Catherine and Olivia

By Samantha Coleman

“Olivia, I know you’ve been avoiding me these past weeks. And if I’m not mistaken, it has something to do with Kanin.”

“Gee, finally figured that out, did you?” Olivia sarcastically answered.

“I get it. If it happened to Vincent, I’d be pissed. Truth is, he could get caught anytime he goes Above. Fact is, he almost was exposed to the media by Paracelsus, which is something I have to live with.  So, let’s have it all out, here and now. Vincent should be here also.”

“Oh, no, you don’t; you’re not going to drag him into this, he’ll just take your side.”

“Vincent needs to be here because he had a part in Kanin turning himself in to the authorities, as did Father. Please tap out a message to have Vincent meet us here. You tap it out so you know I didn’t tap out a hidden code.”

Olivia thought about it then stated, “Vincent will show up anyway due to your distress, won’t he?”

“No. The bond has not reestablished itself yet.”

“What do you mean ‘reestablished itself’?”

“It was severed when he awoke from the fever. We don’t know if the fever caused it or if the pregnancy has affected the Bond.”

Olivia tapped out a simple request for Vincent to come to her chambers.

As Vincent entered the chamber, he asked, “Olivia, you called for me, is there something I can do for you?”

“Olivia and I were discussing what happened and why Kanin chose to turn himself into the police.”

“Discussing? I flat out want to know why she demanded he turn himself in,” Olivia angrily stated.

Vincent started to answer but Catherine stopped him. “When I first confronted Kanin with the file that had the misfortune to land on my desk, he asked me, and I quote, ‘What are you going to do?’ I, in turn, asked what was he going to do? At that point, I didn’t  know whether to be a friend or prosecutor. I was leaning towards friend.  When I discussed it with Vincent, as any couple faced with a dilemma does, he took it to Father.  I had no part in that action.”

“Is that true, Vincent?” Olivia asked.

“Yes.  When I talked to Father, he was the one who said Kanin had to go, to protect the community. His position was that having a fugitive here would be a danger to all of us, especially if the authorities started looking below the city streets. He also had no clue as to what Catherine was going to do.”

“I was still leaning towards letting Kanin go rather than pushing him into a five-year sentence,” Catherine continued.

“So what changed your mind?” Olivia asked.

“The downhill slump the boy’s mother took as she lost all hope of ever finding Kanin again. But I never got to tell Kanin of my decision,” Catherine stated.

“She and Kanin needed closure in the matter,” Vincent added. “When you and Kanin decided to strike out on your own rather than face Mrs. Davis and allow the healing to begin, I was the one who reminded him of those facts.  I was the reason he chose to turn himself in, not Catherine."

"She could have not said anything to anyone in the first place,” retorted Olivia.

“You’re right, I could have. I talked to Kanin first and confided in Vincent. I don’t regret those actions. What I do regret is Father’s decision to banish Kanin from the community, especially the way it was done. But I have no say on the Council or their decisions. And I have started to make amends by trying to get his sentence shortened.”

“How?” Olivia asked.

“Well, I can’t do anything yet, because he does have to serve some time.I can’t do anything for eighteen months on a five-year sentence. But I am putting together a hardship early release request. I’ll also need your help at that point.”

“What do I have to do?”

“Establish an address above that is barely above your ability to afford. That way I can prove hardship. With no income, it shouldn’t be too hard to get the paperwork filled out and filed. The hard part will be trying to get the warden to convene a parole hearing.”

Olivia digested all she had heard, especially with Vincent’s confession of complicity in getting Kanin to turn himself in, and gave the okay for Catherine’s plan.

*****

Eighteen months later, a man walked into Kanin’s parole hearing. Catherine did not know the man, but apparently Kanin did. Catherine recognized the look on Kanin’s faceas it dawned on him who had walked into the room. It was Kanin’s brother who had shown up at the parole hearing. Kanin had no clue as to how his brother had tracked him down here.

After the hearing, the man asked the warden if he could speak to the prisoner.Permission was granted, as the warden knew Karl Evans from down in the maximum security cell block, as a guard.

“Hello, little brother. Glad to see you’re not dead,” Karl said in greeting to Kanin.

“So how did you find me?” Kanin finally asked.

“I work over in the maximum security cell block. I saw your name come up for parole. I wondered if it was actually you. So what happened? How’d you get caught?”

“It doesn’t matter. I turned myself in when that boy’s mother recognized me in a hardware store.”

Just then Kanin’s defense attorney interrupted. “The board has reached a decision. It’s time to find out the verdict.”

Kanin was released and put on parole for three years. He would have to provide the courts with an address, phone number, and proof of employment when he found a job.

*****

Two weeks later….

Joe had helped Olivia and Kanin by allowing them to stay in his old apartment in Brooklyn.  With the break Catherine had given Joe and Jenny on her dad’s old place, Joe had been able to keep his old apartment. He kept it in case his mother could no longer stay in her house.

It had been decided not to use any of Catherine’s properties, since she was on the prosecution team. Besides, all her properties were located in upper-class neighborhoods. So Joe’s Brooklyn apartment was perfect, even if a little small, for Kanin’s little family. The best Catherine could do for Kanin at this point was to hire him to put up a stone fence around the big house, one high enough so Vincent could go outside without prying eyes looking down on him.

While Kanin was working, one day Karl stopped by for a visit. “So how come you haven’t called Mom yet?”

“You told her?” Kanin asked suspiciously.

“Yes. She has been heartsick since you disappeared. She’s also wanted to find out why you stayed away so long. Long enough to have you declared dead. So just where have you been all these years?”

“You should know that the best place to hide is in plain sight.”

“And nobody saw you? I doubt that.”

“Not if they’re not looking. The average Joe doesn’t, so it’s easy to hide.”

“Married? Kids?”

“My wife is Olivia. We have two kids. Luke is two, and Francis Marie is a year. Livy decided to name her after Mom. She was born while I was in jail. Livy surprised the heck out of me when she told me why.”

“Which is?”

“Something struck a chord with her when she found out I had been declared dead.”

“So are you going to see Mom?”

“I’m not sure. I have to talk to Livy first.”

“Well, I’ve got to get to work. Just remember, Mom was just as devastated when you were declared dead as Mrs. Davis was when her son died.”

Later that night, after the kids were asleep in bed, Kanin brought up Karl’s visit. “Karl visited me today. He told Mom I was alive. I told him your name and the kids’ names. I even told him why you named Marie after Mom.”

“So why don’t you go see her? Talk to her, let her make up her own mind to forgive you. She needs closure, too.”

“And what do I tell her when she asks where I have been? Then she will ask where I live…what have I been doing all these years. What do I tell her?”

“What did you tell Karl?”

“I told him I was hiding in plain sight. He also knows I am a stone mason.”

“So start there. You live in a small cloistered community that would prefer to remain apart from normal society. We married according to our laws. The kids were born there and their births were recorded according to our laws. No, you cannot tell where we are located for security reasons. You were the only fugitive, so that is not an issue. Security and safety are the issues. Several residents go there to heal after rejection of one kind or another.”

Mrs. Evans had other questions, as well. He was asked why he ran in the first place.

“Because I was a scared, stupid kid at the time. I haven’t touched alcohol since that night.”

When asked how he got caught, he replied, “Mrs. Davis saw me in the hardware store. I ran again. Then a good friend of mine talked me into turning myself in to the authorities. Karl used the same argument to get me to come here, too - an argument that has no defense. I realized I did to you what I did to Mrs. Davis when I ran. Mrs. Davis and I needed closure, and so did you.”

“This place where you live, it sounds like a cult,” Kanin’s other brother, Scott, commented.

“No, all religious organizations are welcome and each person is allowed to worship according to their personal beliefs. Also, any of the residents are free to come and go whenever they want. There are no outrageous teachings taught. The most basic tenet is to help when others need it and in return ask when you need help.”

“So how do we contact you?” his mother asked.

“Here is my current address and phone number. If you can’t reach me there then leave a message with Catherine Chandler-Wells or Joe Maxwell.” He provided a number for each.

“The District Attorney?” Karl asked. “You actually know him?”

“In reality, Catherine is the better contact. I rent my place here from Joe.”

Although the relationship was strained at first, Kanin and Olivia were reunited with the Evans family.