by Ali Vali
Jessica sat up and took a deep breath, clearly not trying to appease Kara for a change. “How much money did she want in the settlement? Did Neil tell you that?”
“Five thousand. It was what it cost to bury the kid.” Kara stopped talking and watched Jessica massage her forehead as if trying to erase any unpleasant thoughts from her head.
“She’s willing to let the hospital off the hook for five thousand dollars? Doesn’t that seem odd to you?”
“You said so yourself, she’s an idiot. How do I know why she asked for so little?”
Jessica grabbed Kara’s arm. “The night before I left her to come here, Tully was celebrating her latest win. In that case the patient survived but lost a leg, I believe. She’s won so many cases like this that I stopped listening to the details a long time ago. Between the doctor and the hospital, the guy ended up collecting close to two million dollars.”
“See, that’s what’s wrong with health care today. Fucking vultures like the bitch you lived with are sucking us all dry.”
Jessica squeezed Kara’s bicep. “Focus, honey. It was a leg, and she raked them over the coals she lit, fanned, and got red-hot. In this case I would’ve expected her to come out with something so outlandish that two million would’ve sounded like small change. Five thousand tells me something is very wrong.”
“If I had any secrets, I buried them a long time ago on the shores of a lake no one here has ever heard of, so stop worrying.”
“It’s not the secrets from your past that’ll sink you, honey. She’ll just use anything like that to start the bleeding before she throws you into the tank and releases the gators. It’s the secrets you have now that Tully will use to gut you.”
“Are you going to share anything with her?” Kara didn’t move away as her anger started to take over. She slitted her eyes and came close to laughing at how quickly Jessica let go of her.
“I’m telling you this not because I admire Tully, but because I want to help you.”
“If you want to help me, then don’t mention her name to me again.”
Chapter Twenty-three
“When’s your flight?” Pasco asked.
“Tomorrow at six a.m. We should be in Guadalajara in plenty of time to drive down to the clinic and gather some information.” Tully yawned and stretched.
They had been trying to find their way back into the routine of having Bailey and Ralph in school again. With Libby still in the pool house but attending the same campus as the kids, she was in their kitchen every morning fixing breakfast so they could all ride together.
“I figure by Friday afternoon we should have discovered plenty, so we can head back into town.”
“I’m not up on the privacy laws in Mexico, but hopefully they’ll be a tad bit more relaxed than they are here. Just to catch you up on the other thing you wanted, in my latest report I added some details on our twenty-four-hour surveillance. So far, nothing.”
“You can say it again, if you want.”
“That you could be wrong?” Pasco asked. “You could, but in this case I’m praying a novena that you’re not. I want to see this bitch go down more than anyone. I’ll get in touch if I find anything.”
“Thanks for all the time you’re putting into this one, pal.”
“My youngest needed braces, so it was a godsend,” Pasco teased.
He stepped out, waving to Roxanne as he left.
Roxanne, in her ever-efficient manner, laid a few folders on Tully’s desk. “The doctor settled in the case where our client lost her nipple and had to have all that leftover goo scraped off her chest. He wasn’t happy about the check he had to write, but I’m sure she wasn’t real happy with the fact her nipple fell off in the shower. Jo took care of the house papers for you, so when you get back we can confirm with the movers.”
“I’m sure the esteemed doctor would cringe at your ‘goo’ word, but thanks. And thanks too for setting up the movers. Since that’s not in your job description, I appreciate you lining up all this stuff for me.”
Roxanne punched Tully’s shoulder softly. “You just seem so happy lately, and I’m enjoying it. Call me selfish for wanting to keep you that way.”
“Every so often I have to pinch myself to make sure I’m not conjuring up Libby and my new relationship with the kids. It hasn’t been that long, but so much has changed.” Tully leaned back and sighed as she turned her eyes to Roxanne. “I don’t consider myself a superstitious person, but lately I keep waiting for something to go wrong.”
“She loves you, Tully, so unless you lose your mind, nothing bad is going to happen.”
She took Roxanne’s hand for a second and squeezed her fingers. “From your lips to God’s ear, as my mother always says.”
The day had gone by quicker than they had anticipated, and Tully had to put in a long night with the associates to make sure all their other cases were on track and covered. Libby and the kids let her sleep during the flight the next morning, shaking her awake when the wheels of the plane hit the tarmac in Guadalajara.
After clearing customs, Tully watched the crowd around the luggage-retrieval area as the kids scanned the conveyer belt for their luggage. Most everyone on the plane with them were locals returning home from a visit in the States, she imagined, but now in the airport some other sights captured her attention.
Two couples stood out from the rest, and without much effort she started to formulate a plan. A middle-aged woman and a surly-looking teenager with his hands buried so deep in his pockets that Tully thought he might pull his pants to his ankles stood off from the crowd. Not far from them was an older gentleman with his hand wrapped firmly around the bicep of the woman standing next to him, and she was doing her best to pry his fingers open.
When a group of men walked through the main entrance wearing white pants and navy blue golf shirts with a logo stitched on the right breast, Tully surmised where they were headed. The Hacienda del Lago clearly sent guys big enough so the reluctantly sober wouldn’t have a chance to relapse before their true sobriety began.
“Something wrong?” Libby asked.
“I’m thinking of a way into where we need to be.” She discreetly pointed to the boy and woman, who were now arguing loudly with their companions and fighting the workers by kicking, biting, and throwing a punch whenever they could get their arms loose. “Call me a betting woman, but I’m willing to wager those two are the newest visitors to Lake Ajijic.”
Ralph and Bailey joined them, pushing a cart with all their luggage on it. “Are you planning on sightseeing in the airport while we do all the work?” Bailey asked.
“That’s why we brought you, so don’t complain.” Tully guided them out of the terminal and into a cab. Once they were in their hotel suite, she sat Libby down to ask a favor.
“You want me to do what?”
“I want you to delve deep and channel a sarcastic and moody kid. If you could appear like you’re in a drug-induced haze, that would be good too.”
“I’m beginning to think you’re on something,” Libby said as she put her feet up on the sofa and laughed.
“That isn’t going to work, you know,” Bailey said as she stepped in from the balcony.
“Why not?”
“Libby’s way younger than you are, but no way are they going to believe she’s your daughter. You two have a vibe going, and it doesn’t scream mother-and-daughter affection. If you looked at me the way you do Libby, trust me, you’d be checking me in here for real. You can try getting lucky with this scam, but I’m telling you the people in charge over there are going to know you’re bogus right off. If you want authentic, you need to take me.”
“No way.” Tully put her hand up and stopped any other plans Bailey had. “I’m not putting you in that kind of situation.”
“But you’re willing to put Libby in that kind of situation?”
“I think she knows I can handle it,” Libby said.
“So can I, and I want to help. What’s the worst tha
t can happen—they throw us out for impersonating a crankhead?”
“Bailey Bean, this is important, and I want you to think about what you’re asking. If you decide you can’t do it, just tell me and I’ll go with my original plan and take Libby with me. We shouldn’t be long, and you guys can relax by the pool.”
“Just answer one question for me,” Bailey said, shaking her head.
“Shoot, kid.”
“Do you think Kara’s still on drugs? Or was it something she kicked here?”
“I’m going to answer your question, so don’t start arguing just yet,” Tully said holding up a finger. “But can I ask why you want to know?”
“It’s not because I feel sorry for her and think you’re going to bring her down for what happened, if that’s what you’re worried about.” The way Bailey dragged her hand through her hair was a sure sign she was frustrated. “I’m just having a hard time wrapping my head around the idea that Mama is with someone who would’ve cut some kid open while she was high. It doesn’t fit, you know?”
“I don’t know if Kara’s still on anything, honey.”
“Then why are we here?”
Tully leaned forward and placed her elbows on her knees, but maintained eye contact. “I’m guessing that Kara Nicolas went through this program when she was in college.”
“I get that, Mom.”
“To me, if she was, that tells me something about the kind of person she is, or at least what she’s capable of. I know as well as the next person that addiction is an illness, not a choice, but what happened to the little girl in the picture her parents showed me when they came to me for answers deserves an answer. A lot of people think I’m doing this because of what happened between me and your mother.” She reached out, but before she could put her hand on Bailey’s leg, Bailey grabbed her hand and held it between hers.
“I know it might have something to do with that, but that’s not why you’re doing it.”
“Why, then?” Tully asked.
“Because you’re so good it’s sickening sometimes. Even if the first time you’d heard of this woman was when the Heberts came in, we’d still be here.”
Tully moved from her chair to sit next to Bailey. “Something happened, and I think we’ll start to find the answer here. Once we do, I can add that to what we already know, and we can move forward to the trial the hospital is dying to have.”
“Count me in, then. If you want bitchy, I can do bitchy.”
“It’s good for us, then, that that Bailey doesn’t live here anymore,” Tully teased.
The grandmotherly woman doing their intake information acted as if Bailey wasn’t rapping her knuckles against the glass door in her office rather loudly, stopping only a couple of times to try the lock. “And how long has Pearl had a dependency problem?” she asked Tully in a thick Spanish accent.
“We started seeing changes about seven months ago, but I had hoped she’d show improvement after we placed her in the program near our home back in Texas,” Tully said before pivoting in her seat and looking back at Bailey. “Pearl, could you come over here and sit down. This is for your own good.”
“Kiss my ass,” Bailey said without turning around. She sounded sincere.
“It’s okay, Ms. White. Paying attention and participation aren’t necessary just yet.”
“Thank you. It’s just been hard on the whole family, but we’ve heard you can just do wonders in getting kids back on track.”
The woman stopped writing and glanced up at her. “So you were recommended?”
“The Nicolas family said you worked with their daughter Kara, and she went on to become a doctor. We just want the same opportunity for Pearl.”
“Kara Nicolas…yes, she was one of the first patients I worked with here.” Her voice faded away as she punched some more information about Bailey into the computer. She scanned the screen before taking her glasses off and turning her attention to Tully, as if she didn’t realize what she’d just said. “It was the beginning of the ecstasy craze, and we caught her just in time. Kids don’t always realize the long-term effects of some of these drugs.” Grabbing her clipboard, she stood and waved to the door. “Would you like a tour?”
Tully’s cell phone rang as she was about to answer. “I’m so sorry.” She flipped the phone open as she stood, trying to appear ready to join the tour. “I have to get this, since my son is still back at the hotel.” Tully pinched the skin on her forehead between her fingers. “I see. Try and make him comfortable and I’ll be there in thirty minutes.”
“Something I can help with?” the woman asked.
“I’m sure it’s from drinking the local water, but my son’s taken ill and I have to go back and check on him.” Tully copied what the man at the airport had been doing and grabbed Bailey by the bicep.
“You could leave Pearl with us so we can get started.”
“I’d like to take the tour first just to ease my mind about leaving her here. You understand, of course.”
“I’ll call you later on this afternoon at the hotel, then.”
“Please do, and I have a good feeling about this,” Tully said as she shook hands with the woman without letting go of Bailey.
“Pearl? That’s the best you could come up with?” Bailey asked when they were driving out the gates.
“I thought it was a great name, and you never even asked what your middle name is.”
Bailey turned in her seat, obviously so she could more effectively glare at her. “I’m almost afraid to ask.”
“Well, Pearl Lee, you should be.” Tully couldn’t help but start laughing.
“You wrote down Pearl Lee White, and that woman didn’t figure out we were totally bogus?”
“I’m sure she figures that’s why you’re taking drugs.”
They both laughed.
Tully kept to the speed limit as they drove back, making a call to Libby. “I promise to take all three of you on a vacation in Mexico during your first school break, but we need to head back as soon as we can get a flight.”
“Pasco called while you were over there, so I already booked it.”
“We’re almost back, so save it.” Tully hung up and handed Bailey the phone. “Sorry this was so short, but I’m glad you came. I don’t think me going in there alone and asking about Kara would have had the same result.”
“Just remember you promised a vacation.”
“I’m sure after the next couple of weeks and the work we have to do on this case, we could all use one. Oh, by the way, Libby told me that Hurricane Katrina just made landfall in Florida.”
Chapter Twenty-four
“Judging from the amount of product Kara’s buying, she’s got a pretty strong habit,” Pasco said. He had been waiting for them at the airport on Friday afternoon to give her a complete report and them a ride home.
“What in the hell is going on?” Tully asked as she looked around the terminal, still packed with people despite the late hour.
“Florida slowed the storm down, but it’s in the Gulf, and a few of the models have it coming our way. I guess these folks want to get home just in case the majority of forecasters are wrong. It’s a shame that it’s cutting their vacations short, but most of the weather guys have the storm heading to the panhandle of Florida in the next couple of days. We all know how wrong they can be, though.”
“Honey, should we stop for some stuff?” Libby asked.
“If it’s for storm supplies, you’re about to find out you’re marrying the most anal person alive when it comes to preparation,” Ralph said. “Mom’s got enough water, food, and gas to start her own city, believe me.”
“Pop-Tarts don’t count, buddy,” Libby said.
“Nah, it’s more like canned ravioli.”
Libby grimaced. “Okay, a trip to the grocery before we go home, and we’ll be set.”
“We do have a lot of stuff,” Tully said as she picked up their bags.
“Honey, if the electricity goes out we’re n
ot eating pasta out of a can for days on end. I’m sure Pasco has to get a few things. If not, he can drop us off at the house and I’ll go.”
“Let’s go grocery shopping, boss,” Pasco said, grabbing half of the luggage from her.
After Pasco had given Tully a complete update, he went for other supplies with Libby and the kids, but Tully stayed home and prepared her case alone. She wanted to call in her associates but didn’t want to take them away from their families for the weekend as the paranoia about the upcoming storm began to grow.
After a few hours, with Libby and the kids safely home, she checked the generator and supply of gasoline. Ralph had joked about how anal she was, but having been raised by a couple who made their living on the water, she had taken their lessons on survival to heart. And after she’d had kids, her desire to prepare for every situation had only grown, even as Jessica’s mocking laughter at her axe, life jackets, and box of supplies in the attic rang in her ears.
Libby spent time in the kitchen making a huge meal while Tully went over her class assignments with her. Having a live-in tutor was cutting down Libby’s study time and helping her keep her mind off the weather. When they finished eating and putting away the leftovers, Libby followed Tully upstairs to the guest room.
They never undressed, but lay down together and enjoyed the utter silence outside the window. After seeing how freaked Libby was, Tully didn’t want to leave her alone.
“We’ll be okay, right?” Libby asked.
“I’ll do everything in my power to make sure that we are.”
The scenario that the forecasters had predicted changed on Saturday. The models had the storm coming ashore anywhere from the Mississippi line to Florida, but with each passing hour the lines drifted farther west.
As Bailey, Libby, and Ralph sat in the house watching the Weather Channel, Tully stepped outside and studied the sky. She couldn’t see a single cloud, and the blue expanse appeared as if someone had painted it. The only uncomfortable thing was the temperature. The heat was stifling, seeming to suck the oxygen out of the air.