What was Lisa doing associating with a member of this kind of world? Just what did she come to know about this world? Was she at risk of exposing what she knew if she left SG? Did SG fear this?
Unfortunately, they don't wear signs. A good high school friend of mine started dating an older guy she had met at the gym. He ran a "restaurant", was charming, had cash. We were late teens / early 20's , and a boyfriend who would shout all of us drinks when we went out, or pay each cover charge for all of us seemed like a dream come true.
He seemed generous, and stable, and a stabilising force for her - she was the wildchild - leaving school to do hairdressing then a number of other short lived careers. He enrolled her in a Business Admin course at Tafe, and said when she had finished that, she could take over the books.
The restaurant was in Kings Cross. One of those charming places where the waitresses were considered to be eye candy and dessert. The first time she worked on the floor there, it was because he was "desperate" - it was a big, important function and he was let down. Then it was a harbour cruise, because she had been so popular. And she was asked to give a few people a few parcels along with their champagne.
It wasn't long before it was pills to keep her happy and partying. Then it was cocaine. We tried to put on the breaks, pull her out, and we were accused of interfering and being parents. We held on, not speaking out against him. Trying to keep contact at any cost.
She was completely roped in. Then it was ice. Crystal Meth. And suddenly there was another force at play. She had nothing outside of him, and a very strong physiological pull to stay.
The story eventually gets a happy ending, but there were 5 years lost, and a few times we almost lost her too. We became the enemy. When she started to show bruises, it wasn't his fault. She had done something wrong.
A million miles away from the headstrong, carefree girl we knew. When exit plans were made, there was extreme fear. Of what she knew, but also of what she had done within that relationship. It wasn't cut and dry.
Not pulling direct parallels to Lisa here, nor saying she used drugs or was however innocently involved in his business dealings.
Just trying to say that you can wind up being associated with "those people" without even knowing until it's too late - and stamping the foot of morality isn't really an option. I know, because I was associated with them too. Which is a far cry from everything about who I am - but done for the safety of my friend, and for myself.
A couple of years ago, I took a working holiday break, and worked in the states. I was living in a strange area, where one side of the road was in extreme poverty, and the other side - not quite affluence, but a far cry from the poverty witnessed as soon as you headed south on Citrus.
There was a mexican supermarket chain - Gardenia's, that I shopped at. In the carpark one night at about 11pm, a boy of about 6 was standing outside a 4WD (sorry SUV!) and said something that I couldnt make out.
I approached. I noticed there were two adults in the 4WD. He repeated "Excuse me Miss, would you like to buy some ice?"
In that situation, I was indignant enough to call the police once I got back to my apartment (about 100m) away, because I wasn't involved. The carpark was dark. I walked home a different way. I shopped at Vonn's instead for the next month. I changed my hairstyle.
That was a "stranger" style involvement, and yes, while it was in a country where guns are prolific, I still altered my behaviour to protect myself while doing the right thing - just to be safe.
When we were most desperate in trying to get help for our friend, we contemplated having her arrested. Of tipping off the police as to the next function. We wanted her to escape, we were out of options.
We didn't. Because the risk to her would be too great. Not in terms of jail time. But the very real threat of what people who are protecting their illegal financial interests would be capable of.
We're doing a great deal of sharing in this thread, and I'm sorry if this was TMI or too tangential. I just wanted to note that it's not all that easy to steer clear of "those sorts of people".
They don't wear signs. They have carefully constructed normal exteriors. And by the time you know what they do, it's too late to extricate yourself with ease.