Subj: Where Are the Angels? Chapter 23
Date: 11/6/00 11:28:58 PM Central Standard Time
From: Melissa
"Come into the Lounge," Josette said, "You look like you could use a drink."
"I could," Ben said, running his hands through his hair, and followed her into the room. "I wish I could have told you about this before,"
Josette poured the drink and looked back at him, "Tell me what?" she asked.
"Tell you about Angèlique," he said slowly.
Josette handed Ben the drink and sat down beside him, "What about Angèlique Ben?"
"She was the cause of everything, she's evil. She caused the death of Jeremiah and Barnabas."
"I don't understand."
"She's jealous of you, she always has been. She wanted Barnabas for herself."
"How did she do all those awful things Ben?"
"She's a witch. She put a spell on you to make you marry Jeremiah. She used me in her evil plans. It was me that you saw holding her that night, you thought was Barnabas. I never wanted to do any of it, but I couldn't stop myself. I was in love with her for so long, I thought that if I did what she wanted, she'd soon forget about Barnabas, and realize that I loved her."
Josette sat in stunned disbelief; "She did all that?"
"Yes, she had a spell over me that made it impossible for me to say anything against her. But I figured out a way I could tell Barnabas everything, I wrote it down."
"That's what he was going to tell me," Josette whispered.
"Barnabas loved you, he didn't want anything to do with her. She just wouldn't leave him alone."
"I know now that they were involved in Paris, but I never saw it. I should have left her in Paris," Josette sighed. "Thank you Ben," Josette said getting up and kissing Ben.
"I wanted to tell you. I wish she was the one that died instead of Barnabas, things would have been the way they used to be," Ben said sadly as he left Valrosa.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Hello Josette," Joshua said when she walked into the drawing room in Collinwood.
"Joshua, I need to talk to you privately if I may."
"Of course," Joshua said getting up, "If you'll excuse me Naomi. We'll talk in my study."
Joshua walked into his study closing the door behind her. "Sit please," he said.
"I don't know how to begin," Josette said.
"What is this all about," he asked.
"I found out who's responsible for all the tragedies."
"Who," Joshua asked getting up from his chair.
"It was Angèlique," Josette said. "Ben Stokes came to me and told me everything. She killed your brother, your son, and it was Angèlique that caused Sarah's illness."
"How did she do all this?"
"She's a witch, Ben said that she forced him to help her. I didn't believe it at first, but when I look back on everything I can now see that something unnatural was happening here."
Joshua got up, he wasn't going to let Angèlique get away with destroying his family another minute. It wouldn't bring back Jeremiah or Barnabas, but he would be keeping Sarah, Naomi, and Josette safe. He was still very worried about Naomi, she had stopped drinking since he talked to her, but she was very depressed, and now Sarah wasn't leaving her room, he wasn't going to let her go.
"Thank you for coming to me Josette. I'll take care of everything."
"What are you going to do?" she asked.
Joshua didn't say anything he left the study and Josette followed him closely.
"Naomi would you please have Laura come and get the children," he asked.
"Of course," Naomi said. She went to the phone and pressed the button for the schoolroom. "Laura would you please come and take the children up stairs." Naomi looked back at Joshua, "What is it?" she asked.
"I don't want to discuss it front of them," he said pointing to the children. Daniel was playing with his Gameboy, and Sarah was staring out of the window. Angèlique sat quietly by the fireplace full of curiosity. There was something in Joshua's tone that she had never heard before, what was going on, she wondered.
A few moments later Laura came in and took both children by the hand and took them with her upstairs.
"Now that we are alone," Joshua began, "I'd like to ask you a few questions Angèlique."
She looked at him in surprise; she had never heard him speak with so much anger in his voice before.
"Joshua, is that necessary?" Naomi asked, she was just as surprised by his tone as Angèlique was.
"Yes it is Naomi. Angèlique would you please be so kind as to tell me why you destroyed my family?"
"Joshua?!" Naomi cried out.
"Naomi please, this girl is responsible for everything that happened here. Why did you cause Jeremiah and Josette to run away together? Then kill him, and why did you kill my son?"
Angèlique was speechless; she looked like a deer that was caught in the headlights of an on coming car. She turned away from Joshua helplessly and saw Josette; there was nothing there but hatred on her face.
"Well?" Joshua asked. "You've done nothing but lie to this family. I think it's time for you to tell us all the truth."
"I did not mean for Barnabas to die. I was so angry that he went to Josette after he pushed me down the stairs.
"That was an accident," Josette said furiously.
"Why couldn't you just leave my family alone?"
"Because I loved Barnabas, he loved me in Paris and promised to come back for me, then the next thing I hear is that he's back and he's come for her," she said pointing to Josette. "It wasn't fair," she sobbed bitterly.
"Fair? Why should it be fair? After all the things you've done, you really think that Barnabas would have come back to you when he knew about all of it?" Josette asked. "You've done nothing but manipulate him. What you had was nothing more than a fling," Josette said sobbing with anger.
Naomi put her arms around her, "Josette."
"No, I lost everything because of her," she cried.
"Come on sweetheart," Naomi said leading Josette out of the room.
Once they were gone Joshua turned back to Angèlique. "I am going to let you stay here for awhile, until the doctors think you are well enough to travel, then I want you out of this house, and I never want you to set foot in Collinsport again."
"Yes Mr. Collins," Angèlique said.
When she got into her room she pulled out the box.
She had to do something, she had been too weak before, she wasn't sure she was ready now, but she had no time now. She went back down stairs careful not to make a sound; she pulled on her coat.
She hurried down the path that led to the Collinsport Cemetery and to the Collins Mausoleum.
Once she got inside she found Barnabas' coffin; it hadn't been placed inside the vault yet. She set the box on top and removed a small vile and a ring that belonged to Barnabas.
She sprinkled some of the powder on the coffin and was about to whisper the spell. She looked up and saw the moon was full and high in the sky. Suddenly there was a kind of rumbling and shaking in the coffin. She stepped back.
Slowly the lid was pushed up, and she saw Barnabas sitting up holding the lid of the coffin. He stepped out gingerly. He didn't seem to see her.
"Barnabas, your alive, but how could that be?" she whispered, he turned to her quickly.
"What have you done to me," he cried.
Angèlique couldn't speak, why was he standing before her, she hadn't completed the spell, how was it possible, he had been dead, she knew it.
"I should be dead," he said slowly coming closer to her. "What did you do to me?"
She could see a strange red glow in his eyes, and that his teeth had grown very sharp, what had she sent to him that night? What kind of evil had possessed him?
"Barnabas please," Angèlique said with fear in her voice.
"What did you do to me Angèlique? Tell me now and the pain of your death will not last long," he said grabbing her by the throat, "What did you make me become?"
"I didn't mean for it to happen," she whimpered struggling to get free, but it was useless he was too powerful.
"What did you do?" he asked again.
"I put a curse on you, the spirits sent a demon," she cried.
"What am I?"
"A vampire," she moaned. "You will kill anyone who you love."
"I am going to kill you Angèlique and I do not love you," he yelled, grabbing her neck, and bit down hard.
She screamed in pain, the blood flowed into his mouth filling it till some spilled from the sides, and ran down her neck. Barnabas released her then bite again savagely.
"No one will hear your screams," he whispered in her ear, when he was done, she looked into his eyes with a glassy expression, a tear rolled down her cheek. Barnabas looked away, he tried to feel some pity, but he couldn't. He looked back down at Angèlique, she was dead. What had he done?
He licked his lips and tasted her blood again. It was a thick bittersweet liquid that was so intoxicating that he wanted more.
He looked down at the body, he wanted to feel something, but he couldn't forget what this woman had done to him. She deserved everything that had happened to her, he thought.
He picked up the body, and carried her out of the mausoleum. Where could he put her? He had to be careful that no one saw him, after all he was dead.
He went deep into the woods in the direction of the docks. When he got there he saw that it was empty, the only sound was the water hitting the side of the boats.
He put the body in one of the little boats at the end of the dock, he looked up at the sky, he had to get back to the mausoleum before the sun rose.
He looked down at the beautiful face, and smiled he felt a great happiness knowing that she was finally out of his life forever. If only it wasn't too late.
To be continued. . .