Dark Shadows in San Francisco
Chapter 10
Barnabas stared at his longtime nemesis. He had wondered what happened to her when he found out she was gone when they arrived back in the present time. He had left her behind to help Ironside's people, Willie and Professor Stokes fight off Nicholas Blair. Stokes had informed him that Angelique actually stayed true to her word, and helped them until the master had come for her for betraying Nicholas and the Leviathans. He had never expected to see her again. It just went to prove that there was no such thing as eternity when it came to the master. Angelique had once again escaped the dark place and joined mortals on earth.
Ironside was just as shocked as Barnabas when he saw Angelique. Even though he had been told she had not betrayed them or their quest to get rid of the Leviathans, something told him that she could not be trusted. This was the woman that had cursed Barnabas Collins to be a vampire throughout eternity. How could they ever trust her? Why was she here at this particular time? Ironside didn't believe in coincidences. He looked up at Barnabas and then wheeled his chair forward over to the witch. Barnabas Collins went immediately to Angelique.
"I was told that the master came after you at the Old House while we were still in the past. I didn't expect to ever see you again. You must be here for a reason. Tell me, why did the master send you back to earth?" Barnabas asked her.
"Dracula requested me."
"Requested you for what?" Ironside asked.
"I am supposed to help him with Barnabas. He is suspicious that the two of you will go ahead with destroying Peter Adell."
Ironside looked up at Barnabas as if to ask, can she be trusted again? The vampire had no trouble reading the detective. He knew exactly what he was thinking.
"What does he expect you to do?" Barnabas looked straight into her eyes. If she lied to him, he was certain he would be able to see it there.
Angelique could see the mistrust in Barnabas's eyes. It hurt her to know that after all she tried to do in Collinsport, that he still did not trust her. Well, she really couldn't blame him. They had a less than favorable history over the last two-hundred years.
"I am supposed to tell you that the master is giving me another chance; that I am to win your trust and take back everything you say to Dracula."
Angelique noticed the scowl on Ed Brown's face. Her very appearance was bringing back to him everything she had done to him. She regretted what she did, but the past could not be undone. She almost laughed at that last thought. How many times had Barnabas gone back in time to change history? If only she could go back to 1795 in change what she did to Barnabas.
"After what you did, you expect us to trust you?" Ed Brown snarled at the witch.
Professor Stokes could see the anger rising in Angelique. He decided he better head it off before things got out of hand. "Angelique kept her word, Sergeant. She paid for it by being returned to the darkness by the master. I think we should hear her out."
Angelique saw the look on Robert Ironside's face. The man had never trusted her and she was sure he wasn't trusting her now. Suddenly she had an ally she never would have believed before.
"The professor is correct. Angelique was true to her word and stayed with us as long as she was able. She created the doppelgangers that fooled everyone at Collinwood. I think everyone should listen to her. Her very presence here taking the risk of angering Dracula demands that we listened to her. Go ahead Angelique, tell us what you know."
"The only thing I can say for him is he is actually being true to his word that he will not harm anyone if you leave Peter Adell alone and allow him to take him back. He simply wants you to lead him to Peter. However, he does not believe that Chief Ironside will allow Peter to just leave here without being punished for the citizens in San Francisco that have been murdered. Therefore, he wants me to let him know how close you are getting to finding Peter."
"And just how do we know that you won't do exactly that," Eve asked.
"I did the best I could in helping you fight the Leviathans. Fortunately Chief Ironside and Barnabas were able to change the timeline without my help. I have no desire to live with the master for the rest of eternity. It is such a dreadful place and I do not want to go back there. Nor, do I want to help Dracula. I don't think any of you know of my history with him. He once tried to turn me into what he is, to be his eternal mate. I had no desire to become a vampire."
"But you didn't mind turning Barnabas into one," Ironside said sarcastically.
Angelique sighed. Would these people ever trust her? What more did she have to do to make them understand that she was trying to help them? "Yes, Chief Ironside, I did. I cannot change what happened. Even if I wanted to, there is the problem that in that time, I would never change it. So attempting to go back to change it would be futile. All I can do now, is to try to help you defeat Dracula and I will leave Barnabas alone forever."
She saw the look on the vampire's face. He looked almost sympathetic. She could not allow that to cloud her judgement. She could not mistake that his feelings for her were changing. She realized now that he would never change the way he felt about her no matter how much she hoped and wished it. If only she could change the past.
"So, Chief Ironside, what do you suggest we do?" Professor Stokes asked.
"We have Angelique feed him information. It won't be correct, of course."
"That won't last for very long, Chief," Barnabas said. "Dracula is a very worthy adversary. We might be able to fool him for a short period of time, but that will be it. Then Angelique will be in grave danger from him."
"I have a suggestion," Julia said. "Why not just keep Angelique with us. Remember, she is a witch. She has ways that she can check on Dracula through her powers. She would be far more beneficial to us if we keep her here and protect her from Dracula."
Considering that they both loved the same man, Angelique was flabbergasted. She could not believe what she had just heard come out of Julia Hoffman's mouth. She never expected that Doctor Hoffman would even begin to trust her. If she did, she could only hope that Barnabas would come to trust her as well. Maybe then... no, she had to stop thinking that way. He would never come to her. She had to accept that. But how could she? This was the man, the only man she had ever really loved. She still wanted him to this day. Julia Hoffman represented a major hurdle in winning his love, and yet here she was suggesting that she stay in Ironside's office where Barnabas would be resting.
Could she really just walk away from him for good? It had been over 200 years since their brief affair, and her feelings for him had never changed. Oh, how she loved that vampire.
Angelique noticed that Robert Ironside continued to display the poker face that he was so famous for. What was he thinking? Regardless of what anyone else wanted to do, this man was the one that could say absolutely no. If he would agree, then maybe Barnabas would see a side of her that she had never displayed before. Maybe then, he would realize how much she loved him and he would finally reciprocate her feelings.
"What do you think, Robert?" Barnabas asked his California friend.
"We could go ahead with that plan, or we could use Angelique as a go-between. We could at least put Dracula off the scent until we could locate and stake Peter Adell."
Angelique had been afraid that would be Ironside's choice, to send her back to Dracula. Again, it was Julia Hoffman that came to her rescue.
"Unless Dracula can detect Angelique's ability to spy on him, I still believe she would be more useful remaining here with us. I believe she is being honest in her desire to help us. She proved that in Collinsport."
Ironside eyed the witch with his suspicious nature. Regardless of what happened in Collinsport, he did not trust her. The one thing that could cause him to go with her staying in his office residence would be the fact that they could keep a close eye on her. Yet, he simply did not trust her. Ironside had learned to read people extremely well over the years. She might not betray them purposely in order to help Dracula, but he had no doubt that she would if it would help her in acquiring Barnabas Collins's attention.
Angelique could tell that Ironside was never going to agree to her staying in his office. She would have to be satisfied with seeing Barnabas when she reported back to them on Dracula's plans. "I think that Chief Ironside maybe right. It might be better if I did act as a go-between. I am not sure how long he will fall for it. I know this man and he is not stupid. Hundreds of years of being on this planet has exposed him to just about every aspect of human behavior that exists on the earth. As it is, he does not trust me. He may be checking up on me, but I will go back to him if it is what you wish."
"I have a question," Mark said. "Can this master of yours detect what you are doing?"
"It will depend on whether or not he decides to check up on me. He may leave the entire situation to Dracula, or he may indeed check to see what I am doing. Usually, when he puts someone in charge, he allows them to handle it and does not interfere unless they request it. I doubt that he will check up on Dracula," Angelique answered.
"But I thought that the master could not control Dracula. Wouldn't that be plenty of reason for him to check on him?" Ed inquired.
"I don't think so," Barnabas responded. "The master knows he can't control him, I don't question that, but he will give him a free hand because they want this vampire reined in immediately."
"So what you're saying is that the chances of him checking on you are pretty much remote," Ironside said, addressing Angelique.
"I would say you are probably correct," the witch answered him.
"In that case, I think the chief is correct. We would gain more by using Angelique as a go-between," Eve agreed.
Ed quickly nodded his approval as well. He did not want her around this office. He did not trust her. The sergeant remembered what she did to him. It seemed to overshadow what trust he had developed afterwards.
"Then it is settled," Angelique said. "I will go back and join Dracula as soon as we are done here."
"We're done," Ironside informed her.
She looked at him, then turned around to leave the office. Barnabas took her by the arm and said, "I will walk you out."
Angelique smiled at him. "That is not necessary, Barnabas. I will be just fine. You should stay here with Julia."
"Please allow me to be a gentleman, Angelique." He continued holding her arm as he walked her out of Ironside's office. As he pushed the button on the elevator, he said to her, "Did you really mean what you said in there?"
Stepping into the elevator, Angelique watched as Barnabas entered it with her. "I have no choice. It has become painfully obvious that you will never come to me. I can't say I blame you after everything I have done to you. I will help you with this situation and then you will never see me again."
The vampire smiled at her. "If you mean what you say and you will go on with your life, I see no reason why we cannot remain friends. There may be times in the future when you need help and you can call on me."
"You would really want to remain friends with me?"
"It is time we both bury the past and forgive each other. I hurt you, Angelique. It was not my intention but I did. I want you to know how very sorry I am for that. I really thought when I married you that we could make a go of our marriage, but I could not at the time. I was still in love with Josette. I should never have married you, I only compounded a bad situation. I will admit I also wanted to punish Josette for marrying Jeramiah. Again, I hurt you by not being the husband I promised to be through the vows we made."
Angelique was stunned. She had never heard Barnabas talk this way. She could tell he was being sincere. "I tricked you into marriage, Barnabas. So in a sense, I hurt you far more than you ever hurt me. I was responsible for Sarah's death and your mother's. What I did to you and Josette is unforgivable. How could I have blamed you for trying to kill me?" A tear appeared on her cheek. "And worse of all, I turned you into this. Damn Dracula forever teaching me how to control the vampire bat!"
Barnabas cocked his head to one side. "So that is where you learned it?"
She looked up into his deep, brooding eyes. "Yes, that is where I learned it. When I said Dracula and I had a history, I meant we were lovers. I was fascinated about vampires at the time. I learned everything he was willing to teach me. But when he asked me to become his eternal mate, I refused and ended the relationship. So you see, I used him in the same manner you used me, only worse. I did not end it after one night together the way you did. You made a mistake, but I did it deliberately. I have no right to complain about what you did."
The elevator door opened and they stepped into the police garage. Barnabas stopped her from walking away. "Angelique, we could start a new chapter here if you are willing to accept my friendship. I intend to marry Julia as soon as she finds a cure for this curse. I want to make that clear."
She looked away from him. It hurt to hear him say it, but she knew it to be true anyway. Could she accept his friendship after all that had happened between them or would she forever try to win his love and take him away from Julia Hoffman? Angelique was conflicted and she knew it. It could be a new chapter between them if she only could accept that she could never have him. She knew what she had to do.
"I will accept your friendship, Barnabas, but if I find I cannot handle you being with Doctor Hoffman, then I will disappear from your life forever. In the meantime, I can only promise you that I will try to accept your decision to marry her."
Barnabas smiled. "That is all I can ask. Now you should get some rest. Report back to Dracula that you have succeeded in convincing us that you are willing to help us. We will meet again tomorrow to set a strategy to deal with Dracula."
She nodded and turned to go. Barnabas stopped her, bent down and kissed her cheek. She went into his arms and he held her. After a moment, Barnabas released her. He watched her walk away. Just before he turned to go, she looked back at him.
Angelique smiled. "I will help you to defeat Dracula, Barnabas. I promise you that."
*
Where was that infernal witch? Dracula had instructed her only to go to Barnabas Collins and promise to help him and Ironside. He did not tell her to remain there the entire night. It was getting on towards morning and he would have to retire before the dawn. If she did not show up, he… The door opened and in walked Angelique. Dracula took one look at her and began to wonder if this had been a mistake. She was obviously trying to hide the fact that she was upset. Could he control her or would she start meddling in his assignment to bring back Peter Adell. He worried just how strong the hold Barnabas Collins had on her.
She approached him. "I am sorry for being so late, Count, but this has been emotionally draining for me. I am sure you can understand."
"I don't want to hear about your emotions, Angelique. Just tell me what happened."
"I met with Barnabas and Ironside as you requested."
"Who else was there?"
"All of Ironside's staff, Doctor Hoffman, Willie Loomis and Professor Stokes. I do not yet know if they plan to allow Peter Adell to get out of this city. Nor do I know if they are making plans to stake him as soon as they find him."
"The question is will they find him?" Dracula asked.
"With Ironside heading up the investigation? They'll find him. He discovered Barnabas was a vampire, and with all the lies and trouble they go through to protect him, it did not do any good. Ironside found him out."
Dracula watched her closely for any signs that she might be lying to him. He could not detect any. "Why the melancholy mood?"
"Do you have any idea how hard this is for me to see him with Julia Hoffman?"
"It is not clouding your judgment is it? You are not thinking of betraying me, are you?" Dracula moved over to her in the blink of an eye to stand directly next to her.
"No, I assure you it is not. I just want to get this over with," she told him.
"What else have you found out? he demanded.
"They are meeting tomorrow to decide a course of action to find Peter Adell."
"Excellent! You will be there for that meeting, Angelique, and tell me what they have planned. The sooner I can resolve this situation, the better. If Ironside attempts to kill Peter, than he will die. Barnabas will be destroyed as well."
She turned toward him sharply. "You said nothing of destroying Barnabas."
"You were not listening. I told you if he attempted to help Ironside destroy Peter, than both of them would die." He looked out the window. "There is something I must do. I will be back before dawn. You are to stay here."
"Where are you going, Dracula?"
"To start removing Barnabas's help one by one. Good evening, my dear." With that Dracula disappeared in front of her.
*
Professor Stokes and Willie left the security of Ironside's floor. Stokes had told them he wanted to check something out. He would be back before dawn. Ironside had insisted that he not go alone, so he had sent Mark to go with him.
Sanger drove the van through the streets of San Francisco. Stokes had not said a word since they had gotten into the vehicle other than to give him instructions as where to go.
When they arrived in a quiet neighborhood, Stokes said, "The third house from the corner, pull into the driveway."
Mark did as he was instructed. Parking the van in the driveway, he watched Elliott Stokes exit the van. Sanger got out and waited for him to join him on the driver's side. "What are we doing here?"
"Patience, my boy, it will become apparent shortly. He headed up the sidewalk to the front door. As he was about to knock, Mark grabbed his hand.
"Do you realize what time it is? It is not exactly the best time to make social calls."
Stokes adjusted his monocle and smiled. "You have a lot to learn about the supernatural, Mister Sanger."
"I don't want to. I would have preferred to never have learned of its existence."
Stokes knocked on the door. Within a minute the lights went on inside and the door opened. There stood a short, chubby man with a receding hairline. He was fully dressed and wore old fashion spectacles that belonged in the last century.
An expression of recognition appeared on his face as a smile broke out. "Elliott, what a pleasant surprise!" He opened the door and said, "Come in, come in!"
Stokes entered the house as Mark followed him in. Although the house was dark, with only the hall light intruding on the darkness, Mark could make out the room they were entering. It was a library of some kind. He could see books lining the shelves on what appeared the entire back wall. The man turned on a light and the room become faintly lit, but enough for Mark to see that it was not just one wall, but all four walls of shelves of books all the way to the ceiling, a ceiling that went right on up through the second floor.
"Since it has been years since you have been out here, I assume this is not just a social call," their host said. "So tell me, what has brought you to San Francisco?"
"We have a problem we need your help with," Stokes told him. "I thought of you the moment I learned of it."
"Does this include your friend here?" He looked over at Mark. The young man looked familiar. He knew him from somewhere. "Have we met before?"
"This is my friend, Mark Sanger," the professor said introducing him.
"Yes, of course, you work for Chief Robert Ironside. You are his aide."
"That's right," Mark said.
"Mark, we went to college together. We both had an interest in the supernatural. We spent a lot of time working together. Meet Andre Maurier. He came over from France to study."
Mark reached out and shook Maurier's hand. "Pleased to meet you."
"Same here, Mister Sanger." He put his hand on Professor Stokes's shoulder. "I met his boss once at a convention for the supernatural."
Mark raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure it was Chief Ironside. I didn't think the chief believed much in the supernatural until we went to Collinsport."
"It most definitely was your boss. I suspect there is much you don't know about Robert Ironside. He seems to be a very private individual," Andre observed.
"Yes, he is, but I have always thought that I knew him pretty well."
"He was skeptical, but he displayed a great deal of interest, especially regarding those that can predict or see the future. Still I don't think I had him convinced. I believe he just wanted to understand the supernatural a bit better. He only seemed to believe in the aforementioned predictors. He seems to like to learn all he can about everything."
"Yes, I am aware of that. It was apparent when he came to Collinsport to help out our sheriff there. Now, we are here to help him with a problem." Stokes studied his friend for he knew he would not be able to contain his curiosity.
Andre looked at his long time friend for a moment. Something was up and he had to know what it was. "Okay, Elliott, what is going on? Why are you here? And what could you possibly be helping Robert Ironside with?"
Professor Stokes looked his friend in the eye. "We are here to help him with a vampire."
Andre looked between Stokes and Sanger. "Ironside believes there is a vampire in San Francisco?"
"Yes," Mark said, "but he doesn't think there is, he knows there is."
Andre walked over and sat down in a chair. "A vampire in San Francisco!"
"Actually, there are three," Mark corrected him.
"Three! You must be joking!"
"No, Mark is not joking. There are three vampires here in San Francisco. One of them is Peter Adell, he is the reason for the other two being here."
"Just exactly, who are the other two?"
Professor Stokes knew under normal circumstances he would never be able to convince an individual that three vampires were in San Francisco. Fortunately, this gentleman knew more about the supernatural than anybody. He would have no trouble convincing him of their presence. He continued, "Chief Ironside discovered several women who have been murdered with their blood completely drained from their bodies. Due to having encountered a vampire in Collinsport, he contacted him and asked him to come here to help. That vampire is Barnabas Collins, of the famous Collins family from Collinsport, Maine. Although he is definitely a vampire, Barnabas is a good man. He does not go around indiscriminately killing people. One of our colleagues whose name I am sure you would recognize is working on a cure for his vampirism."
"That would be Doctor Julia Hoffman, am I correct?" Andre Maurier asked. "She always believed vampires existed. I figured she would spend her time trying to find one, obviously she did."
"That is right," Stokes told him. "We know that she will eventually find a cure because we got a glimpse of the future through time travel."
"Time travel! Are you telling me you have actually been able to travel through time?"
Stokes shook his head. "Not me, Barnabas Collins has traveled through time, but that is another story for another time. Right now, we must concentrate on the vampires here in San Francisco."
"You said three vampires, who is the third? Professor Maurier inquired.
Mark interrupted Professor Stokes to say, "The third one is Count Dracula."
"Dracula! You mean to tell me that he actually exist?"
"He does. The novel was actually based on a true story give or take a few scenes that Hollywood embellished. However, if you read the book it is actually true."
"I often wondered. Vampires had to come from somewhere. Is he helping you or are you going up against him?"
"We are going up against him," Stokes confirmed. "He was sent by the Vampire Council. Peter Adell is drawing attention to himself by killing these women. You know that vampires try to remain under the radar of mortals. The council does not believe that Robert Ironside will allow Adele out of San Francisco alive. They are sure that he will have him staked as a punishment for killing those women. He certainly cannot arrest him and put him on trial. The reason they want him returned is that is father is also a vampire and serves on the council."
"What is Dracula's part in this?" Andre questioned.
"He is to bring Peter back so that the council can punish him for what he has done. Since the council does not believe that Ironside will allow that, Dracula has been ordered to kill him."
Andre shook his head. "This is not good. I am assuming that is the reason Barnabas Collins is here, is to stop Dracula from killing Chief Ironside."
"That is correct. Because the two of them went back in time together to reverse the death of Eve Whitfield, they became pretty close friends. Barnabas is not going to allow Dracula to kill Ironside."
"Has he considered that he can't stop him? Having read the book, I know when Dracula would have become a vampire. I also know that the older the vampire the more powerful. How old is this vampire, Barnabas Collins?"
"A little over two hundred years. He was cursed by a witch."
"We are definitely going to have to catch up. I want to know everything there is to know about this. Right now, I realize your biggest concern is to stop these vampires. What is it that you came here to ask me?"
"We need to know how to stop Dracula, for one thing," Mark said.
Andre looked at Mark. He had heard about Mark's dedication to Robert Ironside. The young man was a bit emotional, but who could blame him at a time like this. "That is not going to be easy, Mister Sanger."
Professor Stokes immediately interrupted. "The vampire bat who started this entire nightmare hundreds of years ago, was also responsible for turning Barnabas Collins. We need to know more about that bat."
"There is a way to control it, Professor, but trying to find someone that could do it would be next to impossible. I would assume that Dracula himself can control the bat. However, he is not going to help you."
"We don't need his help," Mark said, "we have Angelique."
Andre raised an eyebrow and looked at Professor Stokes. "Angelique? Who is this Angelique?"
"She is a witch. She is the one that cursed Barnabas Collins and turned the vampire bat on him. Even though she did that, she had a change of heart in Collinsport and attempted to help us with a very powerful warlock, Nicholas Blair. Instead of giving this to you in bits and pieces, maybe it would be easier if I just told you the entire story," Stokes suggested.
"Please do," Andre agreed.
Stokes and Sanger spent the next half-hour describing the events that happened in Collinsport and the reason Robert Ironside had been called there. They told him about the Leviathans and their attempt to take over Collinsport. They explain to him what happened to Eve Whitfield and the reason for going back in time to stop the Leviathans and reverse the death of Eve Whitfield.
The professor then told him what had transpired in 1795 when Barnabas and Ironside went back to change the timeline. When they were finished with their narrative, Professor Stokes watched him for his reaction.
Andre just sat there staring at the two men. After a moment he uttered one word, "Fascinating!" You swear to me that all of this is true?"
"I do indeed," Stokes told him.
"I always believed that time travel was possible. I also believed it could be done through the I Ching, but I never knew of a staircase into the past. I only wish it was possible to speak with Quentin Collins and find out how he discovered this method of going back in time."
"From what I know, he discovered it by accident. Anyway, none of that concerns us at this moment. I have come to ask you about a particular subject." The professor looked directly into Andre's eyes. "The vampire bat."
"Exactly what is it you want to know about the bat?"
"We are wondering if there's any way that we can use that bat against Dracula. As Mark told you, we have a witch that can control the bat. In fact, she was taught by Dracula himself."
Andre pondered the dilemma for a moment and then said, "I don't know if this will actually work, but the legend over the years have been that if the vampire bat bites an individual that is already a vampire, it will spread a poison throughout the vampire's system. Supposedly, this is enough to kill the vampire. But Elliott, I caution you that this could possibly only be a legend."
"Then why don't we use the vampire bat on Peter Adell?" Mark suggested. "It would solve the problem of Adell if it works. Then we could turn it on Dracula."
Professor Stokes thought about what Mark suggested and then said, "If it worked on Peter Adell, you are right, it would solve one of our problems. However, it would not solve the problem with Dracula."
"And why not?" Mark asked.
"What Elliot means is that it would not be that easy to turn the bat back on Dracula. You are forgetting that he can command the vampire bat." Andre could see that his words had deflated Mark's enthusiasm. "There might be a way however, but it would be very dangerous for the individual to do what I have in mind. In fact, if it did not work, the individual would probably die."
"What individual are you talking about?" Mark asked.
Andre looked Mark straight in the eye and said, "Robert T Ironside."