319 - September 14, 1967

[bunniefuu]

[Maggie Evans] - Somewhere on this night,

somewhere near Collinwood,

there is one who must destroy in order to exist.

He has just wreaked new destruction

and a frightened, desperate man

has learned to live with terror.

[door opens]

- Maggie!

- What's the matter, Pop? - Where were you?

- I just went out for a breath of fresh air.

- You know you're not supposed to go out of the house alone.

How can I trust you if you're gonna sneak off

every time that you're, uh, going away?

- [laughing] I didn't sneak out.

I just walked out the front door.

- Well, you must remember that you gotta be careful.

We're still in danger.

- So you've told me a thousand times.

- It's the truth.

- The truth is, you're trying to make me afraid of my own shadow.

I can't live that way. I won'tlive that way.

- Maggie...

I'm only trying to protect you.

- I know what you're trying to do

but there isn't any need for it any longer.

- Unfortunately, there is.

Something happened.

Something, uh, you don't know about.

- What is it?

- Read the paper.

♪♪

[creepy music plays] ♪♪

[Maggie] - Pop.

- Now you know why I panicked when you disappeared.

- Yes. - Well, he's still around.

So we gotta be more careful than ever.

- Why can't the police find him?

- I wish I knew.

- Did the girl get a good look at him?

- Yes.

But apparently he was just a dark figure.

He just, uh, came from nowhere.

- From nowhere? - Well, that's what she said.

- Pop, I'm scared.

- Yeah, I know, so am I.

That's why we're gonna put a -hour watch on you.

[knocking on door]

- Who's that? - I don't know.

No, no, I'll get it.

Oh, Dave.

- Hello, Sam.

I see you got the evening paper.

I treated the girl.

She's gonna be all right.

- What happened to her?

- Well, nothing that bad, Maggie.

She's got some scratches on her neck

and she lost some blood and...

- Blood?

- Sam, uh, I'd like to talk to you for a minute.

Do you mind, Maggie? - Mind what?

- I, uh, wanna have a little talk with your father.

- Well, I could use a cup of coffee, darling.

Why don't you go make some for us, hmm?

- All right.

[door opens]

- What is it you didn't want to say in front of Maggie?

- Sit down, Sam.

Now look, I know you think some of my theories are far-fetched.

- You're talking about little Sarah,

and you still got this wild idea that she's a ghost?

- I wasn't even thinking of her at the moment.

- What are you thinking about then?

- Sam, I'm thinking about this maniac

and the things that he's doing.

- What about him?

- Well...

It's obvious we've both come to the conclusion

that he's far from an ordinary man.

- What are you getting at now?

- Well, only that the...

That Maggie is in much worse danger than even we,

at our most pessimistic, imagined...

and the danger's getting worse every day.

Now, we can't stall around, Sam.

We've got to do something.

- We've done everything we possibly can do.

What else can be done?

- I've got a plan. - What is it?

- Well now, before I tell you, I wanna warn you, it's risky.

- Go on.

- I think we ought to set a trap for this maniac.

- A trap?

- I think we ought to get the people in town to believe

that Maggie's memory is beginning to return.

Now, if he hears that,

he's got to come out into the open

and we'll be waiting for him.

- You wanna set Maggie up as a target?!

- Shh.

She's gonna be safe enough, Sam.

We'll have police hidden all over the property.

He won't be able to get to her.

- Yeah, but what if he--

- No, he-- we'll see that he isn't.

We'll take every possible precaution.

- But what if it isn't enough? What if he gets through to her?

- Look, we've got to do something to stop this man, Sam!

I warned you that there was a, an--

an element of risk involved.

- An element of risk?!

You're asking me to risk my daughter's life!

- I know, and it's a terrible thing to ask a man.

But listen, with...

with police swarming all over the place,

whatever risk there is would be minimal.

- I can't do it, Dave.

- Will you at least think about it

before you dismiss the idea completely?

- There's nothing to think about.

I've already made up my mind.

I'm not gonna risk Maggie's life!

- Well, it's your decision.

- If you were in my place,

I imagine you'd feel the same way.

- I probably would.

Well, it was just a last desperate move

to get this madman out into the open.

- No, it's too dangerous.

Well, uh, maybe he'll find that Maggie isn't

a threat to him anymore and he'll just go away.

- Maybe.

- Well, we gotta hope that anyway.

- Yeah, I suppose so.

[dogs howling]

- Listen.

It's those dogs again.

Remember the night that started happening?

- Yeah, yeah...

The night that Maggie disappeared.

♪♪

[door opens]

- Why did you do it, Barnabas? - What are you talking about?

- The girl who was attacked, it's all over town.

- Is it? - Everybody's up in arms.

The police are all over the place asking questions.

- It will quiet down.

- But things were quiet.

People were starting to forget

and you had to stir 'em up again.

Now why, why did you do it?!

- Willie, I don't have to explain my actions to you.

- Well, does this mean that things are going back

to the way they were?

You're not gonna cooperate with Dr. Hoffman?

You're not going on with the experiments?

- The experiments will continue. - Then why did you do it?

Why did you think you had to do it?

- Willie, I told you, I don't have to offer explanations.

- I know why you did it. - Do you?

- Yeah, you did it because you got scared and you panicked.

But you shouldn't have.

- And what do you suppose frightened me?

- Well, I saw the way you were earlier.

You were scared Sarah was in this house,

and you didn't have any control over her.

- Be quiet, Willie!

- You're scared of losing your power.

Scared you can't live as a normal man.

That's why you went out there-- - I told you to be quiet, Willie!

- You know, Barnabas, things can't go on like this.

Because one day they'll catch you

and they'll find out what you are.

- That will never happen.

- It could happen.

What if that girl had seen ya? - She didn't.

- But what if she caught a glimpse or something?

Something she'll remember later? - She didn't see anything.

- Well, how can you be sure?

- Because I am!

- Now you can't take chances like this.

Barnabas, look, I know you're scared of a lot of things.

Scared of losing Vicki Winters.

Scared of how much David knows. Scared of Maggie Evans--

- I'm telling you for the last time, be quiet, Willie!

- Okay.

I just hope you feel as safe as you think you are.

- I want you to do something for me.

- What?

- I want you to go into town and find out what's going on.

And what is being said.

- Because you really don't feel so safe.

- You have your instructions, Willie, carry them out.

- Okay.

But things can't go on like this, Barnabas, they can't.

- Go!

- I don't remember anything, anything at all.

- Well, try again, Maggie.

- It's no use.

- All right, Maggie, take it easy.

We'll call it quits for today, huh?

- You don't ever think I'll regain my memory, do you?

- Oh, I'm sure it's gonna come back in time.

- I don't.

I don't think I'll ever remember what happened to me.

- Maggie, no more talk like that.

We've all got to keep our hopes up.

All of us.

- What did you say to Pop when I left the room?

- Oh, it was nothing important.

Well, I know it was about me, what was it?

- Maggie, it doesn't matter now.

- I want to know.

- Well, I, uh, told your father

about a plan I'd thought of, but...

he didn't go along with it, so that's that.

- A plan? What kind of plan?

- Well, a plan I had to make the man who kidnapped you

come out into the open.

- How?

- Now look, your father said no to the idea, Maggie,

so does it matter?

- Well, it does to me. I wanna know what the plan was.

- Well, I thought it might be a good idea if we...

spread the word around town that...

you were beginning to get your memory back.

And that might force our man to make a move.

Then we'd set a trap for him

with the cooperation of the Sheriff.

- It might work!

- Well...

Sam said no to the idea and I think he might be right.

- Why?

- Well, because it involves too much danger for you, Maggie.

It's just too risky.

- But I want to take any kind of a risk,

just to make sure this nightmare will be over once and for all.

- You may be willing, but Sam isn't.

I can't say I blame him.

I know how I'd feel if you were my daughter.

- I'll talk to Pop.

I'll persuade him to do it.

- Maggie, he is adamant on the subject.

I don't think you're gonna get him to budge.

- We've got to do it.

We're going to go through with it.

- Well...

You see what you can do with him.

I'm sorry, I have to go now, Maggie.

- It's going to work.

It's got to work.

♪♪

[knocking on door]

- Who is it?

- Sheriff Patterson.

- Come on in, Sheriff.

- Hello, Maggie, I, uh, got here as quickly as I could.

I've been thinking about this plan of yours.

- It's not my plan, it's Dr. Woodard's.

But I think it's going to work.

- Well, I think there's a flaw in it.

- What's that? - Maggie, I--

George. - Sam, how are you?

- Well, what are you doing here, George?

- Well, Maggie sent for me.

- Why did you do that, darling?

- Doesn't he know? - No.

- Well, come on, what's going on?

- Well, I told him Dr. Woodard's plan.

I want to go ahead with it.

- I forbid it. I absolutely forbid it.

- Pop. - No.

No, the answer is no.

Now, uh, you get that idea right out of your head.

Now, Dave shouldn't have even told you anything about it.

- But he did and it's my life that I'm risking.

And I want to go ahead with it. - I forbid it!

- But how much of a risk would there be if I were well-guarded?

- You were well-guarded before

and it didn't keep that madman from getting to you.

- Pop. - I'm sorry, Maggie.

But I refuse to let you do it.

No! There's no sense in talking about the whole thing.

- Pop, it would work and we'd be free of all this.

Sheriff, please talk to him, just tell him.

- Maggie, I'm not convinced the plan would work either.

- Why not? - Well, like I said before,

your plan is fine, but there's a flaw in it.

- What is it?

- Well, if Sam walked into the Blue Whale

and started saying that your memory was coming back,

nobody would believe him.

- Why not?

- Because Sam knows that that would put your life in danger.

And everybody else knows it, too.

Sam would naturally keep quiet.

A public announcement that your memory was returning

would seem to be exactly what it is, a trap.

- George is right, darling.

Nobody would buy it.

George? - No thanks.

- Unless... - [Sam clears throat]

[George] - Unless what?

- Unless you pretend to be drunk,

and you let just enough slip out to make everybody suspicious.

- And if I pretended to try to keep you quiet...

- Yes, that way the news would be spread around town

and nobody would suspect a trap.

- I don't know, that might work.

- It would, I know it would.

- Sam, I think it's worth a try.

- No, George.

- Pop, please say yes.

- I can't, Maggie.

I can't let you risk your life.

- My life?

What kind of a life do you think I'm leading now?

I'm practically a prisoner in my own home.

I'm beginning to suspect the least little sound.

Every time I look out the window,

I think there's somebody out there

that's trying to get at me.

And sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night.

And I hear a footstep outside,

and I try to scream and I can't!

I think I'm going out of my mind!

- Now Maggie, now don't talk like that.

- But it's true.

If this goes on much longer, I'm gonna go insane.

- Now Maggie. [dogs howling]

- Listen.

Those dogs!

[dogs continue howling]

- Don't be afraid.

Look, don't be afraid, darling.

- Pop, there's something out there

that's trying to get at me!

- Maggie, Maggie. - Pop, please help me!

- Now Maggie, Maggie, stop it! - Pop!

- Now Maggie, Maggie, you're safe.

- Safe? - Yes, you're safe.

You're absolutely safe.

Nothing can get at you in here.

- Pop, I'm so scared.

- Don't be, darling.

You have no reason to be afraid.

- Pop, this is just tearing me apart.

It's got to end, it's got to!

- George, can you guarantee that the house

will be absolutely secure?

- I'll have a man behind every bush and tree

if you give the word.

- Then it's all right?

You'll give your permission to go ahead with it?

- Yes, against my better judgment.

- Pop, thank you.

[dog yelps, then howls]

♪♪

[music on jukebox playing] ♪♪

[music on jukebox continues] ♪♪

- Sam, come on, let me drive you home.

- No! I want another drink.

- You don't need another drink.

- There's always time for another drink.

Bobarooney, give me a...

A double martooni on the rocks, huh?

- All right to serve him, Sheriff?

- I guess one will be all right.

- One for a starter, right, George, right?

- Give me a ginger ale, huh?

- Anything new on that attack last night, Sheriff?

- No, not a thing.

- You mean you haven't got the slightest clue

as to who the guy could be?

- Not the slightest.

- Well, you'd better come up with something real fast.

The people are beginning to panic.

- You don't have to tell me that.

- Oh, well, the panic will be over

in a couple of days, right, George?

[George] - Sam, be quiet.

[bartender] - What is he talking about?

- Nothing, not a thing.

You know Sam, he gets a couple of drinks under his belt

and he just likes to talk.

- He sounds as if you're onto something.

- No, I just told you, we're not.

- Yeah, that's what you said.

- Hey, hey, who's gonna pay for these drinks?

- I'll drink with you, Sam,

but I'm not gonna pay for your drinking habit.

- Now, now, wait a minute. I think you owe me a drink.

Yes, 'cause Maggie's gonna make you a public hero!

- Sam, knock it off. - What does he mean by that?

- Nothing, not a thing.

[bartender] - Maggie hasn't started to remember the guy

who kidnapped her, has she?

[George] - No, of course not.

- No... of course not.

Now, uh...

Well, how about that other drink, George?

- All right, Sam, I'll buy you the drunk, but, uh...

Let's go to a table, huh?

Bob... listen, do me a favor, will ya?

- What's that?

- Forget everything Sam just said, huh?

He was just talking.

- Why? Are you really onto something?

- No, just do as I said.

Forget everything he said, all right?

- Okay.

- Well, that ought to do it.

At least half a dozen people overheard us.

A rumor that Maggie's memory is coming back

ought to be all over town first thing in the morning.

- Yeah.

And after that she'll be a sitting duck.

You had better guard her very well, George.

Her life is in your hands.

- What?

- Well, he didn't come right out and say

her memory was coming back, he hinted at it.

And the Sheriff tried to stop him from saying it.

- Then Dr. Hoffman will have to prevent her memory

from coming back.

- What if she can't? - She must!

- Barnabas, the best thing for you to do

is to leave town tonight before she remembers anything.

- I will never leave Collinwood.

- What are you gonna do?

- You'll find out soon enough.

Perhaps before this night is over.

[dog yelps, then howls]

♪♪

♪♪

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