219 - April 28, 1967

[bunniefuu]

[narrating]
- My name is Victoria Winters.

A dawn obscured by mists from the sea

slowly creeps toward Collinwood.

And through the morning mists,

a man emerges from the darkest pit the night can know.

[clock chiming]

But, the peace he looks for will not come with the day.

For through the mists into the morning,

he brings with him the torments of the night.

♪♪


- There you are.
- [gasps]


- I've waited up the entire night for you.


- Leave me alone.
- Ohh.

I'll let you alone, all right.

But first, you're going to answer a few questions.


- I can't.


- You were in the cemetery again.


- No.
- Don't deny it!

I followed you there.


- I wasn't there, I swear I wasn't.


- I saw your car there.


- But, you
-
- you didn't find me there.


- Oh, no, because you'd run off somewhere.

Now, I want to know one thing, and one thing only.

What were you doing there?

Why did you go there?

I demand an answer!

♪♪

♪♪


- All right, then, I'll give you the answer.

Because I happen to know why you went there.


- Huh? You do?


- It's perfectly obvious.


- No. No, it isn't true.


- I'm ashamed to say that it is.

Just look at you. First, you say you're sick,

and then you run off into the night.


- Let me go upstairs to my room.

I gotta rest.
- Oh, yes, of course, Willie.

Of course, you have to rest.

It's very exhausting labor, isn't it?


- What?


- Doing what you were doing all night!


- I wasn't doing anything.


- Oh, no.

No, you were upstairs all the time,

dreaming sweet dreams.


- Why can't you just leave me alone?

I wanna go to sleep, I don't feel well.


- [chuckles]

A very convenient relapse, I'm sure.

Pretending that you're sick during the day,

to cover up what you're doing at night.


- I tell you, I wasn't doing anything!


- You were looking for the jewels, Willie.


- What?


- That's why you went to the cemetery, isn't it?

That's why you went there the first time,

and that's why you went there last night, isn't it?

Answer me! Isn't it?!


- Yes, the jewels.


- Then you admit it.
- Yes, I admit it.

I was looking for the jewels.


- I thought so.

And I suppose you expect to go on looking for them

until you find them.


- No, I won't look for them anymore.


- I agree with you, Willie,

because you're not going to have another chance.


- Please, I gotta lie down.


- Oh, no, you're not.

You're getting out, 'cause I'm driving you into town,

and you're taking the next bus.


- I can't, I'm sick.
- Come on!

I've packed your things, they're in the car outside.


- I can't move.


- Oh
-h*, no more I suppose than you could last night,

when you bolted out of here?!


- I don't feel well.


- Aww, well, isn't that too bad?

Then a nice ride in the country air

will do you a lot of good, Willie.


- I want to leave. But, I can't.


- You want to leave.

So you can get back to your little treasure hunt?


- No.

I never wanna go back there, never.


- Never? Until the next time?


- I mean it, I never wanna go back there.


- All right, then.

Let me fulfill your little dream, Willie.

Come on!

I said, come on!
- I can't.


- Of course, you can!


- Please, I wanna go to sleep, I have to sleep.


- Sleep? Well then, you can sleep in the car, Willie.


- [sobbing]


- Come on, get up.

I said get up!

Exactly how stupid do you think I am?


- Jason, you're my friend. Help me.


- I'll help you as far as the car.


- [sobbing]

I can't get up.


- The morning air will do you good.

Come on!


- Morning?
- Yes, morning.

Come on, let's get going.


- Please, I'm sick, I can't go.


- Look at me.

I said, look at me!

I've got to know that you're not lying to me again.


- I'm not lying to you. I'm sick, honest.

Please, help me. Help me upstairs.


- Do you want the jewels that bad?

To go after them when you're this sick?


- [crying] No, I don't want any jewels,

never, I wanna sleep.

Please, help me. Please, help me.


- I never should've looked at that painting

in the first place.


- What?
- That one, with all the jewels.

If you hadn't looked at them,

you'd have stayed home last night when you were sick,

instead of running off.


- I told you, I don't want any jewels.


- Yes, that's what you say now, Willie.

But, what about tonight?


- Tonight?

No, not tonight.

Not tonight.

[panicked breathing]

Never. Never!


- Come on, come on.

♪♪


- [whispering] Help me.


- Are you awake?

Loomis?

I said, Loomis.

Wake up, Loomis!
- [gasping]


- Well, good morning, young man.


- Still morning? Good.


- Actually, it's early afternoon.

You seem to need a little extra rest today, don't you?


- Please, I wanna sleep.
- Yes, I'm sure you do.

But, I'm afraid at the moment, that's impossible.

You're leaving. Come on, get up.


- Leave me alone, I'm sick.


- That, as you know, is a blatant lie.


- No, it isn't.


- The entire household is aware that you drove off

last night and probably didn't return till early this morning.

Now, you couldn't possibly be sick.

Come on, get up.


- I can't.


- You want me to use force?


- [whimpering] No, no force.

No fights.

I'll get up.


- And let me tell you something right now.

If you think you're going to my sister and try to get her

to let you stay on for any longer time,

it's not gonna do any good.
- I'll go.


- Because she sent me here to ask you to leave
-
-

to tell you to leave.


- Please, give me a hand.


- I wouldn't do such a thing.

It's humiliating to watch this charade of yours,

let alone participate in it.


- Just, help me
-
-
- No, you don't need any help

and you know it
-
- Now, get up.


- Please, help me get to my feet.


- Hmm.

I must say, you do this very well.

In pretending to be sick, you managed to look sick.

You look ghastly, Loomis.

I mean this only as a compliment to your histrionic talents.


- [whimpers]

I
-
- I don't think I'm gonna make it.


- Bravo, Loomis, encore!

Sarah Bernhardt could take lessons from you.

A brilliant performance!


- Help me. Please, I'm... I'm...


- This is ridiculous!

Loomis, get up! Do you hear me?

This is absolutely absurd.

I don't intend to put up with this any longer.


- [moans]


- I can understand your doubts. I had them myself at first.


- I have no doubt whatever, this is perfectly clear to me.

That man is not sick.


- I know that it's hard to believe.


- Not hard
-
- it's impossible.


- But, one look at the man
-
-
- One look at the man,

taken the first moment I saw him,

proved to me that he was a fraud,

and nothing has inspired me to change my mind since.


- All right, I know that there are some things can be faked,

and Willie isn't beyond them. But, this is the real thing!


- I don't believe you, and I insist that he leave here,

in compliance with my sister's instructions.


- All right, then.

Suppose I can get him away from here.

But, suppose then he has a
-
- a turn for the worse.


- In his case, a mild cough would be a turn for the worse,

because I tell you, there is nothing wrong with this man.


- There is something wrong with him!


- All right, then, what is it?
- I don't know.

But, how do we know that it isn't something really serious?


- Oh, we could find that out very easily

by simply calling in a competent doctor.


- But, Willie insists that he doesn't need a doctor.


- And I am the first to agree with him.

But, you think that he's a sick man.

Obviously, you're the one who needs the doctor

to convince you that he isn't. Now, will you please call him?


- Well, if Willie hadn't been so insistent

that he didn't need one
-
-
- Oh, indeed.

I'm sure he didn't.


- Well, I suppose I should have called one

whether he wanted one or not.


- Well, you'd better allow me, as one of the locals.

I can get one of the less adult quacks

we have serving the countryside here.


- If you know a competent doctor, please call him.


- I'm
-
-
- I'll be very grateful.


- I'm sure that any doctor that I would call

would be competent enough for this case.

[phone ringing]

Excuse me.

Yes, this is
-
- this is Mr. Collins.

Who's calling?

Oh, good afternoon, Sheriff.

I'm sorry, but it's out of the question.

Well, I have a very full schedule.

No, I won't be here this afternoon,

but I'll be in town.

But, I won't have time.

[sighs] Well, perhaps if you told me

what it was all about.

Sheriff, when will you learn

that you're supposed to solve mysteries, not create them?

Now, why do you want to see me?

Oh.

All right, I'll be there.

The local sheriff has periodic cravings

for intelligent conversation,

which I, alone, seem to be able to satisfy.

He undoubtedly wants me to head a select committee

for some unsuitable charity or other.


- Did he, uh, mention why he wanted to see you?


- He wouldn't dare. If I knew, I'd refuse to go.

Nothing bores me more

than serving on these ridiculous committees.


- Well, did he give any indication

that it might be, uh, important?


- Of course, he did.

To an official, nothing is more important

than the formation of these committees.

I won't be able to call the doctor.

But, I'll give you the directory.

You'll find it under "Woodard."


- I'll call him immediately.


- Well, there's one advantage to going to see the sheriff.

I'll be spared any fond farewells to your friend.

He will be gone by the time I get back, won't he?


- I should say, that's up to the doctor.


- Then, I consider the decision already made.

If my sister asks for me, tell her that I went to the sheriff.


- Yes, the sheriff.
- But, don't tell her

that it's anything to worry about.

I'm sure it won't be anything important.

I'm just not that lucky.


- Oh, I
-
- I'll tell her.

♪♪


- But, I don't understand.
- Neither do we.


- No, I mean if there's some serious disease afflicting

the family farms, why isn't a veterinarian called in?

Why the sheriff?


- Mr. Collins, it was the vet that called us.


- But, it seems to be a medical problem.

The cattle are dying, he should know the cause.


- He knows it, all right.
- Well, then, what was it?


- It isn't very pleasant.


- I don't require that it should be,

just tell me what it was.


- They all died from loss of blood.


- Believe me, I am concerned about anything that goes wrong

on any of the family farms,

just as I would be concerned if anything went wrong

with any of the family holdings.

But, I am still at a loss

to understand why this is a matter for the law.


- Well, if it were a disease that caused the loss of blood,

the matter would be medical, but it wasn't a disease.

Each one that was found dead died the same way.


- Well, what way was that?


- It was drained of blood completely.

And from what evidence we have so far, expertly.


- Drained of blood?
- That's right.


- You mean, attacked by some wild animal?


- No, I said it was done expertly.

No animal could have done it.


- You mean, by a person?


- That's what it looks like.


- What kind of depraved vandalism is that?


- We don't know.


- Has this happened, Sheriff,

only on the farms belonging to my family?


- No.


- Well then, it isn't someone who simply is to
-
-

trying to destroy Collins property?


- No, apparently not.


- What a grisly thing for a man to do,

drain an animal of all its blood.


- Yes, it isn't very nice to contemplate.


- But, who?

What kind of man would do such a thing?


- We don't know, Mr. Collins,

but that's what we're going to have to find out.

♪♪


- Well, one thing is certain.


- Yes, Doctor, what is that?


- There's no infection.

In other words, he's not suffering

from any viral disease.


- What is it, then? Obviously, the lad is very sick.


- No.

No, he's not sick at all.


- He's not? Just look at him.


- He's weak, but he's not sick,

unless the two are considered one and the same.


- Could you explain that to me more simply?

Now, I
-
- I know he's weak.

But, isn't that why he's sick?
- Not necessarily.


- Well, what is wrong, then?


- Well, for one thing, his pulse.

His heartbeat is quite threaded.


- Threaded?
- I'm sorry
-
- way above normal.


- Is
-
- is there something wrong with his heart?


- Well, I hope not,

considering the extra work it's being called on to do.

You see, the reason for the extra heart activity

is that there's less blood in the body.

So, the heart must work that much harder to circulate

what there is through the veins.


- Less blood?
- Yes.

What the man is suffering from is a loss of blood.

An enormous loss of blood.

♪♪


- We'll be keeping a special lookout,

and, uh, everyone at Collinwood might do the same.


- Yes, yes, of course.


- And if you, uh, get any ideas to who it might be...


- To think of it being a
-
- a human,

not even an animal.


- Well, human beings have always outdistanced animals

as far as destruction is concerned.


- Yes, I suppose so.

To drain an animal of blood and
-
- and leave no trace,

only the bloodless carcass.


- I wouldn't dwell on it too much.

Just keep an eye open, and we'll keep you informed

how our investigation is going.


- Why would anyone want to do a thing like this?

Why would anyone want to slaughter this way?


- I don't know, but that's what we're going to find out.


- Well, I hope you can, Sheriff.


- Thank you for coming in.


- Not at all.

♪♪


- But, if the wound is so small, Doctor,

how did he lose all that blood?


- Oh, probably because it goes so deep.

Cuts right into the vein.

But, there is one thing that puzzles me a little.


- Yes, Doctor?


- If the wound goes as deeply as I think it does,

I can't see how it could have healed so quickly.

Of course, everybody's healing powers vary.


- Well, is it good or is it bad

that it healed so quickly?
- Neither.

Merely... puzzling.

Well, see to it that he gets as much rest as he can,

he drinks a lot of fluids, and...

Oh, Mr. Collins, how are you?


- Good afternoon, Doctor.

Well, were you able to diagnose our guest's ailment?


- Well, I was just telling Mr. McGuire

he has no ailment at all.


- Ohh, no ailment at all.

Well, now, Mr. McGuire
-
-


- But, he is suffering from a severe loss of blood.


- Loss of blood?
- Yes, he's very weak,

and will be so for quite some time.

He must have absolute rest
-
- I was just telling Mr. McGuire.


- How did he lose so much blood?


- He has a cut on his arm.


- Loss of blood?


- You do take the doctor's word for it, don't you?


- Yes.

If that's what's wrong, then that's what's wrong.

There's nothing more to be said.


- Were you going to say something, Roger?


- No.

No, nothing at all.


- He's in no real danger.

Give him a little time and a lot of rest

with the right food.

He'll be fine. Just fine.


- [groaning]

No! No, I can't go back there.

[groaning] I won't!

I won't go back there!

[sobbing] I won't.

I won't!

[dog howling]

♪♪

♪♪

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