Chapter 12
Collinwood Carolyn's bedroom
Carolyn laid in bed feeling dreadful. Each time she sat up she felt sick to her stomach, rolling over she buried her head under her pillow. Daphne stepped into the room with a glass of Gingerale, and some broth. "Try to sip this Carolyn and eat this slowly. Hopefully it will make you feel better. Aunt Julia said she would be out later to check on you."
Carolyn made a face looking at the broth and the Gingerale. "I really don't feel like eating anything Daphne, I am going to just stay in bed and sleep. I am exhausted." She pulled the covers up over her head and listened for Daphne to leave the room.
"Carolyn, you need to try and get some fluids in you and that broth. Otherwise you may become dangerously dehydrated and could end up in the hospital on IV fluids." Daphne waited for some kind of response and when she did not get it she sighed and left the room closing the door softly behind her.
Carolyn rolled onto her back and closed her eyes. Then she thought about when was the last time she had her period. She was like clock work with her periods since she had been on the pill. Gingerly she got out of bed and walked to her purse and pulled out her pill packet and looked at the rotation. Frowning she turned to look at her calendar and noted the date of her last period and then she confirmed it she was officially two months late.
A sickening feeling filled her when she thought about what could be happening. Lying down on her bed she moaned softly then curled into the covers and muttered, "Dear God please don't let me be pregnant." If she were pregnant she was pretty sure Greg would drop her like a hot potato. She was not sure what she would do. She was not going to bring shame to the family by being an unwed mother. She knew one thing was for sure, to make sure she was pregnant she would go to one of the clinics in New York and then take it from there.
Padding down the hallway to the telephone she called the airlines and made a reservation on the Monday flight to New York, then turning back she went to her room and lay down. There was no way in God's green earth she as going to raise a child by herself and she sure as hell was not going to beg Greg to marry her either. She knew she had two alternatives, she would either pretend she was going away for a while have the baby and give it up for adoption or she would abort it.
She was so conflicted she did not hear the tap on her door. Vicki pushed the door open and walked into the room. "Carolyn? Is there anything I can get you?" Vicki sat on the edge of her bed looking down at the balled up covers knowing somewhere below those blankets was her dear friend and she was not feeling well.
From the muffled mountain of covers she heard, "No, I am fine I just feel crappy."
Vicki sighed patted the blankets and stood up. "If you need anything just let me know, David is caught up with his lessons and I am fairly free this afternoon. Oh, and Mr. Trask came by earlier and left you a dozen of roses, do you want me to bring them up here?"
"No just leave them downstairs, thank you Vicki." Carolyn fell silent so Vicki figured she had fallen asleep, leaving the room Vicki walked the hallway heading for the drawing room where Trask waited.
"Will she see me Vicki?" He looked concern and was being overly attentive which set off Vicki's alarms.
Looking at him suspiciously she shook her head. "Mr. Trask, she is sleeping. She has been very ill with this stomach virus and frankly we are concerned for her well being. If she does not try to eat or drink something Julia has said she may need to be hospitalized for dehydration."
Greg was torn between telling them she may be pregnant to not saying anything thinking it was a rough first trimester and she was going through morning sickness. "I see, well perhaps if I come back later she might be up for visitors?" He looked so concerned and sounded hopeful that for a moment Vicki felt sorry for him.
"Mr. Trask."
"Please call me Gregory or Greg."
"Gregory, why don't you call before you come out? That way you won't waste a trip and I promise you I will let you know if she is up for visitors." Vicki offered a small smile for his benefit though she was loathed to call him Greg or Gregory.
Acting on impulse he grabbed and hugged Vicki and spoke softly, "Thank you so much Vicki. Well I will call after my last client office call and let us hope she will see me. I sure do miss her." He stepped back from the hug and Vicki was made to feel uncomfortable by the sudden show of affection. He turned and walked to the door and stopped. "Please let her know how concerned I am and if she needs anything to just let me know."
Vicki saw him out of the door and watched him drive away. A part of her felt sorry for him but another part of her could not get past the fact he was so much like Reverend Trask from so long ago. She was about to turn and go back into the house when she saw Willie's sister walking towards the front door from the wood pathway. Vicki waited for her to approach then stepped aside to allow her entrance to the vestibule. "Hello Miss Fielding, welcome to Collinwood." Vicki closed the door and led her into the drawing room allowing her time to stop and admire the grand entrance.
"Wow this place is beautiful." Rebecca pivoted with a look of awe and a smiled on her lips. She stepped to Vicki and remove her coat. Vicki took her coat and laid it on the table. "I came to talk to Mrs. Stoddard about that cottage Carolyn spoke of a few nights ago." She turned and shoved her hands into her jeans pants.
"Oh I remember, Mrs. Stoddard is in the library, if you will go into the drawing room, I will let her know you are here." She started to turn when Rebecca stopped her.
"I also would like to discuss Devlin Enterprises with you. When you have time?" She was looking around the room then back to Vicki.
"Perhaps we could block out some time tomorrow. Right now I am kind of watching Carolyn, she has some kind of stomach virus and is bedridden." Rebecca frowned hearing this and nodded.
"Of course, I understand. Oh um by any chance do you happen to know of a man by the name of Harlan Marley?" She looked around the room nonchalantly then she peered innocently back to Vicki.
"I know of Harlan and you are?" Elizabeth Stoddard stepped into the foyer and smiled at Vicki, "How is Carolyn?"
Vicki smiled, "She is sleeping, Mrs. Stoddard this is one of the lawyers for Devlin Enterprises and she happens to be Willie Loomis' sister visiting him at the old house. She is here because Carolyn suggested that she ask you about renting out the cottage while she looks for a place to live and sets up her law practice to work out of here and Bangor."
Liz looked suitably impressed, "Well it is a pleasure Miss Fielding, won't you join me in the library and we can discuss the cottage? Oh Vicki while I am thinking of it, there are some ledgers at the Cannery I need. Would you be a dear and run in and get them for me? There is probably mail at the post office that needs to be collected too."
Vicki smiled, "Of course, should I ask Susan for them?" Vicki had turned to the vestibule to get car keys and her coat.
"Yes, she will have them at her desk, Now Miss Fielding if you will follow me. You can imagine how surprised I was to discover that Willie Loomis has a sister. Also as for Harlan, I knew him when we went to college together . . . " The door closed on the conversation with Vicki headed out the door. Walking down the driveway to the Bentley, she slid behind the wheel and had a sense she was being watched. Glancing around nervously she did not immediately see anyone of note. Shaking her head she started the car backed out and noticed a large dark figure hanging close to the pathway from the old house.
Watching it for a moment she thought it might be Willie then it slipped back into the darkness of the shadows and was gone. Vicki shrugged continued to back out and headed to Collinsport. She thought about the figure and the more she thought about what she had seen, she realized the figure was Adam and he had been staking out the front of the house watching her. She sighed, she knew she was going to have problems but was not sure how she was going to deal with it.
Widow's Hill Collinsport, Maine
Carolyn had a light nap and felt so much better that she thought about taking a short walk out to widows hill and then maybe to the beach. Sliding on her jeans she frowned, they would not snap shut; she looked at her figure and her face. "Am I retaining fluid?" She turned sideways and could see the beginnings of a slight swell to her stomach. "It has to be the virus making me hold water." Grabbing her sweater she pulled it over her head and let it fall to her hips.
Tying her hair back she opened her door and slipped down the hallway to take the steps down by the kitchen and slipped out the back entrance and started towards the pathway that would take her to widows hill. Watching her feet kick the leaves she failed to see the large figure that had stepped out in front of her to block her way. "Where is Vicki?"
Adam had blocked Carolyn's forward movement and managed to startle her in the process. Carolyn's head shot up and the hideously scarred faced man caught her off guard. With a slight gasp she stepped back from him. 'Oh it's you! You scared me." She waited for him to let her pass.
"I am sorry, do you know where Vicki went?" He stepped sideways to allow Carolyn to pass. Carolyn noticed that Adam appeared to be anxious.
"I don't know where Vicki went. I have been sick in bed most the morning Adam. If she left I am sure it was because she had an errand to run in town." Carolyn had started forward and found she had a shadow following her. "Why do you care where Vicki goes? You guys are just friends, right?"
"No, Vicki is mother. She is very kind to me and I want to protect her. I think she is in danger from the creepy guy that watches her and Hallie." He started walking next to Carolyn while she continued towards widows hill. "I watched him the other day and he was being creepy around Hallie but he was watching Vicki like he wanted to do things to her."
Carolyn was puzzled to how he had concluded some creepy dude was watching Vicki. "Adam have you been following Vicki? I mean how do you know this guy is watching her or wanting to hurt her?" Carolyn continued down the pathway feeling dwarfed by the huge man at her side. Carolyn tried not to look at his face and kept her head bent forward while they walked.
"Because when I knew he was watching Vicki I started watching him and he is a very bad man. He goes out at night and his sister is always bringing him back in her car. When he goes out he is in the shadows and he looks for Vicki, when he finds where she is he stands and touches himself while he watches her."
This made Carolyn's skin crawl hearing the man was a pervert but then she had to wonder about Adam, if Adam was watching him masturbate what did that make Adam? Then she shook her head and had to ask. "Adam what do you mean he touches himself? I mean why would you watch someone do that?"
Adam frowned, "I did not watch him do that Carolyn, I saw him rubbing himself and had to turn away until I saw why he was doing it and it was because he said Vicki's name when he did it. I was mad and I yelled at him. He ran away and I lost him in the shadows when I chased him away." Adam was not sure why he was telling Carolyn about that night at the Collinsport Inn when he saw the 'creepy' guy watch Vicki say her name and then rub himself where you should not allow others to touch.
Carolyn was getting an ear full and an education and would have dismissed it as Adam being a bit creepy too. That is until he said the man had said Vicki's name and then touched himself in that way. She had reached widow's hill and stopped to look down to the beach below and saw the tide was out and there was something more disturbing than the tide being out. There was what appeared to be a nude body lying on the damp shore.
"Oh my god!" She turned and buried her face in Adam's chest. "We need to go back to the house and call the Sheriff's Department." She was in tears seeing that poor nude girl on the beach. She clung to Adam and felt her world start to spin out of control and she slumped down. Adam caught her and lifted her with no trouble and began to walk back to the house with her in his arms. Carolyn opened her eyes and saw Adam was carrying her. "Adam you can put me down, we need to hurry to the house and call Sheriff Patterson and tell him what we saw."
Adam gently set her down then steadied her next to his strong body. "Come on Carolyn, I will make sure you get home and we will call the police."
Carolyn staggered through the front door to the concern look of her mother. "Mother we need to call Sheriff Patterson. There is a dead nude girl on the beach below widow's hill."
"What?" Elizabeth hurredtowards her pale daughter and then stepped back seeing Adam close the door and turn to face her.
"Don't worry about Adam mother he is a friend of Vicki's and Professor Stokes, there is on the beach the body of a dead nude girl." Carolyn had leaned against the table and lifted the phone and called the sheriff's office. "Hello Jessie, it is Carolyn Stoddard. I was just on Widow's Hill and lying on the beach was a dead body of a nude girl. You may want to get someone out here. Yes, I will send someone down to cover her body for you. Thank you Jess."
Elizabeth look at her daughter's pale but controlled features. "Carolyn do you think you should go lie down and let me get Willie to meet me down on the beach?" Elizabeth did not look forward to going down to cover a dead body but it was the decent thing to do.
"Let me call Willie and maybe he and Adam could go down and cover her and have Willie wait for the sheriff's deputy to come out." Carolyn lifted the phone and called Barnabas' house.
"Barnabas Collins speaking." Barnabas had sounded distracted when he had answered the phone.
"Barnabas it is Carolyn, is Willie available to meet the sheriff on the beach below Widow's Hill?" Carolyn had rushed her request feeling the affects of the discovery catching up her and her world wanted to close in on her.
"Why Carolyn would Willie be needed to meet with the Sheriff at the bottom of Widow's Hill?" It was a fair enough question and had definitely caught his attention.
"Because there is a nude dead girl on the beach and they wanted us to cover her until the police could get here."
Old House Foyer
Barnabas was immediately attentive. "WILLIE!" He called up the stairs and waited to hear the familiar sounds of his feet hitting the steps and coming to the upper landing where he stood looking down the stairs at Barnabas.
"Yeah?" Willie stood at the top of the stairs looking down at Barnabas.
"Carolyn needs you to take a blanket and meet the sheriff at the bottom of Widow's Hill on the beach, they discovered a nude dead girl and the sheriff is on his way." Barnabas turned back to the phone. "Carolyn, I will join Willie on the beach and wait for the sheriff' with him."
Beach near Widow's Hill Collinsport Maine
Barnabas looked down at the pretty pimpled face girl that had collapsed at their feet at the Blue Whale less than two days ago. Her body was pale and showed signs of being eaten on by fish and birds. He bent to cover her and was once again assailed with the horrid odor he had detected on her once before. Willie frowned, "Hey ain't that Meghan?"
Barnabas looked up at the stricken look of Willie. "You know this girl?" He was surprised that Willie would know the dead girl.
"Yah she is one of the dock whores that hang out to turn tricks and make money for her drug habit. She was nice and okay for a good laugh but for the most part she was drugged out and pretty out of it. Not surprising she should end of dead like this."
In the distance both men could hear the wail of two sirens. Willie sighed deeply looking down at the outline under the blanket. "Barnabas!" Elizabeth had put on her coat and walked down to Widow's Hill and then took the path to the beach. "Thank you so much for bringing Willie and coming down here."
With a hint of trepidation on her face she glanced at the covered figure on the beach. "Its Meghan Carter, Mrs. Stoddard." Willie stood with his arms hugged against his body and he looked up from the covered girl to Mrs. Stoddard.
"Gerald Carter's daughter? Why she was a little younger than Carolyn's age!" Elizabeth had known most her employees they had been generations of town's people that had always worked for the cannery. Gerald's father and grandfather had worked for her family and if she was not mistaken their great grandfather had also worked for her family. Meghan had been a pretty child that occasionally came to Collinwood for Carolyn's parties.
The sound of tires on a sandy surface and the close of a car door met their ears and they turned to watch George with Chris walk towards them. "Elizabeth what are you doing down here? You probably don't need to see this." The tone of his voice caused Barnabas to turn and peer at the aging town's male police officer.
Barnabas stepped back to his cousin's side. "I would be happy to escort you back to Collinwood Elizabeth the sheriff is right you really should not witness what is under that blanket it is a very distressing sight."
Willie looked up and nodded "Especially because you know the girl Mrs. Stoddard, you should not remember her this way. I am sure her father would not want you to see her like this."
George looked from Willie to Liz, "You know her?" George's instinct was to wait, his police savvy was to wonder how they knew her and his suspicions were satisfied when Willie said her name.
"Yeah it's Meghan Carter. She probably got tied up with the wrong dealer and did not have enough money and he went too far to get it from her." Willie shoved his hands into his pockets and looked sadly at the one time prostitute that lay dead on the cold sandy beach. "Shame too, she was nice."
George looked up at the approach of the ambulance attendants. "Mr. Collins would you please take Elizabeth back to Collinwood, I will be up later to talk to Carolyn, I really don't think you need to see this Liz. I am sure it is not going to be very pretty."
"Yes, of course you are correct Sheriff Patterson, Elizabeth come along dear. We shall go on back to Collinwood and wait for the Sheriff." Barnabas took her elbow and guided her away from the surrealistic scene being played out on the beach. Liz was tempted to look back over her shoulder but thought better of it if she wished to sleep that night.
"Thank you Barnabas. I must warn you, Vicki went to town for me so she is not in residence but should be back soon." Barnabas had hooked her hand over his arm while he walked with her to the base of the hill.
"I can just as easily wait with you and enjoy your company until her return may I not?" He smiled leading her along towards the grand house on the hill.
Sheriff Patterson watched her leave with a wistful sigh then turned his attention back to the job at hand. He looked down with a hint of sadness edging his face. This girl had been in his daughter's class. Where his sweet Penelope had planned to go to college and was now involved as an assistant in one of the large fashion houses in New York, this girl had sadly been misdirected down a less than successful pathway to her own destruction.
In death her face had taken on a peaceful look. Even with the damage that being in the ocean could easily cause from the succession of the food chain, she was at peace in death. The only odd thing about her was an odd smell. She had obviously been in the ocean for twenty-four hours but she did not smell like the ocean she smelt like warmed over death.
Collinsport Inn Collinsport, Maine
Vicki pulled in front of the Collinsport Inn and got out of her car. Walking up the front step she felt that odd sensation of being watched again. Pausing she turned and looked around not readily seeing anyone she shrugged lightly and walked through the door to the front desk. "Mr. Adams! Hello, I am here to pick up Quentin Collin's mail and if there is anything else for the Collins family."
Malcolm Adams smiled at the pretty girl that had become a part of the Collins family. "Well Miss Winters you wait right there and I will be right back. Mr. Collins has a lot of mail and I may need to have Nick carry the bag to your car. Mrs. Stoddard received that package she sent for and it's in the back and David had a box sent to him. I was going to get Dennis to bring it out later because it is taking up a lot of room."
Vicki moaned inwardly she had not realized that there would be so much and sighed leaning against the desk. She watched the rear door expectantly waiting for Malcolm to return. From behind she felt a bump and turned. The wide brown eyes that held a feverish intentness to them peered openly into her wide startled hazel eyes.
His voice was soft and pleasant and he spoke shyly. "Excuse me, I am sorry."
Vicki found his appearance to be attractive but pensive. He appeared to be in his late teens or early twenties and was standing so close to her it made her uncomfortable. "Pardon me." She stepped away from him with a tense smile. He looked down and stepped closer to her with each step she used to back away from him.
Vicki was now feeling crowded and very uncomfortable and there was a hint of an odd odor about him. It was something she had smelled before when she had been going through old trunks of clothing from the Collin's closed off wing of Collinwood. It was the smell that clothing from past ages held in mothballs had along with the hint of old perfume or powder. His eyes had grown wide with what she thought was excitement and she wanted to run from the room.
Relief filled her when Malcolm along with Dennis stepped from the rear of the building pulling a luggage cart filled with a bag of mail and several boxes. Vicki smiled, "Oh my goodness. I suppose we should come in more often to collect the mail then once a month!"
She had turned to follow the men out to her car and saw the man that had grown very odd with her and made her feel creepy was no longer in sight and gave her pause to wonder if she had actually seen him.
