Chapter 3 - Blood Money And Blocked Numbers
By midnight, the hospital social worker had arranged temporary accommodations for us at a quiet, gated hotel two blocks away once Lulu was officially discharged with a clean bill of health. Her fever was gone, her vitals were rock-solid, and she had an extra supply of her anticonvulsants prescribed by Dr. Morales.
As soon as we checked into the hotel room and Lulu fell asleep in the king-sized bed, my phone suddenly buzzed violently on the nightstand. The ship must have connected to a maritime cellular repeater, or they had finally logged onto the internet.
A notification popped up: Incoming Call: Mom.
I took a deep breath, walked out onto the private balcony overlooking the dark, quiet ocean, and answered. I didn't say a word.
""Holly? Where the hell are you?"" My mother’s shrill, angry voice echoed through the speaker. There was no tremor of worry, no panicked inquiry about whether her granddaughter was alive. Only raw, offended indignation. ""We just got back to the stateroom after the formal gala dinner. Do you have any idea how embarrassing it was to explain to your father why your seat was empty during the anniversary toast?""
""Did you find her?"" I asked in a deadpan, icy tone.
""Find who? Lulu? Oh, stop being so dramatic!"" Mom scoffed loudly. In the background, I could hear my sister Desiree laughing and the clinking of champagne flutes. ""I told you, she probably took a taxi to the beach or was hiding in a shop to teach us a lesson. Did she turn up at the port? Are you two staying in some hotel? Honestly, Holly, you completely ruined our special night. You made a scene at the gangway in front of half the ship's crew!""
""Lulu had a grand mal seizure on the steps of a Catholic church twenty minutes after you left her,"" I stated, each word dropping like lead. ""She was in status epilepticus risk because you stole her rescue medication out of her hands.""
Silence hung on the line for three seconds. Then came the frantic backpedaling, laced with venomous self-defense.
""That... that is an outright lie!"" Mom stammered, her voice rising to a screech. ""She gave me that pouch! She said she didn't want to carry it! And we looked for her! We looked everywhere for ten whole minutes, Holly! But Desiree’s boys were exhausted, and it was hot, and we couldn't miss the ship! What kind of mother expects her elderly parents to be stranded in Mexico just because a teenager has a tantrum?""
""I know what you said to her, Mom,"" I said coldly. ""And more importantly, the Mexican authorities know.""
The phone was abruptly snatched away on the other end. My sister Desiree’s sharp voice barked into the receiver. ""Listen to me, Holly! You listen to me right now! You better not be telling lies to the cruise line or anyone else! Do you know what security did an hour ago? Two corporate officers came to Mom and Dad’s suite and asked Dad all kinds of invasive questions! They made Dad's blood pressure spike! If you cause Dad to have a heart attack over your incompetent parenting, I will never forgive you!""
""I didn't cause this, Desiree. You and Mom did.""
""You always play the victim!"" Desiree hissed. ""Ever since Lulu got diagnosed, everything has to revolve around you and your sick kid! We wanted one normal family trip! One trip where we didn't have to hear about medication schedules, or loud restaurant complaints, or special accommodations! Mom took her medicine because she thought Lulu was faking an aura just to force us to go back to the boat early! You owe us an apology!""
""I paid eight thousand dollars for this cruise, Desiree,"" I replied softly, my heart beating with steady, lethal calm. ""I paid for Mom and Dad’s balcony suite. I paid for your boys' excursions. And you left my daughter to die on the concrete.""
""You're blowing this out of proportion!"" Desiree screamed. ""We're family! You can't do anything to us anyway!""
""We'll see about that,"" I whispered.
I hung up the phone. I didn't wait for her to call back; I instantly went into my settings and blocked my mother's number, my sister's number, and my father's cell phone. Then, I opened my banking app.
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The cruise was tied to my primary credit card for onboard incidentals. I had authorized my mother and sister as secondary users for their onboard folios to cover their drinks, spa treatments, and shopping as my anniversary gift to them. With four taps of my finger, I reported both cards as revoked and froze the accounts. Any champagne they were drinking at that very moment would be charged directly to their personal, empty checking accounts.
Then, I sat down at the small desk in the hotel room and pulled open my laptop. It was time to pull the real receipts.
