Dark Shadows: Risk of Discovery
Chapter 13
1
As Barnabas slept in his coffin, he was obviously unaware of the crisis that was brewing in the drawing room of his Old House.
The knockers on the double doors sounded. Julia Hoffman sat in a chair by the fireplace reading a book. She looked up at the sound. When they sounded again, she wondered where Willie could possibly be. Julia stood up and headed into the foyer. She turned to her right and continued until she reached the double doors. Although she knew Lorenzo or Desandro could not possibly be on the other side, she didn't like opening the doors without knowing who was there. She would have to encourage Barnabas to put a peephole in one of the doors.
After she unlocked them, she opened the double doors. Dr Dave Woodard stood on the other side.
"May I come in?" He didn't wait for her to answer, for fear she would say no. Woodard pushed his way past her. "Shall we talk in the drawing room?"
Julia ignored his rudeness and led him down the foyer into the drawing room. "Please sit down, Dave, and tell me the purpose of your visit."
The doctor walked over to one of the chairs next to the fireplace and sat down. Without saying anything, he looked at Julia. He noticed she seemed a bit nervous, and he had a pretty good idea why. "Julia, we have been friends for many years. That is why I have come to speak with you." He noticed that Barnabas Collins was nowhere to be seen. "Where is Barnabas?"
"You know the answer to that, Dave. He works during the day. He left early this morning for Bangor."
Woodard folded his fingers together. "That's funny, I have checked into his so-called place of employment. I can't find any place where Barnabas works in the city. Care to tell me where it is?"
Somehow, Julia knew Woodward was going to be a problem. He didn't realize that he could very well be signing his death warrant. Barnabas would not tolerate him checking into his personal life. It would lead to finding out that he was a vampire.
"I have never asked him the name of the company he owns. Nor have I ever been there. Quite frankly, how Barnabas makes his money is none of my business. Come to think of it, it is none of your business either, Dave."
"I think it is. I don't think he works anywhere. I believe he sleeps during the day." Woodard noticed the slight change in Julia's expression. He knew he hit a nerve. He decided to push her a little further. "I am betting he never even left the Old House."
Standing up, Julia crossed her arms across her chest. "Even if that were true, which it isn't, it wouldn't be any of your business. I don't know what you are getting at, but I suggest you stop beating around the bush and say what you came here to say."
"All right, since you are being frank, I will be just as frank. I believe Barnabas Collins is a vampire, and is the one attacking and killing the women in this area."
This was exactly what Julia and Barnabas had been afraid of. It seemed the killings were now at his doorstep, and he had nothing to do with them. "That is absurd! I know just enough about vampires to know that they can't come out in the daytime. You know very well that Barnabas came to your office, and it wasn't at night."
"You are right, it wasn't at night." He smiled, but Julia didn't like the way he smiled. "You are a brilliant doctor and researcher, Julia. Would you like to hear what I believe?"
"You're the one doing the talking."
"Okay then. This is what I believe. I believe, through your research, you have discovered a serum that will allow Barnabas Collins to come out during the day for a certain amount of time. I think that is how he came to my office."
Julius scoffed at that. "Do you have any idea how ridiculous you sound?"
Raising his eyebrows, Woodard replied, "I don't think it is all that ridiculous. Let's look over the facts, shall we? First of all, when Barnabas was in my office, he refused to allow me to draw blood. Then you bring in a blood sample for him. How do I know that sample even came from Barnabas?"
"Because I told you it did. We've known each other in a long time, as you have stated. I have never lied to you. That blood sample came from Barnabas. I drew it myself."
"Did you now? Are you aware that both Barnabas and Willie Loomis have the same blood type? You see, Julia, we have a sample of Willie's blood. If you will remember, when he was staying at Collinwood, he came down very sick. Remember those puncture wounds on his wrist? The doctor that treated him drew blood. With the sample you gave me and the sample we have from Willie, I can send it in and check the DNA. Will I find out that the DNA is the same on both samples?"
Julia held back the panic she was feeling. Of course, they would come back the same since both came from Willie. What was she going to do? If she told Barnabas any of this, then David Woodard's fate would be sealed. Barnabas would surely kill him. Julia couldn't blame him, he would have no choice. The problem was Barnabas didn't want to kill. With Julia's help and time, his humanity had returned. She did not want to see him forced to kill. She had no choice but to bluff.
"Go ahead, Dave. Have the DNA checked. I'm not worried about it and neither is Barnabas. The DNA will not match. The fact that Barnabas and Willie have the same blood type is not evidence of Barnabas being a vampire. In fact, you have no evidence. This entire delusion of yours is exactly that, yours alone. If that's what you want to do, you go ahead and do it." She stared directly into his eyes with a challenge she hoped he wouldn't take up.
For the first time, Dr Woodard began to doubt himself. It was not the reaction he was expecting from her. He expected more ridiculous explanations. Would she really challenge him to check the DNA, if she knew it would match? Now he wasn't sure what to do.
Willie Loomis walked into the room. He had been standing just outside the drawing room door to the left. He heard the entire conversation.
"You heard Julia. We are getting pretty tired of your ridiculous accusations."
Julia put her hand up, indicating for Willie to calm down. She believed she had it all under control. She could see the doubt Dave was feeling.
"Look, Julia, I am not trying to give you a hassle. Women are dying in this community. The sheriff hasn't a clue what's causing it, but both you and I do. It is a vampire. He has to be stopped. If Barnabas is not a vampire, then you will have no problem allowing me to search the entire mansion, that means every room."
"This is ridiculous. Julia, just throw him out!" Willie said.
Julia wasn't about to throw him out. All that would do would fuel his suspicions. Maybe allowing him to search the mansion would be exactly what was needed to convince him that Barnabas wasn't a vampire. After all, since they had moved his coffin into the secret passageway, Woodard wouldn't find it with a search.
She turned away from the doctor and looked at Willie. The look on her face made it plain that she didn't want him to argue. Turning back to her friend, she said, "All right, Dave. We will let you search the entire mansion. Since both Willie and I know that Barnabas is not a vampire, you will find no coffin in any room in this entire mansion. I would suggest that you also search the cellar. If that doesn't convince you that he is not a vampire, I don't know what will."
Willie couldn't believe it. But then, the more he thought about it, he understood what Julia was doing. Woodard would never find Barnabas's coffin. He wouldn't have any idea how to access the secret room in the cellar. If it would convince Woodard that Barnabas wasn't a vampire, then just maybe Julia had the right idea.
When Woodard just stood there, Julia raised her voice, "Well Dave, what will it be? Are you going to search the Old House? Or are you going to walk out of here because searching the Old House just might kill your theory about Barnabas?"
Regaining his composure, Dr Woodard stood up. "I am going to call your bluff and search. What are you going to do when I find his coffin? When I do, I am going to insist that we stake him."
"That is going to be extremely difficult since he is in Bangor," Willie said, supporting Julia's plan.
"I'll start upstairs. How many rooms are up there?"
"Quite a few. You will forgive me, Dave, if I have Willie accompany you. I think Barnabas would be very upset if I allowed you to search the house without one of us with you. However, I believe it will be alright with him when it proves to you that he is not a vampire."
Woodard looked over at Willie. He never liked the nervous young man. He firmly believed that once a crook, always a crook. Willie Loomis was a con man. Unfortunately, Woodard didn't believe he had a choice. If Willie didn't accompany him, he was certain that Julia would not let him search the mansion. Nor did he believe for a minute he was going to allow him to enter the room where Barnabas Collins slept in his coffin. He would stop him. At least Woodard would know exactly where Collins slept during the day. He could slip back later with help and stake the murderous vampire.
He went upstairs with Loomis. Well into their search, he never realized how many rooms were in the Old House. The mansion was nowhere near as big as Collinwood, but it was still huge by any standard. Loomis did not stop him from searching one single room on the floor. Then again, Woodard didn't expect to find Barnabas Collins in any room upstairs. It wouldn't make sense. It would be far too easy for someone to find him.
Following Loomis back down to the main floor, Dr Woodard continued his search. There weren't nearly as many rooms on the main floor as upstairs, although the rooms were definitely much larger. Ending up at the drawing room, Woodard looked around. He pointed at the door next to the fireplace.
"What is behind that door?" He didn't expect to find Barnabas Collins there either. If someone was searching the house looking for him, that would be one of the first places they would look.
"That's my quarters," Willie said. "If you want to search it, go ahead."
Woodard opened the door and looked inside. He expected it to be extremely untidy. He never expected to see everything in place with the bed made. Walking over to the closet he opened the door. It only contained Willie's clothes. He parted them to be sure there wasn't a room hidden behind it. There wasn't. It was obvious the room was too small to hide a coffin anywhere. Woodard left the room and walked back into the drawing room. There wasn't any sense in checking it. No vampire would place his coffin in a room where he entertained people. Since Loomis didn't stop him from searching any of the rooms on this floor, he knew Collins's coffin was not on it.
Julia looked up from the book she was reading. "Willie, take Dr Woodard to the cellar. He is allowed to check every single room down there. Dave, I would appreciate it if you didn't touch anything in my lab. I have been working on trying to find a cure for Barnabas's blood disorder."
"Are you going to allow me in your lab?" Woodard asked, surprised. He thought that might be where he would find Collins.
Julia smiled. "Of course I am. We have absolutely nothing to hide."
Dr Woodard followed Willie Loomis to the door leading to the basement. The vampire's servant reached into his pocket and removed his keys. He unlocked the door and opened it.
"You keep the basement door locked? Why would you do that?"
"As Julia told you, she is working on a cure for the blood disorder that Barnabas has. She doesn't want anybody messing around in the lab. You can't blame her for that."
"Why not just lock the lab door?" Woodard asked. He now believed he was on to something. There was no reason to lock the cellar door. The vampire's coffin was surely in the cellar. No doubt Loomis would stop him from entering the room where Barnabas Collins slept the sleep of the undead.
Together they descended the stairs. Their path was lit by torches. Woodard couldn't help but feel uneasy. He was certain he was about to discover Barnabas Collins sleeping in his coffin. Then a thought hit him. At one time, David Collins claimed he saw a coffin in a room in the cellar. That was the first room Woodard wanted to see.
"Where is the room where David claimed he saw a coffin?" he asked Loomis.
"Right this way." Willie led him to the left. Of course the room was empty. They had long ago moved Barnabas's coffin into the secret passageway. The only ones who knew about it were Barnabas, Julia, Professor Stokes, and himself. Not even the other members of the Collins family knew about the secret passageway.
Woodard looked around the room. He was certain this was where he would find Barnabas Collins. Yet, the room was completely empty.
Willie took him from room to room which were also empty other than storage. Obviously, any of the boxes they came upon were not of the correct size and shape to contain a sleeping vampire.
When they came upon Julia's lab, Willie opened the door. "Please don't touch anything. Julia is working on a lot of different things here."
Woodard walked around the laboratory. Fascinated by what he saw, he was only interested in one thing — the cure for Barnabas's blood disorder. He opened a journal that was sitting on one of the counters. It was a journal of the steps Hoffman had already taken for the cure. As he read on, the journal contained exactly what she had done so far. As near as he could tell, his blood condition was similar to leukemia. Little did he know it was the journal that Julia always left on the counter. However, it was not her actual notes and research on the cure for vampirism. If anyone was to penetrate the Old House and come upon her laboratory, she wanted to be sure that Barnabas's condition could not be discovered through the actual journal she kept on her research. Willie knew that, so he didn't stop Woodard from going through her journal.
They continued on from room to room until Woodard searched every room in the cellar but one. When they came upon the room where Barnabas once held Maggie Evans prisoner, Woodard looked back at Willie. "There are bars on this door."
"Yes sir, there is. My understanding is that is where people were held during the Revolutionary War. As you can see, it is strictly used for storage. None of us even know where the key to it is."
"Are there any more rooms like this?" Woodard asked.
"You have been in every room in the cellar, Dr Woodard. Did you see any?" Willie said sarcastically.
The doctor ignored his tone. "And we have been through the entire cellar?"
"You have, but you are free to wander anywhere down here you want to," Willie answered.
Disappointed Barnabas Collins was nowhere to be found, Woodard had no choice but to concede. "I'm done here."
Willie turned away from him. He didn't want him to see the smile on his face. It was a brilliant move on Julia's part to allow him to search the entire mansion. He was glad Julia convinced Barnabas to move his coffin into the secret passages in the cellar. It turned out to be a perfect way to protect him, even if neither of them were in the Old House.
Woodard followed Loomis up the steep steps and re-entered the foyer. Glancing toward the double doors, he noticed Barnabas's cloak was hanging on the hall tree. He continued into the drawing room where Julia remained in the chair next to the fireplace reading a book.
"Well, Dave, are you satisfied that Barnabas is nowhere in the Old House?" she said, knowing what he would be forced to say.
"Yes, Julia. I am. I do have a few questions."
Julia sighed but allowed him to continue. "Go ahead."
"If Barnabas went to Bangor, why is his cloak and cane still hanging on the hall tree?"
"Surely, you don't think Barnabas only has one coat, do you? He wears an overcoat to work. He feels it is more professional than the cloak he has a fondness for. As far as the cane is concerned, I am certain you have seen him without it many times."
When he thought about it, he had to admit Julia was right. He definitely saw Barnabas without it on occasion. "Alright, I will accept that. However, I can't help but wonder how he gets to work."
"Barnabas has a new truck that he drives," Willie said. "He parks it behind the Old House, the same place I park my truck. He doesn't like them parked in front. Do you want to look back there too?"
Julia almost cringed. Barnabas did have a truck behind the Old House. He purchased it for Willie, but the servant preferred his beat up truck. She knew the truck was back there. She held her breath, waiting for Woodard to answer.
He stared at Willie. Obviously, the truck wasn't there. Otherwise, Loomis wouldn't offer to let him go behind the Old House. "No, that will not be necessary," he said. "I need to get back to the hospital. I have been here much longer than I anticipated."
Julia discreetly let out the breath she was holding. Leaving the chair by the fireplace, she led him to the door. "I hope this ends this nonsense about Barnabas being a vampire."
Woodard turned back and looked at her. "I guess I have no other alternative but to accept it. I am sorry for the intrusion. I hope you will not tell Barnabas about this."
"I will not. He would be furious. Nor will I allow Willie to tell him. Dave, I don't want to hear anymore of this nonsense about Barnabas being a vampire. Is that clear?"
"It's clear." For now at least, unless he could find something to prove his existence as a member of the living dead. He had been certain Collins was a vampire despite Julia and Willie claiming he was with them when the murders were committed. That is exactly what they would say if they were trying to protect him. Yet, if he was a vampire, why didn't he find his coffin in a search of the residence? It wouldn't make sense for him to have it somewhere else. At the Old House, he had Willie Loomis and Julia Hoffman there to protect him in the daytime.
Woodard got into his car and turned the key.
"Willie, you took a terrible chance offering to let him see if the truck is in the back. It is parked back there," Julia scolded.
"Naw, not really. Did you see him? He was so deflated. He really expected to find Barnabas in a coffin." He laughed.
"What would you have done if he had gone back there?"
Loomis grinned. "Nothing. The truck is not back there. Barnabas let Professor Stokes borrow it. He wanted to move some of the articles out of the place where he teaches classes. They would not fit in his car, so Barnabas offered the truck."
There was a knock on the door. They turned and looked at the double doors. Julia reached over and opened them. Dave Woodard stood there. My car won't start, and I have to get back to the hospital. I have patients to see."
"Willie can drive you. When he comes back, he can take a look at it and see if it is something he can fix. He is very handy with repairing cars and trucks. Willie, pull your truck around."
"That won't be necessary. I'll just go back with him," Woodard said. He changed his mind about seeing if there was a new truck behind the Old House.
Julia was fooled. He wanted to see if Barnabas's truck was behind the Old House. She was more than happy to oblige him. "Fine. Willie, get your coat and take Dave to the hospital.
Loomis removed his coat from the hall tree. "This way, Doctor."
She watched as the two of them headed around to the back of the Old House.
2
James Sawyer had enough. He couldn't go see Barnabas Collins at night, but he could certainly see Julia Hoffman. He had taken his last beating at the hands of Desandro. He was either going to get away from him or he was going to die trying. Hopefully, he could convince her that Desandro was here to destroy Collins, not befriend him.
He almost backed out several times as he trudged through the woods toward the Old House where Barnabas Collins resided, but everytime he turned back on the path leading to the vampire's residence. If he didn't convince Hoffman of his intentions, then his life would end, and no doubt in a horrible way. Desandro would torture him before draining every bit of the blood in his body. Despite knowing what the vampire would do to him, he would go ahead anyway. He had no life, and suffered beating after beating by Desandro. If he couldn't be free of him, he would rather be dead.
He reached the Old House. He walked up the stairs to the double doors. Using the knocker, he announced his arrival. He only hoped Hoffman was home. When Desandro awakened, he would be able to detect what he had done through their telepathic connection.
The doors opened. He sighed in relief at the sight of Dr Julia Hoffman. "Doctor, my name is James Sawyer. I am Desandro's servant."
"You are the man who dropped off that letter at the Collinsport Hospital," Julia said.
"Yes, I am. You should know, as a slave to a vampire, I had no choice."
She made a split decision. She needed to find out exactly why this man had come to the Old House. "Come in." She led Sawyer into the drawing room. Indicating for him to take a seat next to the fireplace, she took the opposite one. "Please tell me why you have come."
"I can't live this way anymore. Desandro beats me on a regular basis. I had a hard time even walking over here through the woods as I have no doubt that I have several broken ribs. I can barely breathe.
"I came to tell me.Mr Collins of Desandro's plans for him."
Julia sat forward in her chair. "And exactly what plans are you talking about? He told us that he wants to become human again. That he is here for the same treatments that Barnabas is going through right now."
Sawyer shook his head. "That is all a lie. He hates Mr Collins because he was responsible for the death of the vampire that turned him. I am certain that you have heard of him. His name was Ramon."
Julia certainly heard of Ramon. He put her through pure hell in Romania when he kidnapped her. "So Desandro was a friend of Ramon's?"
"Yes, they were very close. Desandro happened to be away from Romania at the time of your abduction. When he got back, he discovered that Mr Collins, working with Dracula, destroyed Ramon here in Collinsport. He is not here to reverse his vampiric condition. He is here to destroy Barnabas Collins. At the present time, he is only trying to win his trust."
"How does he plan to do that?"
Sawyer was so nervous he could not control the shaking of his hands. He continued anyway, hoping Hoffman would believe him. "The vampire that is killing the women in your area is Lorenzo. He was turned by Desandro. He's loyal to him and will do anything he asks. Unfortunately for him, he doesn't realize that Desandro is going to reveal his presence and help Mr Collins to destroy him. He figures that will be the final event in which he will win Mr Collins's trust."
"And when he does?"
"He will destroy him," Sawyer replied.
Julia sat there looking at Sawyer. "What is it you want for this information, Mr Sawyer?"
"I want Mr Collins's protection from Desandro. I want my life back, Dr Hoffman. I have heard Mr Collins is a different kind of vampire. I am told he has not lost his humanity. The fact that Mr Loomis is friends with him instead of a slave is proof of that, not to mention you know about his condition and you are still alive. I also understand Professor Stokes knows and he is friends with Mr Collins. Please, I beg you, can you speak with Mr Collins and ask him to help me. I can take him directly to Lorenzo's coffin. I doubt I can take him to Desandro's coffin, though."
"Barnabas knows where it is. He asked Elizabeth Stoddard to allow Desandro to reside in one of the cottages the Collins family owns."
Tightening his hands into fists, Sawyer shook his head. "He had me move it out of there. He put it deeper in the cave at Widow's Hill. I doubt it is there though. He made me get another coffin and put it in the cottage. I believe he will move his coffin out of the cave and place it somewhere I will not know about. He is planning on killing me, Doctor. I can feel it through our connection. He has been careless in masking his feelings to me. I don't think he realizes it."
Julia had begun to trust Desandro, and so had Barnabas. It seemed Willie was right all along. He was the one who was putting Barnabas at risk of discovery. She sat for the longest time taking all of this information in. Finally, she said, "I believe Barnabas will protect you, Mr Sawyer. You are going to stay here in the Old House. I am going to sedate you."
"I don't understand. Why would you do that?" He was beginning to panic.
"Calm down, Mr Sawyer. The reason is it is the only way to break the telepathic connection he has with you. If you are sedated, he will not be able to find you through that connection. He certainly will not think to look for you here. But, to be on the safe side, I am going to put you in a room in the cellar, so there will be no chance of him finding you."
James Sawyer felt a wave of relief come over him. Was it for real? Would he finally rid himself of Desandro forever?
"You will have to be hypnotized after this is all over. You will not be allowed to know Barnabas is a vampire. That is for your protection as well as Barnabas. The Vampire Council will come after you when they find out Desandro has been destroyed."
"Oh my God! I never thought of that."
"Relax. Barnabas knows the ruling members of the council. He will easily convince them to allow you to live out your life in peace, knowing what you have done here. Now, let's go down to the cellar."
Dr Hoffman led him to the cellar door, unlocked it, and the two of them headed down the stairs. The best place Julia could think of was the same room Maggie had been in. She stopped at her lab to get the sedative. Leading Sawyer to the room with the bars on the door, she indicated for him to enter. He sat down on the bed after the boxes were removed. After she administered the drug, she said, "This will keep you asleep for a while. Desandro will not be able to detect you. The drug will prevent him from doing that. If he has not been destroyed before it wears off, I will be back to administer another dose."
She handed him a gun. "This is loaded with silver bullets. Can you shoot?"
The drowsy vampire slave nodded his head in affirmation. If something unforeseen should happen, this will protect you from Desandro. Shoot him directly in the heart, but make sure it is he. Do not shoot Barnabas."
"I promise you I won't shoot Mr Collins. I am not about to shoot the one man who can help me." He laid down and the drug took him.
3
Desandro awakened. He pushed the lid of his coffin up and got out. He would move his plan to the next plateau. It was time the vampire terrorizing Collinsport be found and destroyed. Then he would have Collins' complete trust! That, of course, would lead to the final part of the plan — the complete and utter destruction of Barnabas Collins and all those he cared about. His revenge against him would be complete.
He needed to see Lorenzo. He would have him kill a woman at a particular time. That way he could have Collins at the scene. They could do it with a gun containing a silver bullet. They would have a body to prove a vampire was indeed responsible for all the killings in the crummy little town they called Collinsport.
Collins would surely approve the treatments to have him become human again, not that it would ever happen. He would now and forever remain a vampire, but Barnabas Collins would never become human again. He would be destroyed for his betrayal of the vampire race. He would die, for good this time, knowing Desandro would kill every last one of the Collins family as well as his woman and servant. What a glorious day that would be!