Chapter 7
Barnabas' expression when she saw him was grim.
"What happened?" Julia asked.
"I just had a talk with David. And another with Phillip."
"And what did you find out?"
"That Phillip was brutalizing David. Things like locking him in a cage all day, or throwing cold water on him. If David said anything that Phillip didn't like, down he went."
"Well, David isn't that easy to manage. At first he was stubborn and wouldn't do anything we asked him to. And Phillip's the one who got stuck with the unpleasant jobs.
"Julia! You knew of it and approved?
"I believe that it would do David good. He needs to be scared, real scared."
"I don't want that."
"You don't approve of my methods, I see. Nobody does until I get results."
"But why?"
"Why? Suppose I cured David today. What would he do then?"
"Well, he might go..."
"To peddle drugs again? Or are we going to get a job for him? Can you guarantee that he'll keep it? He is going to be a lousy job risk, unless he learn some responsibility."
"And this is the way to teach it to him?"
"Yes. You were the one who taught him irresponsibility, by the way."
"Me?"
"You always bailed him out, didn't you? Ever since he went poking in places where he shouldn't and calling on ghosts."
"You know how it was, then."
"Well, somewhere along the line David got the idea that no matter what he did, no matter how much trouble he got into, you'd get him out of it. Well, the free ride is over, for him."
"But this way?"
"I'll use anything that works. And, as little as you like it, he's still not scared enough for my taste. He is going to need a lot of therapy, that kid, but no therapy will help him if he does not cooperate."
"So you are just breaking him."
"If you want to put it that way." Julia shrugged "I can't think of anything better."
Barnabas moved away to the window, gathering his thoughts.
"I don't like it," he muttered "I still don't like it"
Julia bit back her stinging remark. Barnabas was hurting, and he needed comfort, not argument...
"Am I supposed to look the other way? he said
"Doctor's orders. It is going to be hard, but it is worth it."
"What about Phillip? How long until he becomes a full-fledged sadist?"
"Barnabas!"
"Phillip is my responsibility too. I didn't hire him so that he could learn to enjoy torturing another human being."
"I will talk to him."
"Better do. I imagine that you have the same problem at Wyncliffe. Whatever way you have there to handle the problem, use it with him. I don't want Phillip to be another victim of side effects of your treatments. His wife was bad enough."
"His wife?"
"Megan. You were trying to cure me by pumping opiates in my system, and something went wrong."
"You know that!" Julia moved away, white.
"It is very difficult to keep secrets from Megan. She found out and told me."
"You know that I had a reason to. If it had worked..."
"I know. If it had worked, it wouldn't have mattered. Look, if you told me what you were doing I would say to go ahead."
Julia sighed, relieved.
"But why didn't you tell me? he asked. "I would have understood. And if I knew what was happening, Megan would have been spared."
He turned to Julia violently "Why can't you tell me anything? Why do you keep me in the dark like this? Don't you trust me enough to make an intelligent decision?"
'You were my patient."
"I am not your patient now, yet you still engineered this business with David without consulting me. Why?"
"I thought..."
"You thought you were the only one who knew what was right. Well, Julia, don't you think that other people have heads in good working order?
Julia said nothing.
"It think that it is an occupational disease with you. Your patients are mentally incompetent, thus you, as a doctor, are in the position to play God with them. And you do. You care for your patients, and do your best for them. But I don't think that you respect them. That's why you didn't respect me enough to tell me how you were drugging me. And why you didn't respect enough to tell me what were your plans for David."
"You wouldn't have understood..." it was a lame excuse, but that was all she could think.
"You were damned lucky with Megan. If she had come down with something that she could have gone to court with, instead of vampirism, she'd have sued you for everything you got.."
"Beth! Come to me, Beth!" Jenny's voice followed her.
"She will get me." sobbed Beth.
"Not unless you let her" Charity held her firmly "the only power she has is the one you give her."
"But how? how can I escape her?"
"Do you know where you are?"
"No."
"Do you know how you got here?"
"No."
"Yes. you do. Think and you will remember. Then go back, Beth."
"You've met Megan, I see." George said to a furious Tammy.
"You...you bastard. You sent me to...to that thing..."
"Sit down and I'll explain."
"You can stand very well if I stand up."
"All right." George sighed "I should have warned you before hand. But if I had told you, would you have believed me?"
"He turned into a dog in front of me." her eyes became dreamy.
"Not dog, wolf. He's had police dog training. And he's housebroken, or Megan wouldn't let him inside."
"Why did you ask me to come?"
"You needed a job and Megan needed a replacement."
"What happened to the operative that I am replacing?"
"She's in D.C., working for Representative Evans. It doesn't look it, but this job could be a real stepping stone for you. Megan has good relations with Ms. Evans and has contacts with the FBI."
"I didn't believe that...that people like her existed."
"Neither did I before I got this job. But I adjusted to it, and she's my friend."
"What happens when...when she gets hungry?"
"She goes to someone or other. I am on her list." George opened his collar so that Tammy could see his scars. "She comes to me about once a month. And, as you see, I am not any worse for it."
"Will she do the same to me?"
"She prefers men."
"You must be a disappointment to her, then." Tammy smiled nastily.
"In a way. We got two more in town. Two males."
"They would come for me?"
"One of the might. The other, Derek Pearce just uses dried stuff that he mixes with booze."
"You mean only one of them is dangerous."
"Depends on how you define dangerous. Derek has been a trial since I've known him. He will give me an ulcer yet. He's a hustler with more schemes than sense. You know the type."
"And the other one?"
"His name is Barnabas Collins. He's also a good friend of mine."
Something in George's expression made Tammy ask the next question "your lover?"
"No!" George went white "He doesn't...doesn't even know how it is with me. He's rather strait-laced about these things."
"Funny to think of something like that as being straitlaced."
"Tammy, promise me one thing. Never say to anyone, and specially to him how it is with me."
"You mean you managed to keep it secret in a small town?"
"It is not that difficult. People think that I am talking to informants of doing something about my job, so I have no difficulty meeting men. And my bed partners have as much reason to keep quiet as I do."
"This Barnabas, you are in love with him."
"I'd rather not discuss it."
"And if I take the job, I will have to expect him at my neck."
"He's not precisely starving, now. If you ask him to keep away, he will do so."
Iris opened her store. It was rather slow today. After all, the paychecks hadn't yet been cashed. Tomorrow would be another story.
But in the meantime, there were still clients.
As she pushed the reluctant door open, pain shot through her arm. It still hurt after all those days...Well, she had to take things slowly for a time.
There was a chiming at the door, announcing the entrance of Angelique.
"Anything you want , or is this a social call?"
"I'm just looking."
"The store is all yours."
Angelique saw Iris' quick gesture to her throat. She still remembered her attempted choking, then.
"How are you and Barnabas doing?"
"Quite well, thank you." Iris said tensely. One never knew with Angelique "What about you and Frank?"
"Stalled" Angelique said lightly "I am here, he's in DC, so it isn't much of a relationship."
"Maybe you should move to Washington." Iris said too eagerly.
Angelique's eyes narrowed, but only said. "I promised Megan I'd stay."
"Then maybe Frank could be transferred here. Maybe Maggie could help you in that."
