Chapter 11

Gerard's room Collinsport Inn

Both men dressed, Gabriele left the room to talk to the reality agent and Gerard walked to the Blue Whale to find out who was who and what might be the best way to get an invitation to Collinwood. Entering the local hangout, Gerard was directed and held a purpose to his visiting such a low rent dive. Upon seating himself; he noticed a well-dressed man in a three-piece suit. He had a blond hair and a very superior attitude. He sat at the table with another man that was a hippie artist type fading in age. "Evans, I am not going to discuss Laura with you. I cannot help you. It appears you seem to be suffering from your alcoholic delusions to believe that she had come back. I assure you she has not, she died rather horribly two years ago in the fishing shack in a fire."

Sam Evans was jittery and paranoid. He kept looking around the room and studied Gerard for a moment then dismissed him. Gerard waited for the waitress that covered morning and afternoons for the breakfast and lunch crowd. Judy slinked her way to Gerard's table, snapping her gum she annoyed Gerard but he managed to flash a smile for her benefit. "What can I getcha?" She laid a menu down and had not bothered to wait for him to look at it before she was pushing for his order.

"A drink would you bring me a glass of water and coke." He tried to use his patience and charm to get past this part of his occupation of the table and listen to the two men.

"What ta eat?" She tapped her pen on the menu in his hand. She had the standard bouffant hair do with a little cap and she might have been pretty if she had not layered on the makeup and now looked like a decorated raccoon. Perhaps it was his fault that he was attracted to and found pretty the simple women such as Miss Winters whom he held in his arms yesterday and like the feel of her being there. To bad she belonged to Anubis.

"Would you please give me a couple of minutes to see what you offer, you might get a better tip if you do." He was hinting and trying to be charming while doing it and it did not take a roof to fall on this one to get that hint, she winked and swished her body back to the bar to put in his drink order. The skirt she wore had been taken up to accent her barely there hips but did a nice job to accent her very long legs.

A glance at the menu and he noted that there was very little to choose from so he opted for the simple club sandwich and chips. Waiting for her to return he directed his attention back to the two men. "I'm telling you again Roger, I am painting that damn portrait again. Only this time there are other blank spots in that picture, the last time it was David and you remember what happened then." Evans took his glass of scotch and downed it with a shaky hand.

"Look Evans, you know as well as I do the last time we stopped her and she is dead. I don't know why you are drawing her again. I do remember the last time when you did you were injured by a fire."

This caught Gerard's immediate attention. Then he was distracted as Judy walked back to his table. "So ya decided on what ya want honey?" she smiled and winked at him snapped that gum again.

"Yes, the club sandwich and chips." He said with a return smile and wink. She blew a bubble with her gum popped the bubble and then smiled.

"Be right back with it and your drink unless you want it now?"

"The water would be nice." He reached for her hand and stroked her palm. She giggled and wiggled back to the bar and poured him out a cold glass of water and carried it back.

"So you are new here?" She smiled and hiked her hip to the side of his table. Allowing her already short skirt to hike up more giving him view of a generous portion of her leg.

"Yes trying to get a feel for the local color if you get my drift." Gerard winked and looked at his glass.

"Well this town is pretty dried up the only action that happens around here happens over there with that man." She nodded to Roger. Gerard allowed his gaze to drift to the man that had been talking about a lady named Laura.

"What would you say that?" He asked casually lifting his glass and taking a drink with his free hand.

"Because he owns the whole damn town with his sister Elizabeth Collins Stoddard that's why, they live in that big spook fest on the hill." She was twirling that pen back and froth between her fingers and had dropped her voice so that it became more personal between them.

"Really is he a Collins?" Gerard acted mildly interested, as she seemed to be chatty.

"Collins, about the only Collins before that gorgeous Quentin and then there is the cousin Barnabas he is kind of creepy lives in the old house on the property and he has been dating their governess nice girl name of Winters."

Gerard smiled only it was a tight smile. He continued to massage her palm with his fingertips. This time he gave her an encouraging smile, though secretly he was beginning to see a problem when it came to trying to enlighten Miss Winters to the Anubis side. "Do tell." He liked the fact she like to gossip.

"Oh yeah, he is one of those fancy talkin kind of guys that comes in with her all the time and they seem to be an item which is odd considering she is hardly out of mourning for her fiancé that died about three months ago."

"Oh who was that?" He asked again trying to be interested but sounding like a causal gossiper while he sipped his water.

"She was engaged to a real rich guy, by the name of Burke Devlin." She said while she snapped her gum again and was double clutching it while she chewed.

"I am not sure I know who Burke Devlin is and I am familiar with most that are on the Fortune 500 list." He said as a way of dropping information that he was educated in finances.

"Fortune 500? What is that? Is it like an exclusive club or somethin?" She looked ditzy and she sounded double featherbrained as she asked a question about the Fortune 500 group of the top business in America. He vaguely recalled hearing about Devlin Enterprises and the CEO had died.

Roger could not help but over hear him mention he was familiar with the Fortune 500 list and as soon as he could dump Sam he was going to make it a point to find out who this man was and what he wanted. "Look Evans, you need help. Maybe you need to check yourself into that clinic Julia Hoffman runs." Roger was abrupt and annoyed with Sam Evans.

"No I don't need no damn sanitarium Roger, I am telling you something is going to happen and if you are not prepared you just may loose your kid this time and a lot more." Sam was getting mad and Roger was being obtuse.

"Watch what you say about my family Evans, I am not going to tolerate your drunken foolish much longer, I only met you here because of Maggie." Roger threw some money down on the table and started to stand when Sam shot a hand out to grab his wrist.

"Wait, before you go, at least come by the house and see for yourself." Sam was nothing short of pleading when he thought about David going up in flames as he nearly did two years ago and how badly his hands had been burned.

Roger was at a point to do or say anything to get away from him; he had already put himself into self-denial after seeing Laura at the docks the day before. "Will you let me alone if I promise to come by and look at this painting?" He tried to sound patient but all he sounded was irritated.

Sam relaxed he began to sound as if he would be reasonable and believe what he had painted had been because he was sure Josette was making him paint it again.

Judy rolled her eyes. "And that other guy, that is Sam Evans he is a local artist and has been through a lot. His daughter mysteriously disappeared about six months ago and then one night he went to the beach and found her out there, later the doctors all said she had died. We had a funeral and everything for her; it was around the time we had a lot of women being attacked and a bunch of cattle being butchered. Then one night she just walks in here pretty as you please not knowing nothin and then she passed out and when she woke up she remembered everything except where she had been for a few weeks she was missing."

Gerard sipped his water again digesting everything she was telling him when the tender at the bar called her over to collect Gerard's order. Reluctantly, knowing he had to release her hand, Judy smiled winked and wiggled her way with an easy sway to her hips to the bar and then used the same slinking tactic back to his table. He knew she had used that walk just to attract attention to her lower anatomy. Sitting the platter on his table she pulled his check off of her book, winked, "Pay at the bar. Oh and I put my phone number on the bottom of the check." She winked again and sauntered slowly back to the bar to lean against it.

Gerard was sorry she left but he also felt that Roger Collins was trying to make an excuse to come to the table to introduce him self. Which after one more order for Evans he stood dropped some bills on the table and turned to smile at Gerard. "Takes forever to get waited on in this place, names Roger Collins, Collins Cannery." He held out his hand to Gerard.

Gerard wiped his hands on his napkin and shook his hand. "Gerard Stiles pleasure to meet you Mr. Collins."

"So you are new to Collinsport?" Roger asked and sat across from him in the booth.

"Yes my brother and I arrived here recently and are considering on setting up a shop here." Gerard knew this would get his attention.

"Really what kind of business?" Roger was curious he was dressed in all the right clothing, he appeared to be well educated and he knew about Forbes.

"We deal in antiquities and have a successful business in New York, you may have even heard of our business, Anubis LTD." He glanced at Roger and saw a flicker of recognition he should if he read Forbes, he and Gabe had taken their business to a new height with the antiquities he was able to offer thanks to his master.

"So, you are that Stiles, well I can tell you this is a bit off the beaten track but we are filled with history and culture. Obviously, ours does not go back as far as yours but you would be surprise at the unexpected little jewels you can run into at times. Why my own cousin has been very successful in turning a nice profit while commuting to Bangor every day."

Gerard was hoping he would say which Collins this was but was briefly interrupted by the tender when he told Roger he had a phone call. "Excuse me." Roger stood up and walked to the phone. "Collins here. All right keep me informed, I will be there in about an hour, no do not bother Liz about this at home, I will take care of it. Was there a lot of damage? Right, I will contact the insurance, thank you for letting me know."

Sam and most those in the bar had heard Roger's conversation with the cannery and noted the frown on his face when Roger walked to the table that was occupied by Gerard. "Well the news just keeps getting better and better." Roger mumbled.

Sam stepped to Roger's side. "What happened?" Sam was anxious he watched Roger and noticed how annoyed he appeared.

"Just a small fire at the factory Sam nothing for you to worry about, we had three employees suffer smoke inhalation. They were taken to the hospital. I need to go tell Liz and then head to the plant."

"See I told you that bitch was back and she is doing this, and what irks me is you know it but you are in denial." Sam turned away from Roger and Gerard.

Roger looked back at Gerard; "The reason I came over was to say welcome to Collinsport and to feel free to come and visit us at Collinwood, as a matter of fact, why don't you and your brother come up for dinner tomorrow night. Tonight would not be so good not with what I am about to tell my sister."

Gerard smiled and it was a smile of triumph; he reached forward to shake Roger's hand. "I would be delighted and so would my brother I am sure." He watched Roger turn and leave the building. Gerard sat back and felt like he had run the Boston Marathon and won, he was batting a thousand. He knew this would make great points with Anubis. Finishing his meal he pulled out a twenty-dollars and walked up to the bar with his bill and laid them both on the counter, "Keep the change for the lady. He smiled at Judy and turned to walk out the door.

"Hey you need to keep the check." Judy spoke breathily running after him to hand the bill back to him. "Its got my phone number on the bottom." She said a bit brazenly. With an open invitation in her eyes she smiled and winked.

Gerard smiled took the bill and return the wink, "I forgot my dear, thank you." He walked out and down the street. When he was about two blocks away he pitched the bill into the ocean and watched it get wet, then drift and finally disappear under a wave. "Yep a thousand and one now." He began to whistle while heading back to the hotel.

Collinsport Inn and Cafe

Gerard entered his suite and saw his brother was on the phone with a big smile. "Yes, thank you so much Linda, I and my brother will be by to take a look at the property say around three today? Excellent, you have a wonderful day too." Gabe hung up the phone and threw a booklet at Gerard, "The circled one."

Gabe sat back and locked his fingers together behind his head and rested the back of his head in the palms of his hand. "It has ten bedrooms, six bathrooms, a large area downstairs that will work as a shop, a drawing room, kitchen formal dining room, and a library. Then it has a ballroom on the third floor that can be used for the temple. It's a steal at a hundred grand and its part of the parcels in town that the Collins Family are hoping to dump for tax purposes."

Gerard looked at the large four story building that had to have been built in the middle eighteen hundreds and liked the looks of it and the feel. "You putting a down payment on it?" Gerard noted the rooms were all twelve-foot ceilings. The exception was the ballroom, which was sixteen feet with the arches that the designed required. "Looks perfect and its close to the beach?"

"Yes I am going to put a down payment on it and yes, the back yard is practically all beach." Gabe sighed with a self-satisfied smile.

"Well I have us a dinner engagement at Collinwood tomorrow night. Roger Collins was at the Blue Whale and he is caught up on his own ego as that last idiotic fool we had dealings with in New York. What was his name?"

"You mean Jeff Johnson of J & J Enterprises?" Gabe offered.

"No that other idiotic fool, Victor something."

Gabe laughed, "Parish, of Linkwell Ltd. The one that thought he would compete with us on antiquities?"

"Yes that is him, remember he thought he was so above everyone else and had that snapping head attitude when he spoke to make his point?" Gerard had to laugh at his brother. Watching him mimic the way the man had popped his head around when making his point. It had not taken long for them to run him out of business and make him humble and an avid follower of Anubis.

"Well we have things rolling along quite well, now all we need is a way to lure our girls to the house and initiate them to Anubis and get them prepared to assume their duties at his side." Gabe observed softly.

"We may have a problem with the Winters girl." Gerard said while he studied the listing in his hand. His voice had dropped lower than he had intended with his thoughts preoccupying him.

"How so?" Gabe had that serious and concerned vibe to his voice.

"She and the Collins Cousin, Barnabas are a thing. I think she may be involved with him."

"How so? I mean what are you basing it on?" Gabe glanced down and did not like the sounds of this. He knew Anubis would not like it either.

"I found a chatty patty or Judy at the Blue Whale and she says that Miss Winters and the odd ball Collins family member are always together and that they appear to be dating and she has taken up with him after her fiancés death. So it sounded serious to me."

"Well maybe we will find out at dinner tomorrow night." Gabe's voice had taken on the serious mode and he muttered. "I hope she is still a virgin otherwise it will be bad news for her."

"Yean I would not like to think of her dying because Anubis was not the first one to have her, if memory served me correctly when he took the first Nefretery she was married to one of the Kings."

"Well we will find out and take it one step at a time. So what did you find out about this other cousin what did you say his name was?" Gabe stood and walked to the sofa and plopped down.

"Barnabas Collins, the town folk say he is very old world and very wealthy and he is very eccentric. He occupies the older house on the estate and is somewhat reclusive. I also found out that he deals in later antiquities and that his house is suppose to be filled with all kinds of priceless antiques."

"Well our next assignment will be to get in that house and see what he is like and why he likes his privacy so much." Gabe spoke musingly.

Collinwood

David was in his makeshift dark room developing his pictures he had taken the day before; he wanted to make his report very special for Vicki. He stood looking at the drying negatives he frowned finding the one he had taken of Vicki at the sarcophagus of that Nefretery woman As he looked at the negative it looked like it had been ruined, there was a darkness that looked like a shadow, but looking closer the shadow had definition to it. Pulling out some developing paper he began to develop the print off the negative. The image appeared David was shocked to see the figure of a man standing over Vicki holding out his hands to her, he had the head of a Jackal and his eyes glowed. The over all look had a feel that the image had formed due to flash burn but there had been no flash and it was not white the only white part had been where the eyes would have been on the figure.

"Hmm, I think I will dry this and then show it to Vicki and see what she thinks." He stepped to his other trays to see what kind of images he was getting when he noted this same image appeared in about half of his pictures and in each and every case there was this figure and then when he developed the last print and the image appeared he staggered backwards against the wall his eyes wide. "NO!" Wide-eyed and pale he dashed to Vicki's side. "Vicki! Vicki!" He ran to her and buried his face in her chest.

Drawing Room

Feeling him tremble she put her arms instinctively around him. "David? What is wrong? Please tell me what is wrong." Vicki had stood from the sofa and did not want to move unless it was to her wheel chair. She stroked his hair from his face and waited for him to look at her.

He looked up at her and his eyes were burning with tears. "You know yesterday I took most my pictures at the museum?"

"Yes, I know and you were doing a wonderful job. So what happened, did they not turn out as you hoped?" She was really concerned seeing the absolute fear in his eyes.

"You know the last picture was one I had Quentin shoot before Daphne got sick?"

Vicki nodded and encouraged him to go on. "I know and then you ran out of film."

"Well I just developed the last picture."

"And?" She encouraged him.

"And you have to come look." Vicki sighed noting he was pushing back and then tugged on her hand. "You gotta come see, now Vicki!"

She knew he had used the downstairs utility closet so she could easily move her chair but that was not what was bothering her; it was his whole demeanor and attitude while he tugged on her arm. Giving in, she shifted over to her wheelchair and followed him to the room he had chosen. Pushing the wheels she coasted and then stopped waiting while he opened the door.

Utility Closet Collinwood

"Be careful Vicki, it's cramped in here."

Thinking she should just stand and hobble into the room, she used the various available supports and walked into the room. David reached up and pulled the picture that had obviously distressed him down and shoved it into her hand. Her first glance she could not see anything other than David standing in front of the various jars that held the organs of the mummies but as she looked closer she saw what had upset him and she visibly paled. Standing directly behind David was Laura and flames surrounded both of them. David and Laura both in the very thinly outlined flames that at first appeared to be streaks of light that had ruined the shot. "Vicki what does it mean, she is dead and now this? Is she coming back to try and kill me?" He paced and then stopped; "Almost all my pictures have things in them I don't remember being there.

He reached up and pulled down the one of her sitting in her chair and the dark figure with the Jackal's headdress man standing behind her arms extended and entreating her to join him. Vicki studied this picture she felt her head grow light and then she saw the eyes, those eyes that were like devil eyes looked right back at her and once again, she had been transported to a room that was the interior of a large pyramid. She wore a gown of gold with the heavy elaborate headdress and golden bracelets on her arms and golden chains that dangled down her neck. The man a handsome man with a youthful body and deep penetrating eyes peered at her.

Distant memories in Vicki's past

"Come Nefretery, come and be mine it is the time of the initiation, come Nefretery, come join me on my alter and feel the power that I am ready to bestow on you and the children you will bare will be gods."

Vicki felt her body physically lifted up on an alter and she was laid out before him, his features were hidden behind his wolf's head or the head of a jackal, she felt her gown gently lifted and then he was between her legs and was holding her arms over her head with one hand as she felt entry she gasped and closed her eyes.

Vicki felt her body burn and then she was light headed and began to teeter, the picture she had been holding was released from her fingers, her chin lifted and her eyes rolled back in her head and she was falling.

David saw her about ready to fall and rushed to her and caught her against him before she fell all the way. He guided her down to the floor and cradled her next to him and began to cry. "Vicki don't do this, wake up!" Vicki's body lay limply in his arms and he felt so helpless, putting her head on the floor he stood and rushed out into the hallway and began to scream. "HELP ME! SOMEOE PLEASE HELP ME ITS VICKI!"