328 - September 27, 1967

[bunniefuu]

[Victoria narrating] - On this night, near Collinwood,

a man lies dying.

A man who knows a terrifying secret.

If he dies, he will carry that secret to his grave.

But if he lives, there is one he can expose.

One whose very existence depends on his death.

♪♪

- Barnabas? - Well?

- Nothing to worry about.

- He's dead? - Well, not yet.

- What?

- The chances are he will be.

He is still in a coma and in all probability

he will never come out of it.

- But you can't guarantee it.

- Well, I'm almost certain.

- Almost! You mean he may-- He may live to betray me?

- Well, it is highly unlikely. - But it is possible.

- Now Barnabas, you--

- I know what you're going to say!

You're going to tell me to remain quiet and forget it.

Well, I refuse to do that any longer!

As long as Willie is alive my entire career is threatened.

Willie must die, now, tonight.

♪♪

♪♪

[announcer] - The part of Sheriff Patterson

is played Vince O'Brien.

- What-- what are you planning to do?

- k*ll him myself if necessary.

- There are a dozen reasons why that's impossible.

To begin with, he is surrounded by people.

There are doctors and nurses in constant attendance.

- I'll think of a way of getting him alone.

- How? - I'll find a way.

- Barnabas, there is no way.

He is being guarded day and night.

Barnabas, believe me, the best thing to do is nothing.

Just let Willie die quietly.

Everyone will continue to believe that he is the kidnapper

and the pressure will be off of you.

- If he does die. - He will.

- You told me that last night and he still lives.

- Well, he won't be much longer.

- I'll make certain that he isn't.

-Where are you going? - To the hospital.

- That's pointless.

They won't let you near his room.

- I'll see about that.

- But they won't let you in.

Besides, you can't leave now, you're going to have a visitor.

- A visitor? - The Sheriff.

- What?

- He came this morning looking for you,

and I told him you wouldn't be back until this evening.

- But I answered his questions, what does he want?

- He wants to search Willie's room

to see if he can find any clues.

- Clues?

- Proof that Willie was the kidnapper.

- He still doubts it!

- Well, he thinks there are many unanswered questions.

- And he's coming here again?

- I think you might be able to turn this

to your advantage, Barnabas.

- What do you mean?

- If there were a way that you could prove,

finally and conclusively, that Willie was the kidnapper,

it would have the Sheriff not have any more doubts

and he wouldn't have to ask you any more questions.

- How can I do that?

- I'm not sure, but you'll find a way.

- Well... they won't find anything of any consequence

in Willie's room, unless--

- What?

- They will find something, something very incriminating.

[dog howling]

- [sighs]

- Any change?

- Well, his pulse rate's accelerated slightly,

but the heartbeat is barely perceptible.

- You don't give him much of a chance then?

- If he lives, it'll be a miracle.

- But there is a chance that he will come out of the coma?

- Well, yes, a slim one.

- Well, all we can do is wait.

- That's right.

We've done all we can for him.

All we can hope for is that the transfusions take hold.

- You know something, Dave? - What's that?

- I don't believe that boy kidnapped Maggie.

- You don't? - No.

- But then, why did he try to break into Maggie's room?

- I don't know.

- Now, look, George, I have a hard time believing

all of this myself, but, nevertheless,

he is the one who walked into the trap you set.

- Yes, I know.

- And you still think that he isn't guilty?

- But not for any logical reason.

Just you could call it kind of a sixth sense.

I just don't believe that he is the guilty one.

- Well then, who is? - I don't know.

But I have a feeling Willie can tell us if he lives.

♪♪

- And that belonged to Maggie?

- Yes, they will find it here and think he stole it from her.

- But why would he keep it? Wouldn't he sell it?

- I'll tell them that Willie had a weakness for jewelry.

He would want to keep it.

- But he would keep it well hidden.

- I know, that's why I must find a place to cleverly hide it

but in a place that they-- Where they will find it.

- What about in his clothes?

- No, that's too obvious.

- Oh, well, perhaps under the mattress?

- I have a better idea.

- What?

- I'll hide it in this candlestick.

Under the candle.

- Do you think they'll find it there?

- I'll make certain they do.

Yes, that is a perfect hiding place.

- Well, I'd better be getting back.

I think it would be awkward if the Sheriff found me here.

- Where are you going? - Back to Collinwood.

- I want you to go to the hospital.

- What for?

- Continue to pose as consulting physician to Doctor Woodard

and make certain that Willie doesn't recover.

- What? - You heard me.

If he starts recovering, you must silence him.

- Are you asking me to k*ll him?

- I'm not asking you, I'm telling you.

- You must be insane

if you think I would do anything like that.

- You would be insane if you don't!

Remember, you have a lot at stake too, you know?

If Willie should recover,

you'll be exposed and your career will be ruined.

- Be practical, Barnabas.

I couldn't k*ll him if I wanted to.

I told you, he's surrounded by people.

- You are a doctor.

A doctor must know several ways of causing a man to die.

Ways that won't be detected.

- I will not take a human life!

I have told you that before.

- You must if it becomes necessary.

- It won't be necessary, Willie will die naturally.

- If he doesn't, you know what you must do,

Do it.

[knocking]

- Come in.

- Hello, Sam.

- Dave, George. - Hi, Sam.

- How is he? - About the same.

- Uh-huh.

You think he'll ever pull out of it?

- At this point, your guess is as good as mine.

- You know, George,

I've been thinking all about this.

I just can't buy it.

- You mean about Willie being the guilty man?

- Yeah.

- That's interesting, George was just saying

the same thing a few minutes ago.

- You were?

- Yeah, there are just too many things that don't figure.

Well, for instance, if Willie did kidnap Maggie,

where did he hide her?

He couldn't just take her up to the old house.

Not with Barnabas Collins there.

So where could he hide her?

- Yeah, the same thought crossed through my mind.

- Another thing, what would be his motive?

Of course, unless you figure him for a psychopath.

And, frankly, I don't.

- Yeah.

- You know, little Sarah still troubles me.

Obviously she fits into this somehow, but how?

- I don't know.

- It is a long way from being an open-and-shut case.

Well, maybe I'll know more about it tonight.

- What do you mean?

- I'm going up to the old house.

I'm going to have a look around Willie's room.

I might be able to find something, some clue.

- Mind if I come along with you?

- No, I guess not. - All right.

I want to see Barnabas Collins.

I've got some more questions I want to ask him about Willie.

- All right then, may as well get started.

But Dave, I'll leave my deputy outside.

In case there is any change with Willie,

you have him come after me right away.

- Okay.

- And, Dave. - Yeah.

Just in case, by some miracle, Willie comes out of that coma,

don't let anyone talk to him before I do.

- Not anyone. - Not anyone.

I want to be the first to hear what Willie has to say.

♪♪

♪♪

[knocking]

[knocking continues]

- Sheriff, I have been expecting you.

- Hello, Mr. Collins. - Mr. Evans, come in.

- Mr. Collins, I asked the Sheriff

if I might come along, I hope you don't mind.

- Of course not, how is your daughter?

- Oh, Maggie, she's fine.

- And Willie?

- He's very low, they don't expect him to live.

- Poor Willie, in spite of everything,

I find it difficult to believe

that he is responsible for whatever happened to Miss Evans.

- May we have a look around his room?

- Yes, I'll show it to you, this way.

This is it.

- Well, it shouldn't take long to search.

Not much here.

- Poor Willie didn't have many valuables.

- I'll start with the bureau.

- It's rather dark, I'll light a few candles.

- Um, Mr. Collins. - Yes?

- Would you mind if I asked you a few questions?

- Not at all.

- Did Willie go out much at nights?

- Yes, frequently.

He was free to do whatever he wished

whenever he finished his work.

- And you don't have any idea where he might've gone?

- No, I never inquired into Willie's personal life.

- Well, assuming that he did kidnap Maggie,

well, we can't figure out where he kept her.

- Yes, it is strange, isn't it?

- Yes, you, uh-- You don't have any theories?

- I prefer to think that Willie is innocent.

- Well, nothing in there.

Where'd he keep the rest of his clothes?

- In that closet.

- I'll check the desk.

- I'm sure you won't find anything there.

- Oh, well,

you can't tell what you might find.

- Nothing in here either.

Nope, nothing in the desk.

- Here is his shaving kit.

You may find something in it.

- Nothing but his razor.

- I'll check through this stuff on top of the bureau here.

No. No. No.

Nothing.

- Sam, give me a hand with this mattress, will you?

- Right.

- Well, nothing there either.

- Did you really expect to find anything?

- It's just a waste of time. - It might be.

I did expect to find something,

but, I guess, I was mistaken.

- Would you like to search in some of the other rooms

in the house?

- No, no, that won't be necessary.

Unless-- unless, he had some luggage stored someplace else?

- Yes, he had a suitcase. - Where is it?

- Well, it's in the closet at the end of the hall.

He kept it locked.

I believe he leaves the key in this bureau.

Yes, here it is.

Oh, how clumsy of me!

Look!

A ring.

- Hidden in the candlestick.

- I've never seen it before.

- Sam, can you identify that?

- Yes. Yes, it's Maggie's!

- Are you sure? - I'm positive.

I'd know that ring anywhere.

She was wearing it the night she disappeared.

It was gone after we found her.

I wondered what happened to it.

- This is it.

That's the evidence we were looking for.

- Willie Loomis has got to be our man.

♪♪

[knocking]

- Come in.

Oh, Julia.

- How is he?

- Well, about the same.

His heart rate has picked up a little bit,

but that's about all.

- I stopped by to see if there was anything I could do.

- There's nothing really anything you can do.

We removed the b*ll*ts successfully

with an anticipated amount of internal hemorrhage.

All we can hope now is that he survives the operation.

- I still feel so guilty

for not telling you what I suspected.

- I wish you had.

- But I wasn't sure, and I didn't really feel I could

say anything until I was sure.

- It's too late to worry about it now.

- You look tired.

- Oh, oh, I am, Julia, I've been up all night.

- Would you like me to relieve you?

- No thanks, there's no need for that.

- Oh, I'd be glad to.

- [moaning] - Julia!

- He seems to be feeling the pain.

- Willie?

He's coming out of the coma.

I've got to let the Sheriff know about this.

Close that up, will you?

Deputy!

♪♪

[Barnabas] - You know what to do. Do it.

- I can hardly believe it. - I had plenty of doubts myself.

Well, I can't ignore the evidence.

Willie must be guilty.

- Why Maggie? Why would he want to harm her?

He must be insane!

- Possibly he is. - I find that hard to believe.

Willie never showed any signs of being unbalanced.

- Psychopaths can sometimes appear to be quite normal.

Even the most unbalanced.

- This comes as a great shock to me.

I was very fond of Willie.

And in a way, I feel responsible

for anything he might have done.

- Why should you be responsible?

- Well, he was my servant.

I-- I hired him and gave him a place to live.

If I hadn't, he-- he would have left the community

and none of this would have happened.

- Oh, don't blame yourself.

You had no way of knowing about him.

- Just the same, I do feel responsible.

If there is anything I can do for you

or your daughter at this time,

please don't hesitate to call on me.

- Thank you, that's very kind of you.

[knocking]

- Strange, I wasn't expecting anyone.

- I'll get it, It's must be my deputy.

I told him to contact me here

if there was any change in Willie.

- Sheriff. - Yeah?

- They want you down at the hospital right away.

- Is it Willie?

- He's coming out of the coma.

- Will he be able to talk?

- They think so.

- Then I'll get the truth out of him.

Before this night's over with we'll know everything!

♪♪

♪♪

[announcer] - "Dark Shadows" is a Dan Curtis production