A Plan of Action (Maggie/Carolyn/Joe/Sam/Molly's ghost)

"Maggie, we're supposed to be having fun. You haven't been listening to a word I've said, honey." Joe looked perplexed at his sweetheart. They had been sitting in the Blue Whale for awhile and Joe thought that Maggie was looking somber and preoccupied.

"Usually when you get in a mood like this, it has something to do with your Pop. Are you sure he's O.K.?"

He glanced around the room. It hadn't gotten too noisy or crowded yet. "Well," he thought, "she hasn't been complaining about her dad, she keeps talking about that sketch and that locket. I haven't seen her get this concerned about something so...so...unimportant for a long time. Usually she's a level headed woman."

"Honey, are you going to be this serious when Carolyn gets here? She'll be along shortly. Don't you think you could lighten up?"

“Oh I'm sorry Joe,” she shakes off whatever is bothering her. “It’s just those things that were found this afternoon, and Pop and Carolyn seeing thing. Maggie sighs, “It just has me thinking, what if something… spiritual is really out there.” She continues, “The sketch and that locket you found. She then places her hands over her face and weeps. “It’s just so strange.”

"Oh Maggie, please don't cry. I wasn't trying to upset you, I was only trying to help. Please, Maggie."

Joe was very uncomfortable. He hated when Maggie was upset...even more so when it happened in public, which it rarely did. "Well, all kinds of things happen here at the Blue Whale," he thought, "and no one really pays attention."

"Please, Maggie, why are you getting.....Oh, hi Carolyn. Everything's fine; Maggie's just worried about those things we found at her house yesterday. What do you want to drink?"

Joe stood up and pulled out a chair for Carolyn. "She doesn't look like she's in a party mood either," he thought.

Carolyn walked into the Blue Whale and found that Maggie was crying; Joe as always felt as awkward as ever. She went over to their table, and was greeted by Joe. "I'm not in the mood for a drink, Joe," Carolyn said, sitting down. Carolyn noticed that Maggie was starting to come around since she had sat down.

"Oh Maggie. You just wont believe what I've found. My mother and I searched through an old family history book, and just when I was about to give up, she found it. The woman in the picture is named Molly Devlin: MD." Carolyn paused for a bit and looked at Joe and Maggie's faces.

"Here is the part that you probably wont believe; my mother didn't even believe me," Carolyn said, looking down at the table and then back up. "When I was in the room by myself, after finding the picture, strange things started to happen. Maggie, I saw a ghost. I saw the ghost of Quentin Collins." Near disbelief adorned the face of Joe, and Maggie looked almost frightened.

"I'm not surprised that there would be spooks up at Collinwood, but why would this thing start at Maggie's house? The sketch of that woman looked like she was from 100 years ago. I've heard of this Quentin Collins. Why would anyone from up in that mansion be so connected to someone in the Evans cottage that they'd be showing up 100 years later?"

Joe wished he knew the answer too but he wished more to just have an enjoyable evening with his two friends, his girlfriend and his ex-girlfriend. He would try to change the subject in a few minutes.

He glanced at Maggie and then at Carolyn again and said to the blonde, "Yes, I believe you Carolyn. I've seen things on the docks and on some of the older fishing boats. But I've learned that it's best to just leave those things be and to get on with my life and take care of the things that I can actually do something about."

He signalled the bartender to bring him another beer. "Let me know when you've changed your mind about that drink Carolyn. Or you could have a ginger ale." He put his hand over Maggie's to let her know that he was here with her.

"Well, I am stunned, honestly Joe, that you actually believe me." Carolyn stared at Joe briefly, and then glanced back at Maggie. "You see, when this ghost appeared, it didn't just stand there. It seemed like he knew this girl somehow." Carolyn was beginning to grow restless by the minute, as talking about this strange occurrence was rather uncomfortable to her.

"No, Joe, I really don't think that I ought to drink at a time like this. I'm already seeing things."

"Well, a soda wouldn't hurt you Carolyn," is what Joe said. What he was thinking was, "So, I believe you but I don't want to sit here and talk about it all night."

He looked at his two companions whom he cared about and said, "Look, those people are long dead. We're young and we're alive; lets just snap out of this mood."

He thanked the bartender for bringing his beer. "Let's have some different music in here," he said as he stood up and searched his jean pockets for some coins as he made his way over to the jukebox.

Maggie had her mind again preoccupied and wondering how of what all that Carolyn saw, is actually true. She shuddered at the thought that a spirit did actually come to Carolyn and if so, what did it want. When she saw Joe leave to go mingle, Maggie looked at Carolyn with a thought. “Carolyn I believe everything you said. Pop is continuing to act strange this afternoon after seeing that figure. She continues, “If you say that this woman on the sketch lived and died here; then she probably was buried here.”

"Why yes . . . I suppose so," Carolyn replied. Carolyn begin to process the information for a bit. "Well, then if she was buried here Maggie, then that must mean that she was buried in the Eagle Hill Cemetery! It has been a while since I've been up there, of course, so I can not say as to whether or not I've ever seen her grave. And, I guess there is only one way to see if the grave is there . . . go look." She glanced at Maggie who had a look of distant fear on her face. "Oh don't worry Maggie, looking around that old cemetery isn't as bad as it sounds!"

“Oh I don’t know Carolyn,” having second thoughts about the whole plan. The graveyard tends to frighten me and who knows what we will find. Looks around for Joe and finds him talking on the phone. “I probably will feel better if Joe went with us, just in case…I don’t know something does happen.”

Carolyn thought about the thought of having Joe tag along. She wasn't necessarily heads over heels about him every since their breakup; in fact, she was at times uncomfortable being around him. Even still, she figured that having him around for protection at least wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. "Ok Maggie, you are probably right," Carolyn tried to sound as truthful as she could. "After all, even Joe is better than no protection at all." Carolyn put on a big smile and glanced over at Joe on the phone.

Maggie smiles at Joe, “I will go see what he thinks.” She casually leaves the table and goes over to the stool next to Joe and tries to listen to the conversation. I think he is talking with Pop, even more concerned; Maggie tries to give hints to her sweetheart to let her know that she is there.

Joe was aware of Maggie but was intently listening to what her father was saying on the phone. Sam sounded really shaken up.

Earlier Joe had been at the bar talking about last week's dangerous storm to some guys he new from the docks. He'd kept an eye on the table where Maggie and Carolyn were talking and they seemed to be deep in a serious conversation. He'd thought to himself, "Maybe by the time I go back to the table they'll be laughing and talking about clothes."

When he went back to rejoin them they were still talking about the sketch and the locket. He'd asked if they wanted more drinks and then sat there for a few more minutes. It seemed like he'd better not try to change the subject again so he told Maggie he was going to call Sam and see how he was getting along with his paintbrush project that Sam had planned.

When Sam had picked up the phone and spoken, Joe knew something was wrong. He'd been listening to Sam tell of his evening. Sam kept swearing that he'd only had one drink.

Joe put his arm around Maggie and continued to listen.

While Maggie, Joe and Carolyn were at the Blue Whale, Sam Evans was in the cottage trying to salvage some of his paint brushes. Brushes get to be a big expense when they are carelessly cleaned and Sam often neglected to care for his properly. He had containers of turpentine and water, old rags and his brushes on the work table.

He liked to get out of the house in the evenings now that Maggie was spending so much more time with Haskell. Why sit alone with his unfinished canvases, unsold paintings and memories of his dead wife? Tonight Maggie and Joe weren’t at the movies or dinner or walking along the beach. They were at the Blue Whale meeting Carolyn Stoddard and Sam didn’t feel like having his daughter keep an eye on him there.

So, he was at home and had limited himself to only one drink so far. He needed to be in good condition to do the tedious work and he didn’t want to be spilling solvent or turpentine on the floor or even the furniture. “Maggie’d never forgive me if I got careless with a cigarette around this and burned the house down,” he thought.

After awhile he forgot his troubles and began whistling. He’d gone to the sink in the utility room to get a fresh change of water when he froze. He heard the sounds of a woman sobbing coming from the living room. He knew he’d locked the door after the couple had left and now the hair was standing up on the back of his neck.

He waited a moment with pounding heart but the sounds didn’t cease. Slowly he headed towards the living room and there he saw a woman dressed in clothes from another century weeping into a handkerchief as though her heart were breaking. She had more substance to her than what he’d seen the evening before but she was still misty looking.

She looked up at him and beckoned with one hand. “No! I can’t help you! No!” Sam shouted. He squeezed his eyes shut and when the sound of crying stopped he opened them and she was gone. He saw the hankie on the floor and went over to see if it was real. It was real and it was still damp with tears.

Sam stared out the window in a daze until he was startled by the phone ringing. He slowly made his way over to it, picked it up and said, "Evans". It was Joe Haskell calling from the Blue Whale to check up on him.

"O.K. Sam, that's been more interesting than our evening. If you're sure then, we'll be home in a little while," Joe said. "Sure...yeah, sure."

Joe hung up the phone, kissed Maggie on the cheek and told her that her dad was fine. "Now, let's get back to the table before Carolyn begins to feel abandoned. She's usually in a dancing mood but it looks like she's saying no to everyone tonight."

Maggie was relieved that Joe finally ended. She was eager to hear what her father had to say. “Joe is everything alright?” Knowing that everything was fine Maggie followed Joe back to the table. Maggie is still concerned about going to the cemetery at night. “I’m thinking if it will be ok to go to the cemetery. Looked concerned when she sat down, “Maybe we should wait till the morning.”

"Honey, I don't like the idea of you going to the cemetery looking for the grave of some stranger who's been long gone. But I don't want you and Carolyn to go alone, so I'll go with you."

Joe rubbed his hand over his face. "Look, John's at the bar and he'd like to work some extra hours at the cannery. I'll have him cover my shift tomorrow and we can all go then. We need to get home to your dad. He's been alone all evening and I don't think he's finished cleaning his paintbrushes. We could help him clean up and talk to him for awhile."

Joe stood up. "You two can decide on the plan and I'll go and talk to John."

The two talked for a bit about the plans for the next day. "Well Maggie, I guess that I'll meet you over at your place, and then we can go from there. It's getting a little late, and I don't want to leave mother alone to long: Roger, Victoria, and David are out for the evening and she gave Mrs. Johnson the night off, so I really must be going. Tell Joe that I'm sorry not to take him up on the drink offer; maybe next time."

Carolyn and Maggie exchanged good-byes, and then Carolyn left the Blue Whale, anticipating the next day.

~End Scene~