Collinwood sits stately on the crest of Widow's Hill. It is a place of many
sorrows. Some of them are secret sorrows. There are other secret sorrows
that beset the residents here. They are not limited to the great house
itself. In another house on the Collins estate, another secret sorrow has
been kept a secret for centuries. Few have ever learned that secret. Many
who have learned that secret have carried that knowledge to their graves.
Now Barnabas Collins fears that the horrible secret he has guarded time and
time again is being dangerously close to being found out once again.
Barnabas and Julia entered the old house. Barnabas was extremely troubled. He looked at Julia with great concern. "What will I do, Julia? Stokes is on the verge of discovering my secret." Julia looked extremely worried. "You don't plan to kill him do you, Barnabas? Please don't! You must not kill him!" Barnabas turned to her and replied. "No Julia, I won't kill him. I have shed enough innocent blood. I don't have it in me to kill any longer. That instinct was part of the monster I once was. Stokes has been a good friend and a valuable aide to us many times. I couldn't live with myself if I did harm to him. If there was only a way to make him forget." Julia frowned and said, "There's no way I could hypnotize him, Barnabas. He would know immediately what I was trying to do. Oh Barnabas, what will we do? What will we do! Barnabas replied, "I don't know, Julia. Perhaps we can keep him occupied with other questions. Keep him distracted from thinking about it." Julia blinked nervously as she often did when faced with a perplexing situation and said, "Oh Barnabas, we can't be with him night and day. We can't change his thought patterns every time his curiosity is piqued." Barnabas' eyes fell to the floor in despair. "I know Julia. I'm running out of explanations to dispel his findings. What will he do if he puts it all together? Will he tell the authorities? I cannot keep being distracted while I worry about what he knows. I will find out exactly what he suspects. I will not avoid his prying and let him reveal everything that is on his mind. It's the only way!" Barnabas concluded. Julia's head shook side to side as she protested. "No Barnabas! It's too dangerous!" Barnabas maintained his resolve saying, "I must Julia! There's no other way. I must find out exactly what he knows!" (Three dramatic notes sound)
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Professor T. Eliot Stokes sat in his arm chair lost in thought. His hands folded across his chest. He reached into the ashtray on the table beside the chair and puffed the burning cigarette that he had laid there and forgotten. He put out the butt that remained. At that moment a knock came upon the door. Stokes straightened up in the chair and called out, "Come in Mr. Collins!" The door indeed opened to reveal Barnabas Collins in the doorway. "I've been expecting you, do come in!" Barnabas was taken aback at the fact Stokes knew he would be coming. His face registered this surprise. He closed the door behind him, and removed his cape and stood the cane by the door. Then Stokes spoke again, "Very good, I see you persuaded Dr. Hoffman not to accompany you. Do have a seat Mr. Collins." Barnabas blood rushed through his veins as he brought himself to sit across from Stokes. The Professor sat pondering for a moment and then spoke, "Let me spare you the awkwardness of trying to explain why you're here. I'm not a stupid man, Barnabas. I do hope you don't mind if I call you by your given name." Barnabas nodded approval and Stokes continued, "You have nothing to fear Barnabas. It is so incredible I find it hard to believe myself. I know that YOU are the same Barnabas Collins that was born in the 18th century." Barnabas eyes widened but he said nothing. "Now, this is the part where you frantically try to deny it and explain it away. But let me continue. I'll tell you how I know it is true." Stokes arose from his chair and walked around it, his arms folded behind his back. "You arrived here mysteriously 4 years ago looking incredibly like the man whom you claimed to be your ancestor. While certain bloodlines are indeed strong causing offspring to look incredibly similar to their forbearers, no two people, except identical twins look exactly alike. Both mother and father contribute genetic material to a child that gives them their uniqueness. I remember when the witch, Angelique imposed the dream curse that her ultimate target was you. From Victoria Winters' account, this same Angelique lived in the past at the time Barnabas Collins was from. The family history says that Barnabas Collins abruptly moved to England where he lived out his days, never to return to Collinsport. Shortly after that, wild animal attacks began. The very same kind of animal attacks coincided with your arrival here four years ago. Every time period where a Barnabas Collins suddenly came here from England included the same kind of attacks. I believe you somehow angered Angelique, and that she imposed some kind of curse upon you out of revenge. By the time I met you, these attacks had concluded. I believe that when you met Julia Hoffman, who happens to be a blood specialist, together you found a cure for your curse. I'm sure if anyone else heard this conversation, they should think me mad. When you wanted to return to the past to help Miss Winters, you came to me wanting the special herbs that allowed Jeff Clark to return to his own time. I told you that they would have no effect on you unless you too were from another century. You responded by saying (and what if I told you I was from another century?) My reply to you was that if it were true, it was the best kept secret in Collinsport. That's when I knew the truth Barnabas. I knew you didn't trust me with such knowledge, and quite frankly, for a while, I feared for my safety if you discovered that I knew. As time went on, and I watched your concern for the rest of the Collins family, and the efforts we both joined in trying to end the tragedies that were occurring. I knew that you were a friend to be trusted, and was quite disturbed that you didn't return the confidence. I can understand wholeheartedly why you could not. I dare say had our roles been reversed, I should have felt entirely the same as you did." Stokes now looked directly into Barnabas' eyes. Then he continued with his hand extended in friendship, "Can we drop all the pretense and mistrust and dishonesty, Barnabas Collins? Will you take my hand in friendship?" Barnabas was speechless. His grief filled eyes looked up into Stokes' as he rose from the chair and extended his own hand.
Julia Hoffman paced the drawing room of the old house. A worried look was etched into her face. She looked nervously at her watch, and then paced some more. She walked to the window and looked out expectantly, then turned back and resumed the unsettled look she had previously. "I wonder what's taking Barnabas so long", she thought as she continued pacing. "Did Stokes know something? Did he know too much? Did Barnabas kill him? I just have to know! I knew I should have gone with him. I shouldn't have let him go alone!" Julia paced a moment longer and a look of desperation and resolve seized her face. She headed quickly for the coat rack in the hall, removing her coat. She then turned to the hall table to get her purse. The front door opened and Barnabas walked inside. Julia sighed as though the greatest weight in the world has just been taken off her shoulders. Then Stokes also appeared in the doorway. A look of shock came over her as she was struck speechless. She quickly assumed a demeanor of calmness hoping Stokes had not seen her reaction. The two men followed her into the drawing room. Stokes nodded at Julia and said," Good morning, Julia." Julia still not knowing how to react replied, "Good morning Professor Stokes." Barnabas looked at Julia and said, "It's alright Julia, he knows everything." Stokes gave her a reassuring smile, but Julia still remained uncomfortable and terribly, terribly concerned. (Music rises and fades)
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"So it was Dr. Lang that affected the cure. It's quite difficult to understand how someone as apparently as demented as he must have been to have created an artificial life form from the remains of corpses should have engaged himself in such a noble cause. I have at least some measure of respect for the man now." Stokes said looking up at the ceiling. "I often wonder what became of Adam. He came to my home after the last failed experiment. Jeff Clark came and he had to hide in another room until he was gone. After Clark left, I called to him that it was alright to come out. When he didn't respond, I opened the door and found a note on the bed. It simply said, Goodbye Professor Stokes, Thank you. Barnabas' lips pursed as he too wondered what became of Adam as well. He then turned to Stokes and said, "There is much more you don't know. I will tell you all the details another time. We must find out how to fight Judah Zachary. He is here now trying to complete what he started. Julia and I discovered this a few nights ago." Barnabas removed the book from the bookcase and opened it to the blood stained picture of Amadeus Collins. "We discovered it open to this very page on that desk." He said indicating the desk by the door. "The blood was fresh when we found it. There was no one here to remove it from its place on the shelf; it wasn't there when we left." Barnabas added. Stokes lifted his monocle to his eye examining the book. Then he allowed it to fall again as he replied. "Very curious; I found my own journal disturbed at my own house. That must mean he was there as well. A ghost that likes to read; it should be quite humorous if the situation were not so grave. He apparently wants to find out as much as he can about all of us. That means he is aware of our interference in the past. That also means I am now included in his plans for revenge. It seems our friendship pact came none too soon. If he indeed is a spirit, he will be quite difficult to find. I suspect he will find someone in this time to possess as he did Gerard Stiles. A disembodied spirit is severely limited in what he can accomplish. We shall have to keep our eyes open and be vigilant." Barnabas looked quite concerned and replied, "Who will he choose to possess?
Nicholas Blair sat across from Judah Zachary in Trevor Halliburton's office. "So, you plan to get to Roger Collins with a lawsuit for slander. That hardly seems an adequate way of dealing with him. Even if you win, he'll simply lose a very insignificant amount of money considering the wealth of the Collins family." He said snidely. Judah stood up and walked around the desk looking at Blair and replied. "No, I shall not seek to ruin him through this foolish lawsuit. The lawyer himself never intended to continue pursuing it. He was expecting that Collins would approach him and secretly pay him a sum of money to discontinue the litigation to avoid a scandal. He bought himself time by having the plaintiff draw up some long worthless testimonial to give Collins time to approach him. He is a fool. If I did not need this body, it would amuse me to see his client kill him for his deceit. We shall have to find a way to dispose of the matter. I intend to ingratiate myself upon the Collins family. I can best accomplish my task if I have a foothold in the house. I should not be welcomed if I approach them as an enemy. Now I must find a way to dispose of Gerald Fenton." Nicholas raised a hand to remind him of his earlier warning against leaving dead bodies around, but Judah stopped him by adding, "No, I shall not kill him. I have other plans for Mr. Gerald Fenton. Other plans indeed…" (Dramatic music rises to a crescendo)
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Barnabas Collins…
JONATHAN FRID
Julia Hoffman…
GRAYSON HALL
Professor Stokes…
THAYER DAVID
Nicholas Blair…
HUMBERT ALLEN ASTREDO
Trevor Halliburton/Judah Zachary KEITH PRENTICE
Written by RUSS WILLIAMS
Directed by RUSS WILLIAMS
Fashions courtesy of ORBACH'S
Costumes by MOSTOLLER
Music composed by ROBERT COBERT
Series created by DAN CURTIS Executive Producer