Episode #93 - Today for the first time, I am away from the ghost-ridden mansion sitting on the crest of Widows' Hill, and my absence has created more tension than my presence ever did.
Drawing room - Liz is on the phone, telling Garner she appreciates his calling--she had no idea Vicki found such a list--all right, but let me know what happens--right--goodbye, Mr. Garner. She hangs up. Roger asks what that was all about--what catastrophe are we facing now? Stop making light of everything, she says. He pours a drink. My dear sister, what in the world has happened to upset you so much? he asks. It's Vicki, she says. Our little governess? he asks. She's in Bangor, says Liz. That's strange, she left without saying goodbye, he says. She's not leaving, says Liz, she asked me if she could have a few days to go to Bangor--and that's where she is now--with Burke Devlin. Roger stares at her, stunned.
Don't you see what she's trying to do? asks Liz--Burke is trying to undermine the whole family--David insists he's his best friend, Carolyn's halfway in love with him and now Vicki. How did this trip to Bangor come about? asks Roger seriously. She asked me if she could have a few days off, says Liz, to get away from Collinwood and the horrible night she spent in that locked room. How did she get tangled up with Burke? asks Roger. Apparently they met quite by accident at the Collinsport Inn, she says, when Vicki was waiting for her bus. Do you think it could have been by design? asks Roger. I don't know, says Liz--Carolyn said Burke happened to come into the coffee shop, and Burke happened to mention he was going into Bangor. And Burke happened to offer to driver her there, says Roger. Yes, agrees Liz, it could have been that way. She also could have called him and the whole thing arranged beforehand, says Roger, sitting in a chair. (No, Carolyn did the calling.) Yes, she could have, says Liz reluctantly, and sits on the sofa--Roger, I'm worried about Vicki spending too much time alone with Burke. Why should you be so worried about it? Roger asks. She's practically a member of the family, says Liz, and Burke can be very persuasive when he wants to be. (I thought she was expression concern over Burke's seducing Vicki.) Even if she talks, what could she tell him? queries Roger. I should think you'd be more worried about that than me, she says. In what way? he asks, guarded. There's always a possibility that he might convince her she was wrong about the time you left the house the night Bill died, points out Liz. Why should that matter? asks Roger--it's already on record. She wasn't very positive when the question was asked her by the sheriff, Liz reminds him. It satisfied the sheriff and the coroner, says Roger, that's all that matters. Is there anything else she might tell Burke? asks Liz pointedly. No, says Roger, rising from his chair, turning his back, I can't think of a thing...oh, Liz, you still don't think I'm involved in that tragedy, do you? Liz rises and goes over to him. Of course not, she says--perhaps the trip to Bangor was coincidental, not planned. I thought she was going to leave permanently, says Roger--what made her change her mind? David persuaded her to stay, says Liz. David? says Roger, taken aback--I thought he wanted her to leave! He changed his mind, says Liz, pleaded with her to stay. Why should he? asks Roger. Why don't you ask him? suggests Liz. I certainly intend to, Roger assures her. He's in his room right now, says Liz. I've always thought there was something a little wrong with David, says Roger--I didn't think he was an idiot. (Nice, Roger--and a LITTLE wrong?) He heads upstairs, colliding with Carolyn, who is on her way down, and apologizes. My fault, she says, I wasn't thinking about anything very much except Vicki in Bangor with Burke Devlin. Why should that upset you so much? asks Roger. Why shouldn't it? she asks--I know what Burke tried to do to you--get you mixed up in Bill Malloy's death--and I see what he's trying to do to Mother. Is that the reason you're so upset? he asks, not believing her. Of course! she insists, I don't care what Burke does--I just don't think Vicki ought to be with him. Your mother tells me that David has persuaded her to stay on here, says Roger. He practically got down on his hands and knees and begged her not to leave, agrees Carolyn. That is very strange, opines Roger. It certainly is, says Carolyn--almost as strange as the attraction between Vicki and Burke. I think I'm going to have a little talk with David--right now--and Roger heads determinedly upstairs, Carolyn watching him.
David sits at his desk in his room, busily drawing. Roger enters and smiles at him. What are you doing? he asks his son. Drawing a picture, says David. What's it supposed to be? asks Roger. Mr. Malloy's ghost, David tells him. You didn't see it yourself, did you? asks Roger. No, that's what I think it looks like, says David--it's the way Miss Winters described it. Roger sits in a chair beside him. Your Aunt Elizabeth tells me you've changed your mind about her leaving, he says. I never wanted her to leave as much as you did, says David. I get reports that you hated her, says Roger--that you wrote death across her mirror, and locked her up in an inaccessible part of the house--that doesn't sound to me like you were overly fond of her. I changed my mind--I want her to stay, says David. Have you discovered some qualities about her that I don't know anything about? asks Roger. I have, says David, it's this--he shows Roger the picture. Oh, says Roger, you mean she wants to encourage you to be an artist. No, it's because of Mr. Malloy's ghost, says David. Then you know something I don't know, says Roger--has the ghost told you to ask Miss Winters to stay on here? No, says David, she saw it--she's the only one who did see it--and if she stays here, the ghost might come again, but if she leaves, the ghost might leave, too, and I want to see it! Such things do not exist, says Roger. If they don't exist, says David, how did Miss Winters see it? She was dreaming, says Roger, there are no such things as ghosts. There are, too, I've seen them before, says David, and I wasn't dreaming, I was wide awake
--I think Mr. Malloy's ghost picked Miss Winters to appear to because she must know something about how he died. He slipped, fell in the water and drowned, says Roger with a hint of anger, rising from the chair. No he didn't, says David--the ghost said so--the ghost told Miss Winters somebody killed him, somebody in Collinsport, and if she stays here, I think Mr. Malloy's ghost might come back--and this time, he might tell her who killed him--David stands and faces his father--he might even tell her YOU killed him. Roger slaps David across the face. The boy runs to the door, gazing with hatred at his father. Where are you going? Roger asks him, but David runs off, Roger in pursuit, ordering him to come back.
Carolyn and Liz sit on the sofa in the drawing room. I never denied Burke was attractive, Liz admits to her daughter. I honestly couldn't care less, insists Carolyn--I honestly think I'd be happier if I never saw him again. Not so long ago, you said the same thing about Joe Haskell, Liz reminds her. That was different, says Carolyn. It always is, teases Liz. David races into the room, catapulting himself into his aunt's arms. Roger orders him to come back here. Please don't hit me again! David begs his father. What's going on? demands Liz, as Carolyn slides over on the couch to get a better view. He tried to kill me! cries David. Calm down and tell me what happened, says Liz. He hit me, says David--he holds up his cheek to her--is it bleeding? Of course not, says Liz. Carolyn, arms crossed, asks him why he's acting so silly--Uncle Roger would never hit you. He did, I tell you, he did! says David. Yes, says Roger, and I'll do it again if you don't stop this nonsense about ghosts!
Will you please leave us alone for a few minutes? Liz asks Roger. David, I give you fair warning... says Roger, then leaves the room. Carolyn stands by as Liz seats David on the sofa and asks what happened. He was mad because I was talking about Mr. Malloy's ghost, whines David--he hit me, really he did. I think he made the whole thing up, says Carolyn. I didn't! protests David--nobody believes anything I say around here. Why should they? asks Carolyn. Please let me handle this my own way, Liz orders her daughter. I thought he'd changed his mind, says David, but he hasn't--he STILL hates me! (And things actually, finally looked better to the poor, sick kid.) You mustn't say things like that, says Liz. It doesn't matter, I still hate him, says David. Come along, says Liz, taking his hand in hers, we'll go back up to your room until you calm down. I wish he was dead, states David. She walks him upstairs.
Carolyn calls the Collinsport Inn, asking for Burke--oh, is he still in Bangor? she asks--did he say when he would be back? She twists the phone wire around her fingers--no, no message. Furious, she punches the sofa. Liz comes in and tells her David's calmed down. I'm NOT! says Carolyn angrily. She stands before the fireplace. Liz asks what's the matter. I just called the Inn to see if Burke was back, says Carolyn. I thought you said it didn't make any difference to you what he did, says Liz. I wasn't calling because of him, says Carolyn, I wanted to see what she was up to--you notice she's not back yet, either. She said she'd be gone a couple of days, says Liz, that shouldn't be any surprise to you. Oh it isn't, says Carolyn, nothing she did would be a surprise to me now! You mustn't jump to conclusions, says Liz. What other conclusion can you possibly draw? demands Carolyn. Burke does have business in Bangor, says Liz. So does Vicki, tattles Carolyn--she made me promise not to tell--but then I didn't know she was going to get so chummy with Burke! (Bitch!) You'd better tell me what you know, advises Liz. She went to see Mr. Garner, reveals Carolyn. I already know that, says Liz, but exactly what did she hope to find out? She saw a name on a list of some sort and wanted to find out who the person was, says Carolyn. Do you remember the name? asks Liz. Hammond...Hansford... says Carolyn, something like that--Hanscomb, that was it--B. Hanscomb. Liz (who doesn't seem at all upset) sits on the sofa and explains that they once had a butler named Hanscomb--why should that interest Vicki? She saw a portrait of a girl in Sam Evans' studio, says Carolyn, and the girl's name was Betty Hanscomb and it looked a lot like Vicki. Betty Hanscomb looked like Vicki? asks Liz. That's what she said, Carolyn tells her--she said even Maggie commented on the similarity. I haven't seen Betty Hanscomb for years, says Liz, but as I remember, she didn't look anything like Vicki. Who was she? asks Carolyn. Hanscomb's daughter or niece, I forget which, says Liz, I haven't thought about her or seen her in at least 25 years. This list of names had been prepared by the Garners, says Carolyn, so Vicki went to Bangor to ask them about it. Why didn't she ask me? wonders Liz. Would you have told her anything? asks Carolyn. There really wasn't very much I could tell her, explains Liz, after Hanscomb left our service, he and his entire family moved away from Collinsport, so if she hoped to get any information from Mr. Garner, it was a waste of time. I'm not so sure about that, says Carolyn, maybe she accomplished something after all--she had a chance to spend all that time with Burke! This is becoming an obsession with you, says Liz, concerned, you've got to forget him! Carolyn tilts her head back. I try, she says, really I do, one minute I'm positive I never want to see him again, and I hate him, and the next minute I'm on the telephone, trying to find out where he is. Liz closes the double doors. Not so long ago, says Liz, we talked about your father and me. I remember, says Carolyn. Liz, her back against the door, tells her, I'm sorry to say the romance between your father and me wasn't so much between us, but the Collins money and your father--but there was a man I loved very much. Did I know him? asks Carolyn. Yes, says Liz. Bill Malloy, guesses Carolyn in a gooey tone. No, says Liz, Bill was just a good friend. This other man--is he here in Collinsport? asks Carolyn. No, he wanted me to marry him before I ever met your father, says Liz. Did I know him? asks Carolyn. Yes, says Liz--Ned Calder. Why didn't you marry him? asks Carolyn,. I kept him dangling too long, says Liz, I took him for granted--Joe Haskell reminds me very much of Ned Calder as a young man--he's patient--to a point. And you think I may be stretching that point? asks Carolyn. Yes I do, says Liz. You're right, says Carolyn, I do take Joe for granted. Whatever Joe feels for you... begins Liz. He loves me, says Carolyn. Then don't treat it lightly, says Liz--it's far too important to be dismissed on impulse. Do you know I think the only time Joe ever told me off the way I deserved was the night he came up here dead drunk, says Carolyn--poor Joe--in the middle of his best moment, he passed out cold--I think I'll surprise him and ask him to take me out tonight.
There might come a time he won't be available, Liz warns her. Carolyn makes a disparaging sound, picks up the phone and tells her mother that very recently, Joe wasn't available--he had a dinner date with Maggie Evans--I don't know if I forgive him or not. Mightn't it be the other way around? asks Liz. He did ask me first, says Carolyn, and dials. Hello, Joe, she says--about our date tonight...we didn't?--well, what do you suppose we ought to do about that? She plays with her hair, smiling confidently.
Roger comes downstairs, glaring at the landing. Carolyn flies into his arms in the foyer. Isn't everything just wonderful? she bubbles, rushing past him and upstairs. Roger joins Liz in the drawing room and pours a drink, telling her she should get rid of Vicki Winters--even when she's not here, she creates tension and ill feeling. You didn't have to strike David, says Liz. It wasn't that bad, insists Roger. It must have been, she says, to upset him the way he did. You should know him well enough by now to know he would scream if I merely gave him a hard look--he drinks--all right, I lost my temper, I admit it, he goaded me--which brings us back to the subject of Vicki Winters--I don't ask for much around here, but I insist on your discharging her--she's a bad influence on David. In what way? asks Liz. She keeps filling his head with this nonsense about Bill Malloy's ghost, says Roger. Is it nonsense? asks Liz. Of course it is, says Roger, I know things happen around here that are difficult to explain, but there has to be a logical explanation for everything. Have you got one? asks Liz. I'd much prefer not to think about them, says Roger. In other words, you believe by ignoring them, they'll go away, says Liz--you want to pretend they never happened--is that what you want me to do? No, says Roger--there's one other thing I want you to do--I want you to sell this monstrosity you call home--sell it to Burke Devlin for all I care--that way we could exorcise Burke and the ghost at the same time! I can't sell it, says Liz. Of course you can, if he's foolish enough to buy it, says Roger. I won't sell it, surely you understand that by now! says Liz. I understand the words, agrees Roger, but certainly not the reasoning. I don't have to have a reason, she says, I intend to spend the rest of my life in Collinwood. What if I leave here? he asks. That's up to you, she says. And take David with me? he asks. That's an empty threat, says Liz--you love money much more than you love David. (Unfortunately, all too true.) All right! says Roger, furious--for heaven's sake get rid of that girl! She's been more than patient and David wants her to stay, says Liz. He's not interested in Vicki herself, but in Bill Malloy's ghost returning, says Roger, because he thinks that the ghost will tell him who murdered him. Why should that bother you? asks Liz. David is obsessed with the idea I did it, says Roger--all this because of these wild stories Vicki's been telling him! I don't want to discuss Vicki with you, insists Liz. One time ago, he says, I asked you about her, and you evaded the question--what is between you and Victoria Winters--what do you know about her? I have never evaded the question, says Liz, she's an orphaned girl who was recommended as a tutor for David, nothing more. How do you know that Burke hasn't arranged this whole thing--that they aren't working hand in glove this very minute? demands Roger--how do you know what she may be telling him right now?
I don't know, says Liz, but I do know that Vicki can't tell Burke anything I wouldn't tell him myself--could you say the same?
NOTES: Got him, Liz! Everyone's got a secret. What's the bug rocketing up Roger's butt?--he wants to get rid of Vicki because Malloy might reveal to her that he killed him? Did he? Why else would he be so determined to get rid of her?
Carolyn vacillates between drawing Joe to her and pushing him away--no wonder the poor guy had dinner with Maggie--probably the sanest experience he's had since he started dating Carolyn. And if the blonde is that obsessed with Burke and that jealous of Vicki, she clearly isn't ready to settle down with Joe. All her thought should be focused on him, the man she supposedly loves.
It was painful to see David's relationship with his father take two steps backward. I understand why Roger slapped David; he told him to his face, viciously, that he believes he killed Malloy--but one fears these two will never have a rapprochement because their mutual hatred is so strong. Pity. David needs his father. And Liz would keep David at Collinwood if Roger left, she made that clear. So Roger has very little choice here--and deserves none.
Episode #94 - I have left the terrifying shadows of Collinwood to continue a search that has occupied most of my life--a search to discover the secret of my identity. I have just met a friendly and understanding stranger who might help me end that search. We see Vicki dining with Frank Garner. The narrative continues--Back in Collinsport, Carolyn Stoddard is searching, too, for love and understanding--and peace of mind. Carolyn, sitting at a table in the Blue Whale, laughs at something Joe said. It's not that funny, protests Joe. I thought it was, says Carolyn, as a matter of fact, I thought it was terribly funny. You and I have known each other most of our lives, says Joe seriously, as she takes a swig of her drink, don't you know I can read you like a book? What's that's supposed to mean? she asks. I know when you're having a good time and when you're just pretending to have a good time, he says--that's what you're doing now. Am I? she asks. Her hair is swept up. You've been as nervous as a cat ever since we walked through that door, says Joe, how come? If I have been nervous, I have every right to be, she says--anybody would be nervous living in that house of horrors where I live--especially now--I hadn't planned on telling you, I really hadn't planned to mention it to anyone... You'd better tell me, he says, I want to know what's going on. Vicki claims to have seen a ghost, says Carolyn--the ghost of Bill Malloy. Joe is shocked.
You've got to be kidding! says Joe. I wish I were, says Carolyn. Vicki believes this? asks Joe. Carolyn nods--she's quite convinced of it. You don't believe it, do you? asks Joe. I don't want to believe it, says Carolyn, I want to believe that she was only dreaming, and yet...I don't know. I have lived in Collinwood (he means Collinsport) all my life, says Joe--I've heard all the stories about the spooks and hobgoblins that are supposed to go roaming around at Collinwood--when I was a kid, I believed in them, I'm not a kid anymore, and neither are you. Of course I'm not a kid, agrees Carolyn. Then you can't believe this wild story, says Joe, Vicki probably had a nightmare--they can seem very real sometimes. Maybe, says Carolyn, I don't know--let's change the subject. He smiles at her, OK, he agrees--I just don't want you to be scared out of your wits by something that just doesn't exist. Please, says Carolyn, I came here to forget about that dungeon, not to talk about it--can't we change the subject? All right, how about talking about us? he asks--what's going on with us, really?--why did you call me tonight and ask me to bring you here? Because I wanted to see you, she says, because I'm sorry I got mad at you. You got sorry after the last time we had a fight, he reminds her, after I said no to that promotion at the cannery, then you turned right around and got mad at me all over again. That was different, insists Carolyn, do you expect me to approve of your dates with other girls? You know there is nothing between Maggie Evans and me, he says, annoyed. Maybe I do, says Carolyn, maybe that's why I apologized--can't you accept it? As long as you don't change your mind about me as often as you change your dress, he agrees. She grins. That's not fair, she says. I just want to be sure of you, he says, and I'm not. You should be, she says, I called you tonight because I wanted to be with you more than anybody else in the world. Does anybody include Burke Devlin? he asks. Please, she begs, I said I want to be with you--don't you want to be with me? He takes her hand. You know the answer to that, he assures her. Maggie and Sam enter the bar. Joe caresses Carolyn's hand. Carolyn cheerily greets Maggie, who says a subdued hi to Joe. My daughter decided to accompany me on my nightly visits, says Sam. Maggie looks uncomfortable. I'm surprised to see so many people out on a cold, blowy night like this, says Sam. Carolyn, caressing Joe's hand (which Maggie watches unhappily) says cold, blowy nights are the best for having fun. You could be right, says Sam, if you'll excuse us--he starts leading Maggie to another table. Won't you join us? asks Carolyn--please, we have plenty of room. Maggie? asks Sam. We don't want to intrude, demurs Maggie. You won't be intruding, Carolyn assures them--will they, Joe? Of course not, agrees Joe. Sam holds a chair for his daughter, then sits in the other. The waiter comes over to take drink orders.
After dinner at the hotel in Bangor, Vicki orders coffee, Frank, brandy. So, he says after the waiter departs, tell me more about Vicki Winters. Haven't you heard enough? she asks. I hardly know anything about you, he says, just that you were raised in a foundling home, went to work as a governess for the Collinses a couple of months ago, and you're trying to discover your mother's identity--period. That's all there is to tell, she says. I doubt that, he says--when did you start this search to track down your mother? Just a few days ago, she says, when I found the name Hanscomb on that old ledger sheet, and I remembered it was the name of the girl in the portrait that looked so much like me--but I wanted to know who she was all my life. Why? asks Frank. That's an odd question, says Vicki. Not really, he says, some foundlings don't want to know where they're from--they're afraid to know. I'm not afraid, says Vicki, no matter what I find out. It's that important to you? he asks. M-hmm, she says, it has been ever since I was nine--it's not something I tell very many people. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, he says. But I want to tell you, she assures him--when I was nine, a woman came to the foundling home, a nurse--she was very kind to me, I was her favorite. And you got attached to her, he says. More than attached, says Vicki--I loved her--and little by little, I began to pretend she was my mother--she was the kind of mother I always wanted to have--and then she got another job and moved away, and I had to realize I wasn't her little girl, that I wasn't anybody's--that I was nothing. (sigh--that's sad) So you decided to find out who your real mother is? he asks. To find her, and perhaps myself, smiles Vicki--does that make sense? It makes perfect sense to me, he says. Does it? she asks eagerly. If I were in your place, he says, I'd be asking the same questions and searching for the same answers. But I have to be realistic, she says, because I might never find the answers--and it might always be a mystery to me. Not if I can help it, he promises--I like mysteries--and I'm going to do everything in my power to help you solve this one.
She smiles at him.
Joe plays a song on the jukebox. Carolyn praises Maggie's dress, saying that blue is a becoming color on her. Maggie sips her coffee and thanks her. Joe asks Carolyn to dance. I don't want to waste that dreamy music, says Carolyn, excusing them, and she goes to the dance floor with Joe. Maggie looks pained. When Carolyn is dancing in his arms, Joe asks her why she asked Sam and Maggie to join them. I didn't think you'd object, says Carolyn. I don't, says Joe, but you're not answering my question. In the first place, I was being polite, says Carolyn, and in the second place, I want Maggie to know there are no hard feelings about your date with her. Is that it? asks Joe. Of course, she says, pushing away from him--what is this, a cross-examination?--what's the matter, don't you believe me? Calm down, says Joe, yes, I believe you. She hugs him, returning to his embrace. Maggie stares longingly at them and Sam watches his daughter, offering a penny for her thoughts. Don't squander your money, advises Maggie sadly. Does it bother you, seeing them together? asks Sam. Don't be ridiculous, she says (protesting too much)--of course it doesn't bother me. I hope not, he says, his hand comfortingly on her wrist--I wouldn't want you to waste your time waiting for something you'll probably never get--darling, there comes a time you've got to bow to the inevitable. Pop, says Maggie, just this once, spare me your wise old sayings--I told you I'm fine and I am--let's just drop the subject. Whatever you say, he agrees, but, heartbroken, she watches Joe and Carolyn, who are tightly entwined on the dance floor.
Vicki and Frank are finishing up their dinner in Bangor. The waiter brings his brandy and her coffee. Frank tells her tracking down a single Hanscomb might not be easy--the woods are full of them--it's a popular name around here. I know, says Vicki. So I'll start making some phone calls in the morning, he says, who knows--maybe I'll come up with something sooner than I think. You're awfully kind to someone you've only known for a day, she says. It's very easy to be kind to you, he says--besides, I have a selfish motive--if I come up with something, it'll give me a chance to see you again. Richard Garner enters the restaurant and greets them. What are you doing here? Frank asks his father. They told me at the office where you were, says Richard, something's come up that I thought you ought to know about--the Anderson will is coming up for probate sooner than we thought--I want you to get at that first thing in the morning. Frank assures his father he will--and ruefully says let that me a great lesson to me--never tell your secretary where you can be reached after office hours. I didn't mean to intrude, my apologizes, Miss winters, says Richard. Of course not! says Vicki. Frank invites his father to sit down and have a brandy. Only if I'm not intruding, says Richard. Word of honor, his son assures him. In that case, says Garner, Sr., taking off his coat, I won't refuse. The waiter takes his coat, and Richard orders a brandy--I hope your day in Bangor has been a pleasant one, Richard tells Vicki. Except for this morning, it has been, she says. I'm sorry that I couldn't be more informative, says Richard. I understood, Vicki says. I was just telling Vicki, says Frank, that I'm going to do everything in my power to track down B. Hanscomb--if she's still living in this area, I might have a chance. That's a tall order, says Richard, not looking terribly pleased--there are lots of Hanscombs around here.
I just told Vicki the same thing, says Frank, but it's certainly worth a try--and I intend to try. Vicki smiles gratefully at him. I wouldn't put too much faith in his enthusiasm, Richard tells Vicki--Frank's the kind of lawyer who loves an uphill fight--and lost causes. Lost causes? Asks Frank--aren't you taking a defeatist attitude, Dad? I didn't mean it to sound that way, says Richard, I just don't want Miss winters to get her hopes too high--she might be letting herself in for a terrible disappointment. Richard gazes solemnly at Frank, who looks at Vicki, who already looks disappointed. (We all know where Richard's attitude comes from right?)
We see other couples dancing in the Blue Whale. Carolyn reminisces to the others how they used to take long walks up to Eagle's Point. Joe sips his drink and says they haven't done that since high school. We should again, soon, says Carolyn--maybe someday. OK, if you want, says Joe. Maggie, trying to keep a stiff upper lip, eyes Carolyn and says she has to be going. So early? Asks Carolyn. Six-thirty I have to open up the coffee shop, says Maggie. Sam offers to walk his daughter home, it's a bad night, and he doesn't want to see her going home by herself. I'm a big girl, Maggie assures him, I can take care of myself. I'd feel a lot better if I knew you were home safe, insists Sam, so let's have one more drink and be on our way. OK, but just one, says Maggie, clearly wanting to leave. Sam calls to the waiter and goes to the bar. Where's Vicki? asks Maggie--she hasn't stopped by the hotel for a few days. I haven't seen her when I've come to pick you up, Joe says--has she gone into hiding? Haven't you heard? Asks Carolyn, she's gone to Bangor. That's off, remarks Maggie. Odd? repeats Carolyn. I saw her a few days ago and she didn't mention a trip to Bangor, says Maggie. It came up suddenly, says Carolyn, she decided she wanted to get away from Collinwood. Probably a good thing, says Joe--sounds like she needed a rest. Carolyn nods. Maggie asks what he means. Vicki claims to have seen a ghost, reports Carolyn--Bill Malloy's ghost. Malloy? asks Sam, who has returned to the table. That's right, says Carolyn, she even claims it talked to her. That doesn't sound like Vicki, comments Maggie. I agree, says Joe, that's why I said she needed a rest--she probably had this terrible nightmare and now she's believing it actually happened. Where did she see this...this thing? asks Sam. Collinwood, says Carolyn. And what did it say to her? asks Sam. Pop, laughs Maggie, you say it as if she saw something real--you don't believe in the bogeyman, do you? No, no, says Sam, but out of curiosity, what did it say? To stay away from Collinwood, says Vicki, that she was in danger there. That's all? asks Sam. That's all she told me, says Carolyn. I see, says Sam, looking perturbed. Maybe she does need a rest, says Maggie--how many days does she plan to spend in Bangor? I don't know, a few, replies Carolyn. Won't she be lonesome in a strange city all by herself? asks Maggie. (OK, Carolyn, drop the other shoe.) She's not alone, says Carolyn cattily. I didn't know she had friends in Bangor, says Maggie. She hadn't, says Carolyn, brushing a finger across her lips. I don't understand, says Maggie. She went there with a friend, a very intimate friend, says Carolyn. Anyone I know? asks Maggie. Burke Devlin, says Carolyn. Joe looks very surprised at this revelation. Burke? asks Maggie. You didn't tell me that, says Joe. The subject never came up, says Carolyn with a smile. What's the doing in Bangor with Burke Devlin? chuckles Sam. I don't know, says Carolyn, ask Vicki. Let's dance, Joe almost orders Carolyn. Not now, I'm not in the mood, says Carolyn. I am! says Joe, come on, let's dance. All right, she agrees, and they leave the table. You didn't have to bark at me, she says, going into his arms. You must take me for a prize sap, he says--you don't think I know why you called me tonight? I told you why, several times to be exact, she says--because I wanted to see you. You're lying, says Joe, you called me for the same reason you called me before--because you're jealous of Vicki and Burke. That is ridiculous, she says. I don't think so, he says--you might not believe this, but I do have eyes and ears--I know what's going on. You can't call me a liar, Joe Haskell, says Carolyn, you or anybody else. You can't expect me to come crawling back every time Devlin isn't around, says Joe--you'd better start understanding that right now! All right, she says, pulling away from him, I've had enough--take me home. He forces her to look at him, telling her they're not going until she's heard what he has to say--and he's got plenty. TAKE ME HOME! she orders, her voice ragged--if you don't take me home, I'm going to walk! She grabs her coat and leaves the bar. Joe takes his and follows.
Maggie gets a hopeful half-smile on her face--perhaps this is the beginning of the end of Joe and Carolyn?
Richard asks Vicki if she's planning to visit Bangor again in the near future. I'm not sure, she says. I intend to provide Vicki with a reason to come back, Frank assures his father--a good reason. Richard looks from one to the other, finishes off his brandy and says he's intruded long enough--he bids Vicki good night, and she thanks him for seeing her. It was my pleasure, he tells her. Can I have a word with you before you go? Frank asks his father. Of course, says Richard. Frank asks Vicki if she'll excuse him, and she replies of course. Frank leaves the table. He and his father go to stand at the restaurant entrance. You don't have anything against Vicki, do you? asks Frank. Why should I have anything against her? asks Richard. That's what I was wondering, says Frank. Of course I don't have anything against her, she's a lovely young woman, says Richard--if I were your age, I'd take her out to dinner, too. You sounded so pessimistic about her chances of finding Miss Hanscomb, says Frank--it's as if you didn't even want her to try. You misunderstood, says Richard, I just didn't want you to get her hopes up too high. You don't mind my trying to help her, do you? asks Frank. Certainly not, his father assures him, go right ahead if you're that interested in helping her. I am, says Frank, and I'm not nearly as pessimistic about the outcome as you are. There's just one thing to keep in mind, says Richard--Elizabeth Stoddard is our client, not Victoria Winters. What's that mean? asks Frank.
Just something to keep in mind, says Richard--good night, son, I'll see you in the morning. Good night, says Frank, puzzled. He returns to the table. Your father seems to think I'm on a wild goose chase, says Vicki. I know, he says. Is something the matter? she asks. Oh, no, he says--would you like some more coffee? Yes, I think I would, she says, I've got to face that long drive back to Collinsport. Waiter, calls Frank.
Blue Whale - A drunken Sam calls the waiter over to order another drink. You promised me that would be your last! Says Maggie, annoyed. Next to last, says Sam, this will be the last one. He takes her hand. You said that three drinks ago, she complains--oh, I give up. I really need it very badly right now, he says--because of ghoulies and ghosties and long-legged beasties and things that go bump in the night. She smiles at him, accusing him of being loaded. Not yet, he assures her (after all that booze)? Then don't talk that way, you make me nervous, she says. Joe returns and asks if they mind if he sits down. Of course not, she says--is Carolyn all right? Joe sits and says she's home, if that's what Maggie means. Speaking of home, says Sam, would you mind seeing Maggie home? Pop, protests Maggie. I couldn't mind anything less, says Joe. I thought you were going to walk me home, Maggie tells her father. I'm going to take a long walk, says Sam, polishing off his drink, standing--and I won't be home until quite late. He leaves the bar. Joe bids him good night. Maggie chuckles over her father and tells Joe he's nothing if not unpredictable--I'm sorry I got foisted off on you. Oh, listen, do you hear me complaining? He asks. You should, she says. I'm the best judge of that, he says. Tell me more about your boat, suggests Maggie, the one you plan to buy? You're a nice girl, says Joe. What brought that on? she asks. You haven't asked me what happened between Carolyn and myself, he says. I figured you'd tell me if you wanted me to know, she says. You're right, he says. Do you mind one question? She asks--why did you come back? For a brush up, he says, the lesson you were giving me the other evening--I need to brush up on my knowledge of seacraft--come on, professor--see if you can do this now--name for me all the sails of a full-rigged ship under all plainsails.
Maggie counts on her fingers and recites, one flying jib, two jibs, 3 fourtop... Joe laughs ruefully as she goes on and on, and it's clear they're really enjoying each other.
NOTES: I would say that this is the beginning of the end of the relationship between Carolyn and Joe and the beginning of one between Maggie and Joe. I think the Devlin rift has permanently busted up the rich girl and the blue collar boy. (Just noticed Ron Sproat wrote this ep.) Joe knows Carolyn well, perhaps too well, and he knows exactly why she's with him--he is scratching her Burke Devlin itch, and it's unfair to him. I felt sorry for Maggie, who clearly adores Joe, and I like the idea that she now stands a shot.
Although Richard Garner didn't come right out and tell his son not to help Vicki, he did so in a roundabout way, reminding him who their real client is--but without explaining how helping Vicki might be hurting Mrs. Stoddard, how could Frank possibly understand? This could lead to a rift between this father and son--and Frank is definitely smitten with Vicki and determined to help her.
Carolyn is a bitch. Her biting, jealous comments about Vicki and Burke made her look cruel and perverse, and she embarrassed herself and Joe, too. It's no wonder he's so angry. She has no reason to trash Vicki's reputation, but she's taking glee in doing so, even though she claims to like Vicki so much. Prove it, blondie, and stop being so damned nasty!
That story about the nurse Vicki dreamed was her mother was really sad. You understand her desire to learn who she is, even if, ultimately, she gets her heart broken or is disappointed.
Love, Robin
