LITTLE DID SHE KNOW: An intriguing addictive mystery novel (Eva Rae Thomas Mystery Book 10) Read online

  The woman still ignored me, and I felt so angry, so I tapped her on the shoulder once again.

  That’s when she finally turned around and placed a fist in my face.

  Chapter 3

  THEN:

  They had been fighting for days, and Amelia was getting tired of saying the same things over and over again to her husband, Ron. Why couldn’t he help her out more at night with the baby? Why couldn’t he change a diaper just once in a while so she could rest?

  “I’m exhausted,” Ron said now and sat on the bed next to her, taking off his watch. “I’m constantly so tired.”

  “You’re tired?” she said with a scoff. “You’re not the one who has to get up three to four times at night.”

  He looked at her and sighed. “I would get up if I knew how to breastfeed and if I didn’t have to go work in the morning. Someone has to make the money to keep you and the baby fed and living in this house.”

  Amelia rolled her eyes. That old song again. All she was asking for was just a bit more help with their newborn baby. It wasn’t a lot to ask. It wasn’t too much in her book. After all, her friend, Alice, who also just had her baby, had a husband who not only went to work and provided for the family but also got up at least once or twice at night so she could sleep.

  “What?” he asked when seeing her rolling her eyes.

  She looked down at her book that she wasn’t even reading since she could barely focus on the letters.

  “Never mind.”

  He exhaled and leaned back on his pillow, closing his eyes.

  She put the book down with a scoff. “You’re kidding me, right?”

  He opened his eyes and looked at her. “What?”

  “You’re just going to go to sleep? You literally just got here. You didn’t even call me to let me know you weren’t going to be home for dinner.”

  He exhaled again, then rolled to the side, facing her while leaning his head on the palm of his hand. Then, he smiled that annoying endearing smile that she loved so much.

  “I thought you were mad at me.”

  He let his fingers crawl under the covers and touched her thigh. Amelia smiled. She was so tired and wanted to say no, but as he looked up at her, his eyes begging, she couldn’t.

  She gave in, and they made love until they were stopped by the baby crying. Amelia put on her nightgown, then rushed in to check on baby Anna. She took her in her arms, then sat in the chair and breastfed her for about half an hour before the baby fell back into a deep sleep and she could put her down again. Amelia then snuck out of the room and down the stairs to get a glass of water. Ron had probably already passed out, so she checked that the front door was locked and turned out the lights in the kitchen before walking back up the stairs, wondering how many hours of sleep she would get tonight before baby Anna woke her up again with all her demands.

  Then, she smiled to herself. Yes, she was exhausted by this, but having a baby was also the most wonderful thing in the entire world.

  Amelia turned out the lights in the hallway and walked into the bedroom, where Ron was snoring lightly.

  She didn’t even know she had forgotten to lock the back door, nor did she realize how fatal a mistake that was.

  Chapter 4

  It became physical real fast. I’m not proud to admit it, but after this woman slammed her fist into my nose, I pushed her. Not hard, but just enough to get her away from me. But then she came at me and pulled my ponytail hard. I screamed and tried to push her away again when the referee came running toward us, blowing his whistle aggressively, and we realized the game had stopped, and everyone was looking at us.

  Including the kids.

  I felt embarrassed. We weren’t exactly setting the best example here. Alex was staring at me like I had just fallen from the moon.

  I pulled back.

  “What on earth are you two doing?” the referee asked. His face was red with exhaustion from running in the Florida heat.

  “I’m…I’m….”

  The way he looked at me made me even more embarrassed, and I stared at my feet, feeling like a child myself.

  “I’m sorry,” the other mom said. She was still panting. Her eyes were on me, and it felt like they could kill me.

  “I’m sorry too,” I said.

  The referee looked down at us, then left. We watched him talk to the two coaches for a few minutes and then run back onto the field, setting the game back in motion. Alex sat down in the grass, pretending like he didn’t know me. I couldn’t blame him. I wouldn’t want to know me either right now. Coach Finch came over toward me. The other team’s coach walked toward the other mother.

  Uh-oh. Now what?

  “I’m sorry, Mrs. Thomas,” Coach Finch said. “But they’re really trying to strike hard on bad parent behavior these days.”

  “Bad parent behavior?”

  I felt like I shrunk a few inches.

  “Yes. It’s happening too often. The clubs are required to give pretty harsh punishments for this type of behavior. They leave me with no choice, I’m afraid.”

  “What are you saying?” I asked.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the other mom arguing with her coach. She looked like she could punch him as well. My nose was still pounding from meeting with her fist, and I tried not to move it because it hurt.

  “What do you mean by harsh punishments?”

  Coach Finch sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He was a few years younger than me and quite good-looking. All the moms loved him. Plus, he was really good with the kids. I had always liked him, but I had never been in trouble before. I had never seen this look in his eyes before.

  “I’m afraid I have to suspend Alex for the rest of the season.”

  My heart sank. Alex absolutely loved playing soccer.

  “The…rest of the season?” I asked.

  He threw out his arms and started to walk away. “I’m afraid there is nothing I can do. Those are the rules.”

  I stared after him, quite baffled. I turned to look at the other mother, who was now yelling at her coach, gesticulating widely.

  I rushed toward Alex, grabbed his hand in mine, and walked back to the car just as my phone vibrated in my pocket.

  Chapter 5

  She came home and slammed the door shut behind her. Linda Smalls sighed deeply while her son ran upstairs to play. Linda sat down in the kitchen with a cup of coffee, then looked up at the calendar hanging on the fridge in front of her. She had marked this day by simply painting it black with a Sharpie like she did every year.

  Linda felt tears in her eyes, then looked into her cup to try and avoid crying. She sipped some more coffee, then went to the fridge and pulled out the cake. She called for the boy to come back down.

  “It’s cake time.”

  “Yay,” he said and ran down the stairs. He sat in the chair opposite her, and she served him a piece, tears rolling down her cheeks.

  “Dig in.”

  “How old would my sister have been today?” he asked while chewing with his mouth open.

  “Clarissa. Her name is Clarissa,” she said with an exhale. “And she turns fourteen today.”

  Trent stared at his mom as she wiped away more tears and forced a smile.

  “Now, eat.”

  “Can I have more when I’m done with this?” he asked.

  Linda smiled. “Yes, of course, my love.”

  “But we can’t eat all of it,” he said.

  “No, we can’t.”

  “We have to leave some.”

  “Yes, sweetie.”

  She served him a second piece, and he inhaled it like she hadn’t fed him in days. Then, he put the spoon down and smiled up at her.

  “Can I go now?”

  “We forgot to sing,” Linda said.

  “Oh, yeah,” he said. “Silly us.”

  An uncomfortable silence spread in the kitchen before Linda finally managed to open her mouth and begin to sing.

  “Happy birthday,
dear Clarissa. Happy birthday to you.”

  The boy chimed in like he always did, even though he had never met his sister. He was used to celebrating her birthday every year. Sometimes, they’d go places, like to the zoo, or they’d even host a party in her honor. But that was mostly years ago when she was still young. Now, as the years passed, it was getting harder and harder for Linda to believe that Clarissa was still out there and that she would one day show up again. Still, Linda refused to give up hope.

  That’s also why, when the boy stormed out of the kitchen, she cut another piece of cake and put it on a plate, then lit the candle on top. She stared into the fire, then said, “Happy birthday, Clarissa,” and blew it out while making her wish.

  The same wish she had made every year since Clarissa was taken from her.

  That her precious daughter would return home.

  That this nightmare would end.

  Linda smiled secretively when thinking of her baby before walking to the fridge with the last piece of cake and placing it on a shelf as she did every year.

  Saving it for her daughter, in case she came home.

  Linda sighed and looked at the calendar, feeling sad. Another birthday had come and gone—another year without her daughter.

  Fourteen years.

  Would she even recognize her if she saw her in the street? Would she slam the door in her face if she came and knocked?

  If only she had some clue that she was still alive.

  If only.

  Linda sat down heavily on her chair and finished her coffee, wondering what her daughter looked like now and if this nightmare would ever end when her phone lit up on the table in front of her, showing an unknown number. Thinking it was some spam call, she almost didn’t pick up.

  Yet something made her do it anyway.

  Chapter 6

  “Sheriff Dawson?”

  I hurried through the hallways of First Health Hospital in Cape Canaveral. I spotted the Brevard County Sheriff at the entrance to a room. He was talking to someone. He saw me as I approached, then lit up.

  “Eva Rae Thomas!”

  We shook hands.

  “So glad you could make it.”

  “I came as fast as I could get my mom to come over and babysit. What’s going on? You said something about a girl?”

  He exhaled and bobbed his head. “A couple of tourists who were gator-hunting in the swamps found her in a dry spot. She was just sitting there.”

  He walked me to the open door and let me peek inside. I saw a young girl lying in her bed, sleeping.

  He handed me a file, and I looked into it. “It was almost a week ago?”

  He nodded again. “It took us a few days to figure out who she was. We had to do DNA tests and everything.”

  “So, you know who she is?”

  He nodded while looking secretive.

  “Get this. Clarissa Smalls.”

  I lifted my gaze and met his eyes.

  “As in Clarissa Smalls, the baby that disappeared from this very hospital fourteen years ago?”

  “The very same.”

  “Oh, my,” I said.

  “We have notified the mother. I sent a patrol to pick her up.”

  I stared at him and his friendly blue eyes in the chubby face. “That’s one for the books.”

  “It will be,” he said, looking excited. “We’re also having a press conference later, once mother and daughter have been reunited.

  “So…why exactly do you need me?”

  He grabbed my arm and pulled me aside as a couple walked past us, pushing their baby in a bassinet.

  The sheriff spoke with a low voice. “Because there has been a situation—one we fear we can’t solve on our own.”

  “And that is…?”

  He sighed and rubbed his forehead. Sheriff Dawson was a good guy. He excelled at performing at fundraisers with his police dog and making people feel safe by making Facebook posts about criminals that his deputies had busted, especially if they had harmed animals. But he wasn’t much of an investigator or even a policeman. He got stressed very easily and struggled to keep calm. I had worked with him on other cases before, and I knew him well.

  “Another child has gone missing.”

  He spoke in almost a whisper now, leaning close to me, sweat springing from his forehead.

  My eyes grew wide as I looked at him.

  “Excuse me?”

  “A newborn baby was taken two days ago from this hospital. Only a few hours old. Just like Clarissa when she went missing fourteen years ago.”

  I could barely believe what I was hearing. My heart was racing in my chest. I could handle many things and had seen a lot in my line of work, but when it came to babies, I couldn’t take it. Having a one-year-old at home didn’t help.

  “Another baby went missing? How? Why? What’s wrong with the security in this hospital?”

  He looked around nervously because I was being too loud. I lowered my voice and tried to calm down even though my heart was pounding in my chest with anger. How could something like this happen…twice? How could it happen at all?

  “I’ll fill you in on the details. But we need your help to find this baby, fast. And we’re thinking that the solution lies with Clarissa, but so far, she has refused to say a word to us about where she has been. Maybe you can get her to say something, and then you could gather enough for a profile? The only problem is that we’re kind of in a hurry. This baby that was taken was born with a very rare heart condition, and if she doesn’t get surgery within the next few weeks, she won’t survive.”

  Chapter 7

  THEN:

  She slept through the night. When Amelia woke up, it was already light out. She blinked her eyes, trying to get rid of the night and the dreams, then sat up. She couldn’t hear any crying. Was the baby still sleeping?

  That’s a first.

  Amelia looked at the baby monitor. It was dead. It had run out of batteries. She really should get a new one; this one kept dying on her. Then she looked at Ron’s side of the bed. He was still sleeping, too, snoring lightly. Amelia exhaled, then looked at the clock next to her bed. It was eight. Anna had never slept this late. And she had most certainly never slept through the entire night without needing to be fed.

  Amelia sat in the bed for a few seconds, wondering what to do. Anna wasn’t crying now, so maybe it was a bad idea to go into the nursery? She would risk waking her. At the same time, she had a strange unease inside of her that was growing by the second. Could something be wrong?

  The thought worried her, and after a little while, it became too much to bear. Once she got pregnant, Amelia had promised herself never to become like those mothers who worried constantly and would put a mirror under the baby’s nose just to see if she was still breathing. Those women were nuts, she believed, and she swore she’d never end up like that. Yet, it had turned out to be a lot easier said than done. Because the worry was there, constantly, and so much could happen. They could fall asleep and never wake up.

  The thought was absolutely terrifying.

  Amelia got out of bed and walked into the hallway, her heart hammering in her chest as a thousand scenarios rushed through her mind.

  Was Anna okay?

  Relax, she just slept in. She’s probably fine.

  Amelia grabbed the door handle and took a deep breath, hoping she’d be able to open the door without waking the baby.

  Please, let her be okay.

  She opened the door carefully, trying to make as little noise as possible, then peeked inside. The bed was by the wall, but she couldn't see anything since the dark curtains were closed. Anna slept best in complete darkness. Amelia pushed the door open a little further, then tiptoed in. She reached the bed and looked inside of it. Then, her heart dropped.

  It was empty.

  The bed is empty! Why is it empty? Where’s Anna?

  Amelia could barely believe her own eyes, and turned on the nightlight next to the bed, then stared into the bed, blinkin
g, before she put her searching hands inside like she expected the baby to be there somehow anyway. Frantically, she picked up Uncle Berry, the pink bear Anna had gotten as a present from Amelia’s mother when she was born like she expected the baby to be hiding underneath him. Then she dropped him back into the bed as panic began to erupt.

  “Anna?”

  Maybe Ron took her? Maybe he moved her somewhere?

  She turned around and rushed back to the bedroom. Ron was awake and looked at her.

  “What’s going on? You look so pale?”

  “Do you have Anna?”

  He wrinkled his forehead. “Anna? No, why…wait….”

  He jumped out of bed. Amelia could feel how her entire body was shaking so terribly that she couldn’t remain still.

  “She’s not in her bed, Ron. She’s not in her bed. Where is she? WHERE?”

  Chapter 8

  “Clarissa?”

  I walked into the room. The young girl had woken up and stared at me as I entered. Her eyes were following my every move.

  “Clarissa?” I said again.

  She didn’t react.

  “She’s been gone for fourteen years,” Sheriff Dawson said. “We’re not sure she even knows her name. Her kidnapper might have given her another.”

  I nodded. It made sense. She probably had a completely different identity.

  “But she hasn’t told you what she’d liked to be called?”

  He shook his head. “Nope. She hasn’t said a word since she got here.”

  “That’s a tough one,” I said.

  “Yeah, we thought that well…since…you know…with your sister’s story and all that, of her being kidnapped when you were kids and then coming back into your life thirty-something years later, that maybe you would know how to handle this.”

  I stared at him. I wasn’t sure how that qualified me. I wasn’t exactly a therapist.

  “We already tried with several therapists,” he said like had he read my mind. “They couldn’t get through to her.”