Dark Shadows/600-650

645
David and Amy pry away at a small panel in a storage room in the West Wing at Collinwood. They find that it opens up into a secret room. The children debate on whether or not they should enter when suddenly a secondary door creaks open. They crawl through the passageway and David shines his flashlight across the room. They come upon an aged skeleton of a man sitting in a wingback chair. The chair spins about to face them and Amy screams.

David and Amy try to leave, but the door is locked shut. They try to find an alternate means of egress. David discovers some matches and lights a candle. Suddenly, a strange, lilting tune begins to emanate from an antique phonograph.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth goes to the Old House to see Barnabas. She is frantic and tells Barnabas that the children are missing. She says that Roger is searching the grounds and wonders if perhaps they may have sneaked into the Old House. Barnabas invites her to come search the estate with him.

In the West Wing, the children try to put the thought of the eerie music out of their minds and search for a way out. Without warning, the music stops and the air is filled with a ghostly, menacing laughter. The door that had been previously locked creaks open.

The children leave, but are markedly changed from the experience. They sneak out of the house and skulk about the Old House just as Elizabeth and Barnabas leave to return to Collinwood. They go inside and it becomes clear that the children are now following the instructions of the ghost they encountered. Amy is reluctant to obey the spirit's instructions, but David insists that they keep their promise. He brings her upstairs to the attic where they recover an antique cradle. They bring the cradle back downstairs and sneak it back to Collinwood.

They manage to get it up into the West Wing and place it in the center of the secret room. David begins acting even more strangely. He tells Amy how much he likes her and Amy grows nervous. She wants to go back downstairs and David happily agrees. Just then, the cradle begins rocking back and forth of its own accord. David tells Amy to go to the cradle stating, "Go to the cradle, Amy. She needs you."

Downstairs, Elizabeth grows increasingly worried. Barnabas, who had taken off to help Roger search for the kids, comes back inside and tells him that he has had no success. Elizabeth decides to telephone the sheriff. Just then, David and Amy enter through the front door. Amy is excited to see Barnabas again. Elizabeth however, is simply relieved that the children appear to be safe. When asked about their whereabouts, David and Amy tell a carefully crafted lie about going for a walk. Elizabeth is incredulous at first, but they eventually convince her that they are telling the truth. They both promise her that they will not run off again without first telling someone.

Once the adults leave, David and Amy complement each other on how well they had lied to Elizabeth. David says that once everyone goes to bed for the evening, they will sneak back up to the West Wing to "play the game".

At 1:30 am, David and Amy go back up to the secret room. As they enter, Amy looks forward, smiles and cheerfully says "Hi, Quentin!"

646
It is 1:30 am at Collinwood. David and Amy go back up to the secret room. As they enter, Amy looks forward, smiles and cheerfully says "Hi, Quentin!" The ghost of Quentin Collins steps out to greet them. Amy asks if Quentin is going to speak to them and David queries if they are going to "play the game". Quentin smiles and turns towards the antique Edison phonograph which begins playing music. David appears to go into a trance. Amy tries to talk to him, but David's personality is drastically different. From another corner of the room, a blonde-haired woman in Victorian-era dress steps out. She takes her place next to Quentin's side. Looking upon her, Amy falls under a similar trance.

Downstairs, Elizabeth paces back and forth. Roger comes out of his study to greet her and see what is the matter. She is still bothered by the séance from a few nights ago and cannot get it out of her mind. She fears that something terrible is about to happen.

In the West Wing, David and Amy dress up in old fashioned clothing. David asks Amy to call him Quentin. Playing along, as if it were truly a game, Amy tells David to call her Beth. David reminds her that she cannot tell anyone about their new hiding place. In fact, he even plans on sealing up the door so that nobody can get through. David begins talking about even greater schemes, but it is with Quentin's voice and anger that he declares vengeance upon the entire family. The first stage of their scheme involves a plot against Roger. First however, there is a more pressing matter. They must dispose of Quentin's corporeal remains.

David finds an old trunk and places Quentin's bones inside of it. Amy and he take it through the stairwell and go downstairs with it. Roger walks out of the drawing room with Elizabeth and sees them carrying the trunk. He asks David what he is doing and the boy tells him that Amy and he are taking a box filled with toys outside. Unaware of the true contents of the box, Roger helps David bring it downstairs. The children make up a story about having to bury one of David's toy soldiers.

David and Amy take the trunk outside and walk to a secluded part of the property. They dig a hole and place the skeleton inside. Amy wants to say a prayer, but David dismisses the notion, citing that Quentin's spirit is still alive. After the deed is done, the children go back to the house and the secret room.

As night falls, they begin the next phase of Quentin's ultimate plan. David finds a length of wire that he plans to use as the instrument of Quentin's revenge.

Late into the evening, Roger sits in his room reading. There is a knock at the door and Roger gets up to answer it. It is Amy. She tells Roger that she heard a scary noise from downstairs and fears that it might be a burglar. Roger decides to investigate and takes a handgun from his dresser drawer.

As he walks down the steps to the foyer, he fails to see the thin wire stretched between two steps. Roger trips and falls the rest of the way. He lands hard on the floor and is knocked unconscious. Blood begins trickling out of his mouth. The children enter the room to observe their handiwork.

647
Amy Jennings fetches Elizabeth Collins Stoddard and tells her about Roger's accidental fall down the steps. As the two descend the staircase, Amy takes note of David Collins, who is observing the incident from across the way.

Elizabeth begins to rouse Roger and sends Amy to find Doctor Julia Hoffman. Roger gets to his feet and declares that someone just tried to murder him. He tells Liz that someone placed a wire across the steps, but there is no evidence of any such wire in existence. Elizabeth thinks Roger is over-reacting and helps him up the steps to his room. David meanwhile, pockets the wire in his night robe.

Elizabeth settles Roger down, but he still insists that somebody planted a trip wire and tried to kill him. Though concerned over Roger's well-being, she still thinks he is imagining that somebody deliberately tried to kill him. She goes to pour him a Brandy and finds a mysterious Tarot card resting upon the table. Roger cannot explain it, but knows that no such item was on the table earlier. Liz grows even more concerned and believes that there is a connection between the sudden appearance of the card and Roger's accident. David comes in and feigns concern over his father's health.

Liz goes back downstairs, but she cannot get the appearance of the Tarot card out of her mind. She telephones Professor Timothy Eliot Stokes and asks him to come over as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, David comes downstairs as well and meets with Amy. He regrets trying to kill his father, but Amy warns him that they must obey Quentin's wishes. David expresses grave concern over their recent dealings with the spirit, citing that this is no longer a "game". There is a knock and David answers it. It is Professor Stokes.

The children excuse themselves leaving Professor Stokes to speak with Elizabeth in the drawing room. Liz show him the Tarot card and Stokes grows concerned. Stokes believes the card was left behind by the spirit they communed with during the séance several nights ago. He tells that the card is called "Tower of Destruction".

The children go up to the secret room and David speaks to the musty air. He addresses Quentin and tells him that he is not going to follow his instructions any longer. Suddenly, the gramophone begins playing and the cradle begins rocking back and forth.

Downstairs, Professor Stokes contacts a professional medium of his acquaintance, Madame Janet Findley. Findley comes over to Collinwood and meets with Elizabeth. She immediately begins conducting a spiritual analysis of the house and flitters between the foyer and the drawing room. She goes into a trance and tries to make contact with any spirits lurking in the house. She perceives the presence of a ghost that is living somewhere in the house, but she is not sure where.

David and Amy listen from outside and fear that Madame Findley may learn about the presence of Quentin. They race upstairs to the secret room and cry out for Quentin, begging him to tell them what to do.

648
David and Amy go to the secret room and call out for Quentin. They warn him that there is a woman in the house who threatens to expose his presence. They look about the room, anxious for the ghost to respond to them. Just as they are about to give up hope, Quentin's phonograph begins playing his signature piece.

Downstairs, Elizabeth Collins Stoddard consults with medium Janet Findley. Madam Findley keeps finding herself psychically drawn to the drawing room. She asks Liz if there is someone connected with her family's history whose name begins with the letter M. Liz has no knowledge of any such individual. Findley cryptically warns Liz that there is a curse placed upon Collinwood. She asks to be left alone so she can try to make contact with the spirits.

Findley reaches out and calls upon the spirit of M. She determines that whoever M may be, they are working in opposition to the other, more malevolent spirits haunting Collinwood. M responds to Findley's summons by creating a loud knocking sound in the room. Just as quickly however, the spirit then falls silent. With Mrs. Stoddard's permission, Madam Findley then sets about exploring the East Wing of the house.

Meanwhile, Joe Haskell comes over to visit. Having only recently been released from the hospital, he is anxious to see how Amy is doing. Elizabeth invites him in and offers him tea. Amy comes downstairs to greet him, but her mind appears to be preoccupied with something. Janet Findley enters the room and Amy introduces her to Joe. Suddenly, both of them take notice of the mark of the pentagram upon Joe's face. He has no idea what they appear to be talking about. Amy leaves the room and Findley advises Joe not to ignore the sign of the pentagram. She cryptically warns him about an animal that walks like a man.

Joe leaves Madam Findley alone in the room and goes to see Mrs. Stoddard. Amy finds David and warns him that Findley is going to go explore the West Wing. The two conspire on another scheme to get rid of the meddling medium. Amy goes back into the drawing room to distract Findley. The psychic asks Amy how it was that she was able to see the star over Joe's face. Amy cannot give her a satisfactory explanation.

As the two continue to talk, David comes out from the secret panel in the drawing room. He feigns surprise when Findley finds him creeping out. After questioning him, Findley learns that the panel leads to a stairwell that goes up into the West Wing. Against the protests of the children, Findley goes through the panel and up the stairs - just as David had planned.

She finds the storage room and the secret access that takes her into the hidden chamber. She immediately senses Quentin's presence and tries to communicate with him. David and Amy follow her upstairs and lock her inside of Quentin's room. They are satisfied that Quentin will take care of the rest.

649
Medium Janet Findley finds the secret room in the West Wing at Collinwood. Sensing the malevolent forces at work, she calls out to them. The door suddenly shuts, sealing her in the room. Quentin's trademark music comes over the phonograph and a look of concern and grave fear crosses the psychic's face. She then tries to appeal to the spirit, shouting that she wants to help the ghost find peace. She lights a candle and begins searching the room. She finds the wingback chair which, until recently, was the resting place of Quentin's corporeal remains. Findley senses that it was in this chair that Quentin died. She grows even more frustrated and demands the spirit to appear before her.

Downstairs, Doctor Julia Hoffman comes in to the drawing room to meet with Elizabeth. She has just finished checking up on Roger who seems to be recovering nicely. She reveals that Roger told her that someone tried to kill him. Liz still doesn't believe the idea and Julia poses the idea that perhaps Madam Findley can determine the truth. Liz would love to ask her guidance, but at the moment she doesn't know where Findley is.

In the West Wing, Janet begins to lose her nerve. She continues to call out to the spirit, but gets no satisfaction. Suddenly, the antique cradle in the center of the room begins rocking. A telephone begins ringing and Findley goes over to answer it. The only thing coming over the line is the sound of breathing. She looks down and sees that the telephone cord has been ripped out of the wall. She hangs up the receiver, but the telephone just keeps ringing. She answers it a second time and the voice on the other end tells her that she is going to die. Frightened, she hangs up the phone. Pacing the room, she comes before a floor length mirror. The image in the mirror is not a reflection of Janet Findley, but rather a glowing skeleton.

Meanwhile, Chris Jennings paces the floor of his room at the Collinsport Inn. He thinks about the girl he met at the bar the other evening and remembers that the full moon will rise in one more night. His reverie is interrupted by a knock at the door. It's his cousin, Joe Haskell. The two share a brief bit of small talk until Joe finally mentions that he might be leaving town. The situation with Maggie Evans has proven to be very disruptive and he believes it best if he were to simply leave. Changing the subject, Joe tells Chris that he recently saw Amy and says that she misses him. He also mentions how Amy saw the sign of the pentagram on Joe's face. Chris grows instantly agitated. Without revealing too much, Chris tries to politely usher Joe out the door. Once he leaves, Chris ponders what he is going to do next.

Back at Collinwood, Elizabeth telephones Professor Stokes. He has no idea what has become of Madam Findley. Julia and she are both convinced now that she is no longer in the house.

In the secret room, Madam Findley continues to lose her nerve. The door is still locked and the spirit will not offer explanation as to why it is keeping her here. The phonograph begins to play again and the cover to a roll top desk suddenly slams shut. Quentin's chair turns around and Findley begins to scream.

Later in the evening, Chris Jennings comes to Collinwood to see Doctor Hoffman. Claiming to have a problem sleeping, he asks Julia for pills to help him sleep. He wants something that will put him out for at least twenty-four hours. He says that it is vital that he gets some sleep. Julia is hesitant and questions Chris' true reason for wanting the pills.

They walk out of the drawing room and greet Elizabeth in the foyer. They suddenly take note of Madam Findley who is now standing at the top of the staircase. Elizabeth calls out to her, but Findley doesn't respond. A moment later, she collapses, falling down the steps and onto the floor, dead.

650
Roger Collins enters Collinwood and tells Elizabeth that the coroner's report has ruled Madame Findley's death as a heart attack. Elizabeth is incredulous and insists that there was more to the woman's mysterious demise than a simple heart attack. Roger dismisses her concerns, but still tries to console her.

Victoria Winters comes into the drawing room and is in a state of great distress. She asks Liz and Roger if someone else could look after the children that evening. When Roger and Liz ask her what is the matter she tells them that she needs to sit in her room and wait for Jeff Clark. Roger tries to convince her that her husband is gone and that he is never coming back. Vicki is convinced however that Jeff is going to return to her. She begins acting hysterical and refuses to accept the notion that she will never see her again. She runs out of the room and back upstairs. Roger appears genuinely concerned for Vicki's well-being and wonders if Barnabas Collins might be able to help her through her grieving period. He takes it upon himself to go up to the Old House to see him.

In her bedroom, Vicki stares at a seemingly broken wristwatch, hoping that it will begin ticking. She believes that when it does, Jeff will appear to her. Just as she had hoped, the watch begins ticking. Elated, she calls out to Jeff. A strange glow begins to emanate in the room before her eyes. The wraith-like voice of her husband calls out to her, but warns, that he can never return to her. Vicki calls out for Jeff, begging him to come to her. There is a knock at the door and the glowing image disappears.

Elizabeth enters the room and Vicki is now again in a state of tears. She tells her that Jeff was here, but now he is gone again and may never return. Vicki decides that she must leave Collinwood. Elizabeth asks her to postpone such rash decisions until she has had a chance to calm down. She tells Vicki that Barnabas has come to visit and would like to see her. Barnabas enters Vicki's bedroom and Liz excuses herself. Vicki is glad to see him and reiterates her intent on leaving Collinwood. Barnabas is shocked by the news and tries to convince her to stay. He then asks her to marry him. Vicki is honored at the proposal and regrets that she must say no. Rejected, Barnabas takes his leave.

After he exits, the image of Jeff Clark appears in the room next to Vicki. However, this is Jeff as he appeared in his past life when he lived under the name Peter Bradford back in the 1700s. Vicki is overwhelmed with emotion and the two embrace. He tells her that the strength of her love enabled him to return to her, but only for a few moments. Soon, he must return to his own time period. He confirms what Vicki always believed: that the spirit of Peter Bradford lived on inside of Jeff Clark. Vicki tells him that she wants to go with him, no matter where or when it might be.

Downstairs, Roger prepares to leave for a business trip to London. Before exiting, he asks Barnabas to watch over Liz for him while he's gone. He is worried about her mental state. Liz enters the room and is surprised to see Barnabas. She says that she just passed Vicki's door and overheard her talking to a man. She assumed that she had still been talking to Barnabas. Suspicious of what this might mean, Barnabas and Liz hurry upstairs. The door is locked so Barnabas has to force it open. As Liz and he walk inside, they find Peter Bradford and Victoria Winters arm in arm. The clock strikes and both of them disappear before their eyes - back into the forgotten past.