Subj: Cruel Intentions Chapter Two
Date: 12/2/01 5:58:33 PM Central Standard Time
From: Melissa

Chapter Two
Santa Claus is Coming to Town

"Chestnuts roasting on an open fire," sang Nat King Cole.

Paul Stoddard poked his head into the drawing room. It was empty, Liz must be upstairs putting Carolyn to bed. He went in with presents in his arms, he set them under the tree, he took out a small box out of his jacket pocket. He took a note card and wrote a note to his wife.

To Elizabeth, The most beautiful and wonderful wife and mother. I love you. Love always, Paul

He put the card in an envelope and put it under the ribbon on the box, and put it with the other gifts under the tree.

He settled in his favorite chair humming along with the radio, as he opened the newspaper.

Suddenly his whole body was filled with pain, then there was nothing.

His body fell forward and landed on the floor.

Elizabeth Collins-Stoddard looked at the poker in her hand, and back to the body of her husband on the floor. She knelt on the floor and searched his pockets, they had to be here somewhere.

"Where are the keys," she asked the body as she searched the pants pockets, she found them, and went out into the hall.

She took the picture of Carolyn and herself off the wall, behind it was Paul's safe. She unlocked it and searched around the papers until she found what she was looking for.

Paul's insurance policy, it was all worth it, she thought to herself.

"Mommy," Carolyn called. "Mommy."

Elizabeth ran up the stairs quickly. She went into her daughter's room.

"What is it darling?"

"Is Santa here yet?" asked the six year old, with blond curls.

"No he isn't here yet, go to bed, and when you wake up, it will be Christmas and Santa will have been here."

"But I want to see Santa, I have so much to tell him."

"He won't come if your awake, you know that."

"All right," Carolyn said reluctantly. "Is that your list for Santa?"

"No it's a gift from Daddy, now go to bed," she said and kissed her daughter on the forehead.

"Good-night Mommy," Carolyn yawned.

Elizabeth turned off the light and closed the door behind her. She looked down the stairs and saw Paul's body lying on the floor.

On the radio Judy Garland was singing "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." Elizabeth picked up the poker and went into the kitchen and washed it off in the sink.

She went into the drawing room and put the poker back in its place at the fireplace.

She walked past the tree, her eye caught the small box that was on the top of her pile. She picked it up and opened the card. She took a cigarette out of the box on the desk and read the note. She lit the cigarette and opened the box, throwing the wrapping into the fire. She opened the Tiffiany's box, it was a beautiful bracelet, she had to admit that Paul always had good taste. Amethysts were her favorite stone.

She closed the box and set it on the table. She had to clean this mess. She went to the body and took his arms and began to pull him towards the door.

"We are inturrupting our broadcast of Christmas carols, with a warning to all residents of the Collinsport. A homicidal maniac escaped from Wyndcliffe Sanitarium this afternoon, killing his doctor and a guard. He is armed and is extremely dangerous. He is wearing a Santa Claus suit, that he took from the guard. If you see him do not approach, and call the police immediately."

Elizabeth ran to the door and made sure that it was locked and bolted. She looked back at the body of her husband. She had to get rid of the body, before anyone came.

Outside all is still and quiet. Then over the wind a tinkling sound can be heard, it is coming closer towards the house. All the lights are on at this house. They must be waiting for Santa, and he was ready to come and visit them.

Elizabeth looked out the bay window, as she walked back into the drawing room. She gasped when she saw the a man dressed in a Santa suit looking in, the man had a crazed look in his eyes, there was a deranged smile on his face.

She dropped to the floor and crawled along the wall beneath the window. She could hear the man outside, tapping at the windows. She slowly got up and peeked out, he was gone. She went around the house closing all the curtains. When they were all closed she picked up the phone, and began to dial 911, but she stopped. Paul's body was still in the drawing room. She couldn't risk it, she'd have to get rid of the body before she called the police.

She picked up Paul's arms and again began to drag him towards the basement stairs. She opened the door, and pushed Paul down the stairs, she couldn't help, but smile when she looked down at his body lying there on the ground. She went down, kneeling next to him.

"Thanks for everything Paul," she said. "There's no blood," she said. She went back upstairs and got a wine glass and scooped the blood in the glass. When she the glass was full she went back downstairs and poured it around the body. It was perfect.

Now all she had to do was clean the rest of the blood, then she could call the police. It would be perfect, she would say that Paul was killed when he fell down the stairs making sure the house was locked up, after they saw the escapee outside. They wouldn't question her when they found the maniac there.

She didn't have much trouble cleaning all the blood from the drawing room floor, and soon it was as spotless as it had been before. No one would ever know that anyone had been killed here.

She went to the phone, but before she could dial it, she saw the house keys lying on the table, they hadn't been there.

She turned and saw that the back door was ajar. She spun around and ran upstairs.

"Carolyn," she cried, her daughter's room was empty. She went into her own room, Carolyn wasn't here either. Where was she?

"Carolyn, where are you?" she screamed.

"Here I am Mommy," the little girl cried happily peaking her head out of the kitchen door. "Guess who's here? Santa! I let him in and gave him the cookies and milk we set out for him."

Elizabeth backed away as Santa came towards her, his arms outstretched. She scrambled for the phone, but the man pulled it away. His hands were around her neck, squeezing the life out of her. Soon she felt nothing and everything went black.

Elizabeth looked around the room and at the group of men that looked at her curiously. The man in black smiled.

"I wouldn't, I. . . " she stumbled over her words.

"What about you?" he asked the man beside Elizabeth.

"I'm on my way home to see my wife and daughter," he said.

"And then?" he asked. "And then?" he asked again, "what are you planning on doing after you see your wife and daughter?"

Dark Shadows is a Dan Curtis Production