She felt betrayed by Leopold for not doing as she hoped: attacking Alexandra, and then revealing his identity to Carolyn: it was just one more note in the history books of her bad luck. The Collins family was the reason for her long unhappiness and loneliness, they reason for her mistrust and pain, the reason for her thirst for revenge; now a new generation had emerged thwarting every bit of justice she hoped for. The reparations she desired would only be paid when every last Collins family member was dead in their graves. It was all beginning to be too much for her.
She had a long history with the family. A history that went back decades. Her past was a patch work of secrets and lies that destroyed so much of her life, and now, in this time, the cracks were reforming, like stained-glass windows connecting one piece to another, her story would finally be told.
Claudia lay her head down on a soft bed inside a secret room in the old house. Her heart bounded in her chest. She closed her eyes, tears of rage trickled down her cheeks as she lay back in a trance like sleep that soon brought dreams of her past.
**COLLINSPORT, MAINE 1850 **
Barnabas crept through the hallways of the old house as not to wake anyone who was living there. He was stealth, and sly. All the while holding a very precious bundle with him that he carefully held in his arms. He had traveled back in time from the year 1972 where he had been living as a member of this family, his biggest, most darkest secret still deep inside his heart.
As he sneaked into an empty bed room to rest and was careful to make no noise. Still in his arms the tiny bundle, a sleeping baby girl he brought from the future, a baby he hoped would be kept all the dangers 1972 had to offer her. This baby, innocent and sweet, needed to be kept away from every evil that threatened her existence. Placing her almost 100 years in the past through time travel in safe keeping was Barnabas' only choice.
"No one will ever hurt you here. sweet Evangeline, no one. I promise to keep you safe from all harm. Especially from your mother." Barnabas whispered to the baby girl as she cooed at his face.
That night he and the baby girl slept well in the secret bedroom away from the unknowing family members in the home. The two had a long journey a head of them before dawn.
To keep the baby girl safe, Barnabas decided to place her in an orphanage in Boston, far away from her devious mother Angelique who had been living in 1972 under the assumed name Cassandra Collins, a clever guise she created to infiltrate the Collins family and be closer to Barnabas.
Under this disguise Cassandra had married Barnabas' cousin Roger, who was none the wiser to who she really was: she was the same witch, and former lover, who cursed Barnabas created him the night dwelling monster that he fought so hard against. Cassandra followed Barnabas into the future and attempted to ruin his life over and over again, at one point enchanting him and making him believe he was his true love Josette and seducing him into bed where the baby Evangeline was conceived.
Cassandra attempted to pass the baby off as Roger's but still use her as a stepping stone into Barnabas life by manipulation and cruel blackmail, but Barnabas was two steps ahead of her and would not allow her to ruin the child's life by using the baby against him.
After the baby was born, Cassandra's days became numbered at Collinwood when an associate posing as her brother, Nicholas Blair, began blackmailing Cassandra into helping him destroy the family in his own twisted revenge plot. When that failed Cassandra disappeared with the baby girl. When Barnabas discovered them, he could not allow her to raise a child to be evil like her so he kidnapped Evangeline, leaving Cassandra do die alone of despair in her secret safe house just outside of Collinsport, never seeing her child again.
Just before dawn, 100 years in the past, Barnabas snuck out of the old house undetected with the baby girl he called Evangeline. He placed the baby in a small basket and rode for and hours and hours on horseback to Boston from Collinsport, finally reaching the orphanage where the baby he had conceived with Angelique, would be hidden away for her own safety. Angelique's body was not found, but her powers of sorcery were strong, her death would not impede her search for her missing child. Here, in this orphanage surrounded by nuns, Evangeline would be safe.
He handed the baby to two nuns at the gates of St. Catherine's Orphanage for girls.
"She is so small, and so sweet." A nun at the orphanage said as she reached for the baby girl. "Who gives her up?" She asked.
Barnabas thought for a second. He didn't know what to say. He couldn't tell the nuns the truth, the a vampire, a man of the living dead had conceived this baby with a daughter of the devil, a witch. He knew that they would not understand, nor would they accept Evangeline as innocent if her true pet-agree was divulged.
"Her mother could not care for her, she was a friend of mine many years ago but she went mad, this place, this is where this baby needs to be to stay safe. You must keep her safe." Barnabas said handing over extra blankets.
"Goodness. Well she will be very safe here sir, thanks to you. And who are you?" Replied a second nun.
"I am no one." Barnabas answered.
"Well you are to this baby. You saved her life. Whatever happened to the mother, this baby can thank you for that. A child is a gift from god, a gift that you are protecting by bringing her here to this place where god is strong." The other nun said.
Barnabas winched, he was beginning to feel uncomfortable, like the sun was starting to creep over the Church's steeple and pierce his skin, but the sun was only a figure of his imagination and displeasure with what the nuns were saying. Their crucifixes were burning his eyes, staring at him straight in the face.
"I must go!" Barnabas yelped, as his horse raised it's front legs restlessly.
Barnabas then thanked the nuns and smiled as best he could through the pain of seeing their crosses hanging from their necks.. As he turned to prepare his horse for the journey back to Collinsport the first nun, still holding the baby, quickly called out to him before he rode off.
"Sir! Wait, her name! What is she called?" She asked.
Barnabas thought about telling the nuns the baby's name was Evangeline Collins, but saying her name, conjuring the truth could bring Angelique's dead spirit back...he paused....
"She was given no name. Name her as you wish." Barnabas said lying to keep the baby's identity safe.
"When was she born?" The first nun asked.
"Two days ago." Barnabas responded.
The seventh of August." The first nun asked again.
Barnabas nodded yes.
"The seventh of August." The nun repeated.
"The feast of Saint Claudia." The second nun added. "That settles it, we shall call you that. Claudia."
**COLLINSPORT, MAINE PRESENT DAY **
Christopher woke up the next morning sore from the night before. Next to his bed his phone chimed reminding him of several missed text messages from Alexandra apologizing for the crazy first date. He smiled and text her back that it was the most exciting date he'd ever had, and hoped for another. She responded quickly, with just a "😀"
Downstairs his father Victor was making coffee, waiting for Christopher, who was late, he finally called out to him.
"Hey! Boy you ever going to come down here?"
"Sorry, sorry! I over slept." Christopher said dashing around the table and grabbing the cup of coffee.
"What the hell happened to your lip?" Victor asked.
"Oh, craziest thing. Some weirdo jumped Alex and I last night. He didn't even take anything. Something must of scared him off. We were pretty lucky." Chris explained.
"Jumped? You were mugged? My god! Kid, why didn't you tell me?" Victor said standing up from the table.
"I don't know. No one got hurt so..."
"No one got hurt? Look at your lip!" Victor said grabbing his son's face.
"Dad calm down everything is fine." Chris said.
"I knew it. The minute you told me who those women were the other day, I knew something bad would happen. Nothing good comes from the people that live in Collinwood. Nothing." Victor explained.
"What are you talking about?" Chris questioned as he sipped his coffee.
"That family has a long history here kid, and it's filled with dangerous situations. The whole town knows their story. I don't think you should see her again." Victor warned.
"I'll see her again dad." Chris said furrowing his brow. "I'm not a kid anymore. I like her."
Christopher defiantly got up from the table. As he made his way back into his room he picked up his cell phone and logged into his favorite website, a local news blog. The headline read "Collins Family Member Found Dead in Bay".
It chocked Christopher like hands around his neck, but it got worse. The report said it was rumored to be the body of Alex's father Jack, yet Alex didn't seem fazed in her morning texts to him. Was Victor right? Something was definitely amiss. And he was going to find out what.
As Chris read the news on Alex's father, Victor went into his room and closed the door behind him. He pulled out a large create from under his head and opened it. Inside were large wooden crucifixes, bottles of holy water and a gun next to many rounds of silver bullets. He picked up the gun and loaded it, closed one eye and pointed it at the wall where there was a photo of Collinwood manor and mouthed "pow!"
****
While Christopher Reed and his father Victor debated the Collins family over breakfast, the Collins family themselves had a few things to talk about now that it they knew Leopold was really Jack under Claudia's spell.
At their own breakfast table inside the ornate dinning room of the Collinwood Estate Alex, Caleb and Carolyn ate in relative silence. Perhaps still in shock over last nights events. The table was filled with everything you could think of when it came to breakfast, but no one seemed to have an appetite.
They were all up to speed on the events of the night before. Jack was now Leopold and under a strange spell by Claudia. It was all hard to believe, but Carolyn did. She knew it all too well.
"Are we going to mention what happens last night?" Caleb wondered out loud.
"We have to wait Caleb." Carolyn said sternly.
"No one else has questions?" He explained.
"Hundreds!! But we won't get answers until we hear from Ja... uhh, I'm sorry Leopold." Carolyn said catching herself.
As they all chewed awkwardly Kat and Loomis walked into the room. They both had very stern looks on their faces.
"Detectives!" Carolyn said in surprise.
"I apologize for barging in, the butler, Powell said you'd be in here." Loomis said.
"Of course! Any news?" Carolyn asked nervously.
"Mr. Thorne has been found Mrs. Thorne. And I'm sorry to tell you this....he's dead." Kat explained.
The family knew that it wasn't true, that it was all an elaborately conjured up by Leopold as a cover for his new life as one of the undead. Someone had to die to make up for the lack of body for Jack and now the man Leopold killed would do just that The family had to play along as horrible as it was. Carolyn cried and Alex consoled her.
"Do you know how it happened?" Carolyn said, her tears real for the man she once loved was truly gone.
"We did find some strange wounds on his body, but the coroner is convinced that it was a suicide. There seems to be no foul play." Kat explained.
"So what were the wounds?" Alex questioned.
"Without getting too graphic and upsetting everyone, the coroner seems to believe that it could have been some kind of fish, or eel that leached on to your father's body in the water that made those marks." Loomis further explained causing Alex feel ill.
"Did you know if your father was depressed or feeling suicidal?" Kat questioned.
Carolyn quickly jumped into the conversation so that Alex wouldn't have to lie to police.
"He had his dark side yes, but I never thought he would do what he did. I want to thank you both for all you've done. If you wouldn't mind, I think we'd like to be alone now." Carolyn said, lying through her teeth to protect Leopold.
"Of course." Kat answered.
After the family was briefed on details the detectives had on the situation, the detectives saw themselves out.
Kat placed her seatbelt on in the car but did not start the ignition.
"I don't know Loo. Something tells me there's more to this. There was no sign of trauma on the body aside from those little cuts on his neck and the coroner is ruling it a suicide, doesn't add up? Why would a wealthy man married to an even wealthier Collins family heiress do himself in?" Kat wondered.
"And how did his skin get that way?" Loomis wondered too.
"Water expose wouldn't do that, would it?" Kat answered confused.
"You think foul play?" Loomis responded. "That doesn't add up to me either, and the case is officially closed, what can we do?" He added.
"I don't know. But I've got to get inside that house more often, there's got to be answers there. That family knows more than they're leading on. And I know just the person who'll get me in." Kat said.
Kat picked up her cell phone and looked through the phone book. She found Caleb's number and text:
"I know your family is going through a lot today. Sorry again, about Jack. If you need to get away meet me at the Blue Wale for a drink later. What do you say?"
She waited for a response but it didn't come. The detectives shrugged and began to make their way back to the station. As they drove Kat's phoned beeped.
"Your phone!" Loomis said
"Pick it up! Read it!!" Kat said excitedly as she drove.
"It's from Collins. He says 'Hey Kat. Blue wale sounds good. How's 9:00?'" Loomis read.
Kat smiled a Cheshire-Cat grin and said "I'm in!"
