Chapter 2

The next day Catherine unraveled a small part of the mystery that was Lisa Campbell. After giving her testimony against Taggert, Lisa had been taken into protective custody and plans were made to place her in the witness protection program. Then the unexpected suicide of the man against whom she'd testified made the imperative for establishing a new life for her less compelling. Still, uncertainty regarding Taggert’s business associates and their capacity for revenge made the Feds cautious. Lisa was held in a secure location for a number of months until the threat assessment could be completed. Sometime during that period, Lisa had slipped away from her protectors. Since she was no longer herself a suspect in any criminal activity, the Government hadn't tried to find her and return her to protective custody. If she chose to go it alone, that was up to her.

Catherine lost her trail after that. Perhaps a month was unaccounted for, perhaps more - the Feds weren’t that forthcoming on the circumstances and exact timing of her escape from them, and she hadn’t wanted to rub salt in her informant’s wounds by pressing him for more details than he was willing to admit. Where Lisa had been during that time - and with whom - remained a mystery. Unless she chose to disclose that information, Catherine had no way of determining by whom Lisa may have gotten pregnant. Nor could she discover whether anyone really was after Lisa. But it was always possible, she conceded to herself.

So...Lisa’s request to return Below - whether she called it asking for sanctuary or not - was a valid one. Whatever resources she might once have had had vanished when all her accounts were frozen during the Taggert investigation. He had controlled every aspect of her life, including her investments, and they were now a casualty of the larger investigation into Taggert’s dealings - and as long as Lisa remained outside of the Government’s protective cocoon, she had no easy way of beginning the laborious and expensive process of recovering her money. As for friends...well, Lisa had always claimed to have hundreds, but it was an amazingly common phenomenon that those who only called themselves friends tended to melt away once a person got into trouble with the law. And knowing Lisa, Catherine suspected strongly that whomever she thought of as her friends were only admirers of her now-faded talent, or hangers-on when times were good. Lisa didn’t have the capacity to make and hold true friends. Catherine doubted that any of the people in Lisa’s address book would return her calls these days, particularly if they suspected she were on the run, broke or in danger.

Bottom line: Lisa was without financial resources, apparently without other friends to turn to - she was down to her last option. That’s why she’d asked to come Below.

Catherine sat back wearily in her chair, her tented fingers tapping softly against her pursed lips as she contemplated the situation. There had to be another option, something Lisa hadn’t thought of or wouldn’t consider. There had to be.

 

"No, Catherine! How can we allow you to take on such a responsibility?" Vincent’s lower lip trembled with the force of his emotions. Catherine’s offer to care for Lisa while she was pregnant distressed him - Lisa was not her problem.

Adamant, Catherine pressed her case. "It makes the best sense, Vincent! Lisa’s not going to change. She uses people. And she’s accustomed to all the comforts Above can provide. If she stayed Below, she’d drive everyone crazy with her demands, her childish behavior. With me, Above, she can be accommodated in all the ways she’s used to - she can have whatever she desires. You know I have the means. She’ll want for nothing. And most importantly, she won’t impose on the kindhearted souls Below who haven’t the time or the resources to meet her expectations."

Vincent shook his head sharply, not wanting to accept an offer that, although logical and reasonable, put such a burden upon her. "She’s not your responsibility," he repeated.

Catherine reached out to grasp him firmly by both shoulders, and she shook him gently to get his full attention. "I’m making her my responsibility. Besides, she doesn’t really care where she stays, just as long as she’s comfortable and she’s taken care of. She’s had people taking care of her all her life - she doesn’t know any other way to live." Releasing him, she took a step back and forced some calm back into her voice, then summoned a small smile and said, "I don’t mind, really. I’m never home much anyway!"

"The Council will never be convinced."

"We’ll convince them."

Vincent could sense the resolve in her heart. Gazing into her determined green eyes, he knew his argument was lost. Besides, it made so much sense Catherine’s way. There would be no Lisa Below trying to insinuate herself into his life, unwilling to believe how unwelcome her attentions would be...no upsetting of long-established routines for everyone Below. What had Catherine once called Lisa? High maintenance? They had little time to provide such "maintenance" for someone who ultimately believed she deserved as her right every act of kindness...and who returned none. The bad example she would set for the children Below was another consideration. What seemed fascinating and charming to the most gullible among them would quickly prove to be disruptive when they attempted to emulate her. He shuddered to think of the bad habits an impressionable child like Samantha could learn from her idol. No, Catherine was right.

With a resigned nod, Vincent acquiesced. He would propose Catherine’s solution to the Council when it met.

"What? No!" Lisa’s voluble, strident objection shocked the members of the Council who didn’t know her well. "I never agreed to that!"

Patiently, Father replied, "We’re discussing possible solutions to your dilemma, Lisa. No one will force anything upon you. But neither will you force anything upon this Council by rejecting possible solutions out of hand, without examining their pros and cons. Vincent’s proposal to arrange for you to stay with a Helper deserves serious consideration." He turned to Vincent. "Have you someone in mind?"

Vincent looked at Lisa as he replied. "Yes, Father. Catherine has offered to take Lisa in during the period of her pregnancy, and has also agreed to assume the burden of the cost of her care."

"That’s quite...generous of her," Father murmured, unaware until this moment of Catherine’s offer.

Lisa stared sullenly at Catherine, fire and ice glinting with equal fervor in her eyes. Catherine could feel the force of her anger from across the large chamber. No one on the Council could have missed it either.

"Why wouldn’t this be acceptable to you, Lisa?" asked a confused Mary. While she would love to have Lisa Below again, even she acknowledged the strain on their resources it would mean. And her health - should there be complications - was also a consideration. Above, she would have immediate access to a level of health care those Below were unable to provide. It seemed foolish to dismiss the idea.

"I want to be with my family Below." Lisa rallied, brightening, putting on her most convincing, earnest face. "I want to come home. Everyone here," she let her eyes sweep the packed room, "means so much to me. I want to be surrounded by those who love me best during this difficult time." She sat back, satisfied with her emotional appeal. She could see it was having an effect already with some on the Council.

"We understand you love us all," Father said with a tone in his voice that indicated his dubiousness. "However, we must consider the best solution for all involved. We just don’t have the facilities to care for you properly should you have a difficult birth."

"I’ll take that chance," Lisa responded, the barest hint of sarcasm in her voice.

"You’d take such a chance for your child, as well?" Vincent asked incredulously.

Stymied, Lisa tried to regroup. "I’m sure Father is the best doctor I know. I have complete confidence in him. After all, he’s safely brought dozens of children into the world!"

But Father shook his head, unwilling to be moved by such an obvious ploy. "Those Below often have no choice in the matter. You do. Catherine can provide you the best care money can buy - and even I," his voice took on a self-mocking tone, "cannot supply that."

Jamie, heretofore silent, now spoke up. "If Lisa wanted to come Below for visits, she could, right? Catherine could bring her." Taking Lisa’s comments at face value, she sought to mollify the older woman. "So you could still spend time with your family Below."

Others on the Council and in the crowd began to nod. The murmuring indicated a general support for Catherine’s offer. Several long-time residents were disturbed by Lisa’s request to leave the child with them after its birth, and they remembered all too well her hasty exit from their community...and the fact that she hadn’t tried to contact anyone in all those years - resident or Helper - until she was in legal trouble several months before. They weren’t anxious to extend themselves for her unless it was truly the only option.

Lisa could read a crowd better than most. She understood she had lost her plea, that Catherine’s offer would be accepted, and she’d be stuck with a roommate not of her choice - a far cry from Vincent, she thought bitterly. Affecting an air of unconcern, she replied, "You’re right, Jamie. It was silly of me to object. I’ll accept your offer, Cathy. Thank you...with all my heart."

That last was for the gallery, and both she and Catherine knew it.

 

Catherine had moved into temporary quarters on one of the pull-out couches in her living room, giving her bedroom up to Lisa. She had known she’d have to do that when she’d made the offer. But she’d endure anything to save Vincent and his family from the demands she knew Lisa was capable of making without a twinge of conscience.

They’d settled into a routine. Catherine would be up and out before Lisa even woke up. Lisa would order food deliveries from the finest restaurants, rental movies, in-home beauty treatments, maternity clothes from the most exclusive shops - taking full advantage of Catherine’s generosity.

Catherine never gave Lisa the satisfaction of seeing her wince as the bills flooded in.

In the evenings, Lisa would retire to "her" bedroom, leaving Catherine to work at her desk or hold occasional hurried, whispered conversations with Vincent out on the balcony. He had taken to visiting very late in the evening after Lisa got into the habit of interrupting their time together and monopolizing the conversation. If she noticed that Vincent no longer seemed to visit Catherine, she didn’t mention it. In fact, she rarely engaged Catherine in conversation, only forced her to endure endless monologues about the only subject Lisa seemed to care about - herself.

And so March bled into April, the days taking on a grim sameness for Catherine. The toll was beginning to show on her - the strain of dealing with an incessantly demanding, increasingly disagreeable houseguest began to be reflected in a kind of perpetual tiredness that worried Vincent tremendously. His guilt over taking Catherine up on her offer deepened as he saw the effect of her selfless sacrifice, and he often spoke of it to her and to Father. But Catherine remained adamant - it was much better that she be the only one inconvenienced than that Lisa set the whole Tunnel world on its collective ear.