Chapter 9
Zeb had been the last one on her list. He seemed a bit out of it, Megan thought. Yes, he did not make a fuss about letting her bite. But there seemed to be something in his mind...
Worried about Jessica, probably. He muttered something about an odd dream. She probed his mind... Something about his uncle...
She knew some of the conflicts Zeb had had in the past with Barnabas. Fortunately they were all solved now. or he would be the weak link for them.
In any case, he would be under her control now.
Hallie decided it was time to come to Collinwood and lay claim to her son. She would sound outraged that they had dared to bring her son so close to Barnabas Collins - and hadn't she seen him what he was like? How could they have dared endanger her child this? She would talk to a lawyer...
Stress the lawyer part. People do not expect supernatural menaces to sue them. They would continue believing on a troublemaking, but very human Hallie.
She would came in later in the day. She checked on those she controlled. Urien had sunk into a stupor, and there was no danger that he would betray. Zeb had buried his encounter with the rest of his dreams... he had dreamed about his uncle, and that was all. He was not aware of her control, and thus if they probed his mind, they would overlook him.
And without Zoya and Yolanda to guide her, she might deceive Amy Jennings a bit longer. Long enough to be able to neutralize her.
George entered the Old House. Strange that Urien was not up and about. There were things that he had to talk to it. He needed to be to told of Laura and the danger she represented. For some reason they thought that he knew, when in fact, he had never dealt with her, and had only heard passing comments that he might have intervened or not. David might have shard with him or not.
Suddenly Urien looked like a weak link...
It was so silent inside. Somehow you expected Urien to make noise all over the place, but no... Had he left?
He went to his bedroom to check. And there, on the bed, was Urien.
'Hey! Wake up!" he shook Urien.
Urien did not respond.
George shook him again.
He looked at Urien. Too still for sleeping. And the expression on his face...
He shook him again, scared.
And saw the falcon hanging from his neck. An Egyptian style falcon...
The sun shone outside, but David did not enjoy its presence. Even if Amy was wrong, it reminded him of what might have happened not too long ago.
It was over, he had thought then. But it was not. Was anything over, ever, around here?
He had gotten out of Collinsport for a reason. And if he had the guts for it, he would take his son away before Collinsport infected him.
He knocked at the door. It was a nice house. It would fetch a good price in the real estate market. It might rent of a nice sum. And no power on Earth could make him live there, not anymore.
The maid admitted him and led him to Carolyn.
"So you gathered enough courage to come." Carolyn said, acidly.
"Carolyn, please..."
"You are right. I promised not to say anything. So I won't"
"I explained to you."
"Even if you wanted to take him away, you could not. Angelique has put a protective shield around Eliot, just in case your mother's people decide that they want him. Barnabas and Megan bit all the adults, but children are protected by spells."
"Can I see him now?" he pretended not to notice the tone of voice in which Carolyn said "your mother."
Chris and Oriana parked their car in front of Amy's cottage.
"I think that she is in." Chris said. "She is rarely wrong with her cars. If she says that we are needed, then we are."
"Of course, Barnabas and Megan can only help at night."
"And the enemy probably acts in daytime., so here we are. The K-9 patrol."
Oriana sighed. If only they did not have children back in Florida who depended on them. It was all right for Barnabas or Megan, who had no family responsibilities to go crusading all over the place, but Chris and she could not behave that way anymore. They had to think of their children. No one else would.
"I know." Chris answered her unspoken thoughts. "the kids have been too long in foster homes, and if anything happened to us, they would go back again. But still, Amy is my sister."
"And she was the one who told you that I was in trouble with Verhoff's children, so I should not complain."
"If it was only the two of us it would be easier, wouldn't it?"
"Yes."
"And to think that we are doing this for David Collins..."
Hallie knocked at the door, She felt the wards in place. Somehow they knew that she and her kind were lookig for Eliot...
But she could endure the wards. As an unfledged phoenix, she could stand it. She would be uncomfortable, but if she was unpleasant enough they would not notice. Actually, she would force Carolyn to kick her out...
"Is Mrs. Collins in? She asked the maid who opened the door to her."
"You mean Mrs. Atwater."
"Whatever she is calling herself. Please tell her that Hallie Stokes Collins wishes to see her."
It was hard, walking through the wards. But not impossible. And, trying to trace them, she found what she feared. They were around Eliot. They suspected that he might be the target...
There had to be a way to make them believe that the danger was past.
Carolyn received the news and went to meet her guest grim faced. She suspected what Hallie wanted. Money, in exchange for disappearing from Eliot's life...
Well, she would pay, if she had to. But she would have her sign enough papers to keep her from laying claim to Eliot ever again... It was a pity that she had not learned anything of value from her uncle... She was only a two-bit hustler...
Hallie waited. She lit a cigarette and let the small fire at its end warm her and replenish her forces attains the constant assault that the wards offered. Carolyn better kick her out soon...
"Laura!"
She turned, afraid. They had recognized her for what she was!"
"Laura!" Roger insisted "Why have you come back?""
"I am not your wife. I am Hallie Collins, your son's wife." she said, as calmly as possible."
"You are Laura. And you have come for him again. And for Eliot, too. But I will stop you this time."
"Mr. Collins, please try to calm yourself down."
"No, you are not getting away with it this time. You can't talk to me as if I was crazy, trying to convince me that I have not seen what I have seen. I know Laura. I know you. And you will not have David, now or ever."
He moved towards her menacingly.
"Mr. Collins," she backed down. What was he trying to do? "Please, listen to me, Mr. Collins..."
Roger caught her throat in his hands and squeezed. She struggled against him.
"This time I am going to kill you, Laura. Even one such as you can be strangled."
"Roger! Stop that!"
Adam burst into the room and forced Roger to release her.
"Of course, you protect her. You are in league with her." Roger said, darkly.
"Calm yourself, Roger. Did you take your pills today?"
"She's Laura and you know it. She's come to burn David."
"He is crazy!" Hallie shouted. "No way that I will let my kid be raised in the same house with him!"
