Episode 99: This House Is Haunted

Thursday, November 10, 1966

My name is Victoria Winters. A stranger has come to the gloomy old mansion called Collinwood, determined to uncover secrets hidden inside its walls. But her first night has been filled with terror.

Mrs. Johnson calls Burke. 

She says she wants to come to see him in the afternoon. She’s been frightened, she tells him. “This house is haunted.”

Carolyn comes in, and Mrs. Johnson pretends she’s on the phone with the doctor.

Vicki comes in and Carolyn acts like a jerk to her and complains about going to a movie alone.

Vicki asks what reason she could give to turn down the ride. (Actually, the feud between him and the Collins family would be a pretty good reason.)

Carolyn agrees but wants to know why she didn’t accept the ride back. 

Mrs. Johnson listens.

Vicki tells Carolyn there’s nothing between her and Burke and there never will be. She doesn’t want anything to do with him. “And someday,” she tells Carolyn, “you’ll feel the same way.”

Carolyn says she sounds like she’s afraid of Burke.

“I am. I have a reason to be. A good reason.”

Mrs. Johnson tells Burke about the sobbing room. He suggests it could be the ventilating system. 

Mrs. Johnson thinks that could be, but why would anyone be sobbing in the middle of the night?

She feels she should stay in the house for Mr. Malloy. The key to his murder must be there.

Burke says not to call him from the house again.

She tells him David already suspects she’s spying for Burke, but she doesn’t think he’ll tell anyone. Vicki, on the other hand, told Carolyn that she was afraid of Burke.

Burke is puzzled why she’d be afraid of him. He thinks it was odd that she didn’t come back with him at the last minute.

Mrs. Johnson says she called Roger to come and get her.

Burke can’t figure it out.

Someone knocks on the door. Mrs. Johnson goes to hide in the other room.

It’s Ezra Hearn, one of the men from the cannery. He tells Burke that he and the men are turning down his offer. At any price. They don’t want to be a part of running Mrs. Stoddard out of business.

Burke tells him to think it over.

Ezra says no.

Burke says he’ll get other men.

“Fishermen, maybe. Not men who can run a cannery. They don’t exist in these parts. If they did, you wouldn’t have made us the offer that you did.”

Burke tells him to get out. Ezra leaves.

Mrs. Johnson comes out and says she’s sorry. Burke says there’s more than one way to skin a cat. Or drop a bomb on the Collins house.

He goes to the phone and calls Carolyn (who happens to be the one to answer). 

He says her phone must be worn out by admirers.

“Is that what you are?”

“I might be placed in that category.”

He asks her out to dinner for that night (not much notice, Burke—Carolyn is not a “rules” girl). She says she’d love to.

Carolyn apologizes to Vicki. 

She asks to borrow Vicki’s blue scarf for her date with Burke Devlin. Vicki tells her she shouldn’t go. 

Carolyn doesn’t care about Burke’s going after her mother’s business (she can handle competition) or Uncle Roger (maybe Burke has a good reason not to like him).

Vicki tells her Burke can be very dangerous, he could hurt her. Because she’s a Collins.

Carolyn says Burke likes her—“as person—as a girl!” She can prove it too. Burke gave her a present—a silver filigree fountain pen.

Vicki asks where the pen is.

Roger took it away from her to give back to Burke, but then he lost it. 

She even remembers when—the night Bill Malloy was killed.

        Cast, In Order of Appearance

Victoria Winters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alexandra Moltke

Mrs. Sarah Johnson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  Clarice Blackburn

Burke Devlin  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  Mitchell Ryan

Carolyn Stoddard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  Nancy Barrett

Ezra Hearne . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  Dolph Sweet

Fashion by Ohrbach’s

Directed by Lela Swift

Written by Ron Sproat