Chapter 29
Eric and Julia's house Seagull Lane
Vicki was exhausted, the night had been long and trying and she was ready to crawl into bed, snuggled down in the warmth of her comforter and forget that she nearly became the bride and mother of an Incubus and his demon spawned child. The girls that had been led into Eric's house were so pitiful all in various stages of being pregnant by a demon. Each was taken to Eric's exam room where he and Julia took turns examining them and the offspring they bore in their wombs. As each girl was examined either Eric or Julia would send her to be admitted to the hospital.
With the night growing later and later George took statements and matched identification of the women against the missing person list, he had Chris calling the corresponding agency to advise them he had found their missing person and the case was now solved. George was looking as tired as Vicki felt. At one point she went over and touched his shoulder. "Would you like me to check their identification and take their names for you?" She had smiled at the man and found his eyes glinted with gratitude.
"That might speed things up here." He had handed Vicki the list with a corresponding picture of each girl. Before the night got longer they had an assembly line working. When a girl would exit the exam room, Vicki would identify her mark down her name from the list, get her information. Writing it down for George she finally felt useful.
Adam watched from upstairs. He looked with concern over those below and his gaze fell on Vicki, she was safe and he could relax. Turning he walked into his room to lay down and wait for the turmoil downstairs to calm down. Lying there he supported his head with his bent arm and looked at the ceiling and thought about Eve. He loved the way her hair edged her face and tickled his nose when he leaned in to smell her neck. He knew she would never had called him a monster like those ugly women had. Eventually he fell asleep thinking about Eve. those ugly women had.
Collinsport Hospital
Beth and Hallie had been taken to the hospital where Hallie found her Uncle's room and went to sit with him while Beth went to sit with Willie and his sister. Beth laid her head down on his bed she sighed and closed her eyes. "Willie Loomis, have I ever told you how much I love you?" She lifted her chin to look at the wide smile on his boyishly handsome face and the twinkle in his eyes. "Will you marry me?" Beth had been bold asking him to marry her and she waited for his response.
"Hey wait a minute that is something I should be asking you babe. So, how about it will you marry me?" Beth's eyes stung with her tears smiling widely she nodded.
"You betcha I will." Beth lowered her head to the bed, closed her eyes and felt her body go slack as she fell asleep laying on the side of his bed with his hand gently stroking her hair with gentle fingertips.
"I think she fell asleep William." Rebecca had watched the touching scene between her brother and his girlfriend."
"Yeah I know, I just like the feel of her hair against my fingers, it feels like spun silk. So sis, I guess mom has passed on?" He glanced over at his sister who was now restored to her own body had a different feel to her and look about her. She appeared more sure and confident.
She nodded and felt tears sting her eyes. "She apologized before she left us William. I guess I understand why she did what she did, I just don't think she realized that she was offering up both our souls to a darker power to have that one last visit with you before she thought she would be allowed to move on."
Willie took his other hand and held it out to his sister. She took his hand and curled her slender fingers around his strong hand. "She was in over her head and she did not know how to get out. If I had not been told by a lady in a white dress about Harlan Marley I think I would still be trapped in her dead body in that sarcophagus."
Willie swallowed hard looked at his hand curled around his little sister's hand. "I got a confession to make Rebecca, you know mom did not kill Dad it was me. He had been beating mom that night and he was starting on me. So, I waited for him to go to sleep and then I tucked him in real tight to the bed and took one of his bottles and I laid into that old bastard from head to toe. I must have killed him."
Rebecca sniffed shook her head. "No Willie, you did not kill our father. When mother got you out of the house and returned Dad had gotten up. He was sore and he was mad as hell and he threatened to gut her, they struggled over a knife and she stabbed him. So mother did kill him to keep him from going after you. She accepted what she had done and she wanted to make sure I could be born and you had a decent home."
Willie snorted, "Decent home with Aunt Abby? Are you friggin kidding me? That old bat was as mean as those nuns I had to listen to all the time. She refused to let me go visit mom and I did not know about you until six months ago." He felt her tighten her hand around his.
"She was her sister, you need to understand that Willie, she thought she was doing the right thing by giving you over to our Aunt Abby. She did not know that Abby had her mean streak and faults too. She had begged Abby to let you come visit her and Abby finally showed up one day and told her hell would freeze over before she allowed her evil influence mark you as she was marked. That is basically what did mother in, she no longer had any will to live and she lived long enough after my birth to hold me for an hour and then she died with me in her arms."
Willie took his hand from her hand and laid his knuckles against her cheek. "Well kiddo, we got each other now. So you serious about wanting to live here in Collinsport?"
She nodded, "Yep, since Miss Winters is going to allow me to help her with Devlin Enterprises I kind of need to be here to over see things unless she is going to leave town then I will need to follow where she goes."
Willie chuckled, "Not likely she is going to leave. Not since she said she wanted to marry Barnabas."
X-ray Deptment
Barnabas waited in the x-ray room while the tech x-rayed his head. Quentin sat in the waiting room looking at the clock then the door where they had taken Barnabas. Sighing softly he stood shoving his hands into his pockets and paced to the magazine rack, he smiled seeing his image on one cover of People Magazine with the headline, 'Grant Douglas world's sexiest bachelor?' He gave a little snort with a quirky smile his eyes twinkling. "You bet I am." He spoke to his image that was posed to make him look self assured and damn down right adorable.
The doors opened allow Barnabas to be wheeled out in a chair. "All done Mr. Collins I will get the results down to the emergency room as soon as the pictures dry." Quentin stepped over to the orderly and his cousin.
"So they found you have a brain?" He teased his cousin who had looked up and given him a wry smile.
"I think they found I have a hard head." He spoke offhandedly and with a slight hint of amusement in his own voice. "I got to say that woman sure had a hard swing to make the kind of contact she did with my head. The doctor said had it been an inch lower I could have been paralyzed or worse yet dead." He thought about that and chuckled, "I cheated death again."
From the end of the hallway two men stepped into view looked at the three men coming towards them, the first a rough hard bitten type smiled, "Not this time you won't you old bastard! This is to shut you up so you and that bitch can't testify against Johnny's boy!" He raised a gun point blank and aimed at Barnabas. Quentin was the first to react shoving the wheel chair over, watching Barnabas roll out and against the wall. The orderly had reached over to the wall and pulled the fire alarm, which had sent a piercing wailing sound echoing down the hallway. Quentin felt the first bullet hit him in the shoulder, making him gasp and grunt.
So much chaos was erupting in the hallway that the orderly did not see Barnabas react by rushing the two men with the guns to confront them, grabbing the guns from both their hands he slammed both men together and then into the wall and stood back to watch them slump to the ground in a state of unconsciousness. Barnabas was angry but he was also concerned having seen Quentin hit by one of the bullets. "Quentin! Are you all right?"
Barnabas hurried back to his fallen cousin looking at his chest he saw no blood. Quentin sighed and reached inside his jacket pocket and pulled out a large money clip made of metal, stuck in the money clip was the discharged bullet impaled against his roll of one hundred dollar bills. "It hit my wallet, I am going to have a short term bruise but otherwise he missed. What the hell did he mean Johnny's boy and testifying?"
Barnabas helped him up. "It must stem from that arm robbery that happened at your place a while back. Vicki and I got subpoenas and were suppose to be ready to testify at their trial scheduled for spring."
Quentin rolled his shoulder and sighed looking down at the two men lying unconscious at the end of the hallway. The orderly had taken cover in one of the side rooms poked his head out. "I just called for security, they were on their way when I pulled the fire alarm, I told them what happened are you two ok?" He crawled into the hallway, stood up, then cautiously walked to the two men and looked down at the two bodies at the end of the hallway.
"Yes we are fine." They all looked up at the arrival of the police with hospital security arriving with weapons drawn. They collected the two thugs and shook their heads leading them off down the hallways.
"So do you think that is why you and Vicki had been targeted by those mysterious attacks because of Johnny? He must love his kid, I wonder who he is?"
"Johnny Gambino, it was his son that robbed your place that night Quentin." George was walking down the hallway, having been called away from Eric's house he arrived in time to hear them talking about the Gambino's. "It would seem that Johnny's son Frankie has been bad and he does not want his son sent to prison. I think these two were responsible for those deaths out on the pointe earlier."
Quentin shook his head, "Seems the mafia is wanting to branch out, I thought he was mostly in the Chicago area with some branches in New York why is his kid robbing places in Maine?" Quentin waited for them to continue down the hallway.
"Seems sonny was going to College in New Hampshire and they were doing hazing and they had been dared to rob a place and bring back a trophy. This time Daddy could not buy him out of his troubles so he decided that he would take care of the witnesses, if they could not intimated you, then they were suppose to kill you. I don't think they expected those hicks could take care of themselves."
"You seem to be pretty well informed on this George, how did you put that together?" Quentin followed behind the orderly pushing Barnabas in the wheelchair. George walked next to Quentin.
"Earlier this week, I put the information on that crash in the national criminal information system and the F.B.I. picked up on the license plate and asked for dental records on the bodies, they matched them to the Gambino henchmen. That is when they went in and talked to Franklin about what was really going on. Looks like Frankie and his buddies were not so loyal to Frankie's father."
"So we do not have to worry about more henchmen coming after us for retribution?" Barnabas asked with an edge of relief in his voice.
"Nope the federal agents are going to take care of this conspiracy problem for us and we don't have to worry about a trial for Frankie, he gave up his dad for a deal with the feds."
That was one more problem Barnabas could check off his list of concerns. "Sheriff how are things going with those girls that were found in the wine cellar of that converted stables?"
"Dr. Lang and Dr. Hoffman were about done, I brought Miss Winters with me. She was a tremendous help. The only patient that was left for the two doctors was Doctor Lang's charge Adam. He seemed to be fine but for some minor bruises and contusions. I think once you two are done here, you might should take Miss Winters home she is exhausted and worried about you Mr. Collins." He patted Barnabas' shoulder.
They arrived to the waiting room of the emergency department where it appeared it was full of young girls and some of their parents had arrived after being called. Vicki sat in the corner half asleep with Liz sitting next to her. Liz clasped her hand in both of hers and chewed her lip. She knew this was not the time to make her confession. She needed to talk to George first. Seeing Barnabas and Quentin arriving she stood releasing Vicki's hand. "George, may I have a word in private with you?" She had stepped forward her look one of concern and guilt.
"Well of course Mrs. Stoddard, would you like to have me drive you home and let the men take Miss Winters home?"
Liz would have shown a sign of relief but still held her pensive look and nodded, "That would be very nice of you George, please and thank you."
Collinsport Road to Collinwood
George led Liz out into the ice storm and seated her in the now cooling car. Starting the car the heat wafted over them both sending a bevy of smells from radiator fluid, to warm heat and the smell of leather. "George there is something that I have been wanting to tell you for sometime. But, I felt that I could not say anything because of your wife and how ill she was."
George had slid the car into gear and carefully backed out of the lot. "What is that Elizabeth? You know that if there was or is anything and I mean this; anything you could always speak to me about even with the problems of . . . "
"George pull over and listen to me and don't say a word until I am finished and please don't hate me." She had tucked her chin and looked at her hands now laid trembling in her lap. "You remember our summer together before you went off to college?"
She glanced over at him and he nodded, "Well you remember we got trapped in the fishing shack and we made love that night?" She glanced up from her hands again and looked at him. Again he nodded and a distant look with a soft smile edged his lips.
"Well after you went away to college I found out I was pregnant. I could not let father know and I certainly did not want to ruin your chances at college so I went to New York under the pretense of wanting to check out schools. I told father I wanted to live on my own for a while and look for colleges to attend, I really checked myself into an unwed mother's home where I gave birth to our daughter."
George locked his jaw together and for the first time since they sat down in his squad car he looked upset. Liz chewed her lip and then sighed, "I could not keep her so I put her in a foundling home. If father had found out about her, I would never have known where she was or what might have happened to her but this way I knew where she was and I sent money to make sure she was cared for properly."
George looked up at the ice covering his windshield only melt with the hot air from the defroster heating the windshield. He worked his teeth back and forth grinding them with each movement made. "What happened to her Liz? Where is my daughter?"
Elizabeth sighed deeply, "You would be proud of her George, she is here with me. Its Victoria Winters." She dropped her bomb only taking a moment to look at the anger that had begun to build in the man.
"Does she know?" He asked his own voice had grown so soft, he had just been told he was a father of a baby girl except she was no longer a baby she was a fully grown woman with a life of her own.
"I wanted to tell her but then all this happened and I have not been able to bring myself to tell her who she really is and who her farther is and well I felt I needed to tell you before I told her and, I don't want you to hate me George, I don't want this to be something that comes between our friendship."
"Elizabeth Collins why did you not tell me when you found out? I would have come back and taken care of you and our baby."
Liz sniffed; she rubbed the tears that now fell from her eyes. "I could not tell you without telling father, he would have ruined you and your father. You know your father was sheriff at the time this happened and he was given his position thanks mostly to my father paying for his campaigns. I was not about to ruin that for you and your family. I could not have done that. I came close to telling you about Vicki right before I gave birth."
She sighed and thought about that call home to be told that George Patterson was engaged. "I found out you had gotten engaged to a girl at college and that you both were going to wait until you graduated before you got married. How could I do that to you? So, I had Vicki, came home and promptly got engaged to Paul and you know how that turned out."
George let his anger go, he could not blame her; they both had been young and thought they had fallen in love and then had separated. The only reason he had gotten engaged to Gretchen was because of the news he had gotten from his father that Elizabeth was going to travel Europe for a while and then go to college and would not be home for two years. He had been heart broken thinking of being separated from her for two years. So out of pique he had asked Gretchen to marry him.
"We are both like a Shakespearean play aren't we Liz? We should have followed our hearts and to hell with everyone else. I still love you Liz, always have and Gretchen knew it up to the day she died. Her last words to me were asking me to tell you how I felt and she encouraged me to come to you. I could not do that to her or the memory of her until now." He reached over and took her hand in his hand.
"Elizabeth Collins Stoddard, I love you and I want you to marry me. I don't have that right to expect you to rush into a marriage to me now so soon after her death, I still need to tell my kids about Vicki and we need to tell that girl together before she gets married that she is a Collins-Patterson."
Elizabeth allowed him to gather her trembling tear soaked form into his arms and kiss her temple. "Dry those beautiful eyes my dearest Elizabeth. We will get through this and pray she does not hate us both."
Collinwood
Gregory sat by Carolyn's bed looking at her while she slept peacefully, running his hand over her stomach he smiled, she carried his son, he was sure it was a boy. His mind was filled with all his plans of how he would manipulate her to secure his position with the upper echelon of society. He had a stroke of genius when he began to replace her birth control pills with baby aspirin. He knew it would be a matter of time before she bore his fruit. He glanced up as Daphne walked into the room. "Mr. Trask, I am going to bed, I suggest you do the same. Carolyn needs to rest and I am sure you will be able to visit with her tomorrow morning."
Gregory stood up and nodded, "I am tired, so if you need anything or she needs anything just come get me, they put me in the rom next to Quentin Collins." He stretched and walked to the door giving one last look to the girl in her bed and smiled. Closing the door softly behind him, he made his way down the hallway to his room feeling pretty proud of himself as he moved along the hallway he got a feeling of being watched, pausing he turned to peer around the darkened hallway barely lit by a small table lamp on an antique table. Shaking off the feeling he continued to his room where he prepared for bed.
Watching Gregory from his hotel room Nicholas smiled, "Oh yes go to sleep my dear friend, through you we shall summon one that has evil intent and needs to sate, sleep and allow me to guide the spirit of the darkest past from the bowels of the original Collinwood to come forth and take what is valued the most by Barnabas Collins."
Nicholas stood back extending both hands he closed his eyes and smiled, "I summon from the darkness and the past Reverend Trask come forward now and claim what you have always sought, come now I command you to come forward and stand before me to do my bidding!"
The room began to fill with a howling wind and a low moaning sound of a man long dead, his anguish filled the air around Nicholas and the figure of Reverend Trask began to form. He stood with his dark wild hair tousled and his gaze haunted. "What darkness summons me? Who dares to disturb my rest? Who dares to summon the man of god?"
Nicholas smiled, a twinkle in his eyes. "I summon you from the darkness to which you were banished. I summon you and command you Trask, no other but the right hand of Beelzebub himself!"
The anguish filled the hallow sounding voice, "Nooooo, I serve only the light of our almighty God, I do not serve the darkness of Satan!"
Nicholas laughed, "Solidify your form servant of god, which from what I have observed you are far from any servant of someone as holy as the god you profess to serve. You serve my dark master now and I am here to offer and grant you your wish. Are you interested or should I send you back to the molding bones that are still chained in that walled up area of the old house?"
Trask cried out in anguish and the sounds of rattling chains echoed about the room. "Noooo do not send me back let me go into the light, release me to find my peace with god!"
Again, Nicholas laughed, "You serve me now Trask, if you had it to do all over again to start fresh and seek what you always wanted would you accept what I offer in exchange for your immortal soul?"
Trask thought a moment, "What are you offering?"
Nicholas smiled, "Victoria Winters."
Come join us for the next installment of Shadows of Memories Past. While Vicki prepares for her wedding to Barnabas, she learns who her parents are. Then on the very eve of her wedding when the vengeful spirit of Trask takes her to a time when Quentin originally lived in Collinwood and his Grandson Lamar Trask lived. With the help of Professor Stokes, Barnabas travels through the stairway of time to locate Victoria. Can he save her in time? We have to wait and see.
