Debra Dockter.
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smirks as though, in hindsight, he realizes he should have known something wasn’t right. “At the time, he said he’d just fired his nurse for being incompetent and had a retired woman working part-time as a receptionist. He said there was a private agency he’d hired to take care of billing and insurance. To be honest, I was concerned about what I was getting myself into.
But I saw it as a great opportunity. Being part of Genesis was like a dream coming true. As a gynecologist, seeing so many couples struggling to conceive, I felt this was an opportunity to really help individuals achieve parenthood. But my dream job started off as a nightmare. Dr. Mueller disappeared the same day I started working there.”
Dad shakes his head in disbelief. “When we came to have Kyle implanted, my wife and I were told he’d left, but no one said anything about him disappearing.”
“As you can imagine, the clinic—which consisted of me, no records, and an unidentified embryo—was in complete turmoil. When you called about having your twin implanted, I thought about telling you, but you were so happy. So excited about having your second child. Genesis was finally starting to function like a normal clinic, and I guess I just didn’t want to worry you when there seemed no point. The police had all but ended their search. Dr. Mueller had vanished quite thoroughly.”
Dad stands, outraged. It looks like he’s about to punch someone, but there’s no one to hit. “So there are no records of what he did to our children? To any of them?”
“I’m afraid not,” Dr. Hodges says. “The police asked for help after his disappearance. They ran a story on the local news 8 2
Copyright © 2015 by Debra Dockter.
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asking anyone with ties to Genesis to notify them. Two families came forward. I had Dr. Preston pull their information. One of them lives here in Wichita. I called their number and told the mother that the clinic was updating old files. Her daughter is fine, but her birthday isn’t for three weeks.”
“And the other one, Hannah,” I urge. “When did she die?”
“Her father answered the number I called. He and Hannah’s mother divorced a few years ago. Hannah’d been living with her mother in Denver. She would have turned eighteen three months ago, but she died the week before her birthday. Heart failure, though there seems to be no apparent cause.”
I feel sick. I feel like I’ve just stumbled off one of those cheap carnival rides manned by a sadistic chain-smoker who makes the ride spin faster and faster the greener the occupants get. I grab hold of a high-backed chair and try not to pass out or throw up. “You don’t know how many there are? How many might have already died? How many are about to die?”
Dr. Hodges shakes his head.
“And after all these years, Dr. Mueller still hasn’t been found?” Dad asks.
Dr. Hodges pours some lemonade into an iceless glass and downs it like it’s a shot of hard liquor. “No, he hasn’t. Of course the search would be easier if Dr. Mueller were his real name.
The police discovered pretty early on that the name was an alias. His true identity was never discovered.”
“Let me get this right,” I say. “The doctor disappears, the files disappear, then it turns out he wasn’t even who he was supposed to be?”
8 3
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“It doesn’t make sense. None of it. I know.” Hodges looks up at us, his expression one of shared confusion. Then his eyes narrow. He looks at me, then at Dad. He starts to say something, then stands and comes closer.
“I read the article in the paper about your son, Mr. McAdams. And I saw the news report about Alexis Warren. When I talked to Hannah’s father, I asked him about her academic and other achievements. It turns out that while she tested as extremely gifted, Hannah did poorly in school. Her father attributed this to her general dislike of conformity and organized education. He said she was an avid reader and writer, and that their mother moved them to Denver to pursue her talents in modern dance. He also said she was a very beautiful girl.” Dr.
Hodges looks at Dad. “No offense, Mr. McAdams, but you are a rather average-looking man. And Kyle is exceptionally handsome.” He turns to Cami. “Would you agree?”
She