Chapter Ten

Lisa shrank back against the wall, trying to make herself smaller, wishing she could disappear from Jaime's iron-willed gaze. "You..." she whispered, "I thought....they told me you were...dead."

"Guess again," Jaime responded.

"I – I'm so sorry....I -"

"Lisa, I'm here because I'd like to help you."

"Why?" Much like Steve, Oscar and Rudy, Lisa couldn't quite comprehend it. "I don't need your help!" she exclaimed, suddenly defiant. "I'm doin' just fine!"

"I can see that," Jaime noted, startled by the sudden change in Lisa's mood. "Why, Lisa? What made you do this? Did Courtney force you, or -"

"Shut up! Leave me alone! I don't have to talk to you! and....I don't want to!"

"Why'd you do it?" Jaime persisted. "What made your own life so terrible that you were ready to leave it behind and take over mine?"

Slowly, an evil smile spread across Lisa's face; Jaime had pressed exactly the right button. "Nothin' wrong with my life, Sugar-Pie," she said in a heavy Southern drawl. "But being Jaime Sommers pays a lot better," she finished, parroting Jaime's voice perfectly.

Jaime was taken aback, but only for a moment. She had to keep going, while Lisa was off-guard and talking. "Who was paying you? Doctor Courtney?"

"He was s'posed to," Lisa pouted, "but your damn boyfriend had to go and ruin everything!"

Boyfriend? Jaime's jealousy flared and she wondered just how close Lisa had gotten to Steve. "What were you supposed to do, Lisa?" she queried. "Seduce him?"

"No," Lisa giggled, licking her lips. "Woulda been a nice side benefit, though."

"What, then?" Jaime demanded.

"Don't feel like talking anymore," Lisa said, turning her head and averting her eyes.

"Well, I do!" Jaime told her. "I think I have a right to know why I almost died – don't you?"

"Don't care...."

"They'll keep you here instead of prison until you talk about it, you know."

"So?" Lisa said sullenly.

"So you'll get awfully tired of dry bologna sandwiches and cold, black decaf pretty darned fast..."

"Don't care."

"The other people who'll be questioning you won't be nearly as nice – or as patient - so you may as well talk to me and get it over with," Jaime suggested.

"Leave me alone. I'll talk to my lawyer."

"Who you won't be seeing as long as you're down here," Jaime pointed out. "You're in NSB custody, and they play hardball."

"What do you care? Get out." Lisa's voice was shaking but her eyes were cold.

"Not until you tell me what you were supposed to do. And I wrote the book on stubborn." Jaime stepped directly in front of her double. "Ever been on a morgue table, Lisa? Because apparently, I have! Maybe I've got it wrong; maybe all of this was your idea! You paid Courtney to have me killed, so you could have my life, my house...and Steve."

"No!" Lisa cried, rising to the bait. "It was Courtney! He needed information!"

"What kind of information?"

"Anything he could sell..." Lisa admitted weakly.

"So 'Jaime Sommers' would've become a double agent – is that it?"

"Yeah."

"Well, you know what, Lisa? Even if I had died. It wouldn't have worked. Wanna know why?" Lisa didn't answer; she knew she'd been defeated. "Because even though you might have my face, my voice – and probably know more about my past than I do – you and Courtney left out one very important thing." Jaime rapped on the door with the pre-arranged knock to let Steve know she was done. As she wrapped her arm around Steve's waist and turned to go, she smiled triumphantly back at Lisa. "This Jaime Sommers has a heart!"

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