Dark Light -- 20

Subj: Dark Light -- 20
Date: 5/9/99
From: Flashman

Chapter 20-After Midnight

Beth Raines felt no remorse as she stood over Harley's lifeless body. Harley had been trying every way possible to destroy her since she had returned to Springfield. She had prevented Beth from reuniting with Phillip and then gotten custody of Lizzie from her. Finally, Harley had been holding Beth up to ridicule to everyone she came in contact with.

You made me a monster, Harley, thought Beth. Just like your good friend Reva Shayne Lewis did to Annie Dutton. Now you've paid the price. Beth glanced at the items on Harley's desk. She saw the name and phone number of Maggie Haskell written on a piece of paper. This could be important, she thought, so she picked up the piece of paper from the desk.

Beth had taken no blood from Harley. She hadn't felt the urge to do so. She had only wanted to kill. To get rid of a potential problem that might interfere in the plans of Annie and Barnabas Collins. Beth was one of the Undead now. She would do whatever she had to do to survive. For the first time in a long while Beth felt like a real woman. She had been reborn. Now, she had to find Annie.

Beth found her at Spaulding Manor. Annie was in the living room with Alan Spaulding, Cassie Layne, and a distinguished looking gentleman. This had to be Barnabas Collins.

Annie greeted her as she entered the living room, "Well hello, Beth. Nice of you to join us. I'd like you to meet Barnabas Collins." Annie pointed to the distinguished looking gentleman.

Barnabas rose, offered his hand, and said, "Ah, the lovely and charming Miss Raines. It's a pleasure to meet you at long last. Annie here has told me many wonderful things about you. I'm delighted that you have decided to join our little group."

"A pleasure to finally meet you, Mr. Collins," replied Beth.

Beth glanced at Alan who merely nodded. Boy, he looked like a whipped dog. Annie must have really taken out some of her anger on him. Then she looked at Cassie. Beth was suspicious of her. She knew Cassie was Reva's half-sister and had been enemies with both Alan and Annie in the past.

"What's she doing here?" asked Beth, referring to Cassie. "Can she be trusted?"

"Oh, don't worry about me, Beth," replied Cassie. "I'm not going to tell on anybody. All I want to do is make my Barny Warny happy." She then put her arms around Barnabas and hugged him. Barnabas looked embarassed by both her words and actions.

Boy has he got her whipped, thought Beth. She's acting like a giggly schoolgirl with her first crush.

"So," Annie asked. "Tell us about your first night as one of the Undead, Beth. How was it? What have you been doing?"

Beth then revealed everything about what she had done. She spared no details. She then handed the piece of paper with Maggie Haskell's phone number on it to Barnabas. It could be important, she stated.

"Yes, Beth. It's very important. You did well in bringing it to me," said Barnabas.

"Mr. Collins, this is serious. There's just been a murder committed here. Everything could go up in smoke," quivered Alan.

"Oh, who cares about that Harley Cooper anyway?" said Cassie. "I always did think she was a dork. I never understood why Josh and Reva were friends with her."

"Pipe down, Cassie," commanded Barnabas. "Alan, you and Beth get into the van. Go to her house and bring her coffin over here. We'll place it in the attic alongside Annie's."

"But what will we say to the police? Beth's going to need an alibi. Us too. We're all going to be suspects. Especially you, Mr. Collins. Reva had just hired Harley to investigate you," pointed out Alan.

"I'm well aware of that," replied Barnabas. "We'll simply tell the police that we were all over here together and that we stayed up until very late. We'll inform them that Beth has moved in here to help Fran with her duties concerning the household. If we all stick together we'll be safe."

Beth and Alan moved to get started. Beth walked to the front door. Alan lingered behind. He noticed the piece of paper Barnabas held in his hand. He saw the name Maggie Haskell written on it.

"I told you getting that cashier's check was a bad idea. That girl who's the bank president's secretary used to work for Lewis Oil. She's also pretty good friends with our late, lamented Harley Cooper," said Alan.

"What's done is done," replied Barnabas. "Now get moving. You've got a task to perform." The man is beginning to sound a lot like Willie Loomis in the old days, thought Barnabas.

Alan departed with Beth to perform what Barnabas had instructed. Barnabas, Annie, and Cassie remained behind. Cassie's hair was now straight instead of curly. Just the way my Barny Warny likes it, she had said before Beth had arrived.

"Go upstairs and wait for me to call you, Cassie," directed Barnabas.

"Anything you say, sweetie," replied Cassie who then departed.

Annie and Barnabas remained. Despite his earlier confident manner, Barnabas had a worried look on his face. Annie was worried too. Still, she was happy about the results so far. Two of her enemies had been turned into virtual blithering idiots and a third was now dead. Only two more remained. Josh and Reva. Soon, thought Annie. Soon, it's going to be your turn and I'm going to do it myself. But not until I've revealed everything to you about how it was me who destroyed your lives. Me, Annie Dutton! The woman you both thought you had destroyed.

"Annie it seems that something unforeseen has presented itself to us," said Barnabas.

"I know. I didn't think Beth would kill Harley but at least you know now how far she had gotten looking into your background," said Annie. "Who's this Maggie Haskell? Is she the woman who runs the Blue Whale in Collinsport? The woman I met briefly before I freed you. Were you two once lovers?"

"In a way you could say yes. We once were. Very long ago when I was still one of the living. You see Annie, Maggie is the reincarnation of my beloved Josette. However, she knows nothing about what I am. She thinks that I am dead."

That's right, Annie remembered. The woman in the portrait in the room where she had stayed at the old house. That woman had looked like a younger version of Maggie Haskell. Annie then remembered Willie Loomis.

"What about Willie Loomis? Suppose someone tracks him down," asked Annie.

"He won't talk. He's got too much to lose," was the answer.

"What about David? Your cousin. The one who lives in the big house on the hill," remembered Annie.

"David knows nothing. He thinks I'm still chained in my coffin. Even if he were to be tracked down he'll never reveal the secret. Too much family honor would be at stake for him to reveal who and what I am," said Barnabas.

"Carolyn and Sebastian. They know I freed you," said Annie.

"Not them. Carolyn kept my secret for years and Sebastian is scared of his own shadow. He's probably still shaking from our visit," replied Barnabas.

Barnabas had tried to sound confident in his replies to Annie's questions. But in truth, he was not. This murder could unravel everything. It appeared more and more that Laura Murdoch might have to be the one who made everything whole. Barnabas still had not revealed to Annie anything he knew about Laura. He knew who and what she was and also what she had planned for the Lewis children. What she had planned would destroy Josh and Reva but it might also devastate Annie. Still, if he and Annie were to survive, he might have to count on her.