Episode #89 - For more than 130 years, the foreboding mansion of Collinwood has sat on the top of Widows' Hill like a giant headstone, marking the watery graves of fishermen who have perished in the seas below. It is a monument to one man--Jeremiah Collins and his dreams (we focus on the lighted portrait of Jeremiah over the mantel in Collinwood)--but when men dream, spoilers always seem to lurk nearby, ready to destroy their dreams, turning them into nightmares, even in a small family town like Collinsport.
Burke is working in his hotel room, writing furiously. Blair hands him a paper and he asks him what his feeling is about the cost figures on some of these properties. It's a lot of money, says Blair. Do you think it's worth all the money that's involved? Asks Burke. If you're asking me are the prices fair, I can answer in one word--yes--on the other hand, if you ask me if it's worth it, only you can answer that question. It's worth it, says Burke. Then you'll be happy to know that your bid is in on the Logansport Fishing Industries, says Blair. Good, says Burke, slipping a cigarette into his mouth--has anyone else made a bid?
Not so far, replies Blair--tell me, are you dead set on going ahead with this deal? If it kills me, says Burke, blowing out the match.
Roger, looking very dapper, paces the drawing room, telling Liz that Vicki is a dangerous woman to have in this house--she has illusions, which he's sure is nothing but an overactive imagination--like this business of seeing Malloy's ghost--it's ridiculous. I'm not so sure, says Liz. Lord knows what we can expect if she decides to have another vision! says Roger. What exactly are you trying to say? she asks. Get rid of her, advises Roger--she could threaten David's safety--it's plain she doesn't like the boy, and there are times when I sense he's afraid of her! David afraid of her! says Liz, incredulous--after what happened last night, I think it's the other way around. She answers the phone--hello, Mr. Garner--you just heard what?--he did?--how much did he offer?--of course I intend to do something about it--how much do you think I need?--that much?--Roger is paying close attention--no, I can't give you an answer right now--how much time do I have?--I see--all right, I'll call you back--thank you for calling. What is it? asks Roger. Burke, his man Blair just made an offer for the Logansport Fishing Fleet and Cannery, she says. Interesting, remarks Roger. Interesting! Says Liz--is that all you can say?--don't you know what it means?--Burke plans to go into competition with us--I won't let him do it! How do you intend to stop it? asks Roger. I'll top his bid! vows Liz. With what?--if you top it, he'll just raise his bid! points out Roger--you can't win at his game, Liz. I'll think of something, she says. How much time do we have? asks Roger. Ten days, she says, pacing. Ten days!--oh, forget it, he says--we couldn't raise that kind of money in 10 years!--let him have the Logans cannery. You never were much of a fighter, accuses Liz, that's where we're different--I am--and I intend to fight him with everything I've got! Why don't you face it, says Roger--he's too much for you--he has endless resources--what do you have? There was a time I depended on you, she says--now I wonder. (ZING!) She gives him a disapproving look.
Burke pours a drink and asks Blair how long it will take to close the deal on Logansport. That depends, says Blair--don't you think you've underestimated Mrs. Stoddard? I don't think so, says Burke. From what I hear, she's a pretty strong woman, says Blair--she may put up a mean fight when she learns what you're up to. Burke hands him a drink and asks what she's got to fight with--a nephew who runs to me--I'm his idol--an infatuated daughter--a weakling brother she can't depend on--I also planted a housekeeper in her home to let me know what she's up to--she's alone--she has nothing to fight with. Maybe she has, says Blair. Who does she have? asks Burke. The men who work for her are loyal, they like her--even you know that--they've been with her for years--they're good men--that's why the Collins Enterprises has always been so successful, and why, conversely, that Logansport is up for sale--how can you compete with her unless you can find men like these. Money talks, says Burke, rubbing his fingers together, money buys loyalty--everyone has a price--name it and you can buy it--some just come a little higher than others, that's all--everyone is for sale. I'm not so sure, says Blair. Well I am, insists Burke, I've called a meeting here this morn...the phone rings and he excuses himself to answer it. Send them right up, I'm expecting them, says Burke--thank you--see Blair, money talks, now you're going to see how conversational it can be--I've got a few tricks up my sleeve--and he toasts his tricks.
While Blair lights a cigarette, Blair brings out two bottles of booze. Four men enter his suite--Sam, Ezra, John and Amos. He shakes their hands and introduces Amos Fitch to his business associate, Mr. Blair--the fishing captain of Collins fleet. Mr. Dare, Mr. Belladou, Mr. Cartwright (Blair shakes their hands)--all top men for Collins--I've know these men a long time--we're good friends, aren't we? You said we had a business proposition to talk over--what is it? asks Fitch. Same old Fitch, says Burke, never waste time or words, eh?--I like that, I'm the same way--sit down, gentlemen, and make yourselves comfortable. The men sit. I'll come right to the point, says Burke--I'm going to buy the Logansport Fishing Enterprises--my bid is in. The men look at each other. Congratulations, says Fitch, who looks like a Mafia man, but you didn't ask us up here to tell us that, did you? No, says Burke, I asked you up here to make you a very generous offer. Hold it, says Fitch, standing, we'd better get something straight before you go ahead--I'm going to tell you... Just a minute, interrupts Burke, let me finish--hear me out! Fitch nods and sits back down. What I'm about to say might be very important to all of you, says Burke--I'm going to take over the Logansport Fishing Canneries, and I want your help--I know you can make it into a first-rate outfit--and I know I can do it with your help. I thought that was what you were going to say, says Fitch, standing, speaking for myself, I've been with the Collins outfit too long to make a change--I'm leaving the building of new enterprises to you younger men--besides, I like it there--the Collins family has always treated me right--you fellas agree with me, don't you? The other men nod and rise, intending to go. Burke asks them to sit down and hear his proposition before they make up their minds--Amos, you just made my point for me--you've been working a lot of hard years in this business--but what have you got to show for it?--you don't own anything!--if you had to quit tomorrow, it would be really rough on you and your families--I want to see you earn much more than you're getting--and I want to give it to you. Like what? asks Fitch. I'll let Mr. Blair explain what I mean, says Burke. What Mr. Devlin is saying, gentlemen, says Blair, is that it's time your years and experience started to pay off--you'll be making more money than you've ever been paid before, and what's more, every one of you will be in a profit-sharing deal--no more depending on weekly paychecks--this is your chance to earn big money, and don't tell me it doesn't mean anything to you. Fitch looks at Burke. All right, says Burke, let's talk--first I'll give you the details
--now, when I tell you the plan I have, I want you to speak up--anything you don't agree with, just let me know--and at the end if you don't like it, you can walk out of here and there will be no hard feelings--OK?--now first, Zeb...he tells Blair to fix the boys a drink.
Liz stands by the drawing room window. Roger tells her that Burke has a lot going for him--and a lot of people behind him--what do we have?--we'd have to fight this alone. Not exactly, she says. What do you mean? he asks. We're not alone, says Liz--we have people Burke will never have--people he could never buy--they'll help us fight. Who are these people? asks Roger. The men who work for us, says Liz, we can count on every one of them to stick by us--even Burke's money can't buy their loyalty.
Back in Burke's hotel room, he's taken off his jacket and loosened his tie. His hand, a cigarette between his finger, sweeps in a wide arc as he says, "Forget loyalty, gentlemen, that is not the issue--what I'm saying it, if you don't take my proposition, my offer that I'm stating right now, when you come over to Logansport, you're going to find it very hard to find jobs over there--you know what I mean, Amos?" Fitch looks at him. There aren't going to be any jobs around here, warns Burke, as soon as I take over Logansport--you understand that--so I'm giving you guys this one chance!--what do you say, will you come along with me. Amos puts down his drink and says he thinks he wants to make his move right now--you seem pretty sure of yourself, he tells Burke--the Collins family has been in business a long time--they'll fight!--they won't let you take over. I'm going to take over, Burke assures him, and there's nothing the Collins family can do about it--nothing. Fitch leaves the suite and Burke takes a big swallow of his drink.
All right, Liz tells Roger, let's say worse does come to worse and Burke takes over Logansport--how's he going to run it?--he'll need experience help, won't he? Naturally, says Roger. Where's he going to find it, she asks--there's not one man in this entire area left with enough experience and background he needs to run Logansport. Then he'll have to go out of this area to recruit his people, says Roger, and again, he's got the money, and money always has a way of finding people. That remark seems to have an edge to it, says Liz--what are you driving at? If you were in his spot, what would you do? asks Roger--where would you go to get the best, most competent people in this entire area? He wouldn't dare try to steal our men! Says Liz, why they've been with us for years!--their loyalty is going to help us fight Burke. I hope you're right, says Roger, but I'm afraid loyalty, like most things, always goes to the highest bidder. Liz goes to answer a knock at the door. It's Amos, and she cordially invites him in--seeing you here this time of day must mean something is wrong, she says. There is, something real wrong, says Amos, Burke Devlin called me--asked me to get in touch with Ahearn, Billadou and Cartwright--he said that he had some important business to talk over with us at his room in the hotel. What did he want? asks Roger. I talked it over with the other boys, says Amos, and we all agreed we should go over and find out what was so important--when we got there, Burke told us he was going to take over Logansport--fleet, canning industry, everything--then he gives us this big pitch that he wants us to ditch Collins and join up with him.
I don't believe it! says Liz, stunned. It was a shocker, all right, says Amos, I listened to him, and the more I listened, the madder I got, so I shoved off. What about the other men? Asks Roger--did they leave with you when you walked out on Burke? No, says Amos, they didn't leave--they were still there when I left, they were listening to Burke's offers--and threats. Liz and Roger exchanges concerned glances. Threats? Asks Liz. He said if we didn't come over to Logansport with him, we'd all be out of work soon, explains Amos--he said there won't be any Collins Fishing Fleet, canning industry or anything else when he gets through. What was his offer? Asks Liz. Mostly money, says Amos--he offered us more money and a share of the profits--he said he'd cut us in on a piece of the business. Was there anything else? asks Roger. No, that's just about the size of it, says Amos. I see, says Liz--thank you, Amos, you've been a good friend. Is there anything I can do? asks Amos--I'd sure like to help out. You've done a great deal already, thank you, she says. Thank you, Mrs. Stoddard, Mr. Collins, says Amos, and Roger sees him to the door, thanking him again. Well, says Roger to Liz, it seems Burke Devlin has reduced this fight to money vs. loyalty--and whenever those two are matched in the same ring, there's always a quick decision. Liz looks at him, both angry and scared, and while he stands in the foyer, she looks up at Jeremiah's portrait.
Back in the hotel room, Burke asks Blair what he thinks. I don't know, says Blair. I do, says Burke, taking another drink, feet up on the coffee table--I hit them where they live--they'll go along with me, I know it. Don't you think you're a bit over-confident? asks Blair. Ho do you figure? asks Burke. Fitch--he didn't buy--he was downright mad when he walked out of here, says Blair. I can handle him, predicts Burke--he might be a little harder, but he's got a price. I wouldn't count on it, says Blair, he strikes me as the kind of man who would leave this room and go tell the Collinses the whole story. I hope so, says Burke, there's no fun in conquest unless the opponent puts up a little fight--that's exactly what I want him to do--I take pleasure in watching them squirm. Even a squirming worm can wriggle itself off a hook, says Blair, sitting on the sofa. Not if a good fisherman baits the hook, says Burke. How many fish do you think you caught? asks Blair. I was watching them like a courtroom lawyer, says Burke, I think I got three. Three? asks Blair doubtfully. Let's say that I got one, says Burke--just one--if I can convince one man away from Collins to Logansport, the rest will come running like sheep. What makes you so sure? asks Blair. He'll be my good luck insurance, says Burke--once the other guys see all the money this man will be spending, this hard, cold cash he's throwing around, they'll go to my employment office like flies. You seem to have all the answers, says Blair--if you have nothing else for me to do, I'll be running along--he takes his coat and briefcase--I want to get back to Bangor, see how things are coming along at that end. All right, says Burke, keep me posted--and let's not have any slip-ups, understand? As a word of caution, says Blair, I think the only slip-up could be Fitch--I don't think his loyalty can be bought, at any price--at least that's the way I figure it. Oh, that reminds me, says Burke, pulling an envelope from his breast pocket, I have a little something for you--for your loyalty--there's a thousand dollars in there, I want you to put it in your pocket--you see, I understand how expensive loyalty is, so I like to have a little extra around, just in case I need it. Look, Mr. Devlin, begins Blair. Forget it, orders Burke--I think we understand one another, don't we? Of course, says Blair--I'll be in touch. So long, says Burke. Blair leaves. Burke finishes off his drink and goes to answer the phone. Mr. Devlin?--this is Elizabeth Stoddard. Oh, it's you, he says, I've been expecting your call, Mrs. Stoddard. Burke, says Liz, I know what you're up to, and I can promise you one thing--you won't get away with it--you just pull the lowest, most contemptible thing you could possibly do. It's obvious there's no love involved here, says Burke, so let's just say that all's fair in war. If you're looking for a fight, you'll get it, Liz assures him--you're through pushing the Collins family. I'd say the Collins family could use a push, says Burke--you're all in a rut. Look, Burke, says Liz, fire in her eyes, I'm just going to remind you of one thing--you don't own Logansport yet--I'll stop you if it takes every cent I have. You'd better save your last few pennies for a newspaper, advises Burke--then you can read about how I not only took over Logansport, but the Collins enterprises as well--and he hangs up.
Liz, worried, walks slowly away from the phone. I take it we're committed to a fight for survival, says Roger. That's the way it is, agrees Liz--it's Burke Devlin or it's us.
NOTES: Burke or Collins--who will win this match? We already know that Burke is working on seeing to it that Liz doesn't have much cash to play with, so what will happen when she finds out she can't really compete with Burke in this arena? Burke called it accurately when he pointed out how alone Liz really is--but apparently, at least one of her main men is in her corner. Will it be enough?
Why does it look like most of the Collins workers are members of the Mafia? Only one spoke, Amos, and the others weren't listed in the ending credits. Three extras! Curtis, you wild man!
Roger sure doesn't seem as if he's going to be helpful to Liz. He wants to turn tail and run. Liz is a fighter, and determined to keep what is hers. At least her workers to appear to be loyal, and that might just be what saves her. Unfortunately for Liz, David and Carolyn seem more on Burke's side than hers.
Episode #90 - As an orphan in the foundling home, I became accustomed to making decisions without guidance--I have now been forced to decide whether or not I should leave Collinwood--and part of the answer lies in the mind of a small boy.
In her room, Vicki packs her suitcase. David, wearing a suit, enters without knocking. What are you doing? he asks. What does it look like? she asks. It looks like you're packing your things to go away, he says, not sounding happy. That's what you wanted, isn't it? she asks. That's what I SAID I wanted, he says. You said, and I think I'm quoting you pretty closely, says Vicki--"I hate you, if you die, I won't even come to your funeral--I hope you stay in that locked room for the rest of your life." Did I say that? he asks. You certainly did, she replies resentfully. I didn't mean it, he says, not all of it. She takes clothing from the dresser. Really? she asks, what part didn't you mean? If you died, I would come to your funeral, he says. I suppose that's something, she says--why would you come. Because I like funerals, he says. Vicki looks at him.
Arms crossed, Vicki asks him what he likes about funerals. Everything, he says--I used to play a game about a funeral, all by myself--sometimes I'd be the dead person, sometimes a mourner, and sometimes the preacher, sometimes all of them. Who was the dead person supposed to be? she asks. My father, he says. That certainly is a morbid game, Vicki tells him. Is it any worse than going around shooting people? asks David, mimicking someone shooting a gun, yelling, "Bang, bang, you're dead!" Oh, so you don't approve of shooting people? asks Vicki. Not particularly, says David, I think there's a better way. Like trying to scare them to death, suggests Vicki sarcastically. What's that supposed to mean? he asks. You father said he scolded you for locking me in that room last night, says Vicki. I didn't know you were in it! he insists. How can you stand there and tell me such a lie? she demands. I thought you had already left, he says, sitting in the window seat. Then why did you yell out, "I hope you stay in here until you die?" asks Vicki. I wasn't talking to you, but to the ghosts, says David. What ghosts? She asks. There are two of them, he says, Josette Collins and another girl, but I don't know her name. There aren't two of them, reveals Vicki, but three of them. All I ever saw was two, he says. Didn't anybody tell you what I saw? she asks--I saw the ghost of Bill Malloy. I don't believe it! says David. You don't have to, says Vicki, I know I didn't believe you when you told me about your ghosts, but I do believe now. David is pleased. What did he do? he asks, talk to you? Yes, says Vicki, he told me to leave Collinwood. Oh, but you can't leave now, he says, you just can't. That's why I'm packing, she explains, I thought you wanted me to leave. That was before I knew he says, that you had seen a ghost--besides me, you're the only one who ever has. What difference does that make? she asks. If they let themselves be seen by you, he says, then that means they like you and want you to stay. Oh, no, he told me to leave, before I was killed the way he was, says Vicki, continuing to pack. Then that means that his death wasn't an accident, says David--I knew it all the time--he was murdered! What makes you say that, says Vicki. If it had been an accident, he wouldn't have come back, says David--the same way with Josette Collins--she didn't fall of Widows' Hill--somebody pushed her! That was more than 100 years ago, says Vicki. Mr. Malloy's ghost will keep coming back for a hundred years, insists David, until they find out who killed him--you must know something about it! I don't, she says. You could know and not even know it, points out David. That's nonsense, she says. It isn't, either, he says, please, don't leave Collinwood. Carolyn enters just in time to hear this, and her mouth drops open. I can't stay, says Vicki. I want you to stay, says David. Did I just hear right? demands Carolyn, entering the room--are you begging Vicki not to leave Collinwood? Yes, she has to stay! he wails. You did say you'd leave it up to David, Carolyn reminds her. This is for an entirely different reason, says Vicki. She saw Mr. Malloy's ghost, David tells his cousin, you can call me anything you want, you can beat me till I'm black and blue, but please make Miss Winters stay here! That's exactly why I came in here, says Carolyn--David, why don't you leave us alone here? I'll do anything you say, he vows--please, Miss winters! David leaves. Wow, says Carolyn, what brought all that on? It would seem that any friend of a ghost is a friend of David's, says Vicki. It's broad daylight, you're not locked up in that room, and there's no thunder and lightning, right? asks Carolyn. Vicki agrees. So now that you think back on it, did you really see a ghost? asks Carolyn--or were you just dreaming? I may have been dreaming, says Vicki, but what I saw was real--I don't mean it that way--it was unreal and supernatural (David listens outside the door) but even if I was dreaming, I certainly didn't dream that seaweed on the floor. He left seaweed on the floor? asks Carolyn. I wrote it all down, says Vicki, taking out a notebook from her dresser, showing it to Carolyn. The first thing I was aware of, reads Carolyn, was a hoarse voice singing an old sea shanty--what will you do with a drunken sailor? That was Bill Malloy's favorite song, says Carolyn. That proves something, doesn't it? asks Vicki.
I guess so, agrees Carolyn, but I'm not sure what. Outside the door, David listens.
David asks Matthew why he's replacing the lock on the door to the unused part of the house. Mz. Stoddard told me to, he says--a lock is supposed to keep nosy people out of places they're not supposed to be in. Who would want to go into the creepy, closed off section of the house anyway? Asks David. Evidently Miss Winters must have wanted to, says Matthew--Mz. Stoddard told me that she got back there somehow and locked herself in one of those rooms by mistake. Is that what she said? asks David. (Liz, why are you lying?) She did, says Matthew. Then I guess that must be what happened, says David, wandering away. Matthew drops the lock and cruses under his breath. Carolyn exits her room and asks Matthew what he's doing. Changing the lock on this door, he says, Mz. Stoddard's orders. Why? she asks, and he tells her that evidently there were too many loose keys to this old lock. Oh, she says, and returns to Vicki, who is still packing. You did say you'd leave it up to David, Carolyn reminds her. I know, says Vicki, it was very silly of me--I'd hoped he might secretly want me to stay. He DOES want you to stay, I just heard him begging you! says Carolyn--he was practically on his hands and knees! That has nothing to do with me, says Vicki, it was the ghost--and that's no reason. What about trying to find out who you are, who your parents were? asks Carolyn--are you just giving that up, too? No, I'll never give that up, says Vicki, I'll just have to search someplace else--actually, I haven't learned one thing here that I didn't already know. But you might, says Carolyn. I like you, says Vicki, I really do, you're very nice. No I'm not, says Carolyn, I'm selfish, thoughtless and scatterbrained, and if I weren't all those things, I'd be encouraging you to leave Collinwood, too, so I guess I'm more selfish than anything else.
David approaches Matthew while he's working on the lock. You'd better come see what I found, he tells the handyman--on the stairs going downstairs, the rug is too loose and someone is going to fall down and break their neck (he sounds thrilled at the prospect). Matthew agrees he'd better go have a look, and he walks away, David accompanying him.
Vicki reads aloud to Carolyn from her account of the incident--The ghost distinctly said he'd been murdered, and the person lived in Collinsport--then said the same thing might happen to me--now you wouldn't like to see that happen, would you? Vicki asks Carolyn. Of course not, says Carolyn, I just can't believe it. If only there were some way we could get back into that room, I could show you, says Vicki, and Carolyn leads her into the hallway, saying there is a way--Matthew is no where around, and he hasn't put the lock back in the door yet--except I'm not so wild about going back there. You said you didn't believe, says Vicki, so if you don't, there's nothing to be afraid of, is there. Vicki holds open the door and Carolyn reluctantly comes in. David watches.
David enters Vicki's room and finds her notebook. Aloud, he reads, "I knew immediately that it was Mr. Malloy--or the ghost of Mr. Malloy--he was wearing the same clothes in which I'd last seen him--he was soaking wet as though he'd just dredged up from his watery grave--there was seaweed hanging from his shoulders--it was the most horrible sight I have ever seen in my life." David closes the journal and returns to the hallway, where Matthew is replacing the lock. What if there's somebody inside there? David asks him. There isn't, insists Matthew. What if there was? asks David--could they get out after you put the new lock on? You ask too many questions, says Matthew. DO you believe in ghosts? asks David. I don't believe or disbelieve, smiles Matthew. Do you want me to tell you why you're putting that lock on the door? queries David. You don't have to tell me, says Matthew--because Mz. Stoddard told me. But do you know WHY? asks David. I don't care why, says Matthew. I'll tell you anyway, says David--Aunt Elizabeth didn't tell you to put it on just to keep people from getting in--but also maybe to keep ghosts from getting out. What ghosts? asks Matthew. The ghost Miss winters saw last night, says David. Whose ghosts did she see? asks Matthew. The ghost of Mr. Malloy, says David. You sure? asks Matthew, immediately upset--is that what she said? It doesn't matter what she said, says David. Matthew grabs his arms and demands to know what she said. You're hurting my arms! Protests David. What did she say? he asks again, letting the boy go. She said that he told her about the night Mr. Malloy was murdered, says David. It couldn't be, says Matthew, the sheriff and coroner both said it was an accidental drowning. That isn't what the ghost said, David tells him--I don't remember it all, but it did say somebody killed Mr. Malloy--I thought so all along, didn't you? No, I didn't, says Matthew, I didn't think anything about it at all. Before you finish putting the lock in, says David, why don't you let me take you in to see the room?--the room that Mr. Malloy's ghost came to visit Miss Winters in. I wouldn't like that at all, says Matthew. How do you know? asks David, maybe it's still in there! I don't want to, says Matthew, gulping. Wouldn't you like to talk to Mr. Malloy again? asks David. Why should I? asks Matthew. Maybe he'd tell you who killed him, suggests David. He slipped and fell, says Matthew, nobody killed him--besides, I have too much to do to stand here and listen to your foolish stories. They aren't foolish stories either, says David--
besides, I think someone is back there right now. Matthew says that's impossible. In this house, nothing is impossible, says David, but Matthew walks away carrying his tool case.
Vicki shows Carolyn the place--and the key that was so thick, it wouldn't fit under the door. Do you really think we should go in there? asks Carolyn nervously. We're here now, says Vicki, and just to be on the safe side, I'm going to hang onto this (the key)--and she opens the door and the two girls go in.
Carolyn looks around what was Vicki's prison. This is where you were? she asks. Vicki nods, and says she must admit, it doesn't look so bad in daylight. Glancing around, Carolyn says it's horrible in any kind of light--I'd have just died! I almost did, says Vicki--when that candle went out, and there was no more light in here, I thought it was the end--I finally fell asleep from exhaustion. If you fell asleep, says Carolyn, everything else might be something you dreamed. Oh, no, says Vicki, the storm woke me up--I remember being awake--I remember the thunder, the lightning, and Mr. Malloy standing right there. Carolyn goes over to the spot. Right here? she asks. Vicki nods--he was dripping with seaweed, she says. Carolyn looks under the papers on the floor and says she doesn't see any seaweed. Vicki kneels, too, saying she was sure there was some here when she left. Maybe every bit of it was just part of a dream you had, says Carolyn. Maybe, says Vicki, but it was no dream when I couldn't get this key under the door. Ho could you do that? asks Carolyn. I thought if I slid a piece of paper under the door, says Vicki, demonstrating, putting the key in the door lock on the outside and closing the door--I took out a hairpin and poked at the key through there so it would fall on the paper and I could pull the paper out from underneath--Vicki repeats what she did the first time--but this time, the key slides easily under the door. She's stunned--I don't understand, she says--it wouldn't come through last night--if it had, I could have unlocked the door and gotten away. Maybe you weren't supposed to, suggests Carolyn--I don't know why, but let's just get out of here! Vicki reads the paper she used for her experiment, and asks her if she's ever heard of a firm called Garner and Garner. Sure, they're my mother's lawyers in Bangor, says Carolyn--why? This seems to be some kind of ledger sheet, says Vicki--this name, B. Hanscomb--I know it--at least I think I do
--I don't know what to think--this could be the clue I've been waiting for! Then there's a reason for you to stay at Collinwood, says Carolyn. I don't know, says Vicki, all I know is, I'm very confused. Can we go now? asks Carolyn. Gladly, says Vicki, and they leave the room. Vicki re-locks it and they leave.
David sits in a chair, waiting in Vicki's room. When the girls return, Carolyn demands to know if he was spying on them. No, he says, I was just worried about you when I saw you go into the secret door. I'm tired of being spied on by miniature police force, complains Carolyn. I wasn't worried about you, David assures his cousin, I was worried about Miss Winters!
Are you actually beginning to like me? asks Vicki. "Miss Winters--I love you!" proclaims David, and runs from the room. Has David ever said that about anything or anyone before? asks Vicki. Carolyn, frowning, nods. Yes, she says, once when he lived in Augusta, he had a little kitten he told me he loved--he drowned it.
NOTES: Another lovely David story! Not just an attempted patricide, but animal killing, too! One wonders how, and if, David can ever become anything resembling normal without serious psychiatric intervention. Will Vicki decide she doesn't want to end up like that drowned kitten and leave Collinwood? Sounds like a healthier decision to me!
Didn't Matthew seem a trifle too upset when David told him about Vicki's visitation by Malloy? Why is he so determined to believe it was an accident when the ghost himself told someone otherwise? Does Matthew know more than he's telling?
I had to laugh--any friend of a ghost is a friend of David, I guess. What a weird, sick little kid--and yet he sounded so sincere when he told Vicki he loved her!
We know seaweed was found by Roger and Liz, so it seems obvious that Vicki wasn't dreaming. And now has she finally found a clue to her past? Betty Hanscomb was the recipient of money from Collinwood? How? Why? Will Vicki attempt to see the Garners and find out?
Love, Robin
