Dark Shadows: Risk of Discovery
Chapter 4
1
Willie Loomis didn't care for the task he had to do, but he knew that it was a complete necessity. He couldn't allow the risk to Barnabas with another vampire feeding in his area. Although determined to find the rogue vampire, Willie wasn't at all confident that he and Professor Stokes would be able to locate him. Vampires were very clever in the manner in which they hid their coffins. Even Barnabas had moved his coffin into the tunnels in order to conceal his daytime rest.
Willie remained silent as he drove himself and Professor Stokes to the far side of Collinsport, where most of the empty cottages were located.
"Willie, I don't have to tell you we have to do this very carefully. If we get caught, we will get charged with breaking and entering," Professor Stokes said.
Willie got out of the truck as Stokes did on the other side. "Professor, you're preaching to the choir. Remember what I did before I became Barnabas' servant."
Stokes looked toward the first cottage. "I am assuming you know how to pick a lock."
Willie grinned. "I used to take pride in the fact that there wasn't a lock I couldn't pick. However, since I've been working for Barnabas, I've gotten out of practice. It might take me a few minutes to get back into the swing of it."
"I trust you brought the proper tools?" the professor asked.
Willie pulled a small case out of the glove compartment of his truck. Opening it, he turned it so the professor could see what was inside it. It was a menagerie of picks. "This was my pride and joy! There is every pick conceivable in this case. Once I got the hang of it, there wasn't a lock anywhere that I couldn't pick."
After shutting the passenger door of the truck, the professor followed Willie to the door of the cottage. Loomis bent down, set the case on the ground, and studied the lock for a moment. He chose the picks he believed would open the lock and went to work. Within a matter of seconds, he had the door open. Loomis turned and grinned at the professor.
"Looks like you haven't lost your touch, Willie," the professor said.
"I guess it is something you just never forget," he said.
They entered the cottage. The professor located the light switch and attempted to turn on the lights. Nothing happened. "Whoever owns this cottage must have the electricity turned off."
"I'll open the curtains. Willie walked over to the closest window.
"No! That's not a good idea. Someone could spot us here. Leave the blinds closed."
It was an extremely small cottage. It really didn't take two people to check it. They separated anyway and went in opposite directions. Within a matter of a couple minutes, they both determined there wasn't any possible way the rogue vampire's coffin could be hidden in the cottage.
The professor and Willie left everything as they found it, and headed back to the truck. "We must make sure that we do a better job of concealing your vehicle. You will have to admit it is quite recognizable." The professor opened the passenger door and got inside. Willie did the same on the driver's side. They moved on to the next cottage.
It was quite a bit bigger than the first one. Stokes noted that it would take a longer time to search it to make sure there wasn't a vampire squatting on the property.
Willie drove his truck around to the back, appeasing the professor so it would not be seen by any passerbys. Once again, they got out, only this time they went to the back door. It made much more sense and lowered the risk of being seen.
With skill that surprised Professor Stokes, Willie took even less time to unlock the door. "Exactly where did you learn to pick locks?"
He thought for a moment, but simply couldn't remember who taught him. "I hung around a lot of guys that could pick locks. One of them taught me how to do it. After much practice, I became better at it than the guy who taught me. Believe me, it came in handy when I had no place to go. I would find an empty place like this one, pick the lock and stay for a couple nights. I never stayed anywhere longer than that, unless I knew the owner would not show up and surprise me."
"I would rather imagine staying in someone's cottage or home wasn't the only thing you did there."
Looking away from the professor, Willie shrugged his shoulders. "Those were hard times for me. I had to find a way to survive."
"Was Jason McGuire with you at the time?"
Willie opened the door and stepped back to allow the professor to enter in front of him. He followed him in before answering. "No, that came later. He caught me picking the lock on a home. He said unless I split half of whatever I took with him, he would turn me into the police. So, I did what I had to do. After that, well we sort of started working together."
Once again, the electricity was shut off. Both men looked around the living room. With shades pulled, it was almost as dark as it would be if they had arrived at dusk.
"Who would have thought we would need a flashlight?" the professor said.
"Nah, we don't need a flashlight. I can see just fine." Loomis headed for a room at the back of the cottage while the professor checked down the hallway. Willie came back almost immediately very excited. "Professor, come see this! I think we have found him!"
Stokes joined Loomis in what appeared to be a study. A coffin had been set in the middle of the room. "I'll go get the stake and mallet," Willie offered. He ran out of the room to go back to his truck.
Stokes didn't wait for Willie to come back to open the coffin. His curiosity had gotten the better of him. He couldn't believe it was so easy to locate the vampire's resting place. Lifting the lid, he looked inside. The coffin was empty.
Willie ran into the room with the stake and mallet in his hand. A look of disappointment appeared on his face upon seeing the empty coffin. "I don't understand. Where is he?"
"That's a good question. You have lived with a vampire for quite a while now. What is your opinion? Where do you think he is?"
"He must have waited too long to return to his coffin. The only place I can think of that would be dark enough to protect him would be the cave by Widows' Hill."
Something was wrong. The professor could sense it. This had been far too easy. Did the vampire want them to find this coffin? Was it possible he wanted to lead them to the cave by Widows' Hill?
"I think we should go to the cave. I am betting that is where we will find the vampire."
"Willie, I don't believe we will find him there. I think the vampire wanted us to find this coffin."
Willie gave him a puzzled look. "I don't understand, Professor. Why would he do that?"
"I am not certain. However, it will not take us that long to check all of these cottages in this area. The cave is quite a distance from us. If we go there …"
The look on Willie's face turned to horror. "Oh my God! His servant has gone to the Old House to stake Barnabas!" In a panic, the young man attempted to leave the cottage on the run. Professor Stokes stepped in front of him.
"Calm down, Willie, we don't know that. You just might be right. He may not have been able to get back to his coffin in time. If the caves were closer, he might go there. If this vampire means harm to Barnabas, then he would know Barnabas would send you out to destroy him. He might not be willing to allow his servant to leave him. I think we should go to the caves and see if he's there. If he is not, then we'll head back to the Old House to be sure the servant hasn't shown up there."
"I want to go back to the Old House right now!" Loomis insisted.
"Dr Hoffman is there. She is armed, isn't she?"
"Yeah, but it is my job to protect Barnabas."
"Willie, even if the vampire's servant went to the old house, he wouldn't be able to find Barnabas. He would have no idea there are secret tunnels. He wouldn't be able to find him anyway."
It didn't do much to calm Willie's nerves. "I still want to go back to the Old House."
"Barnabas will be fine. Let's go to the caves first."
He didn't like it, but Willie knew Barnabas would want him to follow Professor Stokes' direction. "All right, we'll go to the caves first, but let's get started right now."
Stokes closed the lid of the coffin and had to hurry to catch up with Willie. When he arrived at the beat up truck, Willie was already behind the wheel and had started the ignition. Once the professor was inside the truck, Willie pulled it around the house and headed down the street at a pace Stokes considered less than safe.
2
Victoria Winters could not remember a time when she was this excited. For the first time in her life, she was finally going to find out who her parents were. It was something she thought about every day of her life.
Despite wanting to know so badly, Victoria wanted to keep an open mind. There had to be a reason why her mother gave her up for adoption. She didn't want to be overly judgmental. On the other hand, if she were able to find her mother, she definitely was going to confront her regarding giving her up for adoption at birth.
As she drove to the orphanage, her excitement only continued to build. No longer would she have to wonder who her parents were. Finally, the mystery would be solved.
When she arrived at the orphanage, she was unsure as to whether she should knock on the door, or just enter. When she lived there, she followed all rules regarding leaving the orphanage. When coming back, she never had to knock. This was an entirely different situation now. It was no longer her home. On the other hand, she doubted visitors would knock on the door. She made up her mind simply to enter.
She opened the door and walked in. Memories flooded her mind of the years she grew up and lived in the orphanage. She couldn't help but wonder who her mysterious benefactor was. Someone sent money to the orphanage on a monthly basis for her care. Victoria could only imagine that it had to be her mother. Why else would anyone send money to the orphanage on her behalf?
Molly Foster turned the corner and spotted Victoria Winters headed in her direction. She smiled and put out her arms. Victoria walked directly to her, and the two women embraced.
"Victoria! It is so nice to see you again. How are things going with the Collins family and that young boy whom you are in charge of?"
Victoria was happy to once again see the woman who really had raised her. She smiled and answered, "I couldn't be more happy with this placement. Mrs Stoddard is wonderful. David can be a challenge, but he really is a good boy. I can't thank you enough for putting me in touch with the Collins family."
"Let's go to my office," Molly Foster said. The two women walked arm in arm until they arrived at her office. She opened the door, and Victoria followed her in. "I really was hoping you would choose to stay on and help with the children here at the orphanage."
"I know you did, but I simply couldn't stay any longer. I needed to start making a life for myself. I love my job and I have met some wonderful people. Elizabeth and Roger's Cousin Barnabas and I have become very good friends. He really is a wonderful man, and he watches out for the entire Collins family."
"I am so happy it has worked out for you. Now, what can I do for you?"
Victoria found that to be a strange question. It was Molly Foster who contacted her through Mrs Stoddard, and told her she had the information she had requested. Elizabeth relayed the message to her. "I don't understand. Mrs Stoddard told me you called and wanted to talk to me regarding revealing who my biological mother is."
Foster was confused for a moment. What was she supposed to tell Victoria Winters? Oh yes, there had been a mistake. "Victoria, I am afraid I have some bad news. I did call and tell Elizabeth that I discovered who your mother is. Unfortunately, I didn't read through the paperwork properly. It wasn't your mother we were able to locate. It was Victoria Smith's mother."
Victoria couldn't believe it! She was so excited when Mrs Stoddard gave her the news. Now, it turned out to be nothing more than a mistake, and a horrible mistake at that! Molly Foster had gotten her hopes up, only to have them destroyed by a mistake.
Foster could see how upset and disappointed Victoria was. "I know no apology will suffice. I am so sorry, Victoria. I should have read through the report more carefully. I promise you, I will continue to try to locate your biological mother. In the meantime, do not give up hope." She reached forward and took Victoria's hand in hers. "I know how important it is to you to locate your mother. I must tell you, that sometimes it is better not to know. I'm not saying this is the case, I am only saying you should think about it."
Victoria felt like crying. She held back the tears as she did not want to cry in front of Molly Foster. She said nothing as she was afraid her anger would get the better of her. Victoria never should have been contacted unless Ms Foster was positive she located her mother. Without saying another word, she stood up and walked to the door.
"Victoria, I am truly sorry."
Without looking back or replying, Victoria left Molly Foster's office. She had a long drive back to Collinwood. Once she was on the road, she thought about how she could find out who her mother was herself. There was one person she was certain would help her. She would see Barnabas as soon as she could. Yes, Barnabas would definitely help her. Despite how upset she was, the thought of her friend helping her lifted her spirits a bit. It would make the drive back to Collinwood a little easier to bear.
3
James Sawyer followed Desandro's instructions to the letter. His master believed that Barnabas Collins would instruct his servant to locate and destroy him. His master had been correct. They hadn't been aware he was following them.
Barnabas Collins' servant seemed to be quite skillful at picking locks. Sawyer hadn't been certain they were looking for Desandro until they entered the second cottage. The servant came running back out of the cottage and removed a stake and mallet from his truck. That left no doubt of his intention.
The servant and the man he called the professor were wrong about Desandro waiting too long to make it back to his coffin. His coffin was not located in the cottage or in the cave either. The professor had been right about it being a diversion. Desandro wanted to find out right away if Collins would attempt to have him destroyed. Indeed, he had.
Sawyer was aware that Desandro researched Collinsport before he came to America. He could have hidden his coffin in one of the cottages, but when he arrived he discovered that it would be fairly easy for Collins' servant to locate him. The cave was out of the question as well. Desandro decided it would be one of the places Collins would have his servant check first. It certainly was dark enough for a vampire's rest. Unfortunately, he worried that curious hikers might discover him in the cave, not to mention the servant might locate and stake him. It was far too risky to settle his coffin in either place. He had to find a place Collins and his servant wouldn't think of.
Logically, the last place they would think to look would be at the mansion they called Collinwood. The problem with choosing it was not the people living there, at least almost all of them. Desandro discovered there was a young boy named David Collins who defied his family on a regular basis. He was a curious young lad and spent much time in the West Wing of Collinwood. Desandro was afraid the boy might find him, if he chose to place his coffin in the depths of the cellar at the mansion. Fortunately, he found another abandoned property of the Collins family. It was a rather large residence known as Seaview.
Seaview was located near the ocean. It also had a cellar. Upon arriving, the vampire and servant went directly to Seaview. Desandro discovered a secret room off the basement. Unless one knew about it, they would never be able to find it. Since the mansion was built more than 100 years before, he didn't believe anyone of the current age would have any knowledge of the secret room. Desandro was going to put his coffin in the cellar until he discovered, quite by accident, the secret room. He decided it was the perfect place for him to rest during the day. Making it clear to his servant that he wasn't to be seen in the daytime near Seaview, he was certain no one would come looking for him there.
James Sawyer wouldn't take any chance of being seen anywhere near Seaview. Since his master was so certain no one would look for him there, Sawyer didn't feel he had to stand over the vampire to protect him. He thought it would be more important to find out about the people in the area so his master could decide upon a plan to destroy Barnabas Collins.
Unlike most vampire servants, Sawyer was actually treated quite well by Desandro. That didn't mean he didn't fear the vampire. He was compelled to serve his master and protect him. Therefore, he would help him in any way he could to destroy Barnabas Collins
Sawyer left the area of the cave. He had found out the information that his master wanted. Hopefully, it would help him with his plans. Now that Collins' servant had checked the tunnel near what the people in the area called Widows' Hill, he would be able to settle there during the day. He would have to wait until the servant and the professor left the area. His master made it clear he was not to be seen by anyone. It was such a small town, a stranger would come to the attention of Barnabas Collins. Desandro couldn't have that. The last thing he could allow was any contact between Sawyer and Collins.
4
Dr Dave Woodard couldn't believe what he was reading in the autopsy report. The body of the woman who was murdered near the Blue Whale Tavern didn't have a drop of blood in her body. How was that possible? Dr Woodard questioned the coroner extensively. Unfortunately, he had no answers for the lack of blood in the body.
How could he list the cause of death on the death certificate as complete loss of blood? Any medical professional would think he was crazy. Nobody Lost all of the blood in their body unless it was some kind of a terrible accident. The woman showed no signs of injury. The coroner told him the only thing he could find on her body that would indicate any trauma was two puncture wounds on the side of her neck. Both punctures had blood dripping from them.
Dr Woodard had been practicing medicine in Collinsport for years. He had seen many strange things, but this one really bothered him. Unlike other people, he believed in the supernatural. There were many legends that surrounded the town of Collinsport. One of them gave the only explanation for the loss of blood. Yet, could he actually believe it himself?
Woodard believed in ghosts. In fact, he saw them from time to time in Collinsport. The town had a reputation for the supernatural. However, that basically meant people saw a ghost now and then. It wasn't a ghost that siphoned all of the blood out of the woman's body.
Woodard shuttered to think what supernatural being could have murdered the woman. He couldn't comprehend what he was thinking. Yet, there wasn't any other explanation for what happened to the woman. With evidence of the two puncture marks on her neck, he had no choice but to come to the determination that there was a vampire in Collinsport. He had to contact Julia Hoffman and consult with her. He knew she was a firm believer in vampires. Hopefully, she would know enough about them to help him.
5
The atmosphere in Willie's truck was gloomy. They had spent nearly the entire day going from cottage to cottage, yet, they found no trace whatsoever of a vampire. Nor did they run into anybody in town who was on familiar to them.
The professor watched Willie closely. He could tell the young man was extremely upset. Willie's devotion to Barnabas was admirable. He would do anything to protect him. The fact that they could not locate the vampire must make him feel like he failed to protect Barnabas. Professor had to say something to set his mind at ease.
"Willie, it is not your fault that we didn't locate the rogue vampire. We will continue to look. Meet me again tomorrow and we will continue our search."
The anxious young man wasn't comforted by the professor's words at all. He wasn't having any part of it. "It's my job to protect Barnabas. Failing to find the vampire puts him in risk of discovery. I failed him today."
"No, you didn't, we didn't. There was no guarantee that we would find him today. Willie, we will find him, it's just going to take more time."
Loomis said nothing further. He drove the rest of the way to the Old House in silence.
They entered the foyer and were met by Julia Hoffman. She could immediately tell from Willie's demeanor that they hadn't located the vampire. Dusk wasn't very far off. Willie and Professor Stokes returned before dusk as Barnabas had requested.
"No luck?"
Without answering her, Willie stomped past her to the door leading into the cellar. Raising an eyebrow, she looked at Professor Stokes.
"He's upset, Julia. He feels he has failed Barnabas by not locating the vampire. I told him to meet me in the morning, and we will continue our search. Anything happen here?"
"No, it's been a rather quiet day, or at least it was."
Stokes cocked his head. "What do you mean? Has something happened?"
"Dave Woodard called me. He wants me to meet him at the hospital."
"You can't go alone. Barnabas would be furious. I'll go with you. Wait here while I go and tell Willie."
Stokes disappeared down the foyer into the cellar. Some minutes later, he returned. "Do you have your protections with you?"
"Dave is an extremely suspicious individual. He believes in the supernatural, but I am not sure if he believes in vampires. If he does, I don't want to be caught with crosses and garlic. I am taking a gun that is loaded with silver bullets. It should provide the protection we need against a vampire."
"All right then, let's go."
They left the Old House and headed for the hospital.
6
As they always did at dusk, Barnabas' eyes opened. He pushed the lid of the coffin upward. Throwing his legs over the side, Barnabas Collins exited his daytime prison. Waiting for him, Willie Loomis stood beside his coffin. Barnabas looked around but did not see Julia.
"Good evening, Barnabas," Willie said.
Without returning the greeting, Barnabas asked, "Where's Julia?" It was rare these days that she wasn't there when he woke up.
"She and Professor Stokes went to see Dr Woodard. He requested her to come.
A worried look appeared on the vampire's face. Still, he was expecting this. After all, Woodard would have found out that the woman had every drop of blood in her body missing. Barnabas didn't know whether Woodard believed in vampires. Even if he didn't, it didn't surprise him that Woodard wanted to consult with Julia. She was a highly respected doctor in the area.
Despite knowing all that, it worried him. Barnabas always got the feeling Woodard didn't like him. Did he believe in the supernatural? More importantly, if he did, would he pursue this as a vampire attack?
Barnabas and Willie went up the stairs and entered the foyer. The door knockers sounded. "Willie, will you get that please."
"It's probably that vampire that came to see you when you were out last night." Willie hurried over to the doors. He unlatched and opened them. Standing on the outside, was the vampire, Desandro.
"As promised, I am here to see Mr Barnabas Collins. I trust that he is in?"
"Yes, he is expecting you. Come in." Willie led him into the drawing room where an awaiting Barnabas stood and faced the vampire.
Desandro walked over to Barnabas and extended his hand. "Mr Collins, my name is Desandro. I came to speak with you."
Barnabas did not shake his hand. Desandro pulled his hand back. "I suppose I can understand your reluctance to accept me. I am told there's a vampire feeding in your territory. I assure you, Mr Collins, that it is not I. I came to offer my help to find this rogue vampire."
A very suspicious Barnabas asked, "Just exactly how could you know there was a vampire feeding in my territory?"
Desandro smiled. "I only know because your doctor told me last night. Didn't she tell you about me?" He knew fully well Dr Hoffman would tell Collins. He was also certain that she was just as suspicious of him as Collins was now.
"What are you doing in Collinsport?" Barnabas demanded.
"If it is alright with you, may we sit down?"
Barnabas extended his hand toward the chairs on both sides of the fireplace. Desandro waited for his host to be seated and then followed suit.
"As I explained to Dr Hoffman, I desire your help. Like you, I deplore what I am. I was turned by a female vampire. I have been a vampire for many years. I recently found out that Dr Hoffman is attempting to produce a serum that will reverse the vampiric condition. I would like your permission to have her help me as well."
He sat there quietly, contemplating what to say to this stranger. Barnabas didn't trust him. He found it to be too much of a coincidence that he appeared in Collinsport at the same time a vampire had killed a woman near the Blue Whale. Finally, he decided on a course to take.
"I cannot speak for Dr Hoffman. I will speak with her this evening and find out if she is producing enough serum to treat you as well. Where may we reach you?" Barnabas was certain he would avoid telling him where he was staying. If that were the case, it would convince him that this man was indeed the vampire who was feeding in his territory.
Desandro broke into a wide grin. "Excellent! I have always found it to be a depressing thought that I would have to live through the centuries as a vampire. Now, with your permission, it gives me hope that this horrible condition can be reversed."
Noting that the stranger didn't answer his question, Barnabas wasn't about to let him get away with it. "How will we reach you? Where are you staying," he asked again.
Unfortunately, DeSandro knew he would have to give him an answer or he would become convinced he was the one who attacked the woman in his territory. "I am afraid last night I was unable to get a room at the Collinsport Inn. Therefore, I stayed in the cellar at what you refer to as Collinwood."
Alarmed by this, Barnabas stood up. "You had no business entering Collinwood! I am certain that Elizabeth didn't give you permission. She certainly wouldn't have offered you the cellar."
"You are right, I had no business entering the Collins mansion. You must understand that I was desperate. Of all people, you understand we must find a resting place before the sun rises. None of the cottages in the area which are unoccupied were sufficient enough for me to stay for one day. Had you been in residence when I arrived last night, I would have requested to be allowed to stay here. However, you were not here when I arrived. My sincere apologies for the imposition I placed upon your family." He bowed toward Barnabas.
"See that it doesn't happen again. You are to stay far away from Collinwood. Is that clear?"
"Absolutely, Mr Collins. I have no desire to upset you or harm any of your family members."
"And the townspeople?"
Desandro didn't think for a minute that Barnabas Collins was accepting any of his explanations. He obviously believed him to be the vampire who killed the woman near the docks. "As I already stated to both you and Dr Hoffman, I am not the one who attacked the woman. I have no desire to harm anyone. You have my word that I will feed outside of Collinsport."
His word meant nothing to Barnabas. Desandro could see that. "Mr Collins, it doesn't take a mind reader to see that you do not trust me at all. I am certain that you probably think I am the one who attacked and killed that woman. I assure you, once again, it was not I who attacked her. I have no desire to harm anyone. Those days are long gone for me.
"I do however need your help in securing a place for me to sleep during the day. Is there somewhere you can suggest where I would be safe from harm or discovery?"
Barnabas thought for a moment. If he knew where he was staying, they could keep an eye on him. If he really was not the vampire who murdered the woman, Barnabas did not want to destroy him. Before he did so, he had to be certain Desandro was a threat to both him, his family, and the people of Collinsport.
"There are tunnels near Widows' Hill. If you go deep enough into those tunnels, it is sufficiently dark enough for a vampire to sleep during the day."
"And where is this Widows' Hill you are talking about?
"It is near Collinwood. I caution you, do not go near my family."
"I will do as you ask. Thank you for your help. When will I know if Dr Hoffman is willing to use the serum on me?"
"We will let you know," Barnabas answered.
"Very good. That is all I can ask at the moment. I believe I shall go to the Blue Whale and meet some of the townspeople. Is there a chance I can convince you to come with me?"
"I'm sorry but no? I'm waiting for Julia's return.
"Well then, I will take my leave of you. I look forward to working with both you and Dr Hoffman, if you decide to allow the serum to be used on me."
Barnabas walked him to the double doors in the foyer. He opened them and stood there watching Desandro.
The vampire smiled at him, walked through the doors and disappeared into the night.