Dark Secrets in the Shadows

Chapter 1

Blue Whale

Willie hunched over his drink in the corner booth, every time the door opened, he glanced up anxiously watching the door. He studied each and every person with a degree of interest. Unfolding the note he re-read it for the one hundredth time.

"You don't know me but I know you very well. I want to meet you and confirm what I know about you for myself. Please meet me at the Blue Whale on Friday evening around 8 p.m. Come alone, if you have anyone with you I will not introduce myself."

He had no clue who this could be, or what they were. By that meaning he did not know if he was meeting a man or woman. So, he studied the familiar and the unfamiliar as they walked in the door.

Lifting the bottle he swallowed the last of his beer, looked at the clock, shoved his hand into his pocket, pulled out a wad of cash and laid it on the table. "Bob another please!" He called from his table. He was starting to buzz from the fifth beer he had and knew he would have to walk home he was not fit to drive.

The last time he got lit like this and tried to drive he ended up in a ditch passed out over the wheel and was damn lucky the Deputy had not arrested him for drunk driving. Supporting his head with the palm of his hand, elbow bent resting on the table he fixed his gaze on the door. Then he saw her. She opened the door and stepped into the room. My god it could not be! There was no way this was possible. Her fair sandy brown hair combed severally back behind her ears in a neat bun, her blue eyes searching the room.

She was so much like her; the walk the way she stepped into the room and down the stairs, the body build, why even the set of her shoulders was she. He blinked again, wiped his shaky hand over his face and studied her from his booth. Then he determined he was wrong mentally he thought, "No that's not right." It was the set of her shoulders. That was what was different from his mother. She had a more proud set to her and they were not slumped and defeated looking. The set of her shoulders were confident, not beaten down, like his mother's had been.

He held his breath watching her gaze sweep the room. Landing on his figure in the corner she smiled tensely and then moved towards him. Stopping just in front of him, she watched his gaze slid up to her face. "Momma?" He whispered softly.

She laughed and it sounded just like his mother's when she did laugh. "No silly boy, I am not your mother! I am your sister. Rebecca Ann." She held out her hand and he noticed she had a nice manicure, and her hands were soft and delicate looking.

Willie was dumbfounded he looked from her hand to her face as if she were offering him a snake instead of her hand. Then his foggy mind cleared he stood up took her hand in his and cupped it to his chest, drawing it to his cheek.

She smiled a familiar smile and cupped his cheek with her palm. "Hello Willie Loomis. It is good to finally meet you." She spoke with the same inflections his mother had used when she was being gentle with him trying to sooth him from a bad nightmare.

"You look so much like her. I thought it was her when you came in. Except . . . . " He paused he felt a thickening in his throat and he coughed to clear his throat.

She waited for him to finish his sentence. "You know its rude to just stop in the beginning of a sentence like that, it leaves your audience wondering if they had done something wrong. Except?" She eased the rebuke with a smile to soften the words and her tone.

"Except you are not beat down like she was." He said softly, and then remembered his manners. "Um here sit down. " He turned to indicate the seat across from him in the booth.

He helped her to sit, then slid into his own seat. "How did you find me?" He said the first thing that came to his mind. Bob, who having seen him receive company that obviously had surprised him, had waited to deliver his beer. Willie slid two dollars to Bob and then glanced over to his sister.

"You want something to drink?" He waited and she glanced up at the tender "How about a ginger ale please. I fear my brother is kind of tipsy and I am going to have to drive him home." She smiled sweetly for Bob. Bob smiled, he liked her, she was sweet and pretty and nothing like what he would have pictured for Loomis' sister. He noted she was dressed in high fashion clothing with a polished look to her. "Sure thing and its on the house for you miss."

Rebecca turned her gaze back to her brother. "So Willie, I know you have a thousand questions and to begin with the first one is yes, mother had me while she was in prison. She signed me over to the warden's wife and they raised me. They did allow me to keep my name that Mother had given me at birth." Rebecca set her purse on the bench seat next to her. "And they let me know my mother. It was through her that I learned about you."

She laced her fingers together in front of her she studied her brother. "I have a picture of you she kept so that is how I knew who you were. You have not changed much except you look sadder."

She unsnapped the latch of her purse, reached in and pulled out a picture. It was his senior picture from school, so Aunt Abigail must have sent her that picture; which surprised him. He mumbled, "Yeah, sadder, I guess that is one way to describe me." He lifted his beer and sipped.

He used the time to study her over the end of the bottle and she knew he was studying her and that was what was disconcerting. "Yes, I think I look like her too. The difference is that I was not beaten like you or her."

Willie set his bottle down then set back while Bob brought over the next round. Playing with the condensation on his bottle he took his time before he spoke again. "How did you find me?" He glanced up and watched that familiar smile spread over her lips.

"Someone by the name of Barnabas Collins contacted a New York Detective's office and started inquiries. He knew she gave birth in prison so it was not hard to find me from there." She lifted her glass and sipped her drink with practiced manners.

This shocked Willie, his eyes widen and his voice caught, "Barnabas found you?" He was shocked and touched by such an action by someone he had thought was a monster.

She slowly nodded her head. "Yes, the Detective said that Mr. Collins gave him permission to say it was he making inquiries and if there was a problem whomever he spoke with could call him. So, my father being a suspicious man had him checked out."

She smiled widely, "You have some very prestigious associates Willie." She had taken on that teasing tone and it was uncanny that he could remember his mother being so much like her. He was astonished because especially with his mind befuddled by six beers.

"Prest, pres ti geous? What does that mean?" He had to ask and hoped she had not thought he was some ignorant buffoon. He gave that half crooked smile he continued to study her from the shock of bangs that seemed to want to fall into his eyes.

She watched him unconsciously brush the hair from his forehead and eyes. "It means you have people that have some influence and standing in the community." She spoke softly explaining the big word she had used.

"Oh, yah, they are loaded and so is Barnabas. His family owned this town at one time that is why it's named after them." He slumped down in his seat when he set back to study her. "I can't get over it. You look so much like her, not just in looks but your voice sounds a lot like hers did and you even have some of her habits."

"Habits? What habits?" She was curious to know what he thought was her or her mother's.

Willie smiled, "The way you stand, walk, why even when you cupped my cheek earlier. That was how she would get me to settle down at night if I was afraid or if I woke up from a nightmare. She would always cup my cheek and speak softly to me." His eyes misted thinking back to those days so long ago.

His thoughts were interrupted when a very chilly and angry voice broke into the conversation. "So, I see you could not wait to replace me Willie Loomis! I suppose you don't feel you owe me an explanation as to why you did not wish to be with me any more?" Beth stood over the table, her eyes snapping with anger and her face flushed. The tears were on the surface she glared at Rebecca and then to Willie.

Willie stood at first happy to see Beth then realizing how this must have looked. "Beth it ain't what you think! It's . . . " Beth turned on Rebecca glaring at her.

"Just breeze into town and think you can stake your claim on any man you see you slut!" She was livid she spewed forth her jealousy.

Willie spun her around and shoved her into the booth with him and blocked her exit. "Will ya just calm down for a minute and let me introduce you to my sister!" Willie hissed into the rage-shrouded mind of Beth.

The words penetrated her haze of rage her face suffused with embarrassment and then contriteness. "Sister?" She looked from Willie to Rebecca. Beth sat with her mouth open and her shame complete. "Oh my god! I am so sorry! I did not mean to call you a slut!" She was tripping over her words to avoid a look of condemnation she fiddled with the buttons on her coat.

Rebecca laughed. "Oh don't worry about it my dear Beth Chavez, I know all about you too. I am so happy that Willie has someone in his life that can make him happy."

Beth turned an accusing look to her boyfriend. "You never told me you had a sister!" she hissed she looked accusingly at Willie. Typical of someone caught in an embarrassing situation to shift the blame to someone innocent.

"Hey you never asked me about my family and well I only found out about her a few weeks ago." Willie defended his position he slid sideways to look from Beth to Rebecca. Beth lowered her gaze again feeling embarrassed. She knew he had her there she had never asked about his family. She had told him about her family and so she had assumed he did not have family except for that creepy older man at the old house.

"Well let me introduce myself to you, I am Rebecca Ann Loomis Fielding. I just recently learned I had a brother and came to meet him." Rebecca sat back in her chair and watched the realization dawn on Beth's face.

"So this is the first time you both have met?" Beth sounded astounded. She was interrupting their first time meeting. "Oh my gosh, I am so sorry to be interrupting. So you can imagine what I thought when I walked in and saw him with you."

Rebecca laughed and once again Willie was taken down memory lane. His mother was laughing through her. "I understand perfectly well. I did set conditions with William about our meeting. I did tell him that if I saw him with anyone I would not come or meet him. That was my insecurities."

"William?" She laughed, "You sound so formal with his name. We all call him Willie, never heard him called William." She turned her gaze to Willie smiling. Her way of making a tease out of his name.

"Yeah, it was my Grandfather's name and my Dad's name. So to tell us apart Mom called me Little Willie. Like the song." Willie was a shade of red from embarrassment.

Beth leaned over and placed a light kiss on his forehead. To me he will always be my hero. He saved me from some sleaze bag that works for my employer. He was my knight in shining armor." Beth leaned into Willie and hugged him tightly. "He has been my unofficial but very much appreciated beau." Beth smiled as she glanced from Willie to Rebecca.

"Glad I could help." He spoke softly hunkering over his drink. "Bob bring Beth a tap and another ginger ale for my sister, same for me!" He called he looked from his drink to his sister and then to his girlfriend.

Bob nodded, and began to draw another beer for Willie, then one for Beth. "So where are you staying Rebecca and how long are you here?" He wanted to shift the attention away from his name he never liked William that is what his mom had called his dad and he hated the name. He rather liked the name Willie. To him the name Willie had always sounded like fun with no responsibilities.

The door to the Blue Whale opened again and Willie glanced up to see Vicki enter the room. She paused looked around smiled when she saw Willie and waved. Stepping down the single stair step she walked to a table and sat. Bob noticed Vicki come in, so he stepped around the bar to walk over and take her order. "Red wine, house special and a rye for Mr. Collins." She glanced around and smiled at Barnabas when he entered the room.

Bob nodded to Barnabas and returned to the bar to get their order. Barnabas walked with a command of the room to the table, set his cane next to his chair then helped Vicki with her coat. "There my dear, did you order?"

Vicki watched him remove his coat. "Yes, I did, a rye for you and wine for me. Did you see Willie in the corner booth? Do you suppose we should go over and say hi?" She shifted her gaze from Willie back to Barnabas.

"It would be the polite thing to do." He missed being able to enter Willie's mind he studied the body language of Willie with his two attractive companions.

Vicki sighed, "Or perhaps we should allow him his privacy. He gets out so little and it seems he is enjoying his companions." Vicki sat back putting her hands in her lap allowing Bob to deliver their drinks.

"I put it on your tab Mr. Collins." Bob spoke softly. He did not want many of the barflies that were regulars and always trying to cheat him out of his drinks to hear he did offer a bar tab.

"Thank you Mr. Rooney, please allow yourself the standard fifteen percent tip." Bob smiled widely nodded his appreciation and left them to their drinks.

Beth smiled looking from Willie to Barnabas. "Hey there is your boss with his girlfriend." She spoke confidentially for Rebecca's benefit.

Rebecca slid her gaze over Vicki then Barnabas and found them both a striking couple for this juke joint. "They almost seem to be too highbrow for a place like this." Rebecca commented softly in return. She studied the woman and found her very pretty and interesting then her gaze landed on Barnabas and she found him fascinating. "So that is Barnabas Collins? The one that hired the detective that found me?"

Willie hunkered over his drink lowering his gaze. "Yeah, that is he and his fiancé. Vicki Winters." Rebecca sat up straight and looked back to Vicki.

"Vicki Winters as in Victoria Winters?" She sounded like she knew the name.

"Yeah Victoria Winters why?" Willie was surprised that she knew that name.

"Because she is one of the wealthiest women in the Fortune Five Hundred books in America." Willie's eyes widen with surprise, as did Beth's eyes.

"What is fortune five hundred and why is it important?' Willie was slow when it came to finances.

"Willie there is a magazine that is called Fortune, it makes a list each year and lists the top grossing Corporations in the United States. Devlin Enterprises is on that list and ranks about the twenty-fifth or sixth on that list, which means she is a very wealthy young woman in charge of a huge empire that makes money hand over fist." Rebecca's lifted her glass and sipped.

Willie let out a long drawn out breath, looked at Vicki and shook his head. "How is that possible, she is the governess for the Collins kid, David Collins at Collinwood." Willie spoke with a hiss to his voice.

"Because she owns Devlin Enterprises and that is in the top twenty plus listings for Fortune Five Hundred, she is listed as the President of the Enterprise and the Chairman of the Board as a matter of Fact she is the sole owner of Devlin Enterprises which has its hands in about twenty different organizations."

Rebecca showed acumen for knowledge in the business world. "How do you know all of this?" Willie was curious, he knew she was polished and appeared to be very competent.

"Because I have a law degree Willie and I am on the payroll of about six different corporations in New York alone. My law degree is in corporate law and as it is, Devlin Enterprises is one of my clients." She set comfortably back against her seat. "The senior partner was handling all the loose ends pertaining to his will. Another part of my firm was handling the plane crash and his Last Will and Testament, which named her his sole heir. That was approximately a year ago."

She looked from Willie to Vicki, " I understood she was to enroll in school and take some business classes so she could handle the business. I have not seen any paper work saying she is enrolled." Rebecca had sounded judgmental with her observations and this set Willie on edge.

Willie suddenly felt defensive for Vicki, "Look Rebecca, she has been having a rough time of things lately. She was engaged to Burke and he died and dumped all that in her lap. She then mysteriously disappeared for a while. We all figured she was getting over Devlin." That was the best way that Willie could explain her trip into the past. "Then she was kidnapped by this cult group that nearly sacrificed her to their heathen god."

He was not about to go into the fact she had been taken by a demigod to another plane of existence. Or she had been addicted to a drug that had been given to her by that mad occult group. Something kept him from telling his sister about her addiction. Or the fact she had died and was brought back to life with Barnabas' help. How could she understand that in this town nothing was normal?

"She has been a bit distracted and she does have a job with the Collins family." He ended his defense of Vicki; he felt rather lamely. Looking around his gaze landed on the pretty woman that had been through more than anyone he could have remembered.

"Sounds like you like her, what about the man with her?" She glanced to Barnabas and found him intriguing. "What about your boss? Do you and him get along really well?"

Willie hunkered lower over his drink, which alerted Rebecca to a complicated relationship. "We get along sometimes pretty good sometimes not so good, it depends on his mood. His mood has been good lately and he has been good to me." Rebecca heard the uncertainty in his voice, which peaked her interest. "Um have you eaten? They have a decent meal here, I know Beth waits and generally eats with me so want to join us?" Rebecca felt she was not ready to leave her newly found relative. With a degree of excitement she was pleased he wanted to include her on his date.

Vicki and Barnabas enjoyed their drink together; Vicki had been more secure in her relationship with Barnabas so forth coming about his past and the curse. She felt closer to him than before their engagement. Although he had not given her a ring she assumed that it would be a project he would set for them in the future and did not press the subject with him. Seeing the door open she smiled watching Carolyn and Gregory enter the room. Waving to them they walked to Vicki and Barnabas' table. "Hey you two! Just the people Greg needed to see."

Vicki noted that Carolyn was as bright, bubbly and happy, as she could be with one man. She had to wonder if this was the one for Carolyn. Barnabas was curious to why his attorney needed to see him. "Why do you need to see me Trask, is there a legal problem I don't know about?"

Gregory was quick to reassure. "No, no, not in the least if anything I have some very good news. Those pieces you wanted me to have valued came back with more than we expected. As a matter of fact it was several million more than we expected. The private collector wants to meet with you to see if you would be interested in parting with them." Gregory Trask had a habit of when entering a room letting his gaze take in his surroundings and noting any and all that were present. As his gaze fell on Rebecca a wide knowing smile slid across his full lips.

Barnabas sighed deeply, they were pieces that had belonged to his mother and he was not quite ready to part with them. "I would say not to bother, I am not interested in parting with them at this time."

Greg nodded, "Then I will tell him. Now excuse me a moment I see an old friend from New York." He made a direct beeline to Willie's table and looked down, "Rebecca Fielding so nice to see you in Collinsport. What brings you here another business venture?"

Rebecca had cringed when she saw Greg come into the room and was about to make her way to the ladies room hoping he would be gone by the time she came out. "Hello Greg, and no I am meeting my brother and his girlfriend if you really must know."

Her voice and her manner were cool she slid her gaze away from Greg and back to Willie and Beth. Of course this was news to Trask. "Your brother? You mean to tell me that Loomis is your brother?" He sounded amazed.

"Yes as a matter of fact, William Loomis is my brother and this is his girlfriend Beth Chavez." Rebecca had good manners and had always been mindful to use them even if in the company of an adversary. That is how she viewed Gregory at this time. However, in the past around the time of her college years the relationship had been vastly different. She was way past her relationship or dealings with Gregory Trask that had become a permanent part of her life. She was not prepared to go into that part of her life with anyone at least not at this time.

Carolyn sauntered to Greg's side sensing an attraction that made her feel insecure she hooked her hands around his upper arm and leaned seductively into him. "Hello Willie, who's your friend?" she nodded to the perceived threat in Rebecca.

"Hello Carolyn, this is my sister Rebecca Fielding and you know Beth." He smiled with a hint of that boyish guile when he looked to Beth.

"Yes, Rebecca and I went to college together. She was in several of my classes in law school." Greg could feel the pressure on his arm from Carolyn digging her nails into his coat. He knew that look and that affected action. He likened it to a she cat sinking her claws into its prey. Shifting under the pressure of her nails he shot her a dark look to quit clawing him.

Carolyn lifted the pressure but kept her position of pressed into him. Smiling with a hint of an edge to her eyes she held out her hand to Rebecca. "Nice to meet you, Carolyn Stoddard." Carolyn flipped her hair off her shoulder she waited to shake hands with Rebecca.

"Pleasure to meet you Miss Stoddard." Rebecca had said softly she noted the girl's attachment to Greg and his interest in her was superficial from what Rebecca could see. She was typical of Greg's type.

Willie spoke softly, "Carolyn is a Collins too Rebecca, her mother is the head of the Collins Cannery and Collins Enterprises." Willie offered the information since Carolyn would not be forthcoming.

Rebecca sat up looking the vacuous girl over, "The Elizabeth Collins Stoddard?" She spoke soft in awe.