Chapter 4

Collins Mausoleum

Willie was not happy; as a matter of fact, Willie Loomis was pissed. He jammed the shovel deep into the hole he had managed to dig and looked over where they had buried Jason not too long ago.

"It is your damn fault we are doing this Jason, you should have done what I asked and moved on with what I offered. I would have taken an ass beating for it. But no, you had to be a greedy son of a bitch." He jammed the shovel into the ground and finally had the hole deep enough that the smell and the body could rest happily ever after.

"Willie!" There he was in his mind. Willie was not in a good mood, he was covered in dirt and now he wanted him to answer him. "Willie, I Know you hear me. Answer me."

"Look what the hell do you want now? I am digging the friggin grave!"

He had done it the voice had went too soft, "I want you to come back to the old house, I am waiting to help you load the body, if you want to do it by yourself, that would suit me just fine."

"Sorry Barnabas but I have been dodging cops all night, they are thick in the woods and it has not been easy trying to dig a grave without being heard."

"I see, well come back to the old house they have left the woods now and we can get this body out of here before I must retire before dawn."

At least he was sounding reasonable Willie stuck the shovel in the mound of dirt, crawled out of the hole and dusted himself off. Just as he was about to open the door he heard voices outside the crypt. They were talking about a big ass wolf that the sheriff had wounded earlier. Great now he had to avoid a wounded wolf.

He waited until it sounded quiet and then he slowly made his way to the back roadway and up to his truck. He was about to get into the truck when he heard the low growl and his hand froze and his eyes widen, turning he saw the biggest wolf he had ever seen and it was zeroing in on him. The wolf had watched Willie as he moved to his truck and stalked him then crouching low he waited and when the man had his back turned he was ready to pounce until he saw an even weaker target.

Willie turned and jerked his truck door open, scrambled in and slammed the door and locked it. Then he saw it too a little girl's figure and she was skipping through the cemetery. The wolf had seen her too and had turned to charge the little girl. She turned and saw the wolf and froze in her spot then she laughed. The wolf had jumped and was going to pounce on her when the wolf jumped right through her little body; she turned and laughed at the wolf again.

The wolf feeling frustrated jumped at the little girl again and went right through her body. "Drive away Willie do it now!" She shouted. Willie did not have to be told twice he turned the ignition, put the truck in gear and gunned it spinning out and sending dirt flying as he drove off from sight. The wolf had turned to watch the truck drive away and then turned back to try and jump the girl and now she was gone. Frustrated, the wolf slunk off into the shadows and out of sight.

Willie had sped away and did not let off the gas peddle until he was near the turn off road to the old house. That was one big ass wolf and he did not look wounded he looked hungry. Willie pulled around to the back of the old house and shut the engine off. He was still shaking sitting there and nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard something hit the back of the truck.

Jumping he turned to see that Barnabas had tossed Gorman's body in the back. Then had moved to open the door and slid into the front seat with Willie. "Drive Willie we have little time before sunrise."

Willie turned the truck on again and put it in reverse. "What has you so upset Willie? Surely you are not squeamish about a dead body?" Barnabas was sounding annoyed and slightly irritated.

"No I just saw that big ass wolf the Sheriff thought he shot. He tried to eat me at the cemetery."

"Well are we not fortunate that he did not, then I would be burying two bodies tonight. Now drive Willie."

Willie drove and began to think about how ungrateful he was and if he wanted sympathy from him he would have to look for it in a dictionary between shit and syphilis. Those thoughts got him shut down quick.

"I would be surprise if you knew where to find a dictionary Willie let alone know how to spell syphilis. So quit feeling sorry for yourself and concentrate on the road. There very well may be more police out and do concentrate on the problem at hand."

Willie leaned in to the wheel of the truck and sighed, "look Barnabas I am tellin ya there was a big assed wolf and it was looking at me like it wanted to eat me for lunch. He would have gotten me if your sister had not shown up and distracted him."

Barnabas turned sideways and studied Willie. "Sarah was there?"

"Yah, she was and the wolf went to attack her and each time it jumped on her it went through her so it gave me time to get away." Barnabas rubbed his finger over his top lip thinking about what Willie had just said.

"Slow down you are going to miss the turn off." Barnabas watched the roadway and thought he could see yellow eyes tracking their truck. "Slow down now." He ordered abruptly.

Willie slowed down and Barnabas watched as a huge white wolf jumped in front of the truck as if it wanted to challenge them. "See, what did I tell you!"

"Stop the truck Willie." Willie slammed on the brakes and Barnabas exited the vehicle and stood in front of the truck. Drawing on his vampire powers to control the night creatures he found that this animal's thoughts were chaotic and filled with rage and wanted to only kill. The wolf launched itself directly at Barnabas,

Drawing up his cane, he smacked the wolf with the silver head of the cane and heard it growl and cry out in pain. The rage that filled the animal's mind was now totally directed on Barnabas and he padded back around and charged at Barnabas again, this time Barnabas used his vampire strength to swing on the wolf, hit it and heard it howl in pain and then it limped off into the under brush and was gone.

Barnabas knew then he was not dealing with a regular wolf; this wolf had other properties to it. It was not quite a weir wolf but something a lot more deadly and he needed to research this if what he suspected was true this creature could change at will.

Barnabas moved back to passenger side of the truck and spoke abruptly, "Drive on Willie, I see we have a new problem in this town and I will not rest until I solve the riddle of this problem."

The two men made quick work of burying Gorman and when they left the crypt once again Barnabas felt he had left something foul to desecrate his family's crypt. "You have no idea how much this irks me to know those two men are buried with my mother, father and sister."

"Barnabas why bury them there? Why not in one of the fresh graves." Willie was thinking that would also solve the problem of him having to dig into clay-enriched ground, which was hard. His shoulders were already starting to feel the strain of his digging and he was only trying to be helpful.

"I think Willie anything that would get you out of physical labor would be better in your opinion. However, at this time, I cannot afford to have the authorities finding bodies drained of blood."

"Well if we dug it deep enough, they wouldn't." Willie argued his point and shifted his shoulders to relax the tension and the stiffness that was already forming. For that response he was rewarded with a rap on his knuckles by Barnabas' cane.

"Good I see you are neither undead nor a wolf." As he watched Willie's reaction and caught his thought that he had nearly drove them off the road and wrecked the truck and it was a good thing he had been used to the nuns hitting his knuckles in school. Between the nuns and his Aunt Edith they both like to rap his knuckles with rulers must have been that strict catholic training.

"I see Willie a little reminder that you are the servant and I am the master and you are already comparing me to the holy women of St Matthews?" He glanced at the boy from under his darken brow.

Willie kept quiet, "Very good, at least with this reminder you improved and have finally found your place. Just drive, keep us on the road. I need to be home before the sun comes up."

Vicki tosses and turned trying to find a comfortable spot to rest her foot, and the pain was incredible, the swelling was not getting any better and the throbbing was causing her to become irritable. So much so she threw the pillow across the room and it hit the door just as Julia came in. Julia looked up at the vexed look on the young girl's face and then to the poor pillow that laid at an angle on the floor. "What has you so upset that you are taking it out on your pillow?" She stooped to pick up the pillow and walk back to the bed.

Vicki's eyes were feverish with her pain and she frowned, "I need something Julia, something for the pain!"

Julia did not want her in pain but unfortunately there was nothing she could do about her pain until she thought of another solution. "Vicki, I want to try something. Would you be willing to try hypnosis and see if that will help you relax and look past the pain?"

Vicki folded her arms close to her body, she drug her fingers through her damp hair and her eyes pleaded with Julia. "I would try anything if I could just get comfortable and try to sleep. I think if I got to sleep I might actually be able to control the pain."

Julia walked to her bag, reached in and pulled out medallion. "Now then I want you to look into the facets and see how the light catches them and see if you can find the center of the light. Can you do that for me Vicki?" Vicki looked at the medallion and nodded. "Very good now concentrate and find the center of the light can you see the center of the light Vicki?"

"Yes," Her voice had grown very soft and she felt her eye lids growing heavy.

"Now close your eyes." Vicki closed her eyes and her head rolled to the side. "Very good. Now Vicki, we are going to try this and see how it works. I am going to give you an injection; it will be saline. But you will think it is a pain killer and it will ease your pain do you understand?" Vicki nodded. "Very good, now each time you are given a saline injection it will help you with the pain."

"It will help me with my pain." She repeated the words she had heard Julia speak. Julia stood, moved to her bag and prepared a syringe.

"Vicki you will feel a little stick. I am injecting you with your pain killer now do you understand?"

"Yes, I understand." Vicki felt the stick and then a rush and her foot's throbbing began to ease immediately. She felt the relief and it showed on her face that had been etched in pain earlier.

"Now when I count to three and snap my fingers you will awaken and be pain free, 1- 2-3." Julia snapped her fingers and Vicki opened her eyes and smiled.

"Oh my Julia that is so much better thank you." Julia smiled patted her shoulder and moved to sit by the window.

She looked around at the servant's quarters and found they were plain but comfortable. "Well hopefully we will get you out of here soon and back up to your room. Once they give you a walking style cast, you should be able to move without the crutches. I suspect this is not making Mrs. Johnson happy with you next door and she thinking she has to wait on you."

Vicki sighed. "I really don't' blame her, it is a pain but I think Mrs. Johnson does not wish to be unkind she just does not think before she fusses." Vicki chuckled softly.

"Well you are going to like Daphne you and her are about the same age and I am sure you both have a lot in common."

"Oh how so?" Vicki shifted and felt her foot ease back on the pillow it had been resting on.

"Well she like you was an orphan. I found her when she was eighteen, she had been wandering the streets in a daze did not know her name or where she had come from. She had suffered a trauma much like Maggie. Apparently, that had taken her memory. I worked with her for two years and we were able to restore part of her memory. What caused her to loose her memory is still locked away."

"Oh, how sad. I look forward to meeting her soon then Julia. I will have another friend to speak to here at Collinwood."

"I am hoping that by being here in this house surrounded by friendly faces she might eventually relax enough to allow her memory to return."

"Do you think Maggie will ever remember what happened to her?"

Julia stood uncomfortable with the question. "I don't know, I hope so, then we can put to rest who was responsible for all those terrible things that happened to her."

Vicki frowned for a moment and then sighed. "I suppose that would be a good thing for her. I know that Maggie is strong willed and likes to keep control over her own life and her father's. Speaking of Sam has anyone checked to see how he is doing?"

Julia smiled. "I believe he and Roger were meeting the other day at he Blue Whale. It seems while you were gone Roger got himself engaged to that Cassandra Blair and now she has just up and according to her brother has run off."

Vicki frowned. "There was something about that woman I did not like or her brother." Vicki looked down and began to pleat the ribbon on her gown.

"Why would you say that?"

"Because she reminded me so much of an evil woman that I met when I was back there, in the past."

"Oh and who was that?" Julia tried to keep her voice light.

"Angelique Bouchard. She was the witch that was trying to destroy the Collins Family and she very nearly succeeded. If she had married Roger she would have spread her poison through this family and tried to destroy them."

Vicki had spoken with such strong convictions that Julia half believed her. "Well she is gone so we have nothing to worry about her for now."

"What about her brother is he gone?" Vicki glanced up her eyes were growing heavy and she knew she would sleep with no problem so it must have meant the 'pain killer' was beginning to work and make her droopy.

Julia pursed her lips and looked up in thought. " No I think he is still at the Lookout Point Inn staying in a room there."

"Well if he is Angelique's brother then he is what she was and I don't trust him." Vicki yawned and looked apologetically at Julia. "Sorry, I guess that shot is working faster than I thought."

Julia went over to fluff her pillows and tuck her in and patted her shoulder. "Well you have had an ordeal yourself so time for you to go to sleep my dear and I shall sit with you for a while."

Vicki smiled, "You don't have to Julia I will be fine really." Vicki's eyelashes fluttered and then closed. Julia did one last tuck and then moved to the chair to sit and study the girl in the bed. She had been through as much as poor Daphne had been and perhaps they would be good for each other. A soft knock on the door and it opened to admit Eric Lang.

"Is she asleep?" He moved bedside to look at her and sigh.

"She has to be in an incredible amount of pain and she seems to be holding it well." He glanced at Julia.

"I hypnotized her to help her through this night. I have her believing the saline shots are for pain and she is taking it well."

Eric frowned, "I wished I had been the one to throttle those two especially that Dr. Klaus whatever his last name was." He moved to sit on the edge of Julia's chair. "So how long are you going to sit with her?" He smiled a hint of mischief dancing in his eyes she looked up at him and for the first time in her life she had an equal to her, in brains, thoughts and applications of their science. It was a comforting feeling.

"I thought I would stay a little longer to make sure she did not get restless and then thought I might sneak over to your room later." She smiled and winked. Eric bent to kiss her cheek.

"I my dear will be waiting with arms of anticipation." He stood moved to look at Vicki one more time and then left Julia to her patient.

Carolyn rolled over and stretched like a playful kitten. Gregory could not believe his luck, not only was she beautiful, cunning and articulate around the high-class citizens he liked to associate with; she was a devil in bed. She had exhausted him many times and he thought she was trying to do a marathon with him. He lay with his arms under his head and looking up at their naked bodies in the mirror.

Carolyn studied him in the mirror tiles and smiled a lazy smile. "It would seem to me Mr. Trask, Attorney at Law you have more hidden talents than most would have thought." She giggled and then she rolled over on him and nipped at his neck. "I would say out of all the lovers I have experienced to date you are by far the most challenging. I do believe I have met my match."

He was glad to hear that, he had to admit she had exhausted him. Wrapping his arms around her he rolled over and was on top looking into those mesmerizing blue eyes he smiled. "I find you the most fascinating, beautiful and cultured young woman I have ever met."

She laughed, "Really? I thought you only had eyes for Vicki."

"And we are discussing other women while in my bed because?" He nipped her nose and then her ear lobe.

"Because I am a freak and insecure and need to know you are not thinking about her when you are making love to me."

That was a fair enough and very honest answer and he could truthfully answer her. "I can assure the Jury that I was not thinking of the pious and staid Miss Winters while I was ravishing this young lady's body and thoroughly enjoying every minute of it." He liked her giggle and the cute way she giggled making her breast jiggle with enough of a temptation to hold his attention or gain it.

"I like how you plead your case Mr. Trask, I find you not guilty of being with one woman and thinking of another."

Gregory nipped her throat and then her breasts, "How . . could. . . I . . possibly .. . " he broke off each word with a kiss on her neck, her lips and her ears as he spoke, "think . . of . . Anyone . . other .. than .. . the. . delicious one I have here in my arms right now." He ended with a rush.

Carolyn wrapped her arms around his neck and scrunched up her nose. "I plan to keep it that way." She warned wrapping her legs around his waist and could feel his growing arousal coming to life one more time.

"Seems we should discuss this current situation so we can negotiate it to a final and equitable outcome for both of us my dear." He smiled and Carolyn leaned up pulled his head down and locked her lips on his and said against them.

"Shut up counselor and make love to me."

Quentin Collins sat in a chair by his fireplace, he had not noticed that the sun had broken through the layer of dark clouds he was lost in deep thought. His mind was once again drawn to a picture in his wallet and he reached in and pulled it out and ran his thumb over the face of the pretty young girl that smiled so willingly into the camera's eye. Those dark brown eyes held him with their hint of passion and innocence all bundled into a compact tall body of blooming woman hood.

Standing he moved to the picture that lay on the top of his dresser. Earlier he had asked David his he could see a picture of his mother and when David had brought the picture Quentin frowned and grew distant. "Do you mind if I keep this David?"

"No I got plenty. But funny thing was earlier to night Cousin Quentin I saw her again. She was out front on the lawn. Someone had knocked at the door and when I went to answer it, there was a figure on the front lawn, it looked like my mother and she was surrounded by flames."

David had grown alarmed he he felt Quentin's hand tighten down on his small shoulder. "Did you go near her?" His voice held desperation to it while he searched the boy's face.

"No, I did not go near her. My mother is dead. She burned up in the fishing shack a year ago."

"David you must promise me something, and listen very carefully. If you ever see an apparition like that again, do not go near it and come find me. Do you understand?"

David nodded and grew concerned. "Why what is going on Quentin?"

"You let me worry about that David, you just make sure you do not go near it and you come find me. Deal?"

David shrugged expressively and nodded then took his hand. "Deal."

Quentin laid the picture down and moved to the window and looked to the front lawn of Collinwood. "Laura, what are you up to now? Because you did not give Ra his sacrifice has he sent you back to bring David back with you?" Moving back to his chair he glanced at the drink he had poured himself hours ago. Loosing interest he got up and began to pace.

His mind was traveling a hundred miles an hour, he had to know what had brought back Laura and was David the only one in danger from her sick need to take her first born as a sacrifice? His mind began to wander back to the mid 1800's when he first encountered Laura Murdock Radcliffe and he frowned. Even that Bitch had managed to take her son with her at that time.

They both had died horribly in a burning home just down the coastline. He was still not sure if that child of hers that she had taken in that fire had been Radcliffe's or his. He sighed and closed his eyes. He would need to bring Barnabas up to date on this newest crisis facing the Collins Family.