SCENE 3
Julia sat in the drawing room of Collinwood alone. Though she had a book in front of her, she couldn't concentrate on it. In fact, she had read the same paragraph several times, and still didn't know what it said. Her mind kept drifting back to Barnabas. She had to find a way to help him.
The doctor finally put the book down, knowing it was useless to try to read. Maybe she should have another hypnosis session with Vicki. At least then she would feel like she was doing something. She stood and headed for the stairs. As she reached the bottom of the staircase, she heard the front door slam. She turned around just in time to see David racing toward her.
Dr. Hoffman grabbed the boy as he tried to run past her. "David, what's wrong?" she asked. "What's the matter with you?" It was obvious the boy was terrified.
David struggled in her grasp. "Let me go! Let me go!" he cried, "She'll get me! I've got to get away!"
Julia tried to calm him. "Who is going to get you? Who are you so afraid of?"
"Daphne! Daphne's come back to kill me! I saw her!"
She grabbed his flailing arms, pinning them to his sides. He continued to try to thrash in his hysteria as she tried to reason with him. "David. Listen to me. Calm down and listen to me," she said deliberately. "Daphne is dead."
Slowly, David started to calm, responding to her voice. He stopped twisting and turning. She continued to tell him that Daphne was gone forever until he stopped completely and looked her in the eyes. Once he settled, she asked, "What happened to scare you so? Why did you think Daphne was back?"
"Because I saw her! She was at the old pool house, just like before. She was coming after me again!" He tried to pull away, but Julia held him firmly.
"Tell me exactly what you saw." David related the events at the swimming pool to the doctor. Her trained ear picked out the flaw in his story. "But, David, if you didn't see her face, how did you know it was Daphne?"
He thought about that a minute. Slowly, he admitted, "I guess I didn't. I just assumed it was her, like last time. I guess it could have been someone else."
Dr. Hoffman comforted the boy. "It must have been. Daphne was destroyed forever. She can't come back. And even if it had been her, you certainly couldn't have seen her in the middle of the afternoon, with the sun shining."
"Maybe you're right, Dr. Hoffman. I got scared, so I didn't really think about it. But I did see someone with blonde hair down at the old swimming pool. If it wasn't Daphne, who was it?"
"I don't know, David. But let's go have a look. Maybe we can find out." Julia stood up and offered her hand to David. "Come on then."
David looked at her hand for a moment, then took it. Julia led him out the front door toward the abandoned pool house.
SCENE 4
The shrill sounds of the telephone buzzed in Elizabeth's ear as she dialed the numbers. It was answered on the other end after two rings by a secretary, who quickly put her through when she made her request. Soon she was greeted by a warm, friendly voice. "Elizabeth! It's good to hear from you. How are you?"
"I'm doing fine, Richard, as is the rest of the family. How is your son, Frank?" She hated this small talk when she had something important to discuss, but Richard was an old friend and deserved some consideration.
"He's doing wonderfully. Just won a big case for us in Bangor."
"I'm so glad he decided to take up law amd work with you. When your brother died last year, I was afraid Garner and Garner would be just Garner, and as much as I like you, it wouldn't have been the same."
"I agree. It's been great working with my son, and I don't have to change the letterhead." He chuckled. "I'm so glad you called, Liz. I've been wanting to ask you how the new governess is working out."
Elizabeth fidgeted slightly. "Victoria Winters has been a very pleasant addition to our family. David has taken to her just beautifully."
"I'm glad to hear that, especially since you went against my advice and hired a tutor on your own. I was worried that you weren't making the right decision. But I guess I should have known you better than that."
"Yes, everything has worked out for the best." She quickly changed the subject. "Richard, this isn't a social call. Something has happened, and I need to see you as soon as possible. Can you come to Collinwood today?"
Richard's usually laid-back manner became urgent. "Is everything all right, Liz?"
"For the moment, yes. But it may not remain that way. That's why I need to see you."
There was a pause on the line, as she assumed Richard was checking his appointments. "I have one more meeting today, in about half an hour. I could get there at, say, seven o'clock?"
"That would be fine." Elizabeth looked up as Roger walked into the study. "I'll see you then. Good-bye." She hung up the phone.
Roger put some papers on the desk. "Who was on the phone, Liz?"
"Richard Garner," she answered.
"Our lawyer? What did he want?"
"He didn't want anything. I called him."
Roger looked up, startled. "You called him? Whatever for?" Suddenly it dawned on him. "It was about Laura, wasn't it?" Her silence and the way she avoided his eyes was answer enough. "Liz, don't you think you are getting ahead of yourself? We don't even know when or if Laura is coming back. Much less why."
She turned back to him. "I just want to be clear on our legal position. I have just brought my family back together again, and nothing - and no one - is going to interfere with that ever again."
