Chapter 3 - Cutting the Lifeline
I sat in the hospital cafeteria,
the coffee in front of me untouched.
My hands were no longer shaking;
they were steady with a cold,
calculated purpose.
I opened my banking application.
My mother had a supplementary credit card on my account.
So did Chloe.
I checked the recent transactions.
A three-thousand-dollar dinner at a five-star steakhouse in Miami.
A four-thousand-dollar shopping spree at a designer boutique.
Two rooms at a luxury resort,
booked for a full week.
They were spending my hard-earned money,
the money meant for Maya’s recovery,
to live like royalty.
I felt a grim satisfaction as I tapped the "Deactivate" button on Eleanor’s card.
"Reason for cancellation?"
the app prompted.
I typed:
"Fraudulent use by unauthorized party."
I did the same for Chloe's card.
Then,
I moved to the joint savings account I had mistakenly allowed my mother to access.
I transferred every single cent into a new,
private account at a different bank.
I saw a pending transaction for a yacht rental.
I called the bank’s fraud department immediately.
"Yes,"
I said to the agent,
"this is David.
I am reporting my cards stolen.
Every transaction in the last forty-eight hours is unauthorized."
"I want a full freeze on all accounts,"
I instructed.
"And I want the GPS location of the last attempted use."
The agent complied,
confirming they were at a high-end mall in South Beach.
I then moved to the cell phone plan.
I was the primary account holder for the entire family.
I disconnected Eleanor’s line.
I disconnected Chloe’s line.
I disconnected Mark’s line.
Within seconds,
they were digitally stranded.
No money,
no way to call for a ride,
and no way to pay for the hotel bill that was due for a mid-stay authorization.
I knew the hotel would try to run the card again at midnight.
They were about to have a very unpleasant New Year's Eve.
I leaned back,
watching the clock.
It was 11:55 p.m.
In five minutes,
May you like
the fireworks would start,
and their world would crumble.
