, turning to look at him.

NOTES: One of the very best Roger scenes ever. Roger has a lot of trouble expressing emotion, and his scenes, first with Vicki, then David, have always produced a lump in my throat. Roger is an SOB in this storyline, pretty much, but his love for his son comes gleaming through here, vividly. Kudos to Louis Edmonds for his performance. Henesy was equally wonderful.

Laura Collins was the first supernatural creature we encountered on DS, before her, ghosts were the staple supernatural forces. She made a terrific villain. It's a blessing that David thinks his mother has just gone away, but you sense he knows the truth, deep in his heart.

Burke is such a manly, cool guy. I always enjoyed Mitchell Ryan's performances, gaffes and all. I liked him, and I'm glad he went on to such a good career.


Episode #193 - Sam Evans' studio - Peace has not yet found a home near Collinwood, Vicki's intro tells us. Someone knocks at the door and Maggie, in a quilted bathrobe, first looks out the window then greets Joe, asking if he's all right. He tried to make it home, but just couldn't, he says. She helps him sit down, asking if something happened at Collinwood, and he says yes--don't ask. Concerned, she notes his smudged-up hands and face. There was a fire, she says. Yes, he tells her. Something happened to David, didn't it? demands Maggie--Joe, you've got to tell me!

What happened to David? demands Maggie. Vicki saved him from the fire just in time, says a slightly out of breath Joe. Where was the fire? she asked. Maggie kisses him and touches his face as he reveals they found him at the old fishing shack--Vicki got there first, he, Vicki and Burke were searching for him all night--the woods, everywhere. Joe, he's all right, she assures him--relax and she'll make coffee. Sam exits his bedroom and Joe apologizes for waking him up. Was that you banging on the door a little while ago, asks Sam, without rancor. Take it easy, Pop, he's had a hard night, says Maggie. Sam's hand is bandaged. Maggie explains how David almost burned up in the fishing shack near Collinwood. Sam said they thought all would be OK with Laura gone. She came back, says Joe. Laura Collins was there? asks a surprised Maggie. Yes, says Joe. In the fire, in the shack, asks Sam. Yes, says Joe. She tried to kill that little boy, says Sam. Maggie tells Sam Vicki got him just in time. I don't understand, it was her son, says Sam. Maggie asks Joe what happened to Laura--was she killed. I guess so, says Joe, they waited until the fire was completely out, he searched the ashes, there was no sign anyone had burned there. She got out, says Sam. No, says Joe, Vicki told Burke, after she talked David out of his mother's arms, Laura Collins vanished, just disappeared. Are you sure? demands Sam. I see, says Sam, and she really wasn't human. Maggie recalls the day she came to Collinsport, the day she got off the bus. She's gone now, muses Sam. Yes, says Maggie, for a long, long time. How do you know? asks Sam. Maggie reveals how the friendly woman told her the story of the phoenix. The bird that consumes itself in fire, says Sam, then rises from it's own ashes. Not for almost a century,. Says Maggie. Joe says, Laura Murdoch Radcliffe, Laura Murdoch Stockbridge, Laura Murdoch Collins... You mean, they were all the same person, asks Sam? Maybe, says Maggie. Impossible, insists Sam. Maggie says they will never know for sure, but the story meant something to her, and did come true.Not possible, says Sam, but very likely the truth. And they all look seriously at each other.

Outside shot of Collinsport, busy with traffic. Cottage - Sam examines his hands, which are no longer bandaged. He answers his door to find a Mrs. Portia Fizsimmons standing there. She asks to come in, and says her name means nothing to him? No, he says. You are a painter, and my name means nothing to you? she asks. He repeats her name, realizing who she is. She thanks him for recognizing her, saying he almost toppled a monumental ego of the art world. To say the least, he hardly expected her, he says. She doesn't give advance warning to painters, she says, she likes to catch them off guard. When did you paint that, she asks, pointing to a painting. Last summer, he says. Another--two years ago, business has been slow, says Sam. She says it's about to pick up, that she would say that painting is five years ago--she's very familiar with his paintings from 10-12 years ago, and midway from the ones he's doing now. He hasn't been painting for sometime, says Sam, he had an accident with his hands. She isn't interested in that, she says--she's sorry to hear about his hands, but she isn't interested in what he's painting now. Sam is puzzled. She reminds him of one of his paintings--3 women on a wharf mending fishing nets? The one of the Red Star, recalls Sam, he did that about--10 years ago, she finishes. I'm a much better painter now, says Sam. She agrees with that, but says give the public a chance. She tells him she's Mrs. Fitzsimmons, and her being there is too good to be true.  It IS true--she wants his paintings, a series dating 10-12 years ago. You're going to have a show of me in your gallery? Asks Sam, amazed. She says she wouldn't have a show in anyone else's. Sam doesn't get it. Looking at another canvas, she says he's a very good painter. I thought I was the only one who knew that, says Sam. You were, until about two weeks ago, says Portia, when I came across one of your paintings, don't ask me where, it would just depress you to hear. A junk shop? he guesses. A shop, she says, but the frames, not the pictures, were to be sold, and if you bought frames, the pictures were thrown in for nothing. Sam remarks it's nice to know that one's handsomely framed. The frames were terrible, but the pictures were of a style about to be in fashion again, she explains, if he's got anymore, enough for a show, they're in business. He doesn't know, says Sam. Come on, Evans, she says, don't be hard yet. He doesn't know if he has enough paintings of that period, he says. She finds it hard to believe he sold that well, she says. As a matter of fact, he did, he says. And probably for nothing, she says, she wants to but them back, and sell them, of course, for a considerable profit for both of them, which she can get. He might be able to get some of them, he says, but are you sure you aren't interested in some of what I'm doing now? Maybe I will, in time, she says, but I want to do a big job on you, and when I'm through, you'll be rich and famous and I'll be rich, and that's all right with me. She only wants those older paintings, because she knows they'll sell, and doesn't want to take any chances they won't. Sam thinks hard. Well, can you get me at least 12 paintings, or as many as you can of that period, she demands. He doesn't know. She says if he gets the paintings, she'll get the showings and the sales. And the reputation? Asks Sam. All artists are alike, says Portia, veritable hermits working away, far, far from the fancy crowd--with one single vision to keep going and that is fame. Fame isn't everything says Sam. Fame is like salt, she says, what's meat and potatoes without it? She asks if he can get her the paintings. He thinks so, he says, yes, he's sure he can. It will be meat, potatoes and more salt than will be good for him, she says--he has a week. Sam isn't happy with this time frame. She's got to set up a whole season, she reminds him, it takes a lot of time. A week is all he has, and he can do it in that time--if he can do it at all.And, imperiously, she leaves the cottage.

Blue Whale - Joe and Maggie sit over a couple of drinks. He supposes he should be surprised, but nothing will ever surprise him again. Maggie says her father was just sitting and staring at his hands. Healed, just like that, says Joe in disbelief. It was Laura Collins, says Maggie, and Joe says not to even mention her name, he doesn't want to think of it anymore. Neither does Maggie. He takes her hand in his, apologizing for busting in on her this morning. She says to feel free to make it a habit. He was knocked out all day long, says Joe--she hasn't talked to Vicki up at Collinwood, has she? asks Joe. This catches the attention of a stranger wearing a dark cap, sitting at the bar. Maggie says, she was going to, and figured she should wait. Joe asks if he told her about Liz--Carolyn called this morning--very suddenly, she's better. They both know why, don't they, asks Maggie. The man from the bar interrupts their conversation, asking if he mentioned a Mrs. Stoddard, and Collinwood. Yes, says Joe, sounding a bit suspicious. The man apologizes for breaking in like this, but did he say Liz was better? Joe asks if the man is a friend of Liz', and he says he'd like to think so; it's been a long, long time--has she been ill? Joe says he doesn't feel he should be discussing this. The man says he understands and shouldn't be intruding (and sits down with them)--if Liz has been ill, she's better now. Maggie asks Joe what's the difference, everyone finds out whatever happens at Collinwood--it becomes general knowledge sooner or later. She's been sick and she's better, says Joe. Thank you, says the man, I've been away a long time. Then you're from Collinsport, asks Maggie. No, but he spent quite a lot of time here, years ago, the man says. Maybe you know my father, says Maggie--Sam Evans. The man thinks over the name, says it sounds familiar, but it's been a long time, too long. He introduces himself as Jason McGuire, and Maggie introduces herself and shakes his hand, and this is Joe Haskell. He offers to buy both of them a drink, but Joe says they were getting ready to leave. He gets up, apologizing again for intruding. Maggie says, "Welcome back." He returns and asks Maggie if Mrs. Stoddard is well enough to receive visitors. Maggie says she isn't at Collinwood, she's been staying at a Boston hospital, but is much better now and should be coming home. He heard something shocking about Liz, he says, a scandal. Do they know what he's talking about? No, says Maggie. He's probably mistaken, one of those rumors, there's nothing to them. Maggie says she thinks she knows what he's talking about, but Joe tries to stop her. What's the difference, says Maggie, everyone in town knows she's a recluse, she hasn't left Collinwood in 18 years--not until she went to the hospital. No one really knows why, but there are hundreds of theories as to why she won't leave. Hmm, says McGuire, that's curious. She stayed shut up in that house for 18 years. By her own choice, says Maggie. Joe suggests they get going. How sad, remarks Jason. Mrs. Stoddard probably still is a very beautiful woman. Yes, she is, says Maggie as Joe helps her into her coat. And so she stayed close to Collinwood all this time, muses Jason--how sad. And he gives them a smile that quickly fades.

Collinwood drawing room - Roger paces angrily, telling Sam he told him he didn't want to see him and he meant it. Sam says he knows what he was through, he heard about his wife. Roger wants Sam to leave immediately--please go. Sam says as soon as he made arrangements to pick up his paintings. Roger asks if he is drunk, demented or what? Very important, or he wouldn't be here now, says Sam--the paintings he sold him 10 years ago. Those preposterous canvases? demands Roger. I don't know where they are or what you're talking about. I'm talking about the paintings I sold you 10 years ago, says Sam, I want them, I need them. Roger says nonsense, they're his, anyway, to begin with, and he has neither the time nor inclination to go looking for them--he might have destroyed them, someone else might have, he really doesn't know (or care, apparently). Roger pours a drink, and Sam tells him he wants those paintings within a few days. Why, asks Roger. They're mine, says Sam. You're mistaken, I paid a rather tidy sum for them, if you recall. You didn't pay a cent for them, says Sam. Fifteen thousand dollars, says Roger, isn't that right. No, says Sam, that money was for something else. It was for the paintings, insists Roger. "It was because I saw you behind the wheel of that car," Sam reminds him. Shut up! says Roger. How many times have I warned you never to mention that? Sam says he wants those paintings and will do whatever he has to do to get them. Sounds like a threat, says Roger. You can bet it is, says Sam. Tell me, says Roger, why are these paintings suddenly so precious. None of your business, says Sam. They must have some value, or you wouldn't want them, insists Roger--tell me, are they valuable? Only to me, says Sam. Roger doubts that. Are you going to give them to me? asks Sam. I might sell them to you, if I can locate them, says Roger. Sam tells Roger he's not going to sell them to him, he's going to GIVE them to him. And what if I don't, asks Roger. I'm going to Burke Devlin, warns Sam. Will HE give them to you? Roger asks. You know what I'm talking about, says Sam. Roger thinks I over, then says you must want these paintings for a reason--and for money--therefore I won't give them, but sell them to you. Sam offers to give back the fifteen thousand. Roger turns to look at him, fascinated--where would YOU get that kind of money? he demands. I'll get it, promises Sam. I see, then they are valuable, guesses Roger. Let me think--art prices usually rise in time, if the artist is any good--and I think you're exceptional, Evans, I've always told you that--I'll sell you back the paintings for 50 thousand dollars. Sam is stunned--and angry. That's a bargain, says Roger, arms crossed, if you've managed to get 15 thousand, surely you can scrape up an additional 35 thousand? You know I can't, says Sam, disgruntled. Oh, I'm sorry, says Roger, for a moment, I thought we'd do business together. Maybe we still can, says Sam. You're prepared to make a counter-offer? Asks Roger. Sam says he'll give him 48 hours, then he's going to Devlin and tell him the whole story--how Roger killed that man and framed Burke for it--he starts to leave. You wouldn't dare, says Roger. They face off. Besides, says Roger, he really doesn't know where the paintings are. 48 hours, Roger, that's my rock-bottom offer, says Sam, going into the foyer to put on his hat.48 hours, Sam says again, and leaves Roger standing there.

NOTES: Love Portia, so sophisticated and definitive--she knows what she wants! And her real name--Lovelady Powell! Do you know anyone else with that name?

What has gone on between Roger and Sam? This show provided the nutshell for that one--Sam helped cover up Roger's manslaughter crime for big bucks, supposedly in exchange for his talent. Sounds like he sold his soul to Roger for fifteen grand, doesn't it?

Love Maggie and Joe together, they're such a great, sweet couple, very wholesome.

We've met Jason McGuire, who will figure prominently in the next batch of episodes. He's a great character, brilliantly-played by Dennis Patrick.

Love, Robin

(ADMIN NOTE: Robin accidentally posted Eps #186/187 again instead of Eps #188/189 - so for the time being here are summaries for Eps #188/189 that were originally posted on AOL in 1995)



Subj: Wednesday 8/9/95 update              95-08-09 19:14:36 EDT

From: AlaneMegna


Dark Shadows update. August 9, 1995


Episode 188
Roger, Vicki and Burke discuss whether David is in any immediate danger. Roger says he's going to march on down to the cottage and kick Laura off the property. Vicki says that could set Laura off so she really hurts David, but Roger wants to act while he's good and angry.Vicki wants to keep an eye on David.

Laura isn't exactly broken up when Roger tells her about Guthrie's death. Before Roger can kick her out, Laura says she's decided to leave - without David. She'll take the bus to Boston tomorrow and won't say good-bye to David.Roger is surprised she's not bitter.

Burke is making plans with Vicki to take David on the fishing trip. Roger comes back and tells them about Laura. Vicki and Burke are skeptical, and Burke goes to confront her.

Laura is packing as Burke knocks at the cottage door. He lets himself in. He tells her he'll be leading the cheers when she leaves - IF she leaves! He demands the real reason why she's going. She says she can't take the pressure anymore. Burke says he doesn't want to judge her - but he has no choice but to condemn her. She turns on the tears, and he says it's been a long time since he saw her cry. She says she's leaving because she doesn't want to hurt David. He gives her his farewell - criticizing her for making the past so terrible - and leaves.Laura looks into the fire and sees the image of David in his bed.

Vicki checks on David and then locks him in.

Roger is pacing in the Drawing Room. Burke tells him and Vicki that he's fairly confident Laura's leaving tomorrow. Vicki is unconvinced. Roger says he'll watch Laura get on the bus.Vicki begs Burke to still take David on the fishing trip.

Laura appears in David's room. He tells her he wants to be with her. She explains that will happen tomorrow night. He tells her about his fishing trip to the lodge with Burke. She says there will be plenty of fish where she's going - so David says he'll go with her instead. She tells him Roger is planning to send him to boarding school, so he must make his getaway. She'll be waiting for him at an old fishing shack at 11:30 p.m. tomorrow.She then disappears before Vicki comes back into the room.


Episode 189
It's morning, and David awakens to see Vicki. He tells her she doesn't need to stay with him because he's not afraid. She says that now morning's broken, she's not afraid either. Vicki starts on David's lessons when Mrs. Johnson comes in and breaks the new that Laura has gone away.David tries to act sad.

Burke comes into the coffee shop and tells Maggie he saw Laura leave on the Hartford bus. Joe enters and says he has a feeling something's not right. He urges Burke to keep a close watch on David.

Maggie tells Joe her father slept well after hearing Laura was leaving.Joe has a sudden revelation about something.

David tells Burke he'll pass on the fishing trip. But then, Burke assures him they'll be back by the evening- he wants Vicki to then go out on a date with him. Vicki tells him to look out for the boy even though Burke's convinced everything is OK.

That evening, Mrs. J. tells David that she wants him to get ready for bed. David claims he has to study - then tries to slip out.He goes back to the books, then tells her he's starving. He asks for a glass of milk, she says they can go down together after he's finished with his studies.

At the Blue Whale, Vicki is telling Burke yet ANOTHER of her orphanage stories. Joe comes in and says they miscalculated the date that the previous Laura and David died in the fire - today actually is the anniversary date. Vicki frantically calls Mrs. J. to check,and that gives David the opportunity to slip out!

Episode #184 - The air at Collinwood is tinged with the coldness of the grave as the dreadful truth of the unanswered come out into the open. Two people face each other, two people of two different worlds.

I don't understand you, Laura says. I'm sure you do, says Peter--I'm saying that you are the undead. And just what do you mean by that? she asks. I mean that you've lived and died, he says, and somehow come back to walk the earth. I don't know whether to laugh at you or cry--I suppose I should laugh, since I've never heard anything so ridiculous. I'm a man of science, he says, I wouldn't make such a statement unless I meant every word of it. Let's be honest--are you denying you're the undead? And if I am? she asks.

If you are the undead, he says, and I'm sure you are, then this is a very significant moment. Why? she asks. Because this kind of communication has never been possible, he asks--are you aware of what this could mean to the world of the living? You really are serious about this, aren't you? she asks. I told you, he says, it's been my life. You're life? she asks--really, what an interesting way to put it. But I'll tell you what disturbs me the most, he says, and why I'm speaking to you so frankly. Please do, she says, sitting by the fire--you fascinate me no end. What interests me, he says, is why you've come back. Surely your investigative techniques given you the answer to that? she asks. It has something to do with David--what is it you want with him? he asks. David is my son, she says--I want him to live with me. That word is taken on another meaning, he says--you'll have to explain it. Where can you go? he asks. The place has been chosen, she says, and it's many miles from here. Name the place, he says. No, she replies, it's really none of your business. Why do you need David so desperately? He asks. Because he's my son, she says. I'd hoped you wouldn't give me such pat answers, he says. Really, Dr. Guthrie, she says, you've gotten more answers already than you're entitled to, considering this fantastic idea you presented to me. You still haven't denied it, he points out, not completely. Nor have I admitted it, she reminds him. You've come back from the dead and you want your son, he outlines, there has to be a reason--what are you going to do to David? Love him, she says. There's more to it than that, he insists--you want him for a specific purpose. She stands. You're becoming tiresome, she says. I know I am, he says, that's because I'm closing in on you, and you can feel the pressure--I must know now--what is it you represent--the force of good or evil--what are you? You would hardly expect me to tell you I'm evil, she says. Why does Josette oppose everything you want to do? he asks. I can't imagine, she says. Does she represent good or evil? He asks, You're going to have to ask her that yourself, she says. I'll do that, he tells her, and very soon--how do you explain the long procession of Laura Murdochs who died by fire? I don't, she says. The empty coffins and the empty slab in the morgue--all those places should have been occupied by long generations of Laura Murdochs--why?--where are they?--isn't it so that they are all standing here in front of me--that you have been all the Laura Murdochs for centuries? I think I've played this game long enough, she says. The evidence has been stacking up against you for centuries, accuses Peter, well I beg you, for David's sake--leave him alone. You are insulting, she says. I'm afraid you'll harm him, says Peter. Get out of here! she demands, opening the door. If you promise to leave him alone, I promise I'll help you, says Peter, picking up his coat. I don't need your help or anyone else's, she says. Then I'll have to stop you, he vows. If this preposterous notion of yours were true, she says, just what do you think you can do about it? You've been cut off from others, he points out, you have no allies, I compiled enough data to convince everyone my theory about you is true--the fact that you're exposed and identified is in itself an advantage over you. No one will ever believe you, she warns him. I think they will, he says. You'll be laughed out of town, she says. I'll prove it, he says, you'll see. You're powerless, she tells him--powerless. He leaves. She slams the door and leans against it, horrified over what has happened, frantically trying to decide what to do.

Collinwood - Joe knocks at the door, observing the sky. Peter answers, glad to see him. Your message said urgent, says Joe--I hope you're not planning another trip to the cemetery., No, Peter assures him, this time it's something within reason. Sounds comparatively dull, says Joe. Time is running out, says Peter--I just talked to Laura Collins, I tried to forestall her making a move with David--I've managed to cut her off from any allies, she's isolated, boxed in, but I can tell she's ready to lash out--I don't know what form this retaliation will be in, but I do know she'll take action, and soon--we've got to block any opportunity she has. What can we do about it? asks Joe. The only one who seems to know about Laura Murdoch Collins is Josette Collins, says Peter. That's reaching a little far, remarks Joe. Yes, says Peter, but she almost got through to us once--tonight, I'm going to make it possible for her to get through without any interference. Another seance? asks Joe. Yes, says Peter and this time it will be very different--everyone there will be sympathetic--by that I mean each person will also have had some contact with Josette. Who will the people be? asks Joe. David is the one who's had the most frequent contact, says Peter, Vicki was the last medium she used--and one more--Sam Evans. You've got to be kidding, laughs Joe. Sam was used by Josette to make those paintings, says Peter, so Sam is already a medium. He'll never do it, predicts Joe. That's where you come in, says Peter, you know him, you've got to convince him to take part in this. He'd throw me right out of the house, says Joe, and that's not saying what his daughter will do to me. Please, Joe, do your best, says Peter. OK, says Joe, what time, where should he be? Ten o'clock, at the Old House, says Peter. He'll just love that, says Joe--it might take a couple of drinks to get him there. One other thing, says Peter--I'll have Vicki put a table and chairs just outside the old wing, they'll have to get to the Old House somehow. I'll pick up one of the company's station wagons and put them in, says Joe. Thanks Joe, says Peter, and says he'll be waiting to hear from him later. David comes downstairs and Peter asks what he's up to,. Homework, says David. Sounds like fun, says Peter. Not to me, says David, I'm going in the kitchen to steal some cake. Do you have to steal it? asks Peter. I've already had two pieces, grins David. Guthrie laughs. Listen, tonight might not be so dull for you after all--I hope you're a good man with a secret. I'm an expert! Brags David. Good, says Peter, because you're going to go someplace tonight--that's the secret--Vicki's going to take you. Will it be far away/ asks David. Not too far, says Peter. Will I have fun? asks David. Possibly, asks Peter, but I'm sure you'll like it, anyway. I can't wait! Says David. I don't want you to say a word about this to anyone--not your father or Mrs., Johnson. I won't, David assures him, I never say anything to her.Keep yourself available, says Peter--stay with Vicki or Carolyn, finish your homework--you may be up very late tonight. David slips off to the kitchen, thrilled, while Peter looks serious--and worried.

Evans cottage - Maggie is cleaning Sam's brushes. I saved you another brush, she says--what were you cleaning with?--cement? He sits reading the newspaper, his hands still bandaged. I need some new brushes, he says, I wish these hands would hurry up and heal! Slow but sure, she says. Too slow, he complains, I've got to get some canvases ready for the tourist season! I wish you'd get some ready for a show, she says--it's about time you got some recognition. It's too late for that, he says. Don't say that, she says. Joe knocks, Maggie, fixing her hair, answers. He kisses her. Come on in, she says. Joe greets Sam. I guess you didn't get your watch fixed, she teases. He looks at his watch--oh, I'm late! he realizes. Uh-huh, she says--that's one thing about an honest man, he always confesses. I'm going to have to do worse than that, he says--beg off for tonight. I don't know if I'll let you, she warns. I'm sorry, Maggie, he says. What was it last time? she asks--oh, yes, you dropped your watch into an netfull of mackerel--what is it this time? I can't tell you, he says. Sam starts to get up, saying he should leave the two of them alone. Joe stops him, explaining that it's actually you I want to talk to--alone. You're not going to ask for my daughter's hand? asks Sam. Not tonight, laughs Joe, but it is very serious. I don't want my father involved in anything, says Maggie. Go ahead, says Sam, it's all in the family, anyway. Maggie stays. It's Dr. Guthrie who wanted me to talk to you, says Joe. I see, says Sam, I liked him--he's the man who believed me. He wants to know if you'd be willing to do something for him, says Joe--a large favor. How large? Asks Sam. He wonders if you'll meet him tonight, says Joe. I think I can manage that, says Sam--where? I'll pick you up and take you there, says Joe. Take me where? asks Sam--the Blue Whale is within walking distance. Not the Blue Whale, says Joe. Collinwood, maybe? asks Maggie. Not exactly, says Joe. What's all this about? asks Maggie--what's all the mystery--why does Dr. Guthrie want to see him? Can you promise not to breathe a word of this to anybody? Asks Joe. Of course I won't, she says. Sam, he wants you to attend a seance tonight, says Joe. Both Maggie and Sam laugh. You've got to be kidding, says the latter. Come on, Joe, says Maggie. I'm very serious, says Joe. I told you he was a strange one, Maggie tells her father. What's it all about, Joe? asks Sam. It's down at the Old House, says Joe, they want to try and contact Josette Collins--they're sure she's been trying to tell them something about Laura Collins. If that's what they believe, that's their privilege, says Sam--what do they want with me? Dr. Guthrie believes you're receptive to Josette, says Joe. How does he figure that? asks Sam, smiling. He thinks Josette was using you to paint those pictures, in order to tell us something. That's a little far out, says Maggie. I know it sounds that way, but after all, hasn't everything that's been happening lately? Yes, says Maggie, and I don't want my father involved in it. Why don't we let your father decide, says Joe.I can't go through a preposterous thing like that, insists Sam--I can't. He takes out his cigarettes.

At the cottage, Laura gazes out the window, upset. She goes to the fireplace and sits down in front of it, her face set and determined.

Laura gazes into the fire, working her magic.

At Collinwood, Peter removes his jacket and loosens his collar a bit. He sits at the desk and begins making notes, takes off his glasses, shakes his head, puts his glasses back on.

Sam smokes. Why can't you? asks Joe. It just isn't my kind of social event, says Sam. Can't you understand how important it is? asks Joe. To who, Carolyn Stoddard? asks Maggie. (meow) No, Mrs. Stoddard, says Joe. She's in a hospital in Boston, she reminds him. It's related to her! says Joe, everything that's been going on in this town is related to this seance--what we find out tonight might save Mrs. Stoddard--and it also might answer a lot of questions that we've all been asking--Sam, how did you get your hands burned? My hands? asks Sam. Maggie intervenes--Joe, I've gotten him to forget about all that, why bring it up again? Because what your father thought, says Joe, might be true. Yeah, says Sam, that Laura Collins burned my hand?--I believe it--so did Guthrie--you mean I might find the truth about it out tonight? No guarantees, says Joe, but you might get closer than you can any other way. Please, don't, says Maggie. I don't know, says Sam, maybe you're right. Please stay away from it, warns Maggie, the problems at Collinwood have nothing to do with you. I'm afraid I'm more involved than I want to admit, says Sam. Then you'll go? asks Joe. I don't know, says Sam, I know you mean to help me, but I can only help myself in my own way. I hope so, says Maggie. I'll be by to pick you up later, says Joe, heading for the door. Sam and Maggie look into each other's eyes. Sure Joe, thanks, says Sam, and takes a puff of his cigarette.

We see Laura's eyes, huge, working on Peter, who continues to scribble things down a the desk. He removes his glasses, presses his hands into his head. David answers the door to Joe. When are you going to take me out on a fishing boat? David asks him. When the weather gets warmer, Joe assures him. I'll see you then, says David, and closes the doors. Joe knocks at the drawing room doors and twice greets Peter, who is so distracted, he doesn't hear Joe come in. He looks disheveled and sweaty. I thought I'd stop by and tell you that Sam will be here, says Joe. That's good, remarks Peter, undoing his tie--it's hot in here. Also, says Joe, I got the chairs and table, and put them in the station wagon. What chair and table? asks Peter. The ones you told me about, says Joe. Oh, yeah, thanks very much, says Peter. Are you feeling all right? asks Joe. Yes, says Peter, it must be my eyes, I'm tired--I'll have some coffee after a while, that will pick me up. If there's nothing else, I'll get the chairs and stuff down to the Old House, says Joe. Thanks a million, says Peter, still making notes. Right, says Joe--good luck. He gives Peter a concerned look before leaving. Peter shakes his head, removes his glasses. Laura's eyes are superimposed over him. He rises from the chair, moves back and forth, loosens his collar, gasps for air. No! he cries, sitting before the fireplace, don't let it happen to me now! Laura's eyes do their evil magic. David exits the kitchen, plate in hand. Josette! He cries.She appears on the stairs and points to the drawing room. What is it? he asks--what are you trying to tell me? She walks downstairs. You want me to go somewhere--where? he asks desperately. She continues downstairs, pointing. You want me to go back there, says David--you want me to hurry!--she disappears. David enters the drawing room to find Peter nearly unconscious. He calls to him.Peter bends his head backward to look at David, imploring him for help.

NOTES: Peter is one brave man, approaching Laura the way he did, letting her know he knows everything about her, begging her to spare David. Apparently he has no idea what kind of woman he's dealing with--she's more evil harpy-bird than woman, apparently, and he riled her up really badly. I don't know how he could have been so unconcerned for his own safety, having dealt with her powers before, but he had no protection since the last time, so why was he so foolish? He's a smart guy, a nerd with those icky glasses, but he's a nice guy, too, caring about David and the others in the house, even though some of them have been downright nasty.

Not my kind of social event, says Sam, trying to refuse to join in the seance. What a hoot! Yet he is curious to solve his own strange mystery, so he agrees to participate--despite Maggie's objections. Even though he and Maggie laughed when Joe presented this to them, Sam agreed to do it, and Maggie didn't talk him out of it.


Episode #185 - Terror strikes again at Collinwood, as the force of evil seeks vengeance for the challenge that one man has made, a challenge that the living shall triumph over the undead.

We see Peter and Laura juxtaposed, Peter gasping for breath, clutching his throat, as David stands over him, calling him in a desperate voice. Help me, please, begs Peter, help me, David, please. What's happening? asks David--you've got to tell me what to do! David goes calling for Vicki as Peter continues to be tortured. David, save me, please, begs Peter, reaching out to the boy, hugging him. Frantic, David doesn't know what to do to help the doctor.

Hugging David like a lifeline, Peter rocks back and forth in front of the fire place. "Dr. Guthrie! Dr. Guthrie!" cries David.

We see Laura's eyes working hard to subdue the doctor, then a look of consternation enters them, and her spell is broken.

David! gasps Peter--she almost had me. Who? asks David as Peter gazes at the fire behind him--what are you talking about. You didn't get me--why? asks Peter. Who are you talking to? asks David. You! says Peter exultantly, of course--you are the key! He smiles gratefully at David--you saved me because you're the key! Says Peter, moving with difficulty to the couch. Vicki enters and sits beside Peter. David tells her Dr. Guthrie is sick or something.Peter wipes his perspiring face with his handkerchief. Are you all right? asks Vicki. Yes, says Peter, mopping his face, I just got my wind back. What happened? she asks. She... begins Peter, then looks at David and tells him it's time he went upstairs to start getting ready. OK, says David. Come right back down here, says Peter--thank you for saving me--for being there when I needed you. I wouldn't have been there if it hadn't been for Josette, explains David, she was right on the step, just pointing to these doors. You mean, says Peter, she was out there and directed you to me? That's it, says David. I guess you'd better thank her for me next time you see her, says Peter. I will, promises David. Better run along, says Vicki. David leaves. What's happening? asks Vicki. I went to Mrs. Collins, he says, threatened to expose her--when I got back here, I could feel her power taking me over--she would have had me all the way if the key hadn't dropped right in my lap--David is the key to everything she wants--she can't do anything without worrying about him. He puts on his jacket and glasses, and explains how David came into the room, and he reached out for him--as soon as he touched him, the spell was broken--because David had made contact with me. I don't see how Josette figures into all of this, says Vicki. Josette has been working here, too, but her powers seem to be different. They represent good, says Vicki. If she's materializing as easily as this, he says, I think our seance is going to be a great success--I've got some things to do before we're ready, he says. Vicki puts her hand on his arm. Are you sure you're all right? she asks. Yes, he assures her, I feel fine. He slowly walks into the foyer--I've got to got to my hotel and get my tape recorder and the rest of my notes, he says--you take David to the Old House and make sure you keep your eye on him--and above all, be certain his mother doesn't get near him--I'll see you as soon as I get back--thanks--goodbye. She smiles at him and says goodbye, then stands there a moment, contemplating. David runs downstairs. Are you ready? She asks. Yes, he says, and I finished all my homework, too. Very good, she praises--I'll be ready in a minute, I just have to tell Mrs. Johnson something--stay here, don't move. He grins and says OK, then slips on his coat, with a bit of difficulty. The doors open and Laura enters. David--I've been looking for you, she says, smiling at him. (uh oh!)

Hi, Mother, says David. How are you? she asks--I haven't seen you in the past few days, and I've missed you! I've missed you, too, he says. She sits down and asks where he's been. I don't know, he says, I've been so busy. Too busy to see me? she asks. It seems I had to do something every single, solitary minute, he tells her. I see, she says. And the homework, wow! he says. Vicki's been giving you more work than usual? She asks. I guess so, I've been working very hard, he says. Couldn't you spare a minute for me? she asks. Every time I tried to, he says, something came up. I thought we were going to buy your shoes together, she reminds him. Miss winters took me, he says, I told them I wanted to go with you, but they said I had to get them right then. How would you like to come spend the night at the cottage with me? she asks. Sure, when? he asks, smiling. I thought maybe tonight would be a good idea, she says. Not tonight, he says, I have to go somewhere--they haven't told me where yet--Miss winters and Dr. Guthrie. She repeats the doctor's name and says she somehow didn't think he'd be going anywhere tonight. He was feeling kind of sick before, says David, but he's OK now. Is he? she asks. Yeah, says David, I don't know what was the matter with him--he kept saying that *I* saved him!--because I was the one that found him. That was fortunate, she says. I wouldn't even have found him if it hadn't been for Josette, says David. Josette? repeats Laura.She was standing right there and she led me into him, says David. It was Josette, she says--why don't we go down to the cottage right now? David starts to protest. I bet they don't have anything important place to take you at all. Dr. Guthrie said I'd like it, boasts David--and I could stay up real late. Well, if you want to stay up late, she says, you can come down and we can stay up late together--why don't we go now, and you can phone later and tell them where you are? I can't, says David, I promised Miss Winters I'd stay right in this very spot. Oh, you did? asks Laura. Vicki exits the kitchen. Yes I did, says Vicki, and I think it's very good that he can carry out his instructions so well. David is planning on spending the night with me, says Laura, rising to her feet. Didn't he tell you, says Vicki evenly, he has something else to do? I did tell her, pipes up David. Yes, well I'm sure it can't be that important, says Laura. But it is, says Vicki, smiling--he has to go someplace. Where could a child be going at this hour of night? asks Laura. That's a surprise for David, explains Vicki. Can't it be put off for ano9ther night? asks Laura. Absolutely not, says Vicki. I very much appreciate your dedication and efficiency, says Laura--however, I would prefer David to be with me tonight, and I'm sure he would, too. I'm sure he would, too, says Vicki brightly, but perhaps tomorrow or the next night. Yes, says David, tomorrow would be fine! Come along, Vicki tells the boy, and he rushes to the front door. Very soon, we will know everything there is to know, says Vicki--until then, you know how things stand. Yes, I know exactly how they stand, replies Laura, and she watches as Vicki and David leave, plotting God knows what.

Laura stands in the foyer. They've gone, have they? asks Sarah. Yes, says Laura. Of course, it's not up to me, says Sarah, but I don't think very much of taking a child out this late at night. I can't say they have my blessings, says Laura. I don't like the things that have been going on around here ever since Mrs. Stoddard went to the hospital, says Sarah--it's a difficult place to work with His Nibs having the run of the place. You mean Dr. Guthrie? Asks Laura. Himself, says Sarah--you never heard such whispering--they think a whisper can hide everything--all that sneaking around, moving furniture--they think I don't know that they're up to something. I'm sure not much gets past you, says Laura. They think I can't figure out where they've taken that table and those four chairs, says Sarah--down to the Old House--there's something big going on down there--it's only a guess, but I think they're having another one of those seances--big doings, and I think it's terrible to put a child like David through a terrible thing like that--that so-called doctor, he's off now getting his tape recorder. Oh, so that's where he's gone, says Laura. Yes, says Sarah, and I think he ought not to dabble with powers that are greater than he is.You're quite right, agrees Laura--there are powers greater, far greater, than Dr. Guthrie. She leaves the house. Sarah nods to herself, smug.

Old House - David and Vicki enter, flashlights in hand. Oh, boy, this is a surprise! says David, gazing around the drawing room. I'm glad you like it, she says. Don't you? he asks. I don't like this place in the daytime, much less the night, she says--let's go into the other room, there should be some candles. David notes the table and chairs and asks what they're doing here. Vicki lights the candles on the table and explains they're expecting two more people. Who? asks David. Dr. Guthrie and Sam Evans, says Vicki. What's Mr. Evans doing here? asks David. The doctor feels this is the right time for another seance, explains Vicki. A seance! says David ecstatically, oh, boy, I always did want to go to a seance! You're going to have to do as you're told, warns Vicki. I will, he promises--why are we having a seance? Because Dr. Guthrie wants to contact Josette, says Vicki--he thinks she has something very important to tell us. Maybe she does, says David eagerly, because it's a seance. Anyway, all the people here are those to whom she's appeared before, says Vicki. Josette appeared to Mr. Evans? asks David. Not exactly, says Vicki, but Dr. Guthrie feels she was responsible for making him paint that portrait. Why would she do a thing like that? asks David. Perhaps because she's trying to say something, says Vicki. What could she be trying to say about my mother in a painting of fire? queries David. That's a question that may be answered tonight, says Vicki. That question is what I've been trying to figure out, he says--it's really been bothering me. I think you should prepare yourself for the chance that what you might hear tonight may not be very pleasant, she warns him. He considers this very seriously.

Laura returns to the cottage, very troubled and angry. She sits by the fireplace and looks into the friendly flames. What evil will she perpetrate now?

Laura merely sits by the fire, concentrating.

Peter Guthrie climbs into his car and begins to drive down the road.

Laura's eyes are highlighted as she works her evil wiles.

Old House - David and Vicki agree that it's cold. He offers to build a fire, but she tells him no, they won't need it. When it Dr. Guthrie going to be getting here? asks David impatiently. He must be on his way, says Vicki. They hear the front door open, and David suggests that's him now. But it's Sam Evans, and Vicki invites him in. Sam greets both of them. I'm awfully glad you could make it, says Vicki. I'm not sure I am, says Sam--oh, quite a camp site, he adds, gazing at the table and chairs. My favorite place! Says David. I bet, remarks Sam. Did Josette really make you paint that painting? David asks him. I don't know, says Sam--that's why I'm here--I've got to find out--otherwise I'd be insane and out of my mind for coming--he turns to Vicki--what are we supposed to do? The doctor's on his way; he'll explain everything when he gets here, says Vicki. Uh huh, says Sam.

Peter drives down the dark, lonely, unlighted road. He begins to blink excessively.

We see Laura's unblinking eyes, working, relentlessly pushing him to where she wants him.

Old House - Have you ever been here before? David asks Sam. This is my first time, says Sam, and I hope the last. Would you like to see a very beautiful painting? offers David. Here? asks Sam in disbelief. Right here, says David, pointing above the mantle. You've got a sharp eye, praises Sam--it's a good portrait. It's Josette, says David. Is it? asks Sam--there's a dimensional quality about it--the artist caught a very expressive face--eyes alive, lips seem soft, wanting to speak. You know, that's exactly the way I feel when I look at it? says David. It's amazing, it's in very good condition, says Sam, considering how it's been exposed to the temperatures all these years--yes, it looks very fresh--artist must have used very good materials--no sign of cracking or drying.

Laura's eyes...Peter's car...Peter begins to feel peculiar, and complains aloud about drivers driving with their high beams on. He blinks against the glare, raising his hand to block it out. Signaling, he says, holding up his hand again. See my headlights blinking...brighter...brighter all the time! He holds up his hand again, steering, blinded. Laura's eyes, the fire, work on Peter Guthrie. That's too bright, he says, bright--it's almost like fire...like fire...why should it be like fire? We see fire on Peter's face, as if a ghost were attacking him.

Old House - That's the lady who's going to speak to us, says Sam. Yes, says David--I can't wait until she appears! You like this kind of thing, don't you, David? asks Sam. Sure, says the boy. Some people's tastes... says Sam good-naturedly. When is Dr. Guthrie going to be here? asks David. Any minute, says Vicki. That's what you keep saying, gripes David.You're too impatient, says Vicki. David gazes up at the portrait--I just know Josette has something to tell me, he says--something right now.

Laura's eyes...Peter's car comes over a hill. He's blinded by light, holding his hand up, trying to see. Fire appears. Why should it look like fire? he asks. Fire...Laura Murdoch! No! Leave me alone! Fire...blinding me...I've got to stop the car!It's going faster, I can't stop it, brakes won't stop it, I can't control it, it's out of control! NO! he cries, no! No! And he crashes into a tree.

Laura, her work done, continues to stare into the flames. She turns away, her eyes glazed, but filled with triumph.

Peter's car bursts into flames.

NOTES: Is there any chance at all that Peter Guthrie survived that conflagration? I think not. Laura murdered him, without remorse, I'm sure. He dared to stand between her and her son, and she removed him from the world forever. Poor guy, yet another Collins sacrifice. Will the others have the seance without him? How will they all react when they hear what happened? Will Vicki know and Sam suspect that Laura murdered Dr. Guthrie? Will they finish what the poor man started?

I still wish Dr. Guthrie hadn't forced the issue with Laura. He seemed to want to learn all about her, almost as if she were a science experiment--much as Julia eventually will want to learn about the worlds of the living and the dead--or undead. The problem is, Phoenix or not, Laura is still all woman, and a vengeful, cruel one at that. She knows what she wants and killed to get it. Dr. Guthrie stood in her way, so he was ousted. Bitch! I wonder, too, if she messed up his bleeder valve, having attended the David Collins School of Auto Disrepair? Did she melt his brakes so they wouldn't work? Very creepy way to die.

Too bad Mrs. Johnson told Laura where everyone was going, because that made Laura able to focus her energy on Peter and kill him. For all her insistence that she doesn't gossip, Mrs. Johnson should have her own column--Collinwood Daily!

I enjoyed the scenes at the Old House, with Sam admiring Josette's portrait and David impatiently awaiting the seance. It was normalcy mixed with the madness of what Laura was doing to Peter, and made what happens to him even more terrible.

Love, Robin

Episode #180 - There are those at Collinwood that are seeking the truth--the truth that lies at the bottom of a seemingly fathomless mystery, but they must seek answers in strange places--even in the land of the dead.

The body should be here, insists the caretaker. It isn't, says Frank--someone probably moved it. Impossible, says the caretaker--the tomb was sealed the day she was buried, the seal has been unbroken until tonight. The coffin was sealed, too, says Joe, I noticed a heavy chunk of wax up here when we were trying to get it open--he points to the lid. She couldn't find rest, or peace, laments the caretaker, kneeling in front of the tombstone--she's out there somewhere in the night...where, where? The old man's half mad, comments Frank.I feel like I'm losing my mind, too, says Joe--look, there's got to be some logic, couldn't the body have...disintegrated? asks Peter. Yes, says Joe, after all, she died 200 years ago. Still there would be some trace of her, dust or something, says Peter, but there's nothing here. He feels inside the coffin. What does it all mean? asks Joe. Yeah, Pete, what are you thinking? asks Frank. We know one thing for sure, says Peter, Josette wanted us to see this empty coffin--I have a theory about that, but it's only a theory at the moment. Can't you tell us? asks Frank. Not yet, says Peter, not until we have further proof-there's one more thing we have to do--I'll tell you that in a minute. She couldn't find rest, mutters the caretaker, she couldn't find peace, poor soul, his hands on the stone--the dead should have rest and peace. I understand there's another Laura buried here, says Peter--Laura Murdoch Radcliffe. The caretaker repeats the name--died by fire, he says. Where is she buried? Asks Peter. Outside in the ground, says the caretaker, she couldn't be buried here, she wasn't a Stockbridge. Where, what part of the cemetery? Asks Peter. The old part, past my shed, replies the caretaker, the tree near her grave, maple, when the summer sun is warm, she has shade. He walks out. Frank looks after him oddly. I know what you're thinking, Pete, he says to Guthrie. We'll discuss it outside, says Peter--are you with me? I don't know, says Frank. We've gone this far, we can't stop now, insists Peter--Mrs. Stoddard's life may depend on what we're able to find out. All right, maybe I'm crazy, says Frank, but I'm with you. Good--let's go then, says Peter. The men file out of the crypt. You're going now? asks the caretaker--you're going to leave me? Yes, but we'll be back, promises Peter--we'll put the coffin back to where it belongs. You're going to her--Laura Murdoch Radcliffe, aren't you? asks the caretaker. That's right, says Peter. Be very careful, cautions the old man--the dead don't like to be disturbed--they don't like strangers walking on their graves--they might get angry--you must be very, very careful. I will, Peter assures him. You promise to come back? asks the caretaker. Peter promises, and they leave, the old man looking after them. Laura Murdoch Stockbridge, died by fire, he says, the couldn't find peace, poor soul--she's out there in the night, somewhere--but where? He returns to the crypt and gazes at the empty coffin that Josette opened.

Peter, Frank and Joe search for the tombstones, Joe holding a flashlight. This isn't it, says Joe. John and Corinne Radcliffe, says Frank--must have been a relative. Caretaker said she was buried somewhere near the maple tree, says Peter--must be somewhere right here. Dogs bark. Here it is, announces Joe. Laura Murdoch Radcliffe--born 1840, died 1867. All right, says Joe, we found it, now what? I think you both know, says Peter. You want to open her grave, don't you? asks Frank. Open the coffin? Asks Joe. I have to, says Peter, I have to find out what's in that coffin--you both know we're onto something pretty important--we've got to go through with this--you can't let me down now, either one of you. I should be following the rules of sensible behavior, says Frank, but nothing that's happened tonight is sensible--I'm still with you. All right, says Peter, you know I wouldn't do this if I didn't consider it vitally important. How are we going to dig up a grave? asks Joe, we don't have any shovels. We passed a tool shed back there, says Peter. I'll go see what I can find, says Joe. Frank kneels at the tombstone and asks Peter what he expects to find in the coffin. Haven't you guessed? Asks Peter. Yes, says Frank--you expect to find nothing.

The caretaker stands beside the empty, open coffin. Wish they hadn't gone, he says, wish they hadn't left me--tonight I want the company of the living, I should have told them not to go--they've gone to her grave--the grave of Laura Murdoch Radcliffe--why?--they can't learn secrets from the death--I know thing about her, I could have told them things--things I have stored in my head--and my records--he touches his books--what do I know about her?--what have I read?--she died by fire and at night--yes, that's it!--in the bedroom at night--there was something else about her death, strange, I can't remember what it was, but it was something strange--it must be in this book--everything about the Radcliffes is in this book--what is it I was trying to remember--what is it?

Joe brings over a couple of shovels, hands one to Frank, and points out that there's only room for two of them to dig--I'll start the first shift, he tells Peter. Frank and Joe begin to dig. Wait a minute, says Joe--listen--didn't you hear it? Didn't hear a thing, agree Peter and Frank. Must be my imagination, says Joe, gulping--let's do what we have to do--I want to get out of here.

The caretaker has the book open in his hands. Yes, this is it! he says, excitedly, the death of Laura Murdoch Radcliffe, yes, it's all here--this is all I was trying to remember--this is what I wanted to know--yes, the child!--yes, the boy, the boy!--someone's here, in this room--who is it?--who? He turns to see Laura standing in the corner, a hood over her head. (looking really creepy, too.)

Laura walks over to the man and asks, "Did I startle you?--I'm sorry." How did you get in here? he asks. The door was open, she says. Who are you, what do you want? he asks. I'm looking for someone, she says, Dr. Peter Guthrie--I understood he was coming here--have you seen him? three men came here, he says, but only one of them told me his name--Garden--Gar-- Garner? asks Laura. Yes, he replies, there were two men with him, a young man and an older one. I see, she says. Were they your friends? he asks. Yes they are, she says, but I don't know what they're doing here. She comes upon the open coffin and drops her hand to the floor of it. They came to disturb the dead, says the caretaker--they wanted to open her coffin, I told them not to, to let her rest, but there's no rest for her, poor soul--Laura Murdoch Stockbridge. What did you say? she asks. The coffin was open, she was gone, he says, she couldn't find peace. Why would they want to open a coffin? Asks Laura, disturbed. To help the living, they say, he says, but my concern is not with the living, but with the dead--I'm here to protect them--they're mine. Did my friends say where they'd gone? asks Laura. To the grave of Laura Murdoch Radcliffe, says the caretaker, I can show you how to find them. That's all right, she says--did they say they'd be coming back here? Yes, he says, they shouldn't be long now. In that case, I'll wait, she says. All right, he says, I never minded waiting, either--the living all have to wait for death. When I came in here, I heard you say that you'd found something--what did you mean? she asks. Yes, it's very interesting, he says, picking up the book--the death of Laura Murdoch Radcliffe, it's here in my records--would you like to look at it? Yes, please she says, taking the book into her hands.

The men have unearthed the coffin. That thing must have weighed a ton, says Joe, breathing hard--one thing for sure, it's never been opened--it's sealed up as tight as a drum. Then by every law of logic, the remains of Laura Murdoch Radcliffe should be inside, says Frank. Every law of logic, yes, says Peter. Well, what say we find out, says Joe. They open the coffin.

Interesting, isn't it? the caretaker asks Laura--your friends will find it interesting, too--I'll show it to them when they get back. What are they trying to find--did they tell you? she asks. They're interested in the old families, he says, the Stockbrdiges, Murdochs, Radcliffes. (she looks like a witch holding that book.) Why? she asks. I don't know, I never asked them, he says, it's a curious thing about Laura Murdoch Stockbridge and Laura Murdoch Radcliffe--two with the same maiden name, living 100 years apart, and both died by fire. I suppose that is curious, she says. Died by fire, he says--t- burn alive must be the most terrifying kind of death--I don't like to think about it. She puts down the book. I'm not afraid of fire, she says--oh, no, fire gives a warmth--and there's beauty in fire--wild, indescribably beauty--with colors so vivid, so intense, so beautiful...so very beautiful...

The men pry open the coffin with difficulty, but Joe finally succeeds. Help me open the lid, he says. He and Frank do so. Dirt falls from the top of the casket as they do so--all look inside.What do you see? asks Peter. What you thought we'd see--nothing, says Frank--absolutely nothing. It's an empty box, says Joe, looks almost like it's always been empty.

Laura stands in the corner. Have you ever looked into the heart of a fire? she asks the caretaker. Yes, he replies. You've seen the colors, the red, yellow, gold, every color of the spectrum, she says fanatically, burning brighter, brighter, brighter, but there's great sadness in fire, too--every fire must die--but the beautiful part is, another will be kindled--in another place, in another time... I feel so strange, says the old man. Do you? asks Laura.Yes, he says, I don't know why, but I feel so strange. He puts his hand to his head and looks up., Miss? He calls--but she's gone.

The men re-bury the coffin. There, says Joe, the thing's back in the ground where it belongs. The body of Laura Murdoch Collins missing in Phoenix, outlines Frank, the body of Laura Murdoch Stockbridge missing from the crypt, and now the body of Laura Murdoch Radcliffe missing, too--there's got to be a connection, there's got to be, says Frank. I agree with you, says Peter. Let's get back to town, says Joe. No, we've got to do one more thing, says Peter--we've got to put the Stockbridge coffin back in the vault. That's right, says Joe, I'd almost forgotten about it. They agree to do it and get it over with.

I'm sorry we were away for so long, says Peter, entering the crypt. What? asks the caretaker, as if waking up--what a strange thing to say--is it a joke? I don't understand, says Peter. You just went out that door a moment ago, insists the caretaker. No, we've been gone almost two hours, says Peter. No, says the caretaker, you're trying to confuse me--why? Peter looks at the others. Tell me, he says, was anybody here, try to remember. No one was here except you, no one, says the caretaker. What happened after we left? asks Peter. I walked to the bookshelves where I keep me records, I was looking for something, I can't remember, I'm tired, I'm going to the cottage now. Please, begs Peter, try to remember what happened after we left. I can't remember, mumbles the caretaker, tired, need rest, I'm an old man, I need rest, going to my cottage--he leaves. What do you suppose he was looking for? asks Joe. Could it have been this book? asks Frank, lifting the tome in his hands--a record of the Radcliffe family. Look at that page you opened, suggests Peter, is there any mention of the death of Laura Murdoch Radcliffe? No, says Frank, there's no mention of it at all, except for this newspaper clipping--the masthead says Collinsport Courier, October 1867. The year Laura Radcliffe died, says Joe--probably an account of her death. They all gaze at the book. What does it say? asks Peter. Nothing says Frank, the ink's all faded. Impossible, says Peter, ink can't fade in a closed book. We see the page, and it looks as if water had gotten on it, smearing the print into illegibility. The masthead is still there, says Frank, only the article is gone.There's only one way ink can fade like that, says Peter--gazing at the page--being exposed to a light--a powerful light--the light of a fire!

NOTES: Looks like Laura burned out another clue--that article must have told how Laura Murdoch died, and she didn't want the guys to find out how, so she not only dispensed with that, but the caretaker's memory of both her and them as well! Pretty neat powers, Laura, and she looked very witchlike standing there in her cowled cape.

Three intrepid ghost hunters are Frank, Peter and Joe. I enjoy watching them together, because they are all nervous and scared, especially Joe, but they plow on, determined to learn what they want to know.

Two empty coffins--what does that mean? Is Laura just one person, one Phoenix, coming back to life every 100 years? Interesting life!

Once again, the caretaker, half mad, as someone here said, trying to protect the dead from the living. He got in Laura's way and was about to reveal something about her she didn't want revealed--but she took care of it, didn't she? And when she described fire so vividly, didn't it make you go hot and cold all over?


Episode #181 - Night has come to Collinwood, a growing darkness has slowly crept in from the sea, brining the day to an end--but it has brought with it no promise of rest--nor of peace--no end of mystery, nor of fear--again throughout this night and the day to come, knowledge brings not light, but a deeper darkness and unending fear.

Drawing room - I wish Uncle Roger hadn't suddenly decided to go to Boston to see my mother, frets Carolyn to Vicki. Why? asks Vicki. I don't know, I just don't like being alone in the house tonight. I'm here and David's here, Vicki reminds her, and Mrs. Johnson. No, Mrs. Johnson said she was spending the night with her sister, and you and David don't count, says Carolyn, sitting beside Vicki--I never thought I'd have to depend on Uncle Roger for a feeling of security--this house seems to empty--listen--how quiet. Why don't you go up to bed? suggests Vicki. It's too early, says Carolyn--besides, how could I sleep? She rises to her feet and walks. Why haven't they called? she asks Vicki. I don't know, Vicki replies--I suppose Frank got there in time to stop them from opening the grave. I would have thought Joe at least would have called to tell us what happened! says Carolyn. But maybe nothing happened, says Vicki, maybe Dr. Guthrie opened the grave and found nothing unusual. Carolyn sighs. Maybe, she says. Why is it so quiet? I heard something! says Vicki--someone's coming toward the door. Maybe it's Dr. Guthrie, says Carolyn. Or maybe it's... begins Vicki. Who? asks Carolyn. How could we forget? asks Vicki--we're not alone--maybe it's Mrs. Collins coming up from her cottage.  I don't want to see her, not tonight, says Carolyn--the house is too empty, it's too quiet. Someone knocks. I guess it's not Mrs. Collins, says Vicki, she wouldn't knock. She goes to answer, Carolyn behind her. It's ridiculous, says Vicki, we've got nothing to be afraid of!--it probably is Dr. Guthrie or Frank. Probably, says Carolyn, but I still think I should come with you. The knock comes again, and the girls gaze fearfully at the door, upon which their visitor is knocking hard.

It's Peter. Vicki smiles with relief. and opens the door. Dr. Guthrie, says Carolyn--we thought it was probably you--and Joe--come in! We'll only stay a minute, promises Peter, but we knew you'd want a full report. Where's Frank? Asks Vicki--didn't he find you? Oh yes, he found us, all right, says Joe. I'm sorry I broke my promise and told him where you'd gone, says Carolyn. It's all right, says Peter, I understand. Did he try to talk you out of the whole thing? asks Carolyn. Yes, he was very persuasive, says Peter. Then you didn't find what you'd hoped to find? Asks Vicki. I don't know what he hoped to find, says Joe, but we sure found something.  Just when we were about to give up, thanks to Frank, says Peter, our friend Josette took over. I've never had anything like this happen to me, says Joe, and I'm not sure I ever want it to happen again. What did Josette do? asks Carolyn. The caretaker wouldn't let us open the coffin of Laura Murdoch Radcliffe, says Peter. So Josette, says Joe, whoever or whatever she is--she opened it. She opened it? asks Vicki, shocked. Yes, says Peter, it seemed to open by itself, but Joe got a strong scent of jasmine just seconds before. It was Josette, says Vicki. And what did you find? Asks Carolyn. Nothing, says Peter--it was completely empty. Like the vault in the morgue in Phoenix? Asks Vicki. Yes, says Joe, and like the grave of Laura Murdoch Radcliffe. We opened that grave, too, says Peter, but there was nothing there--it was empty--and it was perfectly obvious that in both cases, nobody had opened the coffins before we did. What does it all mean? asks Vicki. I don't know, says Guthrie, but I think we will before long. Joe holds up a ledger and lays it on the table. We're hoping this will check out with more information, he says. Is that one of the books from the crypt? Asks Vicki. Yes, says Peter, the old caretaker lent it to us for a few days. What's in it? asks Carolyn. Joe thumbs through some pages. Just records, he replies, but look at this--there's this old newspaper clipping tucked away in it. 1867, reads Vicki--that's the year Laura Murdoch Radcliffe died. That's right, says Peter. Is there something in the paper about it? asks Carolyn. No, not in this particular copy, says Peter. Look at this, says Joe, there's a whole section that's completely faded--now it's our guess that there was something about it, right there. How can you tell? asks Carolyn. The old caretaker, says Peter, he halfway remembered something that he was looking for among his books, but he couldn't remember what. Very strange thing, says Joe, he seemed to have a memory lapse. Joe is going to do some research for us, says Peter. At the library in town, says Joe, I think I might be able to get my hands on another copy of this paper.When are you going to find something definite, something positive/ asks Vicki. Very soon, perhaps, says Peter. What does two empty graves have to do with my mother being sick? asks Carolyn--I don;' understand that. You will, promises Peter, and I hope we all will very soon. Is there anything I can do to help? asks Vicki. I might have to ask you to do another seance, says Peter--I'm not sure yet, but there is one thing I can very strongly advise--try to keep David away from Mrs. Collins. But we can't! objects Carolyn. You know that we've tried, says Vicki, but we have no right to, she's his mother. And Uncle Roger always takes her side, says Carolyn--he wants her to take him away, and the sooner, the better. David mustn't under any circumstances go away with his mother, insists Peter. What can we do to stop her? asks Vicki. Uncle Roger is the only person who can do that--and he's gone to Boston to see my mother, says Carolyn. Then I'll have to make my appeal to him when he returns, says Peter, but in the meantime, try to do everything you can to keep David away from his mother--and in particular, try to persuade him to stay here at Collinwood--for good.

The clock chimes the hour. Carolyn enters David's room. She's dressed in night clothes. She pulls the covers up over him as he sleeps, but he wakes up. Mother? he asks. It's me, she says. Who is it? he asks. Carolyn, she says--I didn't mean to wake you up. What are you doing in here? he asks. Nothing, she says. You must be doing something, you know I don't like you in my room--you haven't told me what you wanted. She sits beside him on the bed. I just wanted to make sure you were asleep, she says. But you just woke me up, he points out. I didn't mean to, she says, fixing his hair in the front. You know I don't like you to come in my room, he says, you don't let me come in your room. I'm sorry, she says fondly. Can you imagine all the hollering that would go on if I went into your room? he asks. I wouldn't care that much, she assures him, smiling--honestly. I'll bet, he says. I mean that, she says. A long time ago, we agreed that I'd let you alone and you'd let me alone, he reminds her. But that was a long time ago, she says. But it wasn't such a long time ago that you called me a spoiled monster, he says. She looks ashamed. I know, she says. A menace to the civilized world, he says, that's what you told Miss Winters I was.She holds his shoulders. What I'm trying to say is... What? he asks. Never mind, she says, smoothing back his hair, go back to sleep. You still haven't told me what you were doing up here, he says as she walks to the door. Can't you believe I was just concerned about you? she asks. You don't have to take care of me, he says, Miss Winters does that0--I don't need you. All right, then, she says, stung--David--don't you believe that people can change?. What people? he asks. Most people, she says--they grow up--they become different, so you don't even know them. I suppose you mean you, he says. She nods. Why not? she asks. You haven't changed so much, he notes, you don't seem so grown up, either, you probably just like to think that you are. I guess you're right, she says. Huh? he asks. Maybe I'm not so grown up, she says quietly, sitting on the foot of his bed--I just like to think that I am--maybe I'm the spoiled monster--a menace to the civilized world. I don't get it, he says--you've never talked this way before--I've never heard you talk that way. Neither have I, she admits, at least not in front of you.  What does it mean? he asks, puzzled. Can't it mean that maybe I've changed? She asks, or I am changing? I don't know, he says, shrugging, I don't get it. She chuckles. Go back to sleep, she says, sorry I woke you up. She kisses his forehead, probably freaking him out. Good night, she says. Carolyn? he asks--are you OK? Yes, she says. Nothing bad has happened, has it? he asks. No, nothing at all, she assures him. If nothing bad has happened, he says, that's not why you're being so nice to me, is it? No, she says, everything's all right--you go back to sleep. She leaves his room after giving him a smile. He rubs the spot on his forehead where she kissed him, perplexed, then settles down to sleep. (what a great scene!)

Collinsport - Public Library - Joe goes through books, searching for answers. He writes down a few things, then goes to another shelf and looks for other books.He pulls out a large tome and finds a copy of the newspaper clipping that was in the old caretaker's book. He studies it carefully.

Collinwood - Vicki and David do schoolwork at the desk in the drawing room. The verb is the right tense, she tells him, but something else is wrong--tell me what it is. The subject's singular and the predicate's plural, he says, grinning. That's right, she says, and what's the word between? A preposition, he says. And what does it take? She asks. A direct object, he says. Then what's this? she asks. A mistake, he says--but on the whole, David, it's a very good composition. You like it? he asks. Yes I do, she says, but it's not what I assigned--I asked you to write about a real person, not an imaginary one. If someone's real in your imagination, he asks, isn't that real enough? I don't want to restrict your imagination, but I don't think it would hurt if you concentrated more on reality. But she is real, he says, I told you! You don't have a sister and you know it! says Vicki. I do know it, he admits, sadly, I was just wondering what it would be like--and what she'd be like. Apparently, she'd be very nice, says Vicki. And she'd like me? asks David. (awwww!) I wouldn't be surprised, says Vicki. Would it be going to far to say...if I had a sister, an older sister, do you, well, would she love me? he asks. I think so, says Vicki. And would I love her? he asks. I don't know--would you? she counters. I guess if she loved me, well, maybe, I guess I wouldn't, wouldn't I? I would hope you would, says Vicki, it's a terrible waste not to love the people who love you. I know it is, he says--if I had a sister, well, I know I don't, it was all my imagination, I guess it was stupid of me to even think about it--I should have done the assignment you told me to do. Vicki bites her lip. What I want to know, she says, is where you got the idea from? (Carolyn's visit, I would think.) No place in particular, he says, you know, I'd bet Carolyn would be different if she had a brother. I guess she would, agrees Vicki, but what's this all about, David. Nothing, I told you, he says. The phone rings, and she tells him to work on his math problems while she answers it. It's Joe, calling from the library, and he asks for Peter. He phoned to say he was on his way, says Vicki--I expect him here any minute. Is it OK if I come out there, says Joe--I've got something I've got to show him. Sure, says Vicki--what is it? Wait till you see it, he says. You found the old newspaper, she guesses. Right, he says, black on white. What does it say? she asks. I'll show you when I get there, he says--when Dr. Guthrie shows up, tell him I'm on my way. All right, says Vicki, I will--goodbye. They hang up. Vicki finds David sitting by the fire. I thought you were going to work on your math problems, she reminds him. I left my arithmetic book in the kitchen, he says. I left some books there, too, she says, I'll go get it--but you please work on that, you hear me, David? Yes, I heard you, he answers, and opens his notebook and looks at it. The fire attracts his gaze very quickly, and he is momentarily distracted. He whips his head back and forth between the fire and his notebook--and then he sees his own head coming at him from the flames. Help!, Mother, Miss Winters, help me! he cries out, terrified. He backs away from the fire and ends up running into Dr. Guthrie's arms.Let me go, let me go! pleads David. What's the matter? asks Peter. I want my mother! blares David--in there, in there! What's in there? asks Peter, still holding onto him. I saw myself in there! he tells Peter--I saw myself--I want my mother! Where did this happen to you, show me, says Peter, taking him by the arm pulling him back into the drawing room. No, I don't want to go back there, I can't! cries David, struggling in Peter's arms. Vicki comes running in and David transfers himself to her embrace. He said he saw something in there, explains Peter--he said he's in there. Vicki holds David close. Tell me what you saw, says Vicki. I saw myself in the fire, says David--help me, help me--I was on fire! Vicki clutches him more rightly.

Drawing room, at the desk - You must have gotten an early start this morning, Peter tells Joe. I had the library make up a photostatic copy, says Joe. Exactly where is it on the page? Asks Peter. Just where you guessed it, says Joe, right in the faded spot. They look over the copy. Vicki comes in and asks Peter to come upstairs--she's done everything she can, but she can't calm David down--he's frightened out his wits. What's happened to David? asks Joe. Sorry, she says, I didn't even notice you. What's happened to David? Joe asks again. We're not sure, says Vicki. Tell Joe what David told you, says Vicki. He said he saw himself, apparently in the fireplace, explains Vicki. What? asks Joe. He said he saw himself in the fire, repeats Vicki. I don't believe it, says Joe. He's upstairs now, she says, and all he can keep saying is, "I was on fire!" That's incredible! Says Joe. It is, says Peter, isn't it? I guess it's something like he saw himself the way he was in the painting, in the flames, says Vicki--I don't know--and I don't know how much more of this he can stand. It's a vision of the past, says Joe--Dr. Guthrie, tell Vicki what's in that old newspaper clipping. What does it say? asks Vicki. It tells about a woman who died in a fire, says Peter, the paper in his hand, and her name, as you might have guessed, was Laura Murdoch Radcliffe. But David said he saw himself in the fire, says Vicki. I know, says Peter--the article also tells about a child, a boy. It even gives his name, says Joe--David. This shocks Vicki. David? she asks. Yes, says Peter. Please tell me he wasn't hurt, was he? asks Vicki.He died in the fire--in his mother's arms, reveals Peter.

NOTES: Is this Laura's grisly plan for David--to burn herself up--and take him with her? The idea is too horrifying to contemplate, but it appears this IS Laura's master plan.

I loved the sweet Carolyn-David scene. These two cousins haven't had much use for each other since we've seen them, constantly battling each other--but now that she feels him to be in danger, Carolyn realizes she loves the little monster. Apparently, David loves her, too--his writing about an imaginary sister was the reflection of his new feelings for Carolyn, who, in his mind, really behaved oddly. That she came in to cover him, smoothed back his hair, kissed his forehead, told him that she could change, puzzled and pleased him in equal measure. It was a touching scene between them. Equally poignant was his asking Vicki about what having a big sister would be like. In many ways, Vicki is also his older sister, she has said so in the past. The danger David has found him in has made these two young women, Carolyn in particular, realize their true feelings for David--although I think Vicki has loved him for a long time. And love is what David craves, above all else--he tried to kill Roger because his own father seems to hate, rather than love him. All David needs is love.

And now, thanks to Joe and Peter, we know precisely what lies in store for David--unless they do something to stop it. Will they be able to prevent Laura's hideous plan from coming to fruition? It's a race against time, as we will soon learn.

Love, Robin

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

Episode #172 - Even the brightness of morning cannot dislodge the phantoms of the night before--they remain to live in the mind of all who were at Collinwood, as the source of a baffling mystery and an undefined terror.

Mrs. Johnson energetically dusts items on the mantel in Laura's cottage. You are here to dust those things, not to break them, says Laura, please be a little more careful, they're very fragile. So am I, Mrs. Collins, I break very easy! says Mrs. Johnson. What are you talking about? asks Laura. My nerves aren't what they used to be, not with all the goings-on around here, complains Sarah. I'm afraid I don't know what you mean by goings-on, says Laura. Don't you?--what about last night? queries Sarah. What about it? asks Laura. The spooks and ghosts and whatnot, says Sarah, I've a good mind to give my notice. I don't see what they has to do with you, says Laura. You don't? asks Sarah--just think about it for a minute, now you take last night--she sits at Laura's knee, in front of the fire--I was upstairs, watching over your little boy, trembling in my boots for fear something would happen to him. Yes, that's exactly why I'm very anxious to get him out of here, says Laura. I'll tell you the truth, says Sarah, it never seemed right to take a Collins out of Collinsport, but I'm coming more and more to your way of thinking, that any place would be better for that child than to be around here. Thank you, says Laura, I'm glad you're beginning to see my viewpoint. You take Vicki Winters, says Sarah--she's a sweet child, now why did they mix her up in this?--she leans closer to Laura--will you tell me why she cried out in sheer terror last night?--why?? Laura looks circumspect.

Can you give me one good reason why that girl was in such a state? Demands Sarah. No, I can't, says Laura. I didn't think so, nobody can, says Sarah--poor thing, carried up to bed, she was a bundle of raw nerves all night! That's another reason I want to get David away from here, says Laura, she's much too high strung to be left in charge of him. Not usually, says Sarah, just last night--ordinarily, she's as sensible as they come. She has resumed her dusting. Then something's happening to her, says Laura, because she's changing. That's what I'm getting at, says Sarah, everyone's changing--something happened toe everybody, I don't know what it is. Neither do I, says Laura--certainly not everybody is changing--you're not, you remain the same. That's because I'm a person that believes in minding her own business, says Sarah. So I've noticed, says Laura. (LOL!) I don't mess with what shouldn't be messed with--leave well enough alone, that's my motto, says Sarah. And a very admirable one it is, says Laura. I tell you, if everyone were like me, there wouldn't be any problems, says Sarah. I couldn't agree with you more, says Laura. You take that Dr. Guthrie--some doctor, says Sarah--I'd like to know what he's doctoring. He's a psychologist, says Laura. Well, a psychologist is supposed to deal with people's brains, supposed to say, "Lie there on the couch and tell me your problems," and all that foolishness. I suppose so, says Laura. Then what is he doing here? demands Sarah. He's trying to find out what caused my sister-in-law's illness, you know that, says Laura. That's what I'm getting at, says Sarah, if he's working on Mrs. Stoddard's case, why is he here and she stretched out on Boston, telling nothing to anybody--answer me that! I can't, admits Laura, I wish I could. And what kind of psychology was he practicing there last night, and who was he practicing it on? asks Sarah, incensed. Yes, agrees Laura, I wonder. I tell you, I never heard of a doctor doing what he was doing, says Sarah, outside of a witch doctor in a movie! It was just an experiment, I think, says Laura. Oh, scoffs Mrs. J, what kind of experiment?--doctors are supposed to be scientific people--there was nothing scientific about what went on last night! I'm just as much in the dark as you are, says Laura. It may be an old New England custom, says Sarah, but I never held with anything like those seances and that kind of tomfoolery. Neither do I, says Laura. I smell something fishy, says Sarah (did Roger bring home his work again?, and it's not the wind off the bay, and I don't like it. Time will tell, says Laura--and if one has enough time, it will tell everything. I'm going to try to keep him away from Vicki, vows Sarah, picking up a shovel from the andirons. that might be a very wise idea, says Laura. I'd better finish up here and get back to the house, says Sarah, tamping out the fire. What are you doing? asks Laura. Trying to put out the fire so I can clean your hearth, replies Sarah. Laura rises. You mustn't do that, she orders--leave it alone--I want it left burning all the time. Sarah looks are her oddly. It gets awfully chilly in here, says Laura by way of explanation. It won't take but a minute, says Sarah. You heard what I said--don't touch that fire--don't ever touch it, ever, do you understand that? asks Laura desperately--I want that fire burning all the time! Yes, Mrs. Collins, says Sarah. Thank you, says Laura, much more quietly. Sarah returns the andiron and leaves the cottage, but not without giving Laura a look first. Laura sits by the fire, reading the book she was involved in when we first saw her.

Sarah reports to Burke's hotel room. I didn't expect to see you today, he says. I have information I'd give you even if you weren't paying me, she says. Well it must be pretty devastating information for you to give it to me for nothing, he says, hands in pockets. (LOL!) Do you know what went on at Collinwood last night? she asks. That's what I pay you for, he reminds her, to find out. They had a seance, she reveals--to call on the spirits--I say spirits are like dogs--let sleeping ones lie! She sits in a chair. He sits across from her. Why did they do it? he asks. They said it was to help find out what's wrong with Mrs. Stoddard. I should think a doctor would be more help than a ghost, says Burke. That's what I'm getting at, she says, it was Dr. Guthrie's idea. Dr. Guthrie--what's he up to? asks Burke, suspicious. I don't know, and I don't like it, or him, much, she says--as far as I know, I was upstairs, looking after young David, and they were having this thing down in the drawing room. Burke asks who was involved. Dr. Guthrie, Carolyn, Vicki, Roger, then Mrs. Roger Collins came in, she says, they sat there, they had the lights out and all of a sudden, Vicki began spouting French in a strange voice--and then suddenly she gave a terrible scream and collapsed. Is she all right? asks Burke anxiously. Yes, they put her to sleep and she's coming along, says Sarah, she said that before she had this feeling of a terrible fire, being burned up, just before the collapsed. That settles it, says Burke, rising to his feet and angrily slapping his thighs, something's got to be dome about this Dr. Guthrie, and done quickly! I thought you'd feel this way, she says, that's why I came to see you about it. Whatever's going on at Collinwood, whatever my quarrel with the family, he says, I don't want it touching that girl! What do you want to do? she asks. I'll put my lawyer on it, find out who Guthrie is, he says--I want you to keep an eye on Vicki--I don't want anybody who can get to her to harm her. I'll do just that, she promises, and picks up her pocketbook. Burke is already on the phone. He thanks her and says he'll talk to her later. She leaves.I want to speak to Grant, he says--I don't care if he's in a meeting, get him for me right now--Grant, I want you to do something for me right away--I want to run a check on Dr. Peter Guthrie--I want to know who he is, where he came from, what he's doing in Collinsport--you won't get on it tomorrow, you'll get on it today!--I want to know immediately. (Ya gotta love this guy's power!)

Peter enters Collinwood without knocking, takes off his coat and hangs it up. He starts to go upstairs, but Sarah stops him. May I ask where you're going? she inquires. I thought I'd take a look at Miss Winters, he says. She marches to the stairs and bars his way. She is to have no visitors! commands Sarah, those are MY orders! I'm not an ordinary visitor, I'm a doctor, he says. I don't care what you call yourself, she says, if it weren't for you, that girl wouldn't be in that condition. I might be able to help her, he says. Like you did last night? she accuses. There are some things that are hard to understand, he says. That may be, she says, but I understand a couple of things, I understand when a girl is in a bad way, and I understand who put her in it. I'm not going to argue with you, he says, attempting to move past her. Then I'm not going to argue with you! she informs him, sticking out her arm to bar his way--the only way you'll get up these stairs is over my body--now if you want to knock me down, you're welcome to it, but that's the only way you'll get to see Vicki Winters. (lion at the gate, protecting the governess.)--now, nobody goes upstairs--that's that! Defeated, he walks instead into the drawing room, looking at Sarah, who looks back at him, a determined expression on her face.

Sarah closes the double doors to the drawing room and is about to go upstairs when Laura comes in. I just came by to see Vicki, she says. She's resting, says Sarah. Oh, well I'll go upstairs and sit with her until she wakes up, says Laura. In he condition, says Sarah, it's better for her to be resting than visiting. I'll just look in on her, says Laura. What for? demands Sarah. (gotta love her nerve!) I want to see her, says Laura. Outside of being a little paler, says Sarah, she doesn't look any different than she did yesterday. (medical report.) I see, says Laura, I think I'll go upstairs and see my son. No, ma'am, says Sarah. Why not? asks Laura. He's not there, says Sarah. Where is he? asks Laura. Off with Miss Carolyn, says Sarah, she thought if would be best if he were out of the house while Vicki was resting. Oh, says Laura, I think I'll go upstairs anyway. You can't, says Sarah, blocking her way. You mean you won't let me, says Laura, annoyed. I have my instructions, says Sarah, there's too many strange things going on around here, and until some of them are explained, nobody's going to be wandering around that girl--nobody goes upstairs! They suddenly hear voices from the seance, like echoes: Carolyn: I smell perfume in the room. They hear Vicki moaning. It's jasmine, says Carolyn. What is that? asks Laura. Dr. Guthrie, doing his homework, says Sarah sourly--now if you don't mind, I've got other things to do--and she goes upstairs. Laura enters the drawing room, where Dr. Guthrie is listening to his tape of the seance and making notes. Laura enters, and he turns off the recorder. They bid each other hello, and he tells her he was just going over some notes he made at the seance last night. How did you feel about the seance? she asks. I thought it was fascinating, he says. Did you really? she asks--goodness, I thought it was complete failure, with Vicki fainting just as it was getting exciting. Quite the reverse, he says, I think that may have been the most exciting part. Really? she asks, I didn't mean that, I just meant I was concerned about Vicki. Exciting may be the wrong word, he says, revealing may be more accurate. Then you don't think it was a failure? She asks. No, I think it was very successful, he says. Do you? she asks--how fascinating! Yes, he says, it fascinates me, too. Can you tell me more about it? she asks sitting on the sofa, or is it a deep, dark secret? Once all the facts are assembled, he says, sitting beside her, you'll be among the first to know. I'm flattered, she says, but can't you give me some hints as to the direction your analysis is going to take? I'm not quite sure yet, he says, just when everything seems to be going in one direction, there's a sudden switch--it's as if there were several kinds of phenomena acting here at the same time. Phenomena? She asks, what an interesting choice of word--but when are you going to sort through all these phenomena and come to some sort of conclusion? I'm going to sort through them using a very modern scientific device, he says, a tape recorder. Oh, you wires us for sound, she says. In a manner of speaking, yes, he says, I took the precaution of having a recorder here in the room at the seance last night. That was very clever of you, she says--may I hear it? No, he says, no, I'd rather not have anyone who was at the seance hear it--it might color their reactions. I see, she says, but you really feel this is going to help? Yes, he says, it's objective--it records without making any editorial statements--you see, in the darkness and confusion, what we thought we heard might not be what we heard at all--we were too upset by what was happening to Vicki. Well, yours was a very subtle move, she says--one might almost say...crafty. One might, he agrees, after all, the tape is a tool of my craft. I can hardly wait to know what's on it, she says. You sound as caught up in what we might learn as I am, he says.She gazes at the recorder. I may very well be, perhaps more so, she says--after all, a woman's curiosity is greater than a man's, and I am EXTREMELY curious about it.

Burke walks into the cottage, where Laura is sitting by the fire, reading a book. It is considered good manners to knock before entering a lady's home! she informs him. Never mind my manners, good bad or indifferent, he says brusquely, you married the one with the manners, and look where it got you. You are awfully tiresome on the subject of Roger, she says. I'm very sorry, he says mockingly, is that a marked improvement in my manners? What do you want now? she asks, irritated. He sits on the arm of a chair. I want to know what's going on around here, he says--I don't like any of it, and I don't want to be... And I don't like your tone of voice! She says--our only chance of getting what we want is by remaining allies! You're right, he says, this time I am sorry. I'm every bit as much disturbed by what's going on here as you are, she says. What is happening here? he asks. I wish I knew, she says. What about this seance business? he asks. Oh, so you've heard about that already, she says. I have my sources, he says. A fact of which I am very much aware, she says. What happened to Vicki? he asks. I don't know, says Laura, she assumed the voice of some spirit and just at the moment something important was about to happen, she collapsed. Is she all right now? he asks. I guess so, I don't know, says Laura, Mrs. Johnson was standing guard and wouldn't let me upstairs. Good, says Burke, if there's anything in the house working against Vicki, I want to protect her from it. She looks at him sharply. You didn't have anything to do with Mrs. Johnson's attitude, did you? she asks. Me? he says, chuckling, what would I have to do with it? I don't know, she says, it's not important, what is important is Guthrie. You're absolutely right, he says--is he a policeman? Oh, Burke, use your head, Roger wouldn't let a policeman in the house. (he's allowed several.) Then who is he? asks Burke. I don't know, she says, but whatever he is, he's not what he seems. I don't care what he is, says Burke, as long as he doesn't interfere with us. Oh, but he is interfering, she says, he's disrupting the entire household, he's delving into the past. What's that got to do with us? he asks. Carolyn is helping him, she says, need I remind you that since we, well, since you stopped going out with her, she's not what I'd call on our side. What's she stand to gain by it? Revenge, says Laura, we've got to find out who Guthrie is and why he's here. We'll know soon enough, he says--I put my lawyer on it, he's checking out Guthrie right now. Good, says Laura, whoever he is, I have a feeling he's here to block us--and if that's the case, well, he must be removed. That's very easily said, Burke reminds her, but how are we going to do it?By whatever means are necessary, she says, and he looks at her oddly.

Guthrie exits the drawing room and yells for Mrs., Johnson. Would you come down here?--quickly, please! he says, obviously very upset. Come in here, please, he says, taking her arm and almost dragging her. What is it? she asks. Did you touch anything on this table while you were dusting it? he asks. I did not, she says, not appreciating what he said. Are you sure you didn't touch the tape recorder accidentally? He asks. Dr. Guthrie, she says, I wouldn't touch that thing with a 10 foot pole! Did you see anyone leave or enter the room? he asks. There's been no one leaving or entering, what is all this about? she asks. Listen to this, he says, and turns on the recorder. There are no words.It sounds like a fire crackling, observes Sarah. Yes, says Guthrie, the sound of fire. He sits down, gazing at the recorder.

NOTES: The sound of fire. Sounds like Laura had a little fun at Guthrie's expense, recording over his important tape with her own happy, fiery music, so to speak Sorry, Peter, she won this round. Maybe you'll win next time.

LOVED Sarah Johnson keeping everyone away from Vicki! She was like a lion protecting her young. It was a riot the way she barred first Peter, then Laura, from seeing her. At least she's right keeping the latter out! And the way she went to Burke to "report" on the latest Collinwood goings-on, all huffy and such, was marvelous. She put Guthrie in his place, too!

I don't understand Burke. He's so tough with everyone else, but marshmallow with Laura. Unless she has him under a Phoenix spell, his defense of her makes little sense to me. He THINKS she's going to help him once he helps her, but his instincts are bad, off-kilter, if he really believes that and trusts her. And she did seem to realize there was some kind of connection between Sarah and him. This woman's sharp!


Episode #173 - A man has come to Collinwood, a man searching for answers, a man with probing questions that are disturbing to all who come in contact with him and forces them to quick and almost violent decisions to act.

Cottage - If you want what you've asked of me, then you have to help me get what I want, Laura tells Burke. I already said I would, he reminds her. No matter what the cost? she asks. No matter what the cost, he says, as soon as I'm through running this check on Guthrie and finding out who he is and what he stands for, and what he's doing here. I can't wait that long! she insists. He rises. What do you suggest? he asks. I was hoping you might have a solution, she says. As soon as I find out something concrete, he says. They're all against me, she complains--Carolyn, Vicki, Liz and now Dr. Guthrie--it's too much! You've got Roger to help you, he says. That's a big help, she says sarcastically. What do you want me to do? he demands.  You get along very well with David, she says, he likes you, looks up to you, he'll listen to you--I want you to convince him to go away with me--there's no alternative, Burke--please arrange it--he's got to go away with me! Burke looks at her, puzzled by the extremity of her desperation.

Drawing room - Vicki arranges flowers in a vase. David comes in and, apparently furious, says he wants to talk to her. Look at these flowers from Dr. Guthrie, she says, he sent them to me because I wasn't feeling well--wasn't that nice of him? I don't care, pouts David. What don't you care about? she asks, that I wasn't feeling well or that he sent me flowers? I don't care about anything, he says angrily, I want to talk to you. All right, she says, and sits on the piano bench. I heard about last night, he says, about the seance. Who told you? she asks. Mrs. Johnson, he says. I'm going to have to talk to her, says Vicki--she shouldn't have! Why must there be secrets from me? he asks. She seats him next to her. It's not a question of secrets, she says, but there are certain things it's better off for a little boy not to know about. Not when it comes to Josette, he says, I saw her first, so she's mine! There is no such thing as owning her, says Vicki. But there is! he insists. First of all, you're being very silly, she says, and secondly, you're being rude. Why wasn't I invited? he asks. Because a seance is no place for a little boy, she says. Why not?--Josette's my friend, I should have been there, he says. I'm not going to argue with you, she says, you're just going to have to take my word for it. I don't have to take your word for it, he says, crossing his arms over his chest, I don't have to take anybody's word for it--today I'm mad at the whole world! She tries to touch his arm to comfort him, but he wrenches away. Don't touch me, he orders, we can't make up--I'm going out to play. Can I come with you? she asks. No, I don't want you, he says--I want to be alone. Vicki looks concerned--and resigned. (poor girl, she's taken a few steps back with David.)

Now is the time to act with David, Laura tells Burke. I'll help, he sighs, I'll do everything within my power. Thank you, she says--we've got to act quickly. Why the rush? he asks--wouldn't it be better to let the boy come to you on his own? Yes, it would be better, she agrees, but I just don't have time to let that happen--I've got to act while Liz is in the hospital--hard enough to arrange that. What do you mean, arrange? he asks. (you slipped, bird-girl.) Nothing, she says hastily, I just mean I tried very hard to convince people to send her to the hospital, not for me, for her own good--you know as well as I do that she never could have received proper treatment here. Burke is silent. That's all I meant, she says. Well, I'll talk to David as soon as I can find him, says Burke. Do it today, she insists. I don't know where he is, says Burke, I can't go up to Collinwood and knock at the door and ask for him, the way Roger and Carolyn feel about me. It's a nice day, he's probably out playing, she says--try the Old House--no, I know, try the fishing shack, he likes to play there. OK, I'll try to find him, says Burke--there are a lot of things that don't add up, he says. You've got to trust me, she says. OK, he says. We've got to trust each other, she adds, if you want me to help you, you've got to help me get David. (trust your instincts, Burke--don't trust her!)

Fishing shack - Burke enters and greets David, asking how he is. I'm fine--I guess, says David. Burke closes the door and asks what he's up to. David is working on a pile of ropes and explains he's trying to straighten out this stuff, it's no good the way it is. It sure is tangled up, agrees Burke. Nobody cares about it, says David--my father's never around to fix it, and I can't do it by myself. Well, says Burke, maybe I ought to help. You think you can? asks David. I think I can handle it, Burke assures him. He pulls over a barrel, sits down on it and suggests that they get a boat, go out in the bay and do some fishing. You really mean it? David asks eagerly. Sure, why not, it would be fun, says Burke, been a long time since I had a reel in my hand--I ought to get back to it. When can we go?--soon?--tomorrow? asks David. I'll ask Vicki about it, he says. Then I don't think we'll ever get to go, says David, disappointed--Vicki won't let me--she gets too worried about colds and junk like that. Burke laughs. I'll tell her I'll bundle you up good and warm, he says--I have an old, heavy fishing jacket, probably come down to your knees. Your jacket?--you're going to let me wear it? asks David. Sure I'll let you wear it, says Burke, even before we go fishing. Honest? asks David. Honest, says Burke, then you can play with it, OK? Oh, thanks, says David, thrilled. I guess you don't have much fun around here, do you Dave? Asks Burke, working on the rope. You can say that again, says David, everyone's been acting so crazy--you know what I mean, strange. What about your mother? he asks. She's all right, I guess, he says. You're not very enthusiastic, says Burke. I used to like her a lot, before she came back, when I would just think about her, he says. What did you think when you saw her? asks Burke. I didn't like her so much anymore, he says, she scared me--I can't explain, she just scared me, that's the way I felt. How do you feel now? asks Burke. I like her now, says David, but I don't mind being with her anymore. You ought to love her, he says, she loves you very much. I try, he says, but I can't get it out of my head that I was afraid of her once. I see, says Burke, I guess that would be a little difficult--but you know you ought to give her a break, she's a very nice woman. I'll try, says David. You know, says Burke, what you ought to do--take a trip with her, anywhere she wants to go--you say you're not having very much fun around here. What makes you think I'd have more fun with her? asks David. You'd get away, Burke says, there's a whole world outside this town. I'm not so sure I'd want to, says David. Why not? asks Burke, she's very smart, she could teach you a lot, you'd have a good time, too. I wouldn't mind being with her a little while, says David, but I wouldn't want to be with he forever--I can't leave here forever! How do you know? asks Burke, you might leave this town, then you'd find out you liked it there, and you'd never want to come back--he chucks David under the chin--you'd be surprised--think it over, anyway, will you?I'll think it over, says David, but I'm still not sure. Burke chuckles. Seems to me a boy would like to get away, says Burke. Most boys would, agrees David, but not forever, and not with someone that once scared you so much. Burke looks at him, perplexed. (now, David, go with that fear, it's trying to tell you something!)

Burke has finished untangling the rope. That about does the job, he says. Now we'll have great equipment for our fishing trip, exults David. Yeah, that's right, says Burke, clapping David on the shoulder. You won't forget? asks David. I won't forget, says Burke--and give a little thought to going away with your mother. I will, says David--it's a deal, we both won't forget. Vicki enters the shack. There you are, she says to David, I've been worried sick about you! She greets Burke and he says hi and asks how she is. I don't ever want you to run off like that without telling me where you're going, she tells the boy sternly, is that understood. Yes, I guess so, he says. You have no idea how worried I was, she says. I'm sorry, he tells her, shrugging. That's more like it, she says. Ask her now, about the trip, David asks Burke. I thought I'd take Davy on a little fishing trip out on the bay, says Burke, his hands on David's shoulders. In this weather? asks Vicki, aghast. I told you what she'd say! says David resentfully. I'd make sure he was bundled up good and warm, Burke assures her. We'll talk about it in spring, says Vicki, then maybe you can do it. All the people around here just want to spoil my fun! complains David. Where are you going now? Vicki asks him. To my mother's cottage, he says. I wish you wouldn't, says Vicki. My father says I can, and if he says I can, I'm going, insists David. All right--but you be back before dark, says Vicki. OK, he says, resigned, and heads away as Vicki watches from the doorway. What's wrong with him seeing his mother? Burke asks over her shoulder. Mrs. Stoddard wouldn't like it, she says, please, I don't want to talk about it. Suit yourself, he says--now I want to know how you really are. I'm all right, she says. I heard about last night, he says. News certainly travels fast around here, she says. He smiles and looks down. I was a little concerned, he says, I saved your life once, and I guess I have a sort of investment in you. With you everything always boils down to business, she says. (LOL!) He closes the door. Not everything, he says. It's funny that it should be Josette again, she says, just like before--and fire--just before I fainted, I got a very strange sensation that I was burning alive. What's this Dr. Guthrie up to? demands Burke, incensed. He's trying to get to the bottom of Mrs. Stoddard's illness, says Vicki. He sure has way out ways of doing it, says Burke. I don't know anything about them, so I can't say whether he has or not, says Vicki. What's he going all over town asking people questions for? Burke asks. He's trying to find out what everybody knows about her illness, says Vicki. What's all this seance business? asks Burke--what does a doctor have to do with that kind of thing--that's not a doctor's normal sphere of activity. This is not a normal case, insists Vicki. I know you're gonna be mad at me again and blame me for this, but we're friends, and friends ought to be able to talk to each other--what is all this opposition against Laura? Because Mrs. Stoddard made us all promise to keep David away from her, says Vicki. That's Liz Stoddard, scoffs Burke, she wants David for herself--she didn't like Laura 10 years ago, when they first met--I know, I was there--what about you? You want the truth? she asks--you're not going to like it. Let me be the judge of that, he says. There are an awful lot of things about Laura that are questionable, downright mysterious, she says--I'll give you the facts--she came back here after many years without a word to anyone. She's been ill for a long time, you know that, says Burke, she's well now, and she has a mother's natural longing to see her son--what's wrong with that? That part is fine, says Vicki, I'm the first to be in sympathy with it, but an awful lot of strange things have happened since her arrival. Strange things are always happening at Collinwood, says Burke. But these have to do with her, says Vicki--there's Sam Evans and his painting--then there's that fire at his house when he burned his hands--and what about that fire in her apartment in Phoenix--that body was positively identified as Laura Collins--and don't forget that she was the last person who saw Mrs. Stoddard before she went into the trance--and she never even mentioned it--can you explain these things?--can anybody?

David enters the cottage, startling his mother. I guess I should have knocked, he says. No, of course not, she says, my goodness, my home is your home, you can come and go as you like. Gee, thanks! He says. She invites him to sit beside her (in front of the fire, of course). Tell me about you day, what have you been doing? she asks. I've been down at the fishing shack, he says, trying to straighten out some of the fishing gear. Planning on going on a fishing trip? She asks. Burke came around and thought I might want to, says David--he might take me out on the bay. That was very nice of him, comments Laura. But I don't think they'll let me go, says David. Why not?--I'd let you go if you were staying with me, she says. You would? he asks. Of course I would, anytime you wanted to, she assures him. Burke said I should give some thought about going away with you, he says. She ruffles his head and tells him that nothing would please her more. I'll think about it, he promises. Good, you think about it very hard, she says. Will we go someplace where there's fishing? he asks. If you want to, she says, we can go anywhere at all if you'd go away with me. Burke seemed to think I'd like to go away with you, he says. Oh, well, he's a very smart man, she says, he thinks very highly of you--I'm sure if he suggested it, he meant it for your own good. I'll think about it, he says--Mother, what's a seance like? Oh, just a lot of foolishness, she says. Then how come you went to one last night? he asks. You shouldn't even have been told about such things, she says--as a matter of fact, I didn't go--I just happened to be there. Tell me about it, he says. There's nothing to tell, she says, the only thing that came of it was that Vicki got very upset--she's a very nervous, high-strung girl--and then of course, you can't place too much faith in what people like that say, that includes Dr. Guthrie--as a matter of fact, they might say some wicked things about your mother--you mustn't believe anything they say about me, darling, will you promise me that? He nods. Burke enters the cottage and tells David he'd better be getting home--it'll be dark soon. Otherwise I'll get in trouble again, complains David, rising to his feet. Hey, says Laura, haven't you forgotten something?--don't I get a kiss? Sure, he says, and kisses her proffered cheek. David says goodbye and leaves. Now that David walks in and out of here, says Laura, I don't think you should come here anymore--he might take it into his head to mention something to Roger, and that would ruin everything. I don't want to talk about David, says Burke seriously--I want to talk about you. Why don't you stop talking and start thinking? she asks, annoyed. That's exactly what I have been doing, he says, I just had a little talk with Vicki about you. That's all I need, to have you listening to her, says Laura, sitting down--bad enough this awful influence she has over David. I'm very fond of David, says Burke angrily, and if you would explain a few things that have been happening around here since you came back, no one would object if you took the boy away. I know where all this comes from, she says, I can just hear Vicki enumerating everything--the painting, Sam's fire, the body in Phoenix, Liz' illness--look at me, Burke--it would take a superhuman being to do all those things--do you se anything but a woman appealing for your help? He sits beside her. I want to help, he says softly. Then do it, she says, touch me, I'm flesh and blood, the same woman you once loved--touch me! He caresses her cheek, then her chin. Do you feel anything that's any different from someone just appealing for your help? she asks. He turns away. What's the matter, what is it? she asks. Don't work on me, he says. Think of the future, she says, think only of you and me.He looks into her eyes, and she looks back, probably hypnotizing him...

NOTES: It looked like Vicki might have gotten Burke to believe her, but Laura has that magical hold over him, whatever it is, and he's lost again, in Laura's eyes. She will retain his help until such time as she no longer needs him and releases her hold on him--or kills him. Thanks to him, David will probably agree to go away with his mother, and God knows what terrible things might ensue as a result.

David thinks he owns Josette, because he saw her first, and he was quite put out that the adults contacted her without him. Frankly, given the outcome, it would have been better to include David and exclude Laura!

Poor David needs a father as much as he needs a mother, preferably a human mother. Burke is so much nicer to him than Roger is, and it's pathetic to watch how eagerly David responds to Burke's smallest kindnesses. It's David's father who should be taking him fishing, at least the man he thinks is his father!

Vicki has outlined to Burke all the odd things about Laura. Is he so besotted with the blonde that he'll ignore it all, or is he finally beginning to get a hint that the woman he once loved is, shall we say, somewhat different from what she used to be?

Love, Robin

Episode #168 - The halls of Collinwood are filled with conflict and suspicion. Questions are being asked, and very few answers given. The questions center around one woman for whom mystery is no stranger.

Burke comes to call on Laura, who takes her usual forever to answer her door. When she learns who it is, she asks, "What do you want?" To see you, he says. Not now, she insists. Now! he says. No, it's impossible, she tells him. Nothing is, he says. You shouldn't have come here, she says. Well I'm here, he points out. The last time you came here... she says. I remember, he says, now open the door. No, she says. Don't say no to me--I have to speak to you! he says. I'm sorry, she says, I can't stand anymore trouble. That's why I'm here, he says, I have something urgent to tell you, something that may affect what you're trying to do--now do you want me to stand outside here and shouts? She decides she had better let him in.

I'm glad I'm not a salesman, says Burke, I don't think I could stand much shouting through a door. I'm sorry, she says. You certainly make a fella feel welcome, he says. I didn't want to chance a repetition of your last visit, she says. He puts his hands on her shoulders and reminds her that Elizabeth Stoddard is in the hospital on Boston--not much chance of her to come barging in. There are other people who could come down here at any time, she says, moving away from him. I certainly wish you had a more convenient place to live, he says. This place is very convenient, she says, for me. I'm sorry, he says, I don't want to push you, I simply want to see you more frequently. I know, I'm sorry, she says, I wish we could be freer, we will be soon. I'm glad of that, he says. What was it that was so urgent? She asks. There's a man in town, says Burke, calls himself Dr. Guthrie--have you ever met him? Yes, she says, he's a doctor, here to consult about Elizabeth's illness. Why isn't he consulting? Asks Liz. To my knowledge, he is, she replies. Elizabeth Stoddard is in the hospital in Boston, he can't consult her there, says Burke. He's here to study the psychological elements of her illness or breakdown or whatever it is, she explains. Why is he asking so many questions about you? asks Burke. To try to establish my relationship with Liz, says Laura, obviously he knows there was a conflict; he probably wants to find out what affect it's had on her. Is that all? asks Burke. I think so, Laura replies. Do you know that he's been interviewing Sam Evans on the subject of you? asks Burke. No, I didn't, she says, what does he want? He was asking about that painting, and about you, says Burke--not about Liz Stoddard. Laura looks annoyed. Elizabeth objected to the painting, everyone knows that, says Laura. I wish I would have seen that painting, says Burke. It was dreadful, she says, I'm glad it was destroyed! You saw that painting, says Burke., but why is Guthrie so interested in it. I haven't the slightest idea! she insists. One thing we know is, he isn't an art dealer, says Burke. I wish you wouldn't take Dr. Guthrie so seriously, she says. Burke leans in close. When it concerns you, I have to take him seriously, he tells her. But he hasn't asked you any questions yet, has he? Not yet, but he might, says Burke. Stay out of it, please, she says--he'll go away soon. Will he? asks Burke--I don't see how you can be so unconcerned. Because I have nothing to hide, she says. I have a theory about this Dr. Guthrie, says Burke--from all I can find out, all he's interested in is information about you--why is that? I don't know, she says, rising from the sofa. I don't think he's a doctor at all, says Burke--his questions don't have anything to do with medicine or doctoring--these aren't just my words--everyone is saying it. If he isn't a doctor, what is he? she asks. I think he's a detective, says Burke--it's only a theory, but it's worth following up. What in the world would a detective want with me? she asks, lighting a cigarette. (in real life, this actress is pregnant, and I cringe when she does this.) That business in phoenix, says Burke--that body they swear is yours. Her gaze lingers on the lighter's flame as she considers this.

The death of that woman in Phoenix has been taken care of! insists Laura, they admitted they were mistake--I let them make a positive identification of me, the case is closed. What if they're not satisfied? Asks Burke--what if they only told you it was a mistake? I don't know, what could they possibly want? she asks. You tell me, he says--what is all this mystery about the fire in Phoenix? There's no mystery, she says. If it is something, please confide in me, he says. I've told you everything, she says. OK, he says, I only want to help, if you need it. I know and I appreciate it, I really do, she says, but I think you should base your suspicions of Dr. Guthrie on something else. There's something different about this Dr. Guthrie, says Burke--and I intend to find out what it is!  If you learn anything, I hope you'll let me know, she says. He smiles and promises he will. All these ridiculous suspicions of me, she says, they may possibly have been caused by you--you said something to someone about seeing Liz here, just before she became ill, and now Carolyn is asking ME what happened to her mother. I don't think there was anything wrong is saying I saw her here, says Burke. It was wrong to suggest we were together at any time, she says--anyway, thank you for the warning or whatever it was. He sits beside her and caresses her neck and cheek. I just don't want anything to happen to you, he says gently, smiling. Do you think something could? she asks. Half the time, I don't know what to think about you, he says. Don't think about me, she says, think about the future, she says. The future is you, he says, kissing her. He goes in for another, but she backs awayI'm the future, not the present, she says. (not gettin' any now, Burke.) Thunder booms. I think you'd better hurry, she advises, you're going to get caught in that storm. Sure, he says, caressing her cheek, but let's push the future a little, shall we? He takes his coat, gives her a lingering last look, kisses her neck (which she seems to enjoy) and leaves. Thunder rolls. Laura takes another cigarette and lights it.

Sam, too is lighting a cigarette at the Blue Whale. He's sitting at the bar when Peter enters and greets him. I'm fine, says Sam--just indulging in my favorite hobby, says Sam, indicating his glass. Looks very stimulating, says Peter, and Sam agrees it is--it's a challenge to all my sense of wit. You think it will ever become a popular hobby? Asks Guthrie. No, not a chance, says Sam, too cerebral--but the cerebral is your department--want to give it a try?--he calls to the bartender. No, thanks, says Peter, I'm meeting Burke Devlin. Devlin? asks Sam--he's not here. I'm a few minutes early, says Peter. In that case, why don't you join me? invites Sam, wait for a few minutes. Peter agrees and orders scotch and water. Sam repeats the order to Bob, the bartender--for the doctor. Peter points to Sam's drink and orders one of these, for the artist, if you'll permit me. Sam grins at him. So you're meeting Burke Devlin? asks Sam. Yes, says Peter, although I don't know why, he called, left a message for me to meet him here--I assume it has something to do with Mrs. Stoddard. I can't imagine why, says Sam. Bob pours and Peter hands him money. Thank you, says Sam to peter. Shall we drink to your health or your hobby? Asks Guthrie. I'm not interested in my health, quips Sam, let's make it to my hobby. (or your liver.) They toast, and Sam says, I can feel those vitamins all the way down. Lucky thing your hands aren't any worse, says Guthrie. Yeah, says Sam, brooding a moment. By the way, says Peter, you never did tell me how you hurt your hands. You wouldn't believe it, insists Sam. I've believed everything you've told me so far, haven't? asks Peter. Yeah, says Sam. How did you burn your hands? asks Peter.I didn't, says Sam, Laura Collins did. Guthrie stares at him.

Laura Collins burned your hands? asks Guthrie. She didn't exactly put a match to them, says Sam. What are you saying? asks Peter. You see, you wouldn't believe me, so forget it, says Sam. No, I want to hear about it, says Peter--how did she burn you? She told me she'd stop me from painting, says Sam. She threatened you? asks Peter. Well, yeah, says Sam, it was something, the way she said it, the expression on her face, ion her eyes, I knew she meant it. What did she do? asks Peter. I'll let you put it together, says Sam--later that same night, I was relaxing, lying on the sofa having a cigarette, indulging in my favorite hobby--not excessively--now, about booze, it's done a lot to me, but never made me sleep. But this night toy fell asleep? Says Guthrie. That's right, says Sam, I was thinking about her threat, trying to forget it, then I had this dream, about fire and Laura, she was standing there, I was terrified, she was laughing at me, this hideous laugh--I can still hear it echoing, hear the roaring of the flames--then the dream suddenly ended, I was wide awake, seeing real flames--and for some stupid reason, I reached out and tried to put out the flame with my hands, I don't know why--I have more common sense than to do that with my hands--but something made me do it!--SHE made me do it--Laura Collins! She wasn't anywhere near you? asks Guthrie--she wasn't in the room? She was up at Collinwood, says Sam. And the fire? asks Guthrie. I dropped my cigarette on a newspaper, says Sam, but she did it--she influenced it, she caused it to happen! I think I understand, says Peter, sounding doubtful, sipping his drink. You do believe me? asks Sam. Yes, I believe you, says Peter. Thank you, says Sam--maybe you can explain it to me then? Not at the moment, says Guthrie. Burke enters the bar. But I can tell you it's helped me, says Guthrie. What do you mean? asks Sam. Pieces are beginning to fit together, says Peter. Hello, Evans, greets Burke. Sam introduces the two men, but Guthrie says they've met. Sorry I'm late, says Burke. That's all right, says Peter. Burke and Peter decide to go to a table. Burke offers to freshen Peter's drink, but he refuses. I'll have my usual, Burke tells the bartender. Peter and Burke sit down. I've been curious about you, says Burke. Stranger in town sort of thing? asks Guthrie. Yes, you might call it that, says Burke, not that I'm interested in strangers per se, just strangers asking questions. I see, says Peter. Do you? asks Burke. Yes, that clearly makes you a person who has an answer to give--or one to conceal, says Peter. Burke smiles. You're pretty fast for a doctor, remarks Burke. No reason a doctor should be slow, says Peter. Good, says Burke, it's make it a little easier to level with you. Level away, invites Peter. Why are you here, Doctor? Asks Burke. I think you know that perfectly well, says Peter. What is this so-called psychological study you're making? Asks Burke. Mrs. Stoddard is my patient, explains Peter, now I'm not free to discuss the case--unless of course you feel you have something to add. Perhaps I'm an interested party, says Burke. You're more than an interested party, says Peter--you saw Mrs. Stoddard the day she collapsed. Your voice has the ring of a district attorney, accuses Burke. And yours the ring of someone who's setting up a defense mechanism, says Peter. I have nothing to be guilty of, says Burke. Then perhaps you'll tell me what occurred between Mrs. Stoddard and Mrs. Collins, suggests Peter. Who are you? demands Burke.Who do you think I am? asks Peter. I don't know, but I'll find out, vows Burke.

Your unnecessarily suspicious, says Peter. Your questions are very suspicious for a doctor, says Burke--if you are a doctor. I assure you I am, says Peter. I'm going to run a complete check on you, says Burke. I hope you'll do that, says Peter, I'd hate to leave you with a sense of insecurity--but in the meantime, I wonder if you could tell me what happened at the last meeting between Mrs. Stoddard and Mrs. Collins. I wouldn't have any idea, says Burke, I was just leaving as Mrs. Stoddard got there. I see, says Peter--you're a very close friend of Mrs. Collins, aren't you? Acquaintance is the word, corrects Burke. That's a safer word, agrees Peter. Thunder rolls. Sounds like something's brewing up here as well as down, says Peter--you have anything to tell me or should we consider the interview ended? I think we've gone as far as we can for the present, says Burke. And I'll be seeing more of you in the future, says Peter. It depends on how long you're going to be around, says Burke. I don't know about that, says Peter, but I know I'll be here as long as I have to be to find out what I want to know. We'll see, promises Burke--I appreciate your coming by for this little meeting. It's been very instructive, says Peter. Both men stand. Good night, Doctor, says Burke. Good night, Mr. Devlin, says Peter, and leaves the bar. Burke goes over to Sam. I see he was having another go at you, he says to Sam. Yeah, well, I was just trying to kill time, says Sam. What did he mean when he said he was fitting his pieces together? asks Burke. I suppose he was trying to figure things out, says Sam. Listen, Evans, says Burke, I don't know what you told him, but I think you'd better get it through your alcoholic head that he's not a friend! I have to be the judge of that, says Sam. No, I'll be the judge of that! insists Burke--I'm going to run a check on that guy--I want to know exactly what he's up to. Thunder rolls.

Laura lies on her sofa, resting. Guthrie pays her a visit, and she makes him wait while she adjusts her hair before letting him in. Take off your coat? She asks. She invites him to sit down. Just for a moment, he says, I'm afraid there's a bad storm coming. Yes, she says--can I fix you some coffee? He sits down. No thank you, don't bother, he says, I just want to ask you a question. Certainly, she says, sitting by the fire--what is it? I understand you saw Mrs. Stoddard the day she collapsed, he says--in fact, just a few minutes before. Yes, she says, that's true, she says. I wonder if you could tell me anything about her state of mind? he asks. No, not really, says Laura, she seemed her usual self. Why did she come down here to see you? he asks. Just to see if I was comfortable, she replies. Nothing more than that? he asks. Nothing more than that, she says--I'm sorry I can't be of more help. Maybe you have, he says--well, that was it--I guess I'd better be getting back before I get caught in the rain. Yes, she agrees, retrieving his coat. I wonder, he says, if you'd accept an invitation--to a seance. A seance? She asks. Yes, he says--do you know what that is? An effort to contact the dead, she says. Exactly, he says. And where are you having it? she inquires. At Collinwood, he says. Whatever for? she asks. To try to make contact--with Josette Collins, he says. Laura turns away. Do you think you will? asks Laura, obviously perturbed. Who can tell? he asks. Why Josette? she asks. Some of us think she might have something to say, he says. How absurd, she says. Will you come? he asks. No, she responds. I'm sorry, he says, I thought it might be extremely interesting for you--are you sure I can't persuade you? Positive, she says, opening the door for him. Wind howls outside. Think it over, please, he urges. Who will be there? she asks. There will be those who are invited, he says, and of course, those who are the uninvited.He leaves. She gazes after him, closing the door, breathing in angry, fear-filled bursts.

NOTES: Guthrie has Laura scared. How nice. She fears Josette, because she knows the ghost stands in the way of her getting David, of realizing her dreams. I admire Guthrie, who has balls going to her the way he did--staring the beast right in the eyes, as it were.

On the other hand, Burke is breathing down Guthrie's neck (I did enjoy their conversation in the Blue Whale, filled with barbs and veiled threats). It's weird watching Burke romance Laura, who really seems to be uninterested in him. She seems to enjoy his kisses and caresses, but not very passionately--and she won't let him get as far with her as he apparently used to get. She's holding back on the goodies, but for how long? Isn't she just using Burke?

Poor Sam. He just wants someone to listen and believe him, and Peter does. Burke doesn't want Sam blabbing to Guthrie, however. It should be interesting when Burke has the doctor investigated and learns that he's a parapsychologist, a real doctor.

The problem is, with Guthrie closing in, will Laura push him out of the action, as she did Liz?


Episode #169 - A dark, unseen force exists in the shadows of Collinwood, a force that many are trying to bring into the light. To do this, at least one member of the Collins family must live through a night of terror.

Carolyn gazes out the drawing room window at the storm-drenched countryside. She answers the door to Dr. Guthrie and asks him in. I was lucky, he says, I just beat the rain. He slips off his coat. I was afraid I'd get caught coming through the woods, he says--I went to see your Aunt Laura. What for? she asks. to invite her to the seance, he says. I didn't know you were planning to do that, she says. Yes, says Peter, I thought it might be interesting if she were here. What did she say? asks Carolyn. She refused my invitation, he says, rather firmly. I'm not surprise, she says--but what does that mean--are you still planning to go ahead with it? Oh yes, he says, in fact I think we might have better results without Mrs. Collins. Why do you say that? she asks. Because she's hostile to what I'm trying to do, he says, and a hostile force might disrupt communication--with the world of the unknown an the unseen, he explains. They go into the drawing room The storm rages on. Upstairs, the door opens, but we see no one appear.

You really think you can establish communication? Carolyn asks Peter. I hope so, he replies, after all, that's the point of the seance. I know, she says. I can tell you're still a bit skeptical, he says. I'm sure you know what you're doing, she assures him, I very much want to believe something will come of all this. But you're not convinced? he asks. If I do seem a bit skeptical, says Carolyn, sitting in a chair, I'm sorry, but I can't help it--the whole idea of a seance seems a little bit far out. Most people feel that way, says Peter. Have you had success with this sort of thing before? she asks. Some, he says. How much success? She asks. The degree of success has varied, he says. (yet he claims he's never seen a ghost.) You've definitely managed to establish communication with... With the dead? he finishes. Yes, she says. I've had evidence of communication, he says, that's as much as I can say--you have to trust me, you have to believe I know what I'm doing. He sits in another chair. I'm trying to, she says. Then go along with what I'm trying to do, he urges, I need your support. I'm willing to do anything you say, she tells him. That's all I ask, he says. But what if the seance fails, what if nothing happens? She asks. I have every confidence something will, he says. But if it doesn't, she asks. Then I'll have to decide what to do next, he says, but I give you my word, I will do everything in my power to help your mother. Vicki comes downstairs and joins them. Is David asleep? Asks Carolyn. Not yet, says Vicki, he says the sound of the storm is bothering him. This thunder is enough to keep anyone awake, says Carolyn, going to the window and closing the door. When are you going to start the seance? Asks Vicki. In an hour or so, he says, when David's fast asleep--I don't want any intrusions. Who's going to be here? asks Vicki. Just you, Miss Stoddard, Mr. Collins and myself, says Peter. Not Mrs. Collins? asks Vicki. She refused to come, he says. Someone knocks. Are you expecting someone? Vicki asks Carolyn. No, says the latter. It's very late for a visitor, says Vicki--I'll get it. Frank's at the door. This is a surprise, says Vicki. Something of a surprise for me, too, he says, entering the foyer--Roger just called me--told me to get up here in five minutes flat--there's some kind of emergency--do you know what he wants? I haven't the slightest idea, says Vicki. Roger enters from the kitchen. Ah, Garner, he says, thank you for being so punctual. What's the emergency? Asks Frank. I prefer to talk about this in private, says Roger, lets go into my study. OK, says Frank, see you later, Vicki. All right, she says, looking after them, puzzled. What did Frank want? Carolyn asks Vicki. Roger phoned him and asked him to come up here, says Vicki, he said it was some sort of emergency--I don't know anything about it, do you? Not a thing, says Carolyn. Very strange, says Vicki. Strange things are happening in this house, complains Carolyn, and half the time I don't even understand what's going on--I only know one thing--I'm frightened--more than I've ever been in my life. Peter and Vicki exchange concerned glances.

Study - That's the only reason you called me up here? Frank asks Roger. Isn't it reason enough? asks Roger. I would hardly call it an emergency, says Frank. I would, says Roger, I'm not satisfied with the way you're handling this divorce--I want it settled and soon. I'm moving as fast as I can, says Frank. It's not fast enough for me or for my wife, says Roger. I can't march into a courtroom and order a judge to give you a divorce, says Frank--is that what you want me to do? Just push it along as fast as you can, insists Roger, that's what I'm asking you to do. Why the rush? Asks Frank. That's my business--and my wife's, says Roger, Mrs. Collins has been putting a great deal of pressure on me to get this thing resolved. Oh she has? asks Frank. She's eager to take David and leave, says Roger. May I ask why? queries Frank. You may not, says Roger--just get this legal complication out of the way as soon as you can. All right, says Frank, I'll do the best I can. I only hope your best is sufficient, says Roger, offering him a drink. Thank you, says Frank--is that all you want to see me about? No, says Roger, pouring the booze, there's a little matter of my legal rights--regarding Collinwood and the cannery. As long as Mrs. Stoddard is alive, says Frank, she retains legal ownership of both. Liz is incapacitated, says Roger--who has the right to take her place and make decisions in her absence? Her next of kin, Carolyn, says Frank. Surely in a case like this, the business and property holdings should be turned over to a more responsible member of the family, suggests Roger. Not in this case, says Frank. Why not? asks Roger. Because of the terms of Mrs. Stoddard's will, says Frank--it stipulates that in the event she dies or become incapacitated, Carolyn becomes her legal heir. But Carolyn is practically a child! objects Roger--she's not equipped to run this house, let alone a large business. As long as Carolyn is a minor, says Frank, she is a ward of the Board or Trustees of Collins Enterprises and her lawyer--she wouldn't be able to make any important business decisions on her own, but she is the legal mistress of this house. I see, says Roger, displeased--and there's nothing I can do to fight it. Nothing, says Frank, the will was quite specific--it would be upheld in any court of law in the land. So, says Roger, I'm to be dictated to by my little niece--how very charming. You've always gotten along with Carolyn, says Frank. Until recently, agrees Roger--she's grown headstrong, the very picture of her mother--she's allowing things to happen in this house that I don't approve of--which brings us to the subject of your friend--this so-called psychologist. Peter Guthrie is a qualified psychologist, says Frank. Really? asks Roger--I don't know much about psychologists, but do they always go around arranging seances? Seance? asks Frank. Surely you know about it, says Roger--you're the one who brought him here. No, I haven't talked to him in several days, says Frank. Then let me acquaint you with the plan this evening, says Roger--Carolyn, Vicki, myself and the good doctor, all reputed sane and rational people, are going to sit around a table and wait for some spook to say boo. I'm sure he must have a very good reason for wanting to do this, says Frank. He may have a good reason, says Roger, but you disappoint me, Garner--I thought you were a much more intelligent man, you certainly don't believe this nonsense. All I can tell you, says Frank, is that Peter Guthrie is a competent, qualified man--I'm sure he knows what he's doing. Well I'm not, says Roger, and I'm not at all sure he is what he says he is--just a psychologist trying to understand what happened to poor Liz. He is, says Frank, you'll just have to take my word for that. Does you run of the mill psychologist always go around evoking witchcraft and voodoo? Asks Roger. All right, says Frank, his methods might be a little bit strange, but I have all the confidence in the world in him. And you won't say more than that? asks Roger. There's nothing else to say, says Frank--Guthrie is trying to find out what caused your sister's illness--he has to use his own methods to do that. All right, says Roger, I think you know more than you're telling me, but that's all right--I'll find out about this man, and deal with him in my own way.He turns his back to Frank and takes a sip of his drink.

Carolyn sits in the drawing room, reading a magazine. She turns the pages, distracted, listens to the thunder, goes to the window, looks frightened. She leans her face against the wall and shivers. Vicki joins her. Carolyn looks into the fire. Where's Dr. Guthrie? Vicki asks her. In Mother's study, making some notes, says Carolyn--is David asleep? Fast asleep, says Vicki--he looks so angelic when he's sleeping. Yes, says Carolyn, you know something, I've battled with David for years, called him a little monster hundreds of times, but if anything ever happened to him, I think I'd almost die--he's more than a cousin to me, he's more like my little brother. I know, says Vicki. I feel such responsibility for him, says Carolyn, and I jut don't know if I'm up to it--I miss my mother so much. We all do, Vicki assures her. She always knew what to do, says Carolyn, Mother always made the decisions--I'm not good at it, I never was. You're doing fine! Says Vicki. Am I? asks Carolyn, am I really?--do you believe in Dr. Guthrie and what he's trying to do? I want to believe in him, says Vicki, because I think he knows what he's doing. But does he? asks Carolyn--isn't a seance pretty far out? I thought you were in favor of it, says Vicki. I'm in favor of anything that might help my mother, says Carolyn, but suppose nothing comes of it--that would mean Dr. Guthrie can't help my mother, that we've just been kidding ourselves. Don't think about it that way, says Vicki--there's a lot more to consider. I'm so scared, says Carolyn, I miss my mother so much, I need her so much--what if there's nothing they can do?--what if she never gets any better. She will, says Vicki firmly. You honestly believe that? asks Carolyn. I honestly do, says Vicki. I'm trying to, says Carolyn, trying to believe that what happens tonight will somehow help my mother--but I can't help being worried, mixed up and scared. Carolyn, says Vicki gently, touching her shoulder. Spotting Frank in the doorway, Carolyn asks for a favor--get me a plane ticket for Boston, on a plane leaving sometime tomorrow?--I want to see my mother--I have to go to her. You know what the doctors have said, argues Frank, but Carolyn is insistent--I have to see her!--I need her! It isn't a good idea, says Frank. There's no use trying to talk me out of it, says Carolyn, I've made up my mind--I'm going to my mother. Wait a minute, he says, seating her on the sofa and sitting beside her--I have something to tell you, something I thought could wait, but... What is it? asks Carolyn anxiously--is it mother?--is she worse? Nothing like that, he says, it's just that I've seen your mother--today, I took the early plane down to Boston, talked with her doctor. How is she? asks Carolyn eagerly, how does she look, how does she seem? About the same, he says. Then why don't you want me to see her? asks Carolyn. I started to say, I talk to her doctors, and they feel a visit from a member of the family wouldn't be advisable at this time. Why not? asks Carolyn. They're still running tests, explains Frank, and so far, the results have been inconclusive... She's worse! Interrupts Carolyn, that's why you don't want me to see her. No, they're still running tests, they're very hopeful, he says. You're lying to me! accuses Carolyn, I know what those doctors said--they told you my mother is going to die! They didn't say that! says Frank. Stop lying to me! orders Carolyn, jumping up from the sofa, stop trying to be nice to me--I know the truth--my mother is never going to get well! Frank puts comforting hands on Carolyn's shoulders, assuring her that's far from the truth, nobody knows--everything that can be done for your mother is being done, here and at the hospital in Boston. Carolyn, please! murmurs Vicki. What's that? demands Carolyn in a ragged voice--a bunch of stupid doctors who can't tell us what's wrong with her--even Dr. Guthrie doesn't know! But he's trying to find out, says Vicki. He's nothing more than a quack! cries Carolyn, the only thing he can think of is conducting some ridiculous seance! I'm sorry you feel that way, Miss Stoddard, says Peter from the doorway--we can call the seance off if you like--it's up to you. I'm sure Carolyn didn't mean that, Vicki tells Peter. She's just got a little emotional, says Frank.Guthrie goes directly to Carolyn. Should we call it off? he asks her. Yes, says Carolyn defiantly, it wouldn't do any good anyway--I'm never going to see my mother again--at least not alive--please, leave me alone!--and she runs upstairs, Vicki in pursuit. Peter looks guilty and upset.

Vicki comes downstairs and tells Frank that Carolyn is calmer, she stopped crying. She's under a lot of stress, says Frank. What DID Mrs. Stoddard's doctors say? asks Vicki--really? Let's go in the drawing room, suggests Frank. They do. It isn't good, reports Frank to Vicki and Peter. You mean, they don't hold out much hope for her? asks Vicki. At this point, practically none, says Frank. Oh, no! says Vicki. They're very pessimistic about the results they've come up with so far, he says--they're afraid they'll never find out what the matter is with her. And they don't think she'll ever get better? Asks Vicki, very disturbed. It's hard to make predictions, says Frank, but they don't have much hope. How did she look, how did she seem? Asks Vicki. You want the truth? he asks--like a woman who is living, but no longer alive--that's why I want to keep Carolyn away from her. Vicki nods, near tears. You're absolutely right, she says, I wish there was something I could do. That's what we all feel, says Peter sadly--apparently, there's nothing to be done. Then you're not going to do the seance? asks Vicki. Not if Miss Stoddard doesn't want to, he replies. But I'm sure that she wants to do anything to help her mother! insists Vicki, desperate, she was just excited! Carolyn re-joins them. It has to be her decision, says Peter. Vicki's right, says Carolyn, I do want to go ahead with the seance--Dr. Guthrie, I'm terribly sorry for what I said--I was being silly and hysterical--and I didn't mean a word of it--please accept my apology. Of course, he says. I'm very grateful for what you're trying to do, she says, and I do want to hold the seance. Are you sure? he asks. Positive, she says, I wouldn't stop it for anything in the world--as long as it might help my mother. Then we'll go ahead with it, says Peter. Good, says Carolyn--when? In a few minutes, he says, I have several things I have to do first. Will you be here, Frank? Carolyn asks him. I don't know--should I be? asks Frank. (will he bill the family for seance hours?) I think it's better if we limit it to members of the family, says Peter. Anything you say, Frank says. I think I'll go to my room for a while until you're ready, says Carolyn--will you call me? Of course, promises Peter. Carolyn exits. I'd better go with her, says Vicki. And I'll be saying good night, says Frank. Are you leaving? Asks Vicki. In a minute, says Frank--I'll phone you first thing in the morning. All right, says Vicki--good night, Frank. She exits. Peter and Frank look at each other a moment, and the doctor goes to gaze out the window. I hope you didn't pay too much attention to what Carolyn said, Frank tells him. I know she's under a great strain, says Peter, we all are--Mrs. Stoddard's life may be hanging in the balance--so much depends on what we might learn tonight. Then you're confident she will find something? asks Frank. Yes, but not as confident as I might seem in front of the others, says Peter--I'm dealing in a very new science, so little is known, and less is understood. But it's worth trying, says Frank. I think it is, yes, says Peter, otherwise I wouldn't suggest it. Try to keep the girls from getting too frightened, advises Frank--they're both pretty shaky. Guthrie takes off his glasses--you want to know something ironic? He asks--I'm frightened too. Of what--failure? Asks Frank. Yes, admits Peter, and of success. I don't get it, says Frank.If we succeed tonight, says Peter, we may unleash a force so strange, so mystifying, so incomprehensible to the human mind, that we may not be able to control it.

NOTES: There's a scary thought, Dr. G. If it's Josette that is unleashed, why would she prove to be such a handful? Unless he's talking about Laura's reaction to what occurs. I admire Peter for going ahead with it, because he is clearly as scared as Carolyn and Vicki--but can't dare show it. I recall thinking what a brave, kind man Peter was back when I first saw these eps, and how much he was putting himself out for a family that wasn't even his.

This was mostly Carolyn's episode, and Nancy Barrett's performance was, as always, flawless. She's amazing as the teenager-cum-Liz-Stoddard's-replacement, divvying up her emotions between fear, indecision and anger. I didn't appreciate her the fist time around, but I do now.

Roger is such a pill! I can understand, I suppose, his being pissed off at Carolyn taking the role he feels he should have--but if that's Liz's wishes, then he should accept it. I was glad Frank put him in his place and told him he was stuck with things as they are. Roger needs to be pushed off the pedestal he put himself on!

It's a desperate situation for Liz now, since she apparently will stay in the trance-like state, her body growing weaker, as long as Laura is alive. How will this seance affect her and the others? This will be DS' first seance ever, and it's going to be a good one!

Love, Robin