The Girl Who Didn't Die--A Suspense Novel Read online

  TIM KIZER

  THE GIRL WHO DIDN’T DIE

  Also by Tim Kizer

  An Evil Mind

  The Vanished

  Spellbound

  Mania

  The Mindbender

  Days of Vengeance

  Deception

  Copyright 2016 Tim Kizer

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  CONTENTS

  The Girl Who Didn’t Die

  Days Of Vengeance

  Sample chapters from The Vanished

  Other titles by Tim Kizer

  TIM KIZER

  THE GIRL WHO DIDN’T DIE

  Description

  They told her that her baby died after birth, but it was a lie. Her daughter was stolen.

  Thirteen years after her only child, Melissa, died in the maternity ward, Alice Cannon learns that her daughter's body has been found by a lake in San Diego with multiple stab wounds.

  The records of the hospital where Alice gave birth show that she and Melissa were discharged in excellent condition the day after delivery. Did Melissa's abductor pose as Alice? Were the doctors part of the conspiracy to steal her child?

  Alice finds out that Melissa was adopted by a childless couple, Michelle and Norman Keener, and she suspects they were behind her daughter's abduction. When the Keeners show Alice a video of her handing Melissa over to them, she begins to question her memory—and sanity. Did she forget giving her daughter away or is she a victim of a far-reaching conspiracy?

  As Alice looks for clues, she realizes that she might be Melissa's killer.

  Or maybe the real killer is trying to frame her.

  Chapter 1

  1

  “We found your daughter’s body yesterday.” The muscles in Detective Stephen Hagan’s jaw tightened. “I’m very sorry.”

  Hagan appeared to be in his late thirties. He was tall and had dark close-cropped hair and tanned skin. When he said that he was a detective with the San Diego Police Department, Alice’s heart had sunk. Mom is dead, she had thought. He came to tell me they’ve discovered her body.

  “You mean my mother’s body?” Alice swallowed the lump in her throat.

  “No, your daughter’s.”

  Alice breathed a sigh of relief.

  “She was murdered.”

  “It can’t be my daughter,” Alice said. “I don’t have children.”

  She felt sorry for the detective: the guy had driven over a hundred miles for nothing.

  Hagan took out his notebook and opened it. “Is your mother’s name Rebecca Cannon?”

  “Yes.”

  “Did she go missing last October?”

  “Yes, she did.”

  “Did you give the police a sample of your DNA?”

  Alice nodded. “Yes.”

  “We found your DNA profile when we ran this girl’s DNA through the database. You are her biological mother.”

  “That’s impossible. I’ve never given birth.”

  That wasn’t true. She had given birth once, to a girl; her name was Melissa. Unfortunately, the baby had died an hour after she was born. Alice tried not to think about Melissa’s death, because every time she did, it felt as though a drop of concentrated caustic acid fell into her brain, burning it, eating through it.

  “I see,” Hagan said, his brow furrowed in thought.

  But DNA tests were extremely accurate, weren’t they?

  Maybe Melissa didn’t die?

  What a ridiculous idea.

  “Do you have this girl’s picture?” Alice asked.

  “I’d rather not show it to you. Her face was smashed beyond recognition.”

  A sharp pang shot through Alice’s heart. “Oh my God. Poor girl,” she muttered.

  Poor Melissa.

  “How old do you think she is?”

  “Thirteen, fourteen.”

  Melissa had been born thirteen years ago.

  It couldn’t be Melissa. Melissa was dead.

  They said she died. Maybe they lied. Doctors are not saints, they are capable of lying.

  “Do you know who killed her?”

  He might think I sold my baby.

  “No.”

  Hagan looked at Alice fixedly, probably waiting for her to admit that she had given birth to a female child.

  “When was she killed?”

  “Yesterday afternoon.”

  “How was she killed?”

  “She was stabbed and bludgeoned to death.”

  “Where did you find her body?”

  “We found it on the side of the road near Lake Miramar.”

  Alice had heard of Lake Miramar; it was located in the northern part of San Diego.

  “Was she… Was she raped?”

  “No.”

  “I…” Alice licked her lips. “I think this girl could be my daughter.”

  “Did you give her up for adoption?”

  She would be lying if she said that she had given Melissa up for adoption.

  Could you go to jail for lying to police?

  “I don’t want to talk about this.”

  “I need to know her adoptive parents’ names.”

  “I don’t remember their names.”

  “What adoption agency did you use?”

  “I don’t remember. I’m sorry.”

  “What’s the girl’s name?”

  “Melissa. But I think they changed it.”

  Hagan adjusted his loosened tie, then pulled out his card and put it on the coffee table. “Here’s my card. If you remember your daughter’s adoptive parents’ names, please give me a call.”

  “Sure.” Alice picked up Hagan’s card. “Are you in charge of this case?”

  “Yes.”

  “Do you have any suspects?”

  “No, we don’t.”

  “Please call me when you find my daughter’s adoptive parents. Can you do that for me?”

  Hagan stood up. “Yes.”

  “Thank you.”

  2

  After the detective left, Alice went to the kitchen and poured herself a mug of coffee. Her mind was racing.

  They had stolen Melissa and sold her to a childless couple. Or a child molester.

  Alice’s stomach knotted.

  Maybe Melissa had been murdered by the people who had bought her. Her pervert adoptive father might have killed her for trying to escape from his sex dungeon.

  Who had abducted Melissa?

  It might be the doctor who had delivered her. It might be another maternity-ward doctor. It might be a nurse. More than one person might have been involved.

  They must have switched Melissa with a dead baby while she was in the nursery.

  Alice went on the Internet and discovered that it cost up to fifty thousand dollars to adopt a child. She searched for articles about newborn babies abducted from the Riverside Community Medical Center, and found none.

  Should she tell Ryan that their daughter hadn’t died thirteen years ago?

  What was the point? He hadn’t cared about Melissa then, and Alice was sure he didn’t care about their daughter now.

  While she was pregnant with Melissa, Ryan had told her many times that she should have an abortion. He had looked relieved when he learned that their daughter had died. Yes, Alice had been certain it was an expression of relief that she had seen on Ryan’s face after she had given him the news. It had lasted a few moments and then changed to a sympathetic frown, which was as fake as a three-dollar bill.

  Alice felt her throat tighten.

  Melissa had been raised by strangers, and for most of her life she had thought her real mother had abandoned her. She had probably been bitter and miserable sin
ce she learned that she had been adopted.

  Melissa had never known a mother’s love. A woman can’t love her adopted child as much as the child she bore.

  Her poor baby. Poor Melissa.

  And she died a horrible death. Died so young.

  Alice covered her face with her hands and started crying.

  She must find out what had happened to her daughter thirteen years ago. It wouldn’t be easy, but she had to try. She couldn’t just sit on her hands.

  She should talk to the doctor who had delivered Melissa. She had forgotten the doctor’s name, but she did remember the name of her ob-gyn. It was Eugenia Rivera. Eugenia might be able to find out the name of the doctor who had delivered Melissa and the names of the nurses who had worked that night.

  Alice looked up Eugenia Rivera’s phone number on the Internet and discovered that she still worked as an ob-gyn in Riverside. She called Eugenia’s office and made an appointment for tomorrow morning.

  Chapter 2

  1

  “How can I help you?” Eugenia smiled. She was in her late forties, with short dark hair and beautiful brown eyes, not as slender as she’d been thirteen years ago.

  “My name’s Alice Cannon. I don’t think you remember me. I was your patient thirteen years ago.”

  “Alice Cannon.” Eugenia paused. “I recognize your face. How have you been?”

  “I’m fine. How are you?”

  “Fine, thank you.”

  “I have a question for you.”

  “Go ahead.”

  “Are you able to find out the name of the doctor who delivered my child? I know it wasn’t you.”

  “Where did you give birth?”

  “Community Medical Center in Riverside.”

  Looking at the computer screen, Eugenia placed her hand on the mouse and clicked it a few times. Then she started typing on the keyboard.

  “What do you need the doctor’s name for?” Eugenia asked.

  “I want to ask her a few questions about my daughter.”

  “Is something wrong with her?” Eugenia stopped typing.

  “My daughter died an hour after she was born.”

  “I’m very sorry, Alice.”

  “I’m not saying it’s the doctor’s fault. It’s not about that.”

  “I found your record. Would you mind showing me your ID?”

  “Sure.” Alice took her wallet out of her purse, extracted her driver’s license, and handed it to Eugenia.

  “Thank you.” Eugenia looked at the driver’s license and then returned it to Alice.

  “So can you find out the doctor’s name?”

  “Yes, I think so. What do you want to ask her? Maybe I can answer your questions.”

  Alice drew a deep breath.

  She’s going to think I’m crazy.

  Alice clasped her hands in her lap and said, “It appears that my daughter’s alive.”

  There was no point in telling Eugenia about the murder.

  “What do you mean?”

  “They said my daughter died, but I think they made a mistake. She didn’t die. There’s a girl in San Diego. She’s thirteen. A DNA test showed that she’s my daughter. I believe she’s the girl I gave birth to thirteen years ago.”

  “You said they made a mistake. What do you think happened?”

  “My daughter was probably switched with another baby, and it was that baby who died.”

  “I suppose that’s possible. Was this girl in San Diego born at Community Medical Center the same day as your daughter?”

  “Yes, she was. Can you help me get to the bottom of this?”

  “Do you want to get custody of your daughter?”

  “Only if she wants to be with me. It’s all up to her. And I don’t plan to sue the doctor or the hospital.”

  Eugenia leaned back in her chair and said, “I’ll contact the hospital and get the doctor’s name.”

  “Thank you.”

  “If your daughter was switched with another child, I doubt it was the doctor’s fault.”

  “Then whose fault was it?”

  “Most likely it was one of the nurses who did it.”

  “Can you find out the names of the nurses who worked that night?”

  “It’s going to be hard to do. It’s been thirteen years.”

  “Can you find out the name of the doctor who pronounced my daughter dead?”

  “I’ll try.”

  “Here’s my number.” Alice gave Eugenia a piece of paper with her name and phone number.

  “I’m very sorry about what happened, Alice. I hope you get your daughter back.”

  2

  Maybe it was Ryan who had arranged the theft of Melissa? His family had had money and connections, so he certainly could have pulled it off.

  She had been lucky Ryan hadn’t had her killed: a number of women had been murdered by their boyfriends for refusing to get an abortion.

  Having no proof of his involvement, she couldn’t just ask Ryan if he had stolen Melissa: he would say he had nothing to do with this.

  Ryan might admit to stealing Melissa if she threatened to kill him if he didn’t confess.

  How was she going to force Ryan to confess? She didn’t even have a gun.

  David might own a gun. She could ask him to help her make Ryan talk.

  David Beckner was her boyfriend of two years, and he was a very smart guy. He was literally a rocket scientist: he worked as an engineer for an aerospace company in Pasadena.

  It had been thirteen years since she’d last spoken to Ryan. Was he even still alive? He might have died of an illness or in an accident.

  Alice checked the contact list on her phone and saw that it contained Ryan’s number, which she hadn’t updated since they had broken up. He probably had a different number now.

  She could try Ryan’s email address in her email contact list. He might still use it.

  Alice dialed Ryan’s number. A woman’s voice answered, “Yes?”

  “Hi, can I talk to Ryan Neumeyer?”

  “Wrong number.” The woman hung up.

  Alice went to the study, opened her laptop, and sent Ryan an email asking for his phone number.

  Two hours later, she checked her email and found a reply from Ryan. Ryan wrote that it was nice to hear from her and provided his phone number. He told Alice she could call him anytime.

  Alice updated Ryan’s number in her contacts and then sent him an email thanking him for his reply.

  Should I call him now?

  No. She’d call Ryan when she figured out how to get him to confess to abducting Melissa.

  Was Ryan a successful, happy man?

  She didn’t want him to be successful and happy. She hoped Ryan was a miserable alcoholic living from paycheck to paycheck, struggling to pay rent for his tiny room in a crappy house in a bad neighborhood. She wanted him to be single and lonely and childless.

  Unfortunately, chances were that Ryan was doing fine financially: his parents were rich.

  Well, they were rich thirteen years ago. They might have gone bankrupt since then.

  Ryan probably thought that she had asked for his number because she wanted to get back with him.

  He’s such a jerk. I wouldn’t get back with him even if he was the last man on earth.

  Alice’s gaze fell on the framed photograph of her mother that stood on the desk. She wished her mom were here so she would comfort her and give her advice on how to find Melissa’s abductors. Her mother was the only person who really loved and cared about her.

  “I miss you, Mom,” Alice whispered, looking at Rebecca’s picture.

  Chapter 3

  1

  On Friday, Eugenia Rivera called Alice and told her that she had found out the name of the doctor who had delivered Melissa.

  “It’s Linda Corrigan. She still works at the Riverside Community Medical Center.”

  Alice grabbed a notepad and a pen and jotted down the doctor’s name. “Do you have her phone number?” />
  “Yes.”

  Eugenia told her Linda Corrigan’s number, and Alice wrote it down.

  “Did they give you the names of the nurses who worked that night?” Alice asked.

  “No. Those records were discarded.”

  “Did you find out who pronounced my daughter dead?”

  “No. The hospital has no record of your daughter’s death.”

  “Did they forget to record it?”

  “That’s the only explanation I can think of.”

  What a bunch of incompetents! Perhaps she should sue the hospital after all.

  “Thank you very much, Eugenia,” Alice said. “Goodbye.”

  What was she going to say to Linda Corrigan when she met her?

  She could accuse Linda of abducting Melissa and watch her reaction. If Linda looked guilty, she would report her to the police.

  Alice called the Riverside Community Medical Center and made an appointment with Linda Corrigan for next Monday.

  2

  Alice laid her hand on David’s chest. “I need your help.”

  They had just finished making love and were lying in Alice’s bed, naked.

  “With what?” David asked.

  “There’s a man who took something from me. I hoped you could help me make him admit that.”

  “What did he take from you?”

  “My child,” Alice said, running her fingers through David’s chest hair.

  David turned his head to look at her. “You have a child?”

  “I thought she died right after birth, but a few days ago I learned that she didn’t die.”

  David sat up. “How old is she?”

  “Thirteen.”

  “Where is she now?”

  Alice sat up and then said, “She was murdered three days ago.”

  David frowned. “I’m very sorry.” He took her hand and squeezed it gently. “What’s this guy’s name?”

  “Ryan Neumeyer. He’s my daughter’s father.”

  “He took your daughter from the hospital without telling you?”

  “That’s what I think. I think he bribed a nurse to switch my daughter with another baby.”

  “Do you have any proof that he took your daughter?”

  Alice shook her head. “I need you to help me get the proof.”