The Mob has been run out of Collinsport. Derek has been hurt, but recovered. Herb Miller was killed, and Sandy may return to claim her children. Delia and Violet are fully in the power of the magical whip that Delia stole from Wyncliffe. An FBI man may remember more than he should about Collinsport. Barnabas now has Urien, the street child that George picked up, at his Old House, at Willie's old job.

Chapter 1

"Kingsley is at the hospital, after he collapsed last night." Barnabas told George.

"I imagine. He was feeling run down a few days ago. He thought he was feeling better, and he pushed himself for the raid. Then he went to celebrate. It was too much for his system."

"Of course, the fact that Julia and Megan are in his room has nothing to do with it?"

"That's the official version and I am sticking to it. After all, I wasn't there when he collapsed... I think they may be testing for Legionnaire's disease.."

"In the meantime Megan and Julia are making him forget inconvenient facts" Barnabas said ironically "How much is Megan charging you for cleaning up this mess?"

"She might charge Torrance since it was his bright idea to hire Pearce... but she decided to bill Maggie. This comes under the heading of damage control. Maggie will be glad to pay not to have the FBI look at her hometown."

"Yes. I imagine."

"It is the best solution after Torrance's bring idea. But I really can't complain about it. That's how we found Pearce after he was shot. Got any news about Miller's children?"

"Yes Sandy is coming back for them

"Is Chris coming with her?"

"No. They have split up. Poor Chris." Barnabas shook his head. "she took him as a consolation prize because I would not have her. Now... now maybe she'll try her luck again with me."

"Should I worry about her luring you away?"

"Not at all. But I would worry about the trouble she could cause."

Curt Kingsley rested on the bed, relaxed, his eyes closed, breathing in a steady rhythm.

"Can you make him forget about Derek completely?" Megan asked Julia.

"Yes and no."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that yes, I can make him forget. But no, I can't tell you how long it will hold."

"Which means that I might have to make regular trips to DC to keep him in line. And wherever they might transfer him."

"I do not think that you'd mind trips to DC that much, considering the business you have there."

"No, it is not the trips, it just that it might mean rearranging my schedule more than once. Well," she shrugged "if it is the best you can do, it is the best you can do. I'll figure out a way around it."

Urien had gotten up, ready for the tasks for the day. But wondering if he could go out to the beach. Now, but later when it was warmer. Certainly Barnabas had not forbidden him to do it. He had only forbidden him to try to sell himself.

But what was the point of going to the beach and exhibiting his body in trunks if he could not pick up some cash by it?

Again he heard Barnabas' voice in his mind.

"If you need cash, tell me. You can always work part-time at the A&P. And it is time that you learned how to budget money."

Lecturing, as always... that was the only think that he knew how to do, it seemed.

Who asked him anything? Did he ask to be "rescued"? He was doing all right, wasn't he?

No, he was not. It had been a lousy life. Sure, you had money that way. But it could get tough and nasty, too... some of the things that you had to do for money...

Here he had room and board. And decent, too. The Old House was an odd place, but it was far from being a slum. The food was good, and he had pocket money. All he had to do was keep then place reasonably clean and listen to Barnabas' tirades.

And take reading lessons.

Damn it! He was even beginning to make sense of letters and numbers.

Did he want that? He had always said that he could not read, and that was it. He had prided himself in his ability to manage without it. And now...

Now it did not look so smart to him. It actually seemed dumb. He could have saved himself so much trouble if he had tried a bit harder.

Suddenly he hated Barnabas for it, for showing him up that way.

He heard the steps coming and tensed up. It could not be Barnabas, not in daytime. Nor Sheriff Brant who had not yet been discharged from the hospital.

It was Willie.

"Do you think that Barnabas can take care of Pearl tonight?" Willie asked softly, trying to put Urien at ease.

"Yes. I think it is possible" Urien answered trying to be polite, as Barnabas was teaching him to. Still he could not hide his distaste.

"You don't like taking care of babies?" Willie asked.

"It... It is women's work!" Urien blurted.

Willie guffawed

"What's so funny about it?" Urien asked angrily.

"That you said that. After all, you have played that side of the bed for quite a while."

"I... I did not.! And it is not the same thing!"

"No, it is much worse. I can remember the way you used to sway your hips in my direction. Now you act all macho. Who are you trying to kid?"

"I...I am not."

"You got quite a bit to learn yet, kid. How do you like your job here?"

"Not bad."

Not bad, eh?" You don't know how lucky you are" and to himself he added "I wish I had been so lucky as you."

Iris wondered about Violet. Did she seem to have second thoughts about her relationship with Delia? They had talked on the phone and that was the impression she got.

"You think that it is wrong what we do?" Violet had asked her, a bit defensively.

"I think that Delia is not for you."

"Why? Because she's not a man?"

"None of the men you picked were precisely winners." Iris said amiably "I wish that I could say that Delia's better, but there is something about her.. I think that she may be unstable. She may be wrong for you or Peter."

Violet had not answered immediately. then she finally muttered something that sounded that Iris had a point.

Maybe if she saw Violet face to face she could convince her to leave Delia.

Soon it would be dusk and she would be able to talk to Barnabas. But Oriana wasn't sure that she wanted to. She had ended their relationship abruptly and she did not want to explain why she had done so.

She had come to Collinsport for a story. Again. The drug bust. That's why she was sitting by Sheriff's Brant bedside, pad in hand.

"Is it a story that you really want?" George asked, more than a bit irritated. He sensed that Oriana might want to take another stab at Barnabas, and he waned to head her off at the pass.

"What else?"

"You could be trying to get back in Barnabas' bed. If you still remember him, that is."

"I remember Barnabas."

"And you think that you can walk in and out of his life like that? You are not doing it with me around."

"Is it your business now?"

"I am his friend."

"Why do you object to his having a bit of fun?"

"Because the aftermath isn't fun." he took a deep breath "But if you want a story on the bust, I am willing to give it to you."

She shrugged "Fair enough."

"That kid"

"What kid?"

"Urien Yost. Barnabas latest social project."

"What's the matter with him?"

"He thinks that it is not right for him to take care of babies. That it is women's work. As if he had not played the woman in bed as often as he could."

"Maybe he is overcompensating." Louella said softly.

"Overcompensating! My God! It is not bad enough that Barnabas talks like that, you have to do it too."

"He's had a tough time, that kid. And you have to admit that he's lost most of blatant behavior. And he's trying."

Willie growled something. Louella did not understand it, but knew what he meant.

She laughed. "You are jealous, Willie Loomis!"

"Jealous? Me? Of him? Ha! He is not Quentin, that one."

Louella hit him with a pillow. "Dummy! Not jealous of me. Of Barnabas! The kid has your old job, doesn't he?"

"He's not grateful for his chance. I wish that I had what he has!"

"As I said, you are jealous because Barnabas at first never treated you the way he treats him."

"That's nonsense.! What does it have to do?"

"Willie, Willie...Willie."

He had nearly blown it, when she had said that it was none of his business.

He had almost told her how much of his business it was.

Would it have been so bad if he had?

Yes. Because coming out of the closet meant kissing his job goodbye. And he liked being the sheriff.

And was Barnabas ready to have their relationship become public?

No, he just had to endure all those women throwing themselves at him, and pretend that it did not matter. No matter how much he burned with jealousy, he had to pretend...