Unknown
Hey beautiful. Are you in Cabo?
Lizzy
LOL, yeah. Who’s this?
Unknown
At the Cabo Vista Hotel?
Lizzy
Um…are you here too? Who are you?
Unknown
I can’t tell you. That would ruin it.
Unknown
I have one in store for you.
Unknown
Didn’t you tell me that you love surprises?
Lizzy
Look, can you please tell me who you are?
Lizzy
I’m getting a little creeped out…
Unknown
I already told you that I don’t want to do that.
Unknown
And I’m in charge here, Lizzy.
Unknown
Yup. I know your name — Elizabeth Louisa Fredericks.
Unknown
I know that you’re a paramedic who secretly hates the sight of blood.
Unknown
And I even know that you drink pickle juice from the jar.
Unknown
I know almost everything about you.
Unknown
Tsk tsk tsk. So demanding.
Unknown
What happened to the “please” you used before?
Unknown
You’re going to want to speak to me nicely, Lizzy.
Unknown
After all, I can see you in your lime green bikini.
Unknown
And I know that wife of yours isn’t with you right now.
Unknown
It’s amazing how you two got together so quickly —
Unknown
You never could be alone, could you?
Erica
Surprised to hear from a ghost of girlfriends past?
Lizzy waits a few minutes before carefully typing out the next message.
She doesn’t want to say anything that will make Erica madder.
The two women had a terrible breakup.
Lizzy
That’s funny that we’re both here this weekend. Hope you’re doing well. Enjoy the warm weather!
Erica
Oh no. You don’t get to dismiss me that easily.
Erica
You don’t get to act like you care about whether I’m doing well.
Erica
When was the last time you seriously had a hope for me?
Lizzy
Erica, please — I’m not trying to be antagonistic.
Erica
There she goes again with those good manners.
Lizzy
Erica, please tell me what you want.
Erica
I want you to turn around…
Erica
Because I want to see the look on your face when I tell you something.
Lizzy turns around slowly.
She sees Erica standing in front of her.
Erica’s eyes twitch nervously —
Up and down from her phone.
She smiles — but it’s so wide and stiff that it looks more like a grimace.
Erica
I murdered your wife.
Lizzy’s heart starts pounding.
She reads those two texts again.
Erica can’t be serious, right?
Lizzy is almost too nervous to look up from her phone to check Erica’s eyes.
But when she does, they’re gleaming with triumph.
Another text comes into Lizzy’s phone.
Erica
Oh yes. I killed her.
Erica
You didn’t believe me at first, hmm?
Erica
I saw that look of doubt cross your face.
Erica
I can recognize that emotion, you know —
Erica
Because I know you. I know ALL of your emotions.
Erica
We used to be in love.
Erica
And I thought you would love me forever.
Erica
Do you remember how you pulverized my heart?
Lizzy’s mouth goes drier as each text comes in.
But at the same time, her fingers are frozen. She can’t intervene.
It’s like her spinal nerves have been clipped.
Erica
I want YOU to hurt too.
Erica
That’s why I did this to you.
Erica
That’s why I don’t care that I’ll go to jail for this —
Erica
Because I made this confession.
Erica
I just want you to feel this pain for your entire life.
Erica
And I want you to know that I caused it.
Erica
Because then, deep down, you’ll always know that a little part of you is responsible too…
Erica
You’ll be hurting all your life because you hurt me.
It takes Lizzy a second to digest Erica’s words. But then —
One word repetitively pounds in her head.
As she does, she calls 911, giving them all the information about the crime.
The police aren’t there yet when she throws open the door to her hotel room.
Her wife is covered in blood.
But she is breathing — shallowly.
Lizzy tells herself to relax.
She’s a paramedic, damn it. She knows how to fix this.
She locates the entry site in Florence’s right shoulder —
The bullet went clearly through her flesh.
Lizzy elevates the wound, propping Florence up so she’s sitting on the floor with her back against the foot of the bed.
Then she grabs her First Aid kit from her suitcase —
Thank God she always travels with it.
As she’s cleaning and packing the wound, the police and paramedics arrive.
Lizzy addresses the paramedics.
Lizzy
28-year-old female, showing signs of life with color and shallow breathing.
Lizzy
I’ve elevated, cleaned, and dressed the wound.
Paramedic
Excellent. We’ll take it from here. Are you her wife?
Lizzy’s eyes fill with tears.
The paramedics carry Florence to the ambulance and Lizzy keeps pace.
The police are there beside her too.
Cop
Mrs. Fredericks? We’ve located and arrested Ms. Erica Royce.
Lizzy feels a wave of pressure swell in her chest —
And then suddenly, she can breathe again.
She hadn’t even realized how tightly she was wound.
Lizzy
Oh, thank God. Thank you, thank you so much.
Cop
We’re happy to serve.
With a nod, the cop walks away.
The paramedics load Florence into the ambulance and hook her up to the machines.
The lead paramedic smiles at Lizzy.
Paramedic
We have more good news for you. Your wife —
Paramedic
Her vitals are stable. It’s likely she’ll be okay.
A smile splits open Lizzy’s face, allowing warmth to fill her up.
She expected to cry in this moment —
To cry with relief that the love of her life is alive —
But she feels an overwhelming calmness surround her.
She puts her hand on Florence’s hands.
Goodness and love always win.
