The light of a new day was probably more welcome to those who live at Collinwood than it was to me. I waited impatiently, pacing back and forth and fiddling with my lighter. The phone rang. I stared at it, walked away, then turned my back. Finally, I slowly walked toward it and picked up the receiver.
It was Ned. He said he had been calling me all morning and asked where I’d been. I told him I’d been out working the grounds. He said he was under the impression I wasn’t working on the estate yet. I told him he was wrong.
He said Sabrina would like to see me now and asked when I could see her. I said I didn’t know. He said I meant I didn’t care. No! He told me to make it soon… very soon, because she was getting impatient and he was getting impatient. What does that mean? He answered anything I wanted it to mean, then hung up.
I slowly put down the receiver and took a framed picture of Sabrina out of the drawer.
Then I called Collinwood. Elizabeth answered and I asked if Barnabas or Dr. Hoffman were there. She said, “Just a moment,” and put Julia on the phone. I told her I had to see her right away and asked her to come down to the cottage. She asked if I could wait because something had happened there.
I hated to disturb her, but told her I thought it might be an emergency. She asked why, what’s happened? I told her nothing yet, but there may be someone who knows about me. She told me she’d get here as soon as she could, then hung up.
When she arrived, I showed Julia the picture of Sabrina. She told me she was a very pretty girl. I said, not was… is. Julia said she thought she was dead and I asked her if Ned actually said she was dead. She said no, but he kept referring to her in the past tense. I told her I thought he may have wanted her to think she was dead. She asked why? I don’t know. I don’t know what he’s after and I don’t know what he wants from me.
She asked how I found out that Sabrina was still alive. I told her that he came over to Collinwood yesterday. Not only is she alive; she’s in town. She asked why I didn’t tell them yesterday. I said I just got panicky when I heard about it. She asked if it was because she may think she knows about me. Of course, she knows about me. I asked Julia if Barnabas told her what happened the last time I saw Sabrina.
Yes, she said; she witnessed one of your transformations. I exclaimed, so she does know about me! There’s no question. She told me to wait a minute, that we had to think it through rationally. What is there to think about? I remember what happened. I remember it quite vividly. She reminded me that wasn’t possible, that I told her myself that when the transformations happen, I black out.
Yeah, yeah, that was true. Julia said then I don’t know what happened to Sabrina after the change. She was in the same room with me! How could she have gotten out of there alive? Julia said, obviously she did.
Then she knows about me and can identify me. Julia shook her head and said, not necessarily. How could she say that? She replied that if it was simply a case of her identifying me, then Ned Stuart’s behavior doesn’t make any sense. When he found me, why didn’t he have me arrested and Sabrina tell them everything? I don’t know. Julia said neither did she.
Julia asked me when I saw Ned yesterday, did he tell me why they were here. No, that’s what’s so upsetting about the whole thing. I couldn’t get a straight answer out of him for any question I asked. She asked what he said. I told her just that they were in town and he wanted me to see her. She said that posed another question: why didn’t he bring her here to see me? I didn’t even ask him that.
Julia told me she was afraid the only way I was going to find my answers… I interrupted her. You mean I’ve got to go ahead and talk to her. She nodded. I told Julia I can’t. I just cannot face her again. She said I didn’t have any choice. If I wanted peace of mind, I had to find out why they are here!
Julia told me the only answer is that I called Ned and told him I would come and see them. I’m afraid. I’m afraid of what I’ll find out. She asked what I would be if I didn’t go. I said nothing. She walked over to the phone and handed me the receiver. I reluctantly dialed the phone, tapping my hand on the table as I waited for someone to answer.
Ned answered and told me just to get there as quick as I could. They were both looking forward to seeing me.
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