272 - July 11, 1967

[bunniefuu]

[narrating] - My Name is Victoria Winters.

A desperate secret, long-held,

has finally been revealed at Collinwood

and the truth, cutting back across time,

has seared the heart and stunned the mind...

opening ancient wounds that seem

beyond the cure of time and truth.

And before she can be free,

one woman is forced to live again the fatal moments

that cursed her life and closed her heart

around the festering secret.

[wind whistling]

- In here.

- I can't.

- You have to now so you know where it is

and you can keep people away from it.

- There. - No.

[thundering]

- Nobody knows but the two of us.

- Only the two of us? - Mm-hmm.

And you can just tell people that he ran off,

went away... gone.

- Gone.

He's gone.

Oh, I didn't mean to do it.

I swear I didn't.

- Now, don't worry, don't worry, missus.

It's all right, you're going to be all right now.

The important thing to remember is that I helped you.

Now come on.

It's time to lock the door for good.

[thundering]

- Oh...

- Come on.

Have to lock the door.

[thundering]

♪♪

- I looked at the key I held in my hand

and I knew from that moment on

I was prisoner of Collinwood...

forever.

♪♪

♪♪

- I'm telling you the entire story is a lie.

An absurd and ridiculous lie.

- I've known all along that you were

blackmailing my sister.

I didn't know how or what about.

Now we all know.

- But I haven't been blackmailing your sister!

- Jason, how can you continue to deny it?

- Because there's nothing down there.

- How can you say that?

- Because it's the truth.

- It isn't and you know it.

- Won't get you anywhere, Jason.

All we have to do is a little digging.

- Well, you go right ahead.

Dig away, you won't find anything.

- I'm sorry, Jason, but this time your lies

won't do you any good.

I've told the truth and you haven't got

a hold over me anymore.

- I never had a hold over you.

- Oh, come now, this is ridiculous.

It's perfectly obvious

that you forced her into marrying you.

- I could I force her into anything?

I never had a hold on her!

- Body in the basement seems like a pretty strong hold to me.

- My father...

Buried in that terrible room.

- No, no, no, no. There's no one buried there.

All they have to do is dig

and they'll find out that I'm telling the truth.

- You've never been within ten miles of the truth

and you know it.

- I knew this day would have to come.

- What are you going to do?

- I'm going to call the sheriff.

- Now, Liz.

Just wait a minute.

- I've waited years

and I'm not going to wait another minute.

- Liz, I don't think this is necessary.

I think I would like to speak with my sister alone.

- Why do you want to stop me?

- Liz, there are things that we should discuss in private.

- The truth is out, I cannot stop it now.

- All right, we all know the truth,

but it isn't necessary for you to go to the sheriff.

Nobody here would disagree with that.

- I do.

[Burke] - What about the judge?

He heard Liz say she k*lled him.

- The judge will understand perfectly-- - No, Roger!

- Liz, you're being perfectly ridiculous about this.

Even McGuire can't do anything about it now.

If he went to the authorities,

he would be implicated in his blackmail.

- I want to be free, even if I have to go to prison.

- Well... let her go.

I haven't done anything wrong.

- Anything wrong?

You've been making me keep this terrible secret,

you've been making a liar out of me,

you've separated me from my family

and made me hate myself every minute.

- I tell you, I've done absolutely nothing.

- And the money I've given you?

- Well, I was employed--

- No one will believe that.

- Oh, yes they will,

when they find out that I did not even

have the means for blackmail.

- And what about the body?

- I repeat once more.

Dig away and you'll find absolutely nothing.

- Why do you keep saying that?

- Because it's the truth.

- We'll find out soon enough.

- Liz, don't. Don't!

Call Garner first.

- There'll be plenty of time to talk to a lawyer later.

- Go ahead.

You're only embarrassing yourself.

Liz, maybe Roger's right.

If it's punishment you want, haven't you had enough?

- No, I have to be free

even if I have to go to prison.

Hello?

Sheriff Patterson?

Mrs. Stoddard.

Can you come to Collinwood right away?

There's been a m*rder.

[g*nsh*t firing]

- Get him! - Stop him!

- I'll get another g*n. - Hurry!

[g*nshots firing]

♪♪

♪♪

[bird cooing]

[twig snapping]

[twig snapping]

[twig snapping]

- Oh, it's you.

- Anything?

- No, but he can't be far.

- I'll head for the cliffs, you follow the road.

- Those shots I heard before, did you see him?

- Yeah.

Just after I got outside the house

I thought I saw him stumbling into the woods.

I'm not sure, though.

- If I see him I'm gonna k*ll him.

- Don't.

I think Liz deserves to see his face

when we turn him over to the sheriff.

- Why did she have to talk to the sheriff? - I don't--

- We could have handled this our own way.

- I don't think you ought to remind me

of the way you handle things like this.

I seem to remember doing time

for a certain manslaughter charge.

- Look, if we're gonna find McGuire,

we shouldn't be talking like this.

- Okay.

But if you decide to start sh**ting,

just be sure it isn't me.

♪♪

- The sheriff is on his way up here.

His deputy said that he and his men

were gonna go out looking for Mr. McGuire.

- Why did Jason keep insisting

there was nothing in the basement.

- My father... buried there.

- I know you can't answer now...

but can you ever forgive me?

- You k*lled him.

- I didn't mean to, I swear I didn't mean to.

- Mrs. Stoddard...

maybe you better go and lie until the sheriff gets here.

- No, I'm all right.

Carolyn?

Can't you say something?

- Carolyn, everything your mother's done

she's done for you.

- I can't look at her.

She k*lled my father.

- Perhaps you two better be alone.

- Yes. - No.

Vicky, don't go.

- I think you should talk to your mother.

- I can't.

- Then let me talk to you.

Let me try to explain.

Make you understand.

- I can't hear anything anymore.

- Carolyn, please.

- That room in the basement.

You took me in there.

You wanted to prove to me that there was nothing there.

- I had to do what Jason told me to.

- I was standing at my father's grave.

He's been there all these years.

All these years I've searched for him...

and waited for him to come back to me.

- Darling, how could I tell you the truth?

- Locked... all alone...

in that room... all these years.

- No, not all alone.

I can't tell you how many times I went down there.

Horrified.

I knew my tears were useless.

- That sobbing that I heard? - Yes, that was me.

Foolish, worthless tears.

- I was waiting for him to come home.

- Don't.

- And now there's nothing to wait for anymore.

- Can't you look at me?

Please?

- I'm afraid.

- So am I.

Please, look at me.

- No!

[sobbing]

- Carolyn... come back.

Come back.

♪♪

- Now, don't worry, Mrs. Stoddard,

we're going to find him.

We've got roadblocks set up for a -mile radius.

- It doesn't much matter whether you find him or not.

- I disagree.

If I'm allowed an opinion outside my official capacity...

from what you've told me,

McGuire is the real criminal.

- Yes.

But he's not the only one.

- Sheriff, good evening.

- Good evening.

Any sign of McGuire?

- No.

- Is Devlin still out there?

- As far as I know.

I take it you've had a talk with my sister.

- I've told him everything.

- Well, what happens now?

- We wait. - We wait?

What for, aren't you going to take me into custody?

- Not yet.

- Well, what are we waiting for?

- One of my men, I'm going to need someone to help me.

- You know that I won't cause you any trouble.

- Oh, no, of course not, I didn't mean that,

but from what you've told me,

there's a body buried in the cellar.

We're gonna have to dig it up.

- Yes, of course.

- Sheriff, I think you'll find my sister absolutely innocent.

- Roger, please.

You know Jason wasn't telling the truth.

Of course he'd say there was nothing there.

- What's that?

- I wasn't talking about that.

All I'm saying is there's been a terrible accident.

Paul Stoddard was robbing you-- nobody will believe otherwise.

- What's this about there being nothing down there?

- My sister was referring to

McGuire's denial that he had any part in what happened.

He even went so far as to say that

there was nothing in the basement.

- I thought it was McGuire that buried the body.

- Yes, but he was denying everything.

Naturally, he claimed there was nothing there,

but there is, there is!

- They think they've got him cornered out in the woods

near the highway.

Is there anything I can do?

- No, nothing, thank you.

- Well, you can give me a hand.

You and Roger both.

- How?

- Well, you can say no if you want to

but I'm going to have to do some digging in the basement.

- And you want us to help?

- Yes, I can't put in a report

without a corpus delicti, which simply means that

Mrs. Stoddard's wait is being prolonged.

I'm sure at this point she wants me

to speed ahead as well as I can.

- Yes, please.

- I'll do anything Liz wants me to do.

- So will I.

- Mr. Collins, on second thought,

perhaps it would be better

if you stayed here with your sister.

- Yes, that's a good idea.

I don't think she should be left alone

without a member of the family.

- Are you with me, Burke? - Yeah.

- Can you come and show us exactly where it is?

- Yes, of course.

- Maybe she could just tell us.

- It's that little room at the bottom of the stairway.

- I'd better show them.

- You don't have to, Liz.

- It's in the middle of the room.

Under the flagstone floor.

- I'm sure we can manage.

- Well, if one of my men turns up, you'll, uh,

ask him to come down?

- Certainly. - Wait.

- What is it?

- The key.

You'll need it.

♪♪

♪♪

[door creaking]

[sighing]

- I was always sure I wanted Liz destroyed in some way.

Now I know it isn't what I wanted at all.

- Well, I suppose we better get busy.

- Yeah.

- I wonder if this is gonna be worth the effort?

- What do you mean?

- Well, didn't McGuire say that there was nothing down here?

- Sure, but who believes McGuire?

- I don't know.

- He was only looking for a way out.

- I suppose.

- You don't sound convinced.

- Well, what if there is nothing down here?

- What are you talking about?

- Nothing.

Well... we'll know soon enough, won't we?

All right, let's move it out of the way.

[sighing]

- There's nothing to do now but wait.

- I know.

- It's all over.

At long last.

- Is there anything that I can do?

- No...

I don't need any help anymore.

Except...

- What is it? - Carolyn.

- That's going to take time.

- She's the one who's going to need help...

and I'm not going to be able to give it to her.

- Listen. - What?

- Did you hear that? - Hear what?

- I thought I could hear them in the basement.

In that room.

- You couldn't possibly.

- I know, but...

Can you feel it?

- What?

- A tremor.

As though the house were being shaken to its foundation.

- That's just your imagination.

- I know.

Would you do something for me?

- Of course.

- Would you ask--

No, would you beg Carolyn to come here and see me?

- When? - Now.

I've got to talk to her.

- Wouldn't it be better to-- to wait just a little while?

- She's got to listen to me.

She's got to say something-- anything.

Will you please get her?

- Mrs. Stoddard, I don't know where she is.

- What?

- I've looked all over for her.

She's not in the house.

- You mean she's gone? - Yes.

- But where? - I don't know.

- I've got to find her.

But I can't, can I?

I can't go anywhere.

- Well, she probably just wanted to be alone.

- Don't you hear it?

Didn't you feel it?

The whole house is trembling.

♪♪

[groaning]

- Maybe, for once... McGuire wasn't lying.

- I don't understand it.

- Well, I'm about ready to give up, how about you?

- Well, maybe...

- What is it? Can you tell?

- McGuire was lying.

It's a trunk.

♪♪

♪♪

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