Beauty and the Beast Page 14

  Joe sat back and relaxed. “All right, I’m all yours.

  Take me to Vincent. By the way, am I correct in assuming you didn’t spend the night in the trunk?”

  Diana laughed. “Ill explain that secret to you as well as soon as we stop.”

  When they arrived at Central Park, they were met, shortly after going through the gate, by Bennie on his bike. Chuck stopped and rolled down his window to talk to him. “Hey, Bennie! How’s the weather in the park today?”

  Bennie laughed as he answered. “Clear as a mountain Brooke! We have several Helpers who have checked it out thoroughly this morning, and no one is lurking around who shouldn’t be here.”

  Joe gave Diana a completely bewildered look. “Didn’t he deliver our lunch to us yesterday? Now, you’re telling me he is scouting out Central Park for bad guys—on his bike, no less? That’s not to even mention the little gang of window-washing kids you have, who are distracting tailing cars that are chasing us around the city! What kind of an extra-curricular operation are you running, Diana?”

  Diana was nearly in stitches over Joe’s consternation, as she said to him through tears of laughter, “Just be still for a few minutes longer, Joe, and all of this will make sense.”

  Joe shook his head. “Yeah, sure it will! It will probably make about as much sense as Alice going down the rabbit’s hole and having a tea party with the mad hatter!”

  Chuck and Diana both exploded with laughter over

  that remark, and Diana told Joe, “You can’t imagine just how on target that wise-crack really is!”

  Joe looked from Chuck to Diana as they continued to laugh. “I’m glad you two are having such a good time!” When Chuck stopped again near the drainage tunnel, they all got out of the car, and Diana and Chuck went around to the back of the car with Joe following. Chuck opened the trunk, and showed Joe the two-way catch in the trunk, and then he explained. “That’s how Diana got into the cab this morning.”

  Joe looked at him and asked, “Got in from where?” Diana answered. “I got in from a manhole cover leading to a maintenance access-way for a water main. I went through tunnels under the city to get to where Chuck picked me up. Come with me and things will become a lot clearer.”

  Diana shook Chuck’s hand. “Thank you, Chuck. It is going to take some time to explain everything to Joe, so you don’t need to wait around.”

  Chuck smiled. “You’re very welcome, Diana. I’m going to go see about that ‘getaway weekend’ for Mr. Maxwell we discussed right now.” He got back into his cab and drove away.

  Joe gave Diana a confused look. “What getaway weekend?”

  Diana answered him. “You may end up needing an explanation for where you were this weekend, and it can’t be where I’m taking you. Chuck has done the same thing

  for me, and he’s really good at it.”

  Joe then followed Diana as she led him into the huge drainage tunnel. Several yards inside, they came to a gate over a large round opening, covered by a metal door within the opening. Diana pulled an hidden catch behind another gated door to the right of the tunnel. The metal door slid to the left revealing the tunnel beyond it. Diana opened the gate to the tunnel, grabbed Joe’s hand, and took him through the doorway into the tunnel. She closed the gate, pulled the catch on the other side, and the door slid shut again.

  Father and Vincent, holding Little Jacob, were standing just a few yards ahead in the tunnel. All the members of the entire Council were with them as well. When Joe caught sight of Vincent, he stood transfixed for a few awkward moments. Then he said, “Well, I told Cathy she needed a guy who was more down-to-earth!”

  At that everyone except Joe burst into laughter. Joe looked at Diana. “You know, you and Cathy could have trusted me.”

  Father spoke up. “It was not their decision, Mr. Maxwell. They made a promise to us not to reveal our world to anyone. We do trust you. You have proven that we can. That is why you are here now.”

  Joe looked at Father. “Jacob Wells—I should have known you were connected to Vincent somehow. Please, call me Joe.”

  Father responded. “Vincent is my son, Joe. Everyone calls me Father.”

  By that time, Joe was mesmerized by the baby in Vincent’s arms. He walked up to Vincent and held out his arms. “May I?”

  Vincent smiled. “Of course,” and he placed Little Jacob in Joe’s arms.

  Joe gazed into the tiny face and smiled. “He looks just like Cathy, except for his eyes.” Looking into Vincent’s face, Joe said, “He definitely has your eyes.”

  Vincent smiled at Joe. “Everyone says that.”

  Joe was looking at the baby again. “What’s his name?” Vincent replied, “Jacob, after Father.”

  Joe repeated softly, “Jacob.” Then he said, “Dr. Marx had put into his autopsy report that Catherine had given birth just before she was killed. I spent a lot of sleepless nights wondering what had happened to her child. He is truly a miracle!”

  Diana was fascinated by this side of Joe, which she had never seen before. The tough District Attorney was nowhere evident, only a gentle man who obviously loved children. Vincent was watching the way Diana was looking at Joe, as if she had never really seen him before, and he made a mental note of it.

  Vincent spoke to Joe. “Diana told us that you won the election, Joe. Congratulations on being made the permanent District Attorney.”

  Joe looked at Vincent. “Thank you, Vincent.” Then he shook his head. “Wow! All kinds of strange things I’ve been puzzling over for the past few years, since Cathy joined our office as an investigative attorney, are suddenly making sense.” Joe noticed Vincent’s wedding ring. “You and Cathy were married, weren’t you?”

  Vincent nodded. “Yes.”

  Joe went on. “That explains the letter of resignation I found in Cathy’s desk after she disappeared. She never gave it to me, and I couldn’t figure out why, because it was dated weeks before she disappeared.”

  Vincent explained. “I suffered a serious illness which robbed me of many of my memories, including our marriage. She was waiting to give me time for those memories to be restored. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen before she was kidnapped.”

  Joe looked at Vincent’s hands, with his sharp claws, and remembered the inexplicable autopsy reports, indicating that some of the criminals Catherine had been investigating over the years had been mauled by what appeared likely to be a wild lion. “You were Cathy’s protector, just like Diana told me you were before she clammed up on me, weren’t you?”

  Vincent replied. “Yes. I was connected to Catherine empathically, and I always knew when she was in trouble.”

  Joe nodded. “Good for you! If I had known you were watching out for Cathy, I wouldn’t have worried about her so much.”

  Vincent added with sadness in his voice, “Unfortunately, that illness also severed my connection to Catherine. That was how Gabriel was able to kidnap and kill her. I almost had a chance to rescue her when she tapped out an S.O.S. on the pipes at the warehouse where Gabriel first kept her. Our people figured out where she was, but by the time I got there and broke through their barriers, they had taken her away to the old Battery Arms building where she was killed, and I couldn’t find her before she was dying. Then, all I could do was take her body to her apartment and call Dr. Marx. Gabriel had stolen Little Jacob, and it took me nearly three months and Diana’s help to find him and bring him home.”

  Joe shook his head trying to grasp what he was being told. “Vincent, are you telling me that Dr. Marx knows about you too?”

  Vincent replied. “Yes, Dr. Marx is one of the people from your world we call Helpers. We have developed a network of them over the years. They are people who help us with supplies and services, and they can be trusted to keep the secret of our world down here.”

  Joe went on. “That explains why he evaded all of my questions about Cathy’s case and your fingerprints on her balcony.” Joe looked at Diana. “Remember when you were coming out of the au
topsy you attended with Dr. Marx on the kidnapped and murdered little girl you were investigating, Sally Rogers?” Diana nodded, and Joe continued. “I tried to waylay Dr. Marx then, and he told me he wasn’t supposed to talk to me, and actually ran in

  the other direction. I always thought his behavior was peculiar. Now I know who he was trying to protect.” Joe quickly grasped everything then, and he looked at Vincent. “I am so sorry for your loss! Diana obviously figured you out before she ever found you, and then she had to shut up when she did find you. Even Elliott Burch protected you from me and my investigation.”

  Vincent smiled sadly. “In the end, Elliott Burch sacrificed his own life to save mine.”

  Joe said, “It seems that you bring out the best in everyone.”

  Vincent was quick to disagree. “No, it wasn’t because of me. It was Catherine who brought out the best in everyone. Elliott saved me to honor her memory.”

  Joe nodded his head. “Then I can do no less.” He looked around at Father’s people. “You all live down here?”

  Father answered him. “We do, and it is a very special place. I know Diana has told you that you must not talk about this world of ours with anyone in the world above. The life we enjoy leading here would not be possible if you did.”

  Joe assured him. “Don’t worry, Father. I promised Diana, and I am promising you now, that I will keep your secret.”

  Father nodded. “Thank you, Joe. Before we take you any further, let me introduce you to our Council members. These were the people who made the decision to follow

  Diana’s advice and bring you down here.” Joe shook hands with each of them as Father introduced them. “Pascal is in charge of our communication system which involves tapping on the pipes using a code unique to our community. Mary is our nurse and midwife, and I am our medical doctor and surgeon. Angela is my surgical nurse and the nanny for the orphaned children in our community. Sarah is our practical nurse, and she checks on the members of our community who choose to live in the more remote areas, those who are somewhat eccentric. Rebecca is our candle maker, and William is our community cook.”

  Joe’s face lit up, and he looked at Diana and grinned, “Quaint little joint, huh?” Diana giggled. He looked back at William. “I want to talk to you about that sandwich you made for me!”

  William laughed heartily. “Well, I plan to feed you while you are here with us.”

  Joe laughed too. “Be careful! I may never leave!” Everyone laughed with him.

  Vincent then said, “Come; let us show you what you will be protecting.”

  Joe kept Little Jacob in his arms, and Diana took Vincent’s arm as they started back down the tunnel.

  Diana whispered, “It looks like you have another willing babysitter!” Vincent looked down at her and grinned.

  The little group took Joe on a grand tour through the community. They showed him all of the educational facilities they had set up for the children, the music chamber, the children’s chambers, family chambers, guest chambers, recreational chambers, their hospital, and even the Waterfall Cavern. They took him to Father’s Council chamber, and Joe marveled at the beautiful wrought-iron circular staircase there, leading up to Father’s extensive library in the balcony above. Then they visited a large cavern equipped with every type of both new and antique sewing machines, pressing equipment, washing machines, and dryers. Joe saw men, women, and children sewing and caring for clothing and obviously enjoying the tasks. They passed community members working in the tunnels, repairing electrical wiring, duct work, and water pipes.

  Joe was then taken to a tunnel where a new set of chambers was being cut out of the rock cavern walls for a couple expecting a new baby. There, he saw someone he recognized. Kanin Evans was bent over maps and blueprints on a table in the chamber they were working on. Joe stepped around the large pile of long pipes in the tunnel and walked up to Kanin. “Don’t I know you?”

  Kanin looked up from his work and smiled at Joe. Kanin was a tall, very handsome man with red-brown hair and grey-green eyes. “Yes, Mr. Maxwell. I’m Kanin Evans. You met me when I turned myself in to Cathy for the D.U.I. I had dodged for sixteen years which caused the death of a little boy. I was just released two months ago.” Joe remembered the case. “Please, call me Joe. I wondered how Cathy managed to solve that case so quickly. I gave her that file to go looking for you. Had you been down here all that time, Kanin?”

  Kanin answered him. “Yes, Joe. I never took a drink again after that mistake that cost the life of that little boy.

  I made a new life down here, married Olivia, and had a baby boy of my own, before Cathy came to me and told me about that file you gave her. She helped me to face up to my mistake, and she let me turn myself in. It was the best decision I ever made, and I think it helped the mother of that little boy as well. I can now enjoy my own family with a clear conscience. Before, I was in a far worse prison of my own making.”

  Vincent spoke up at that point. “We missed Kanin dreadfully while he was in prison. He is our head architect and a stone cutter and mason. We weren’t able to accomplish much in the way of new construction while he was gone. He is the one in our community who is the most skilled at cutting and shaping the natural stone walls down here.”

  Father then asked Kanin, “Are these pipes from Mouse’s stockpile, Kanin?”

  Kanin smiled and nodded. “Yes, Mouse estimated that it would take all of these to extend the radiant oil heating, plumbing, and communication pipes into these tunnels and chambers.”

  As they continued on the tour, everyone except Father, Vincent, and Diana filed off to their other responsibilities.

  William told Joe he would see him later in the kitchen for lunch. Because there wasn’t sufficient time, they could only tell him about some of the other wonders in their world, like the Crystal Cavern and the Chamber of the Winds. They also promised to take him, during a future visit, to see Elizabeth’s Painted Tunnels. Elizabeth had used her skill as a painter to turn the abandoned manmade tunnels in an upper level into beautiful murals depicting an history of Father’s world. Those tunnels made a better canvas for her art than the rough stone walls in the lower natural tunnels. They finally ended up in Vincent’s chamber.

  The first thing Joe noticed was the rocking chair Cullen had made. “Well, I can see what you people think of Diana!” He sat down in the rocker with Little Jacob.

  Father chuckled as they all sat down. “Yes, Diana has helped to keep us safe from the world above like Catherine used to do.”

  Vincent began explaining, “This is my chamber, where I took Catherine when I first found her with her face slashed and her ribs broken. Her assailants had left her for dead near the Central Park tunnel entrance we just brought you from. Father treated Catherine’s injuries, and I took care of her here for ten days before returning her to your world.”

  Joe had been utterly amazed by everything they had shown him. Now, he said, “You can’t imagine the speculation that occurred over where a wealthy socialite could have disappeared to for those ten days. The speculation became even wilder when she finally reappeared, and then refused to explain where she had been! I can understand all of it now, including the mysterious leads and the anonymous witnesses that Cathy came up with. You people have helped to catch dozens of felons and lock them away. Let me ask you another thing. Did you also have something to do with the enormous gift of rare antiquities, in a large trunk, that the Sisters of Mercy found on their doorstep at St. Regina’s Aid to the Homeless in the southwest corner of The Bronx?”

  Brooke and Jamie had just come into Vincent’s chamber, and they sat down on Vincent’s bed.

  Father answered Joe. “Yes, that treasure came really close to destroying our community. One of our engineers found it buried in one of the unmapped tunnels he was scouting out. The entire sunken ship was there. Apparently, as the coastline changed over the centuries, it ended up in the tunnel.”

  Jamie spoke up. “Cathy called what happened to us, when
we realized what we had, a disease from your world.”

  Joe nodded, “Greed!”

  Father nodded too and said, “Yes, in its most hideous and vicious form. When a couple of our community members came to blows over it, and a serious injury occurred as a result, we had decided to throw the entire

  trunk full of treasure into The Abyss, so it wouldn’t cause us any more harm, but Vincent stopped us. He reminded us that, even though it had no place in our world, we couldn’t turn our backs on those above who were hungry and homeless. If we did, then it would have defeated us. So, we left it on the Sisters’ doorstep in the middle of the night.”

  Vincent commented to Joe. “Your mind works as fast as Diana’s does.”

  Joe laughed, “On good days, if I’m lucky! Well, I can definitely see that your community is no threat to the city. In fact, you have been doing more than your fair share to support the city with your maintenance work and crime fighting, to say nothing of that generous gift for the homeless. In fact, your community is like the ultimate dream informant for law enforcement. Obviously, I don’t ever have to worry about which side of the law you people are on!”

  Father added, “Good people in your city have always protected and supported us. It is the least we can do, to give something back to your world. We maintain the water lines, sewer pipes, gas mains, and electrical wiring down here, partly out of self-interest, so no one has to come down here to make repairs and finds us, but also to contribute to the welfare of the city we are an hidden part of.”

  Joe looked at Diana, and then went on with his realizations. “This also explains some of the leaps of logic you took that I couldn’t figure out, like knowing that the Gregory Coil killings had ended. I assume that this world was your Ouija Board in that case?”

  Diana smiled as she remembered giving that silly explanation to Joe, and Vincent answered for her.

  “Gregory Coil was a boy who had been lost from our world for more than twenty years. His father had been killed in a tragic accident down here, and it drove Gregory mad. I went to Diana when someone began killing our Helpers. It turned out that those murder victims were the survivors of that accident. Diana then realized that her case that she had been investigating was our case too, and that was the connection between the victims which their disparate lifestyles had not revealed. Unfortunately, she couldn’t tell you that, but she did solve the case with that information.