Chapter 14

It was lonely at the office with everybody gone. But then, it was always lonely this hour of the night. The time for her to finish her paperwork, not to succumb to sentimentality. She was not Barnabas.

Angelique was alive. How she did not know. But it had been her voice. Said she could not come, but someone would meet her to explain...

Angelique was alive... after so many days of believing her dead... she was alive.

There was a rustle behind her.

"Miss Graham" said a voice behind her. "Angelique sends me."

Megan turned in surprise. Roxanne Drew was there...

"How is she? Why didn't she contact me sooner? How do you know you speak for her?... " the questions came rapidly.

"She sends this to you." Roxanne extended the vial towards Megan. And as Megan was to touch it, she upended quickly so that it fell over Megan's hand.

Roxanne tired up quickly the rubber gloves she wore. She did not want to get any of it on her own skin.

Megan had collapsed on the floor. She would now answer questions.

Julia studied Willie. He looked downcast, true. But there was something else, too. Determination, self assurance...

"You want me to treat you?"

"Yes. I want to know why... why I did that to Louella. I want to be sure I won't do it again.

"I thought that Barnabas was taking care of it."

"It is not enough. Yes, he found what the problem was. But I don't think that he got the treatment right. How can he teach me how to be an adult if he treats me like a child?"

Julia nodded. Willie was right. It wasn't such a good idea, this silent treatment.

"Maybe we should tell him that you made a change in plans."

"No." Willie shook his head. "not until the month is over."

"Why? as you said, it made no sense."

"I don't want to use it as an excuse... I want to know that I can go the distance."

Julia nodded again. She suspected that Barnabas was a better psychologists that Willie gave him credit for.

"It is bad enough that I am doing this behind his back..." Willie added.

"Nonsense, Willie. There is nothing wrong with asking for a second opinion."

When Megan opened her eyes, Angelique was bending over her.

"Are you all right?" Angelique asked.

"Of course, she is all right." Roxanne shot form Tammy's desk. "You have me the vial, you knew it would not hurt her." she turned to Megan. "Sorry about the treatment, but I wanted to make sure you were not working for the Leviathan."

"No. they do not control me." Megan said, looking at Roxanne with curiosity. "But there are people in town they control"

"You know they are back?"

"I have done my own investigating. Any way, I always knew that it hadn't ended in 1970. They had assembled a motley crew that could barely screw in a light bulb. Nicholas a loser, trying to recoup his fortunes. Bruno, a sadist, too intent in getting his jollies to pay attention to anything else. Sky, whose main qualifications was knowing how to keep the boss happy. And Barnabas who was guaranteed to flip to the other side on a moment's notice. It was programmed for failure."

"They never expected Jab to succeed." she continued "he was only a decoy. Eventually the right thing would come out."

"Well, it has." Roxanne said "Then they used Barnabas to bring in the runt of the litter and let if all self-destruct. Now it is going to be the real thing."

"Vicky is in it." Megan said. "probably Nicholas too. He's a loser, but properly controlled has its uses. Probably everyone living in Collinwood has fallen under their spell. And Derek, who spends too much time there, spying on them..."

Roxanne lifted her eyebrows. "You seem to know a lot about it."

"As I said, I do my own investigating."

Angelique stifled a laugh at Roxanne's shock. Just as she had warned. If Roxanne hadn't contacted Megan, Megan would have come pounding at the door, gun in hand.

"Then there is Phillip" Megan said "that breakdown of his came too opportunely. From what Barnabas told me, he had begun to remember what happened to him after he fell off Widow's Hill."

Roxanne smiled. "You were a suspect because you never got curious about that."

Megan acknowledged it. "Damned unprofessional of me. But then, it was a highly emotional issue for me. How would you react if the same thing happened to Sebastian?"

Roxanne nodded. "Yes. I see your point." she smiled.