1123 - Desmond awakens from his terrifying dream with a start. He goes over to the head, face shaking, and demands to know where the voice came from was it his, or Desmond's own? Or did I imagine it? I didn't imagine it, it was real! But how did it happen, how? What powers do you have? Flora comes out and asks who he's talking to...oh, you have that THING uncovered again, she says, making a face...you weren't talking to IT, were you? He smiles and says he was just having a little fun. He quickly closes the curtains.
Flora asks him to get rid of it, she can feel its presence everywhere in this house,and now she finds him talking to it. Desmond chuckles and says if it were a bit more interesting in Collinsport, he wouldn't be reduced to talking to inanimate objects. Rubbish! insists Flora, you and Quentin used to be inseparable, but you've hardly spent any time at Collinwood since you've been back. Quentin and Samantha are having their problems, says Desmond, I don't want to become involved. But you were Quentin's best friend! she chastises. At first, he looks guilty, then his face twists into a snarl and he screams, face shuddering violently, "An outcast has no friends". Shocked, Flora asks what he said. He turns away, then says nothing. Flora asks if he feels all right. Yes, he feels fine, just fine. Why don't you come with me to Collinwood tonight? she asks, Quentin and his father will be reunited, and I'm the one to have the honor to bring Daniel down. I will have to prepare him very carefully, you know....after all, they convinced him Quentin was dead. I kept telling them, shouts Desmond, that death is an extension of life. I kept telling them that! Again shocked, Flora calls his name. He touches his head as if it hurts and asks what? What oddly curious things you're saying; you're not yourself at all, chides Flora...the last time you were in one of these moods, you were in love with that Carson girl. I guess I can't fool you, says Desmond, chuckling--the fact is, I met a very lovely young lady and told her how pretty she was and that I had to see her again, but the next day, she had completely disappeared.
Daphne sits with her diary before her, reading what she's written: I was wrong to lie to Desmond Collins...he could give me the opportunity I need...I should have tried to use him, but I was frightened by his interest in me. I cannot afford to become romantically involved with anyone. I wonder how I can meet him again?
Drawing room, Collinwood - A nervous Quentin complains to Desmond that his mother has been up there a long time...what's keeping them? She's probably telling your father the plot of her last book, suggests Desmond. Something might have happened to him when she told him about me, worries Quentin, maybe he got too excited, maybe I'd better go up there. Desmond stops them, assuring him it's probably Flora who's holding it up....she goes to pieces over these sentimental reunions, her books are filled with them.
Flora, arm in arm, leads Daniel downstairs. He asks her if it's really true, and she coos that of course it is...she can't imagine how he could doubt it. When they told me Quentin was still alive, says Daniel, I thought it might be a hideous joke. Flora says she can't imagine anyone doing anything like that. She opens the doors. "It is true," says Daniel, awed "you're still alive, Quentin...and you've come home." The two of them hug, a lovely moment.
It's good to be back, says Quentin, and to see you, Father. Daniel asks to look at him; he can tell he's been through a terrible experience. Tad and I almost didn't make it back alive, admits Quentin. Daniel asks where Tad is...he wants to see him. Quentin explains that he's in Boston, and was sick, but he's all right...he left him with a good friend, and Samantha went to get him. Have you been told about her and that young man? asks Daniel nervously. Yes, I have, says Quentin. What are you going to do about it? asks Daniel. The decision was left entirely to Samantha, says Quentin. What? asks Daniel. She is going to have to choose between Gerard and me, says Quentin. Have you taken leave of your senses? demands Daniel...that woman is married to you, you must do as you tell her! (chauvinist) Quentin begs him to calm down, and Flora reminds him this is supposed to be a happy moment. He hasn't changed a bit, says Daniel, gesturing to Quentin, I haven't been in his presence five minutes, and already he's made me furious! He turns away. Quentin chuckles and goes to him, turning him around, saying it's just like old times, despite all of your fury, you're still secretly glad to see me. Grumpily, Daniel says he supposes he is, but Quentin is still thoroughly impossible. Quentin declares that he's made one decision...Daniel isn't to stay in the tower any longer...I'll go speak to the servants and tell them to prepare your old bedroom. Daniel is surprised and happy at this decision. Beaming, Flora volunteers to go with him, since she knows exactly how Daniel would want his room fixed. Quentin and Flora exit. Proudly, Daniel tells Desmond, "Now, that's the son I know!" He notes that Desmond hasn't spoken since he came into this room...what's the matter with him? Desmond says nothing at all. Nonsense, says Daniel, I noticed the change in you at Ben's funeral...you seemed to be miles away. I was just thinking how Ben died, says Desmond, it was pretty upsetting. Yes, poor devil, agrees Daniel, and as for those police, they're nothing but a pack of fools...their theory that Ben tried to decapitate himself is rubbish....I know Ben never tried to take his own life. You think he was murdered? asks Desmond. Ben's death was very similar to those Bedford Atrocities, says Daniel, and the strange thing was, that Ben spoke to me that very day about the mysterious decapitated, disembodied head that played such a big part in the Bedford affair. Desmond asks Daniel to tell him what happened in Bedford. Daniel thinks...it was in 1803...yes, the fall of the year, I'd just turned 20...the murders occurred within a short span of time...each victim was found decapitated. Softly, Desmond asks about the strange head he mentioned... how did it fit into the murders? My memory is hazy, says Daniel, but the newspapers at the time were full of the lurid details...take my advice, forget about the whole affair. Newspapers, yes, mutters Desmond, of course.
Collinsport Star (in business many years) - Desmond goes to the newspaper office, but finds the door locked. He raps at the door insistently and is stunned when Daphne opens it. She greets him effusively, saying how nice it is to see him again. I never expected a surprise like this, says a delighted Desmond. She invites him in and he asks what she's doing here. I took a job here, she says, because I had very little money and it's respectable work...what brings you here? Staring at her, he explains that he wants to do some research, and needs to see back issues of the paper...October, 1803, he says. She looks in some drawers and asks what research he's doing. Desmond says he's sure it wouldn't interest her. She finds some of the papers with the correct dates and hands them over, suggesting maybe it would, you never know....Mr. Collins. Call me Desmond, he asks, sitting down at a table with the old papers. He begins to look, and finds a headline, FOURTH VICTIM FOUND IN BEDFORD. Another says THE STRANGE CASE OF THE PAGAN HEAD...Otis Green, the man of mystery, today caused a furor in the county courthouse. Mr. Green insisted the state imprison him for dealing with the devil's son and for the adoration of a pagan head. Desmond goes to Daphne and asks if he can borrow the papers for a few days. She says he can, but he must sign for them. He does, eagerly, and thanks her very much. He slips the papers under his arm and is about to leave when she stops him, asking if this is some sort of joke. Glancing down at his signature, she asks, Who's Judah Zachary? Startled, he asks what she means. It's the name you signed on the receipt, she says. He repeats the name, then lies that he writes sometimes, and uses a pen name, he just wasn't thinking. He re-signs the receipt book with the right name, thanking her for being so helpful. My pleasure, she says. I'd like to see you again, he says. I was hoping you'd ask, she replies. Mother is having dinner tonight and Quentin Collins is coming over, says Desmond, remember, I told you about him. Daphne looks away, afraid of betraying herself, and she says yes, he's the man everyone thought was dead. Yes, says Desmond, that's right. She smiles and says she'd be delighted to come to dinner. Fine, he says, and tells her to be there at seven. When he leaves, she touches her chin, looking thoughtful.
Collinwood drawing room - Daniel chides Desmond for not taking his advice...he thinks he made a mistake...the Bedford Atrocity is past history and should have remained so. Desmond asks if the name Otis Green means anything to him? Daniel says yes, it does, it was quite a bizarre story, there were four murders altogether, and Green came forward and confessed to all four of them...
he said he'd been forced to commit these crimes by a mysterious disembodied head which had somehow gotten control of him. What happened to the head? asks Desmond. The authorities never found it, says Daniel...Green claimed that a young handyman who worked for him had absconded with it...the young man denied the claim, of course, and left town not longer after that...it seems he shipped out on a schooner....but that wasn't the last we heard of him...about a year later, he was killed in Macao...his throat had been cut. Like Ben Stokes? asks Desmond. Yes, says Daniel, exactly. What happened to Green? queries Desmond. He got so hysterical about this tale of his, says Daniel, that he had to be committed to an asylum. Is he still alive? asks Desmond. Oh, yes, says Daniel they released him from the mental institution about 10 years ago, he lives a very quiet life now. Desmond asks where he is now. I think he lives in a farm not far from the village, says Daniel, he's in antiques, and he's old now, but not too old to have forgotten his own strange tale about that disembodied head.
Rose Cottage - Desmond speaks to the head, telling him that Otis Green is going to visit him....and he will tell him everything he wants to know. The head's eyes remain closed.
At the door of Rose Cottage - Daphne! Flora bubbles to Daphne, it's one of my favorite names...I've named several of my heroines that....let's see, there was the flower girl in LOVE SONG FROM THE HILLS... Desmond advises Daphne not to get Flora started on her books, but Daphne assures him she's fascinated....she's never met a novelist before. Flora wonders what's keeping Quentin...he should have been here by now...you'll find Quentin very intriguing, she assures Daphne. So I understand, says Daphne...Desmond told me about his near tragedy. Oh yes, says Flora, and I'm going to write a book about it, just as soon as I can get Quentin to tell me. Quentin interrupts, telling Cousin Flora that his life won't be the subject of anyone's book. Flora introduces Daphne to Quentin, who apologizes for being late...he had a few things to take care of. Perfectly all right, I understand, says Flora, it's eight o'clock and dinner will be ready. Quentin slips his arm in hers and leads her away; Desmond links arms with Daphne and they follow.
9:30 - Back in the Rose Cottage drawing room, Flora sets some Tarot cards on the table in front of her, babbling about how unbelievable Gerard's psychic powers are. You were never so interested in the occult before, comments Desmond. You don't know how much Gerard has taught me, says Flora, not only have I learned to read palms, but the Tarot, as well. I'm very impressed, says Quentin. Flora is glad, because this reading is for him. Oh, dear! she says, putting down another card. Bad news already? quips Quentin. The moon, she says, not a very cheery card...the Emperor, and the Empress...inverted, both beneath the moon...oh, dear, this bodes no good. What's the card between the Emperor and Empress? asks Quentin. Flora turns it over and gasps, holding her heart and looking with dismay at Quentin...death...someone you love has died, Quentin...I don't understand...did someone you know die recently?
No, of course not...you should know that no one close to me has died, says Quentin, but he sounds insincere, and Daphne gets a weird look on her face, too. Daphne shoots him a weird little smile and asks Desmond to take her home. She thanks Flora for the lovely dinner, and Flora asks her to please come again soon. Daphne tells Quentin it was nice meeting him. Same here, he says. Desmond leads Daphne out. Flora turns to Quentin, agitated...about the Tarot cards... He touches her shoulder and says he's very tired also. Aren't you the tiniest bit concerned about what I read in the cards? She asks. Of course not, Quentin says, I just think it's possible you haven't learned as much as you thought you had. He kisses her forehead and leaves. Oh, dear, she says, that never occurred to me. We see the death card on the table.
Quentin reads the note he found on the foyer table and says it can't be...it's impossible! He crumples up the note.
Daphne writes in her diary.
Tonight I have finally met the man I am going to kill, she says, and her face looks very cruel and determined.
NOTES: Kill? Why does Daphne want to kill Quentin?
Was Flora's card-reading correct? Did someone close to Quentin die that his family might not know about? Daphne and Quentin both reacted strangely to what Flora said.
The Bedford Atrocity head is taking over Desmond, and he's been alerted about it. Will he get rid of it before Judah Zachary possesses him completely? What will Otis Green reveal?
That head is silly now, but it was very scary to me back then, believe me!
1124 - Desmond writes in a journal; its cover reads, JOURNAL OF JUDAH ZACHARY, a man who, according to the intro, has been dead over 200 years.
After 200 years of waiting, reads Desmond to himself, I will find the answer...the search will be over...I will know what I must, for tonight, at 10 o'clock, Otis Green will be here. Leticia, standing beside him, cries out. "Evil!" she proclaims, hands raised as if to ward it off...evil...oh God, the evil in this room, I can feel it...and she faints.
Desmond shoves the journal into the desk drawer, then runs over to Leticia, kneeling beside her, asking if she's all right. She struggles when he tries to help her up, telling him to get away from her. Madness, I see madness, death in this room, she insists, and you're helping it! She tries to leave the room, but with a growl, he grabs her arm, holding her back, insisting that no one is helping it, she will tell no one of what she felt! Terrified, she looks at his insane face. Desmond, oh, Desmond! She wails. He covers his face and looks at her, back to himself. What happened to you, what made you like that? she demands. He doesn't know what she's talking about. Oh yes you do, she says, oh, Desmond, let me help you if I can! I don't need your help, will you stop worrying about me? he asks. I care what happens to you, she says desperately. You're just imagining things, he says, forget it, do you understand. She agrees, but it very upset. I wouldn't go telling tales, he advises coldly, there's enough real trouble going on around here without inventing any...come, out of this room. She leaves, and he closes the doors behind him. It's 8 PM. Leticia returns to the dark room, telling herself she still feels it She lights a lamp and spots the Tarot deck on the table. She picks up the top card and is horrified to see she chose the Tower of Destruction. She feels overwhelmed by evil and is drawn to the curtains behind which the head sits. She opens them and screams upon seeing the head.
EVIL! She screams.
Collinwood drawing room - Barnabas tells Roxanne how glad he is to see her feeling better. Not as glad as I am, she says, it was so dreadful being sick; I hate it, I shan't be again. I hope not, he says. She calls him Mr. Collins, but can't bring herself to speak, and admits she's embarrassed. . .she was thinking of that night they were looking for her, she came to this house and he was here...she somehow acted as though he was responsible for what had happened to her. You still remember that? he asks hesitantly. I shall never forget it, she says, it was so unfair...you and your sister have been so kind and thoughtful. Barnabas steps forward and says, romantically...Roxanne,...but what he was going to say next we shall never know, because Trask enters, and he's pissed. They told me you were here, he says. You do know Barnabas, don't you, Mr. Trask? She asks. Yes, says Trask, not very enthusiastically, and says good evening to him. My prayers have been answered, says Lamar, you're well again. She doesn't look happy. You don't know how much time I have spent looking forward to this moment, he says. Yes, she says, as father said, you called at the house every evening...thank you (not very thankful.). Perhaps now, he says you will paid heed to my advice...I warned you about going out alone at night, even before this vicious animal made its appearance again. Again? asks Barnabas...what do you mean again? I made a most interesting discovery, says Trask, one that I hope will help the police with their capture...he asks Roxanne if she gave the police a complete description of what attacked her? I can't seem to remember, she says. How is that possible? he asks. I can't explain it, she says. You must try, insists Trask. Barnabas harshly tells him there isn't anything to be gained by this questioning. Trask asks him--don't you?--your attitude is remarkably like that of your late father, the original Barnabas Collins. I didn't realize you were old enough at that time to make such an observation, says Barnabas sharply...I was not. It is all here, in this letter, all of it, says Trask, withdrawing a letter from his breast pocket...your father's ridiculing of my father...yes, the most interesting document was written in April, 1797 in this very house, and to my dear mother...yes, it seems that at Collinwood at the time, there were these same mysterious attacks. Roxanne insists one has nothing to do with the other. We shall see, smiles Trask, let me read this document, perhaps it will jar your rather quixotic memory. Put that letter away, commands Barnabas, and stop upsetting Roxanne...it has no relevance here.
You are as arrogant as your father, accuses Trask, evil has many faces, I will say of you, as my father wrote of your father, that you are somehow linked with the powers of darkness--you...not this poor girl here to be in doubt to what actually happened...why, answer me that...why?
Roxanne tells Trask she has to wonder how she ever wasted five minutes on him. Trask tells Barnabas he wants to speak to Miss Drew alone. Barnabas looks at her and she says please, it will be easier. Barnabas says he'll go pay his respects to Quentin, and bows to Roxanne before leaving. Trask spits out, Barnabas, is it...I find it impossible to understand your attitude, defending that man before me, making light of what I say when you know it's the truth. I don't know it, she says nastily. You should, he says that man is his father's son! She retorts that from what he's told her of his father, the same can be said about him. (zing!) What makes you defend him so? asks Trask. She turns away, and he commands her to look at him...your eyes are veiled, he says, filled with secrets, they weren't that way before all this happened...why, Roxanne. She shakes her head, insisting she doesn't know what he's talking about. Your evasions, he accuses, over the attacks, and over that man. One has nothing to do with the other, she says. Taken aback, he says no one said they did; no one but YOU...what did you mean by that. Caught, she turns away, and again he orders her to look at him. You have admitted that you remember little, he says, that is not true...you do remember...tell me, Roxanne, speak to me...you can tell me...I will help you...I would give my life to help you. He's staring deeply into her eyes, and she's all set to cave in, but she finally cries, "NO!" Leticia enters, asking...Is he bothering you, ducks?...She tells Trask that she doesn't know who he is, but he's got no right upsetting her. She asks Roxanne if she's all right. Yes, says Roxanne in a low voice. Leticia asks if she's seen Desmond...she's got to find him. Roxanne says no. Barnabas enters and tells Roxanne he's ready to bring her upstairs so his sister can examine her. Roxanne thanks him. Trask says he'll wait here. Please, don't bother she says. Barnabas takes her arm and leads her upstairs. Trask gives Leticia a dirty look. Don't look at me like that! she says, I got as much right to be here as you have...I'm to meet Desmond Collins here. I am Lamar Trask, he says, and you, Miss? My name's Leticia Faye, she says, curtseying. Oh, yes, one of that circus at Rose Cottage, he comments. Circus? She asks, taking offense, I never played a circus in my life...music halls, that's my style, she says proudly. Oh, yes, dancing and singing, no doubt, he says, casting aspersions, wearing lewd costumes. No, she says, looking into men's souls...seeing their secrets...you might learn something about yourself you wouldn't want to know. You're a mentalist? Asks Trask. She tells him she's appeared before all the heads of crowned Europe...I've the true gift of second sight, luv. Only the Almighty above has that, insists Trask. Well, he's given me a share of it, she says defiantly...you got something on your mind...you're after revenge...not for yourself, for someone else...someone very close to you...that you never even knew! How do you know that? he demands. I saw, she says, that's all I got to do is just look. Can you tell me who I'm trying to revenge, he asks, what great injustice was done to him? She says she'd have to go into a trance to do that. Would you? he asks. She laughs and caresses his face...you believe in it now, don't you? she asks slyly. I believe there are many roads to the truth, he says, I don't know if yours is the right one. She assures him she can prove it...easy...what does he want to know. Where my father's body is, he says, so I can give him a decent burial. Nothing to it, she says, but I would have to have something personal of his. I have it here, he says, and hands her the yellowed document he showed Barnabas and Roxanne.
I am convinced my father was murdered, on this estate, says Trask. Murdered? asks Leticia, I don't want to have nothin' to do with no murderer. If you name the murderer, he says, you will rectify a great wrong...you will bring peace eternal to my father's tormented soul. She thinks it over and asks him to give her the letter. She holds it to her forehead and calls to spirits in the resting place. . .there is one of you who is hidden from us, here on this estate...if that is true, let that spirit show us where she is. A vision appears of the Old House. Leticia sees a house with pillars, a house that has been deserted. The Old House, Trask says. Barnabas comes downstairs and is now listening.
I see someone coming, says Leticia, a man, I can't see his face, but he waits for someone to appear. Who is that man? asks Trask. There is another door, says Leticia, it leads to stairs. Where is my father's body, tell me! demands Trask anxiously. Barnabas, knowing this revelation would be big trouble, comes in and asks what's going on here. This breaks her concentration and she moans. Barnabas holds her shoulders, asking if she's all right. Trask takes the letter from her hand and tells Barnabas she was in a trance. She comes out of it and asks what happened. I'm afraid Mr. Trask was taking advantage of your special gifts, says Barnabas icily. You may think you arrived at the right moment, says Trask, but it just might be you interrupted too late...and he leaves. What did you tell him? asks Barnabas. I didn't want to tell him anything, says Leticia, holding her aching head, he kept insisting, I just came here to find Desmond, that's all...I got to find Desmond. Barnabas grabs her by the arms and says, You will find no one until you tell me everything! She pulls away from him.
Desmond writes in Zachary's diary that soon Otis Green will be here, and I will learn what I must...it is nearly time now...there will be a knock at the door, a man will enter, and before he leaves this room, I will know where my body is!
Barnabas discovers Trask wandering around the Old House drawing room, small candelabra in hand. Mr. Trask, he says, inspecting the work my sister and I have done here? You know why I'm here, says Trask...I'm sure you made Leticia tell you. Tell me what? asks Barnabas...this house is going to be quite livable, isn't it? Trask glares at him and responds, If one can live in the presence of evil...Barnabas says that considering he and his sister have been given this house, Trask might at least have waited for an invitation. My father's body is in this house, I'm positive of it! says Trask. You're more of a fool than I thought, says Barnabas, what will your respectable friends say when they here you are believing in the ravings of a music hall mentalist? He gets in Trask's face and asks him to leave. Trask puts back the candles and swears to return. He leaves.
9 PM - Desmond closes Zachary's diary and puts it away. He closes the curtains on the head. Otis Green, an elderly man portrayed by Abe Vigoda, says he has his card here somewhere, but Desmond assures him he doesn't need his card. Green looks around and says what a treasure house this is...he always said the Collins were fortunate people...your ancestors always bought the finest furniture they could find...how I wish I had these things in my shop. He runs his hands over books and furniture, then points to a chair and says he could get $100 for it from a collector in Boston. Desmond assures him he isn't interested in getting rid of that particular piece...rather, this table. Very interesting, says Green, rubbing the surface. Yes, and we do have some history of it, says Desmond. . .Augustin Collins bought it in Bedford after the witch trials...it originally belonged to a woman who was hanged for being a witch. This captures Green's attention, and he walks away. Fascinating, isn't it? says Desmond...do you know anything of that period? Green looks scared, and doesn't answer. While the Salem trials are more famous, scoffs Desmond, I think the local ones in Bedford are even more fascinating...you must know something about them. My family came form Bedford, says Green. Really? asks Desmond, and was your family involved in the trial? Green sadly replies yes, they were...my grandfather was an executioner...some men wouldn't admit to that, there's a curse on it, and every one of the executioner's families, I know that...well I know it. I am in luck, says Desmond, nearly snarling, I had no idea you were so involved...I have something else here from that period that will really interest you...go and open that curtain (Green hesitates)...GO AND OPEN THAT CURTAIN! Green does so and, seeing the head, is horrified. You do recognize it, don't you! says Desmond exultantly, sounding crazy...he's an old friend of yours, isn't he? Green tries to back away, but Desmond won't let him, he forces him to stay there You're not going anywhere until you tell us...insists Desmond, tightly gripping his arm. You're under his power! Says Green. If you know that, don't fight me! cries Desmond. Green says he won't look at it...years it cost him, years of living in that asylum! You will look at it! snarls Desmond...because you know where the body is buried...your grandfather buried it...where is it, Mr. Green, where is it?
You don't want to know! gasps Green, the head...the head...it was cut off to stop it, so it wouldn't live again. He's grabbing the left side of his chest, gasping for air, and his almost-final words are, "It was the only way to stop it!" He gasps in pain...My heart!...Desmond shakes him, ordering him to reveal where the body lies, and Green gasps out, "The noose, the noose, an unmarked stone, the ring of God, the stairs..." The man falls to the floor, Desmond still holding onto him, demanding to know where the noose is. Top of the hill, says Green, direct line unmarked stone...and he dies. Desmond, sounding truly crazy now, says, through clenched teeth, "It will be found!" We see the head, whose eyes are closed.
NOTES: Desmond is getting in very deep, writing his own name as Zachary, killing a poor old man to learn where his body is, but I guess you have to resort to desperate measures to find yourself sometimes.
I just adore the shabby way Roxanne treats Trask, and the way she disses him. I loved that Barnabas was able to order him out of the Old House, too, but Trask is going to cause big trouble...trust me. Roxanne already has deep feelings for Barnabas, it's as if she forgot the bad he did to her but still clings to her romantic emotions of him...as he does for her.
Leticia is great. She's funny and protective, and all those things flying around in her mind must drive her nuts sometimes. She gave Trask too much info, and Barnabas had better be on his toes. I also liked the way she toyed with Trask and accused him of hypocrisy in his seeking help from someone like her. Get him, Rox, get him, Tish!
Love, Robin
