Ultimate Fear (Book 2 Ultimate CORE) (CORE Series)

by Kristine Mason

  “I want to know how he died,” she said, keeping her back to him.

  Hopefully the baby wouldn’t die and was already being treated. He’d kept the boy in the infant carrier and had left him outside the back entrance of the hospital, designated for employee smoke breaks.

  “You’re already hurting bad enough. I don’t think you need to know.”

  She glanced over her shoulder and narrowed her swollen, bloodshot eyes. “Tell me,” she cried, with a catch to her breath. “I need to know.”

  He swallowed hard. He might be angry with Dimples, but he hated to have to hurt her with his own lies—especially when they were so far from the truth. “I, ah, placed his blanket over his face and suffocated him while he slept.”

  Tears shimmered in her eyes. “Was it quick?”

  “Yes.”

  “Do you think he suffered?”

  “No.”

  She nodded and looked away. “Good.” She curled back on her side. “The boxes are packed. I want to leave after the morning rush hour.”

  “Okay.”

  “Close the door.”

  After he did, he went into the living room, then sat on the couch. Although tempted to put on the TV and empty his mind, he needed sleep. He wasn’t sure where they’d head tomorrow, but knew he would drive all day.

  But as he lay on the couch, his mind raced. He hadn’t noticed any security cameras on the tall lampposts or near the hospital employee smoking area, but what if someone in the parking lot had seen him? He tossed onto his back. What if Dimples wanted another baby once they were settled in a new place? Could he keep her locked away? He didn’t know. One thing was for certain, though…she couldn’t be trusted. Her sickness had grown out of control and she needed to be stopped. But was he man enough to do it?

  The L rumbled by and he closed his eyes. Instead of seeing Dimples as she was now, he conjured up memories from the past. Seeing her for the first time on the schoolyard playground, falling in love after their first kiss, the day they were married in the backyard of her mama’s mobile home. The night they’d both lost their virginity. He missed the woman he’d loved almost his entire life and wished he could turn back the clock.

  Because right now, the future looked too bleak.

  Chapter 20

  JESSICA STOOD IN MetroHealth Medical Center’s NICU, staring at the baby discovered last night by hospital employees who had been heading out for a smoke break. Forensics Investigators had already checked the infant carrier he’d been found in, along with his clothes and blankets. While they’d discovered no prints, fibers or any traces of DNA, they had one huge piece of undeniable evidence—a photograph of the man who had left the baby outside of the hospital.

  After the baby, whom the neonatal staff had dubbed Kaden, had been rushed to the NICU, the police were notified and the hospital security camera feed immediately viewed. While doctors gave Kaden medical care, the footage of the man she believed was the same man from the Walmart surveillance DVDs, had been copied and still shots created. Investigators had then emailed the photos and footage to every TV station in not only Illinois, but all of the surrounding states, asking that this new lead be aired with the composite sketch of the woman, and a picture of the suspects’ grey Ford F-150.

  She glanced to the clock on the wall. The four a.m. newscast had begun airing over two hours ago, and she prayed to God that someone would recognize the male. After the composite sketch had been shown on last night’s news, dozens of people had contacted Chicago PD claiming to have seen the woman. Several had said she’d come into their stores during the week asking for job applications. Unfortunately, she’d never returned them, and the names she’d given to the few managers she’d spoken with had varied from Jenny Smith, to Jenny Jones, to Jenny Baker. One promising lead had come from a hardware store about three blocks from the storage unit where Jane Doe had been found. A clerk claimed the suspect had bought a cooler, fans and lanterns. Another store clerk, who worked at Gymboree, had also called. She’d said that the woman had been inside Gymboree earlier yesterday, and had bought an outfit and blanket for a baby boy. She’d also claimed that the woman had been wearing a maternity top, had said she was expecting a boy in August, and that she’d planned to name him Elton.

  Jessica rubbed the goose bumps skittering along her arms.

  “Cold?” Dante asked, and looked down at Kaden, who slept in the clear, plastic incubator.

  “Worried.”

  “The doctor said the baby should be okay now that they’re treating him.”

  Although Jane Doe was at a different hospital, when Kaden had been discovered and suspected to be the missing baby, NICU staff had been informed by investigators that the possible mother had heroin in her system. NICU doctors had confirmed that Kaden’s symptoms were due to an opiate withdrawal, and he’d been given drugs to counter that and stabilize him—along with anti-seizure medication, since seizures were common.

  “I’m not just worried about Kaden,” she said.

  “Kaden?”

  “The staff didn’t want to call him Baby John Doe, so they named him Kaden, which they told me means fighter.”

  He smiled and stared at the baby. “Considering where he was born and the condition he was found in, I think that’s very appropriate.”

  “Yes, it is,” she agreed. This baby, like his mother, was a survivor. Any other time she’d likely criticize a woman who had selfishly continued to abuse her body despite her pregnancy. Right now, Jane Doe didn’t need to be judged, she needed to wake up and meet her child. She just hoped that the girl would find the help she needed to stay clean, cherish her son and realize how lucky she truly was to not only be alive, but to have this baby.

  “I’m worried about the female suspect,” she continued. “She’s dangerously unstable. She pretended to be pregnant knowing she’d take Jane Doe’s baby. And when she finally had the baby, she had the male get rid of him, but left the mother to die. It’s sick.”

  “If the baby didn’t need medical care, I doubt he’d be here right now. In a way, his mother’s heroin addiction saved him from being raised by a killer.”

  A baby saved by heroin. Now that was a sick thought.

  A NICU nurse approached. “Sorry, but I’m going to have to ask you two to leave,” she said with a smile. “I need to check Kaden’s vitals.”

  “I appreciate that you let us see him,” Jessica said, and looked back down at Kaden.

  “I’m sorry we couldn’t let you hold him,” the nurse said. “He’s a precious little guy. I think everyone here fell in love with him on sight.”

  Even if she’d been given the opportunity, she would have been afraid to hold Kaden. He was beautiful, but weighed only four pounds, four ounces. In comparison, Sophia had been double his size, and had been a gorgeous, chubby baby.

  “I can understand why.” After thanking the nurse, she and Dante left the NICU.

  “How about a cup of coffee?” Dante asked, once they were in the hallway.

  She started for the elevators. “I’ve already had my quota.”

  “Breakfast?” he asked, keeping pace.

  “No. I want to head to St. Mary’s Medical Center and check on Jane Doe.”

  “If she was awake, you would’ve been notified.”

  True. “Then I’ll head into the station and catch up on paperwork until Alex gets there.”

  “You mean you’ll do whatever you can to avoid me.”

  She pressed the elevator’s down arrow. “I woke you up and included you in the investigation, so it’s not like I’m avoiding you.” After last night, she’d have liked to, but Dante was her partner and deserved to be involved.

  When the elevator door slid open, they both stepped inside. “Thanks for the courtesy,” he said, and stabbed the button that would take them to the main level. “How kind of you to include me in our case.”

  She bristled at the sarcasm in his tone. “Consider yourself lucky I’m even talking to you right now.”

/>   He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “How long do you plan on punishing me?”

  “I’m not punishing you. I’m pissed.”

  “And I apologized and offered to change the room back.”

  “And I told you that it doesn’t matter. You can’t replace the memories.”

  He looked to the elevator floor. “I get that, but let me at least explain why I made those changes.”

  “I don’t care why you did it, I care that it can’t be undone. I care that you didn’t give a thought about how I might feel.” When he looked at her, she pointed her finger at him. “You made a decision to do something that you knew damn well would affect me.”

  He grabbed her hand. “I did know. And like I told you last night, I didn’t do it to hurt you.”

  “If I remember correctly, you’d also told me that if I was so concerned about the room and its memories, then I shouldn’t have moved out.” She pulled her hand free. “Before you accuse me of punishing you, look in the mirror.”

  Her cell phone rang just as the elevator doors opened to the hospital’s main level. When she checked the caller ID, she quickly recognized the number as Jim Melski’s, the lead detective for the Jane Doe case, and answered. As Jim spoke, she quickened her pace. When he was finished filling her in on what she needed to know, she said, “We’re on our way.”

  “Who was that?” Dante asked, as they hurried across the parking lot toward her car.

  “Jim. We’ve got him.” She used her key fob to open the car doors, then slid into the driver’s seat.

  “The male suspect? Is he in custody?” he asked, shutting his door.

  She made a quick U-turn and drove toward Frank’s E-Z Storage, where Jane Doe had been discovered. “He’s not in custody. Apparently he is in construction, though. A woman, whose roof he worked on earlier in the week, recognized his photo from the morning news, called the police and told them the name of the company he works for. Jim contacted the owner, who gave him the suspect’s name and address. Jim’s pulling a team together right now. We’re going to meet up with them at the suspect’s apartment building and hope like hell that he hasn’t left the city, and that the woman is still with him.”

  “What’s the suspects name?”

  “Wayne Cooke.”

  *

  Wayne went back into the apartment after taking the last load of boxes down to his truck. He plucked off his hat, set it and the truck keys on the kitchen counter, then headed into the bedroom. “Truck’s loaded,” he said.

  Dimples sat on the bed holding a baby outfit. A matching blanket with teddy bears printed on it lay across her lap.

  When she didn’t respond, he stepped into the room. “We can leave any time. No need to worry about cleaning up, since we’re not sticking around long enough to get the deposit back.”

  He stood there for a few moments, his concern tripling with each passing minute. Since waking up this morning, she’d practically been catatonic. Dimples wasn’t a quiet woman. She loved to talk, she loved to laugh and sing along to songs on the radio. The last time she’d been this withdrawn had been after they’d lost Elton. Once they took that first baby, though, she’d gone right back to her old self.

  He didn’t like seeing her this way, but giving her another baby wasn’t the right answer. If only he could figure out what was. He wanted his wife back. He wanted her love and her dimpled smiles.

  “I’ll leave you to it then,” he said, taking a step back. “It’s about half past seven. Let’s plan on leaving in about an hour.”

  He left the room and walked into the kitchen. After taking the last cinnamon and raisin bagel from the package on the counter, he went into the living room, then sat on the couch. He ripped off a piece of the bagel and popped into his mouth, then lifted the remote. Matt Lauer sat on the set of The Today Show interviewing Gwyneth Paltrow about her thoughts on motherhood—because that was newsworthy. He shook his head. No wonder Dimples didn’t bother with the news. If anchors weren’t talking about all the bad in the world, they were interviewing overpaid celebrities or athletes, who hadn’t a clue how real people lived.

  He bit off another chunk of the bagel and raised the remote, just as the interview had come to a close and Al Roker came on the screen. Deciding it’d be a good idea to catch up on the weather, he dropped the remote in his lap, took another bite of the bagel and waited for Al to finish his spiel, so he could hear what the local weatherman had to say. When the local guy came on the air, he shook his head. More hot weather was in store for them, along with the entire Midwest, and they could also expect another storm front to hit the area tomorrow night. Since the storms were coming from the west, and he’d planned to take them southeast, maybe they’d miss some of the bad weather.

  He picked up the remote again. Or maybe they should travel southwest. At this point, he didn’t care. Maybe they should drive until they ran out of gas, then—

  Breaking News flashed on the screen with dramatic flair. The local weatherman was replaced by the two morning anchors. “We’ve been airing this story all morning,” the attractive blonde anchor said, her eyes sharpening with a hard edge. “The Chicago Police need your help.”

  “Yes,” her fifty-something, male counterpart began, “this is today’s top story. These two people are wanted for questioning.”

  Panic griped him by the throat. The bagel fell from his hand as a black and white photo of himself and a drawing of Dimples filled the screen. His heart thudded hard and his scalp prickled with dread. When they added a picture of the truck he drove, he wiped a hand across his mouth and stared at the TV with shock and horror.

  They know.

  “This unidentified male and female are suspected of kidnapping four infants over the past thirteen years,” the news anchor continued.

  Wayne dropped the remote on the couch and moved closer to the TV.

  “They are also wanted for questioning about the murder of a pregnant Montour, Idaho, woman, who was found in her home late last week,” the blonde added. “And the attempted murder of a pregnant Chicago woman, along with the abduction of her newborn son. If you have any information about these two suspects, please contact the Chicago Police. The number is at the bottom of the screen, or visit our website for more information.” The woman shook her head. “This story really strikes at the heart. I have three kids and couldn’t imagine what these families have gone through.”

  “It’s really a strange story,” the man said, resting his elbow on the news desk. “The four children who were abducted as infants were all set free when they were about two and a half to three years old.”

  The woman nodded. “Thankfully unharmed. And all of them, even the latest child, who was also found last week in Lamoni, Idaho, are with their real families.” She cleared her throat and blinked several times. “Sorry, this story is—” She looked away from the camera.

  The male anchor touched her hand and looked directly into the camera. “The Chicago woman’s baby was taken from her, and she was left for dead. The baby has been recovered and is under medical care. According to our source with the Chicago Police, the mother should also make a full recovery. In the meantime, the police need our help. Again, if you have any information pertaining to—”

  The TV went mute. Wayne quickly turned.

  Dimples stood in front of the couch, the remote shaking in her hands. “They’re alive?” she asked, her voice fragile, her eyes filled with tears and utter betrayal.

  “We have to leave. Now.” He started walking toward the bedroom to retrieve their safe. “I’ll explain everything on the road.”

  The remote hit him in the back. He stopped and faced her. “Not now. Be mad at me later. We have to go. You saw—”

  “I know exactly what I saw.” She looked to the TV, where a commercial now played. “I had to learn on the news that my husband has betrayed me.”

  “Betrayed you? I saved you. And those boys.” In two strides he was gripping her by her arms. “Listen t
o me. You are not a killer. I’m not a killer. I couldn’t hurt those boys. I loved each one of them and couldn’t bear to send them into God’s arms.”

  “But that was how it was supposed to be,” she cried. “Those boys—their parents were no good. They didn’t deserve our Eltons. God—”

  “Stop,” he shouted. “I don’t want to hear anything more about God and what you think He wants, or what you think He gave you.” Wayne gave her a hard shake. “Damn it, everything we’ve done is wrong. I tried to right it, but you couldn’t stop. You couldn’t be happy.” He let go of her. “Why couldn’t you just be happy with me? Why did it always have to be about having a baby?”

  “A false witness shall not be unpunished,” she began, quoting Proverbs 19:9 as if she hadn’t heard him, “and he that speaketh lies shall perish.” She took a step. “You’ve been lying to me for years. You made me think that our sons were with God. Do you not understand how that helped me sleep at night? I loved those boys. I loved knowing they would never, ever have to suffer.” She looked to the TV. “And my baby…I loved him above all the others and you lied. You came into the room last night and lied. You told me you suffocated him, but instead, you took him to the hospital.” She smiled, but that smile bordered on maniacal. “And I had to learn from the morning news that his drug-addicted whore of a mother is still alive.” She began clapping. “Good job. Now my son is going to be handed back over to her. Thanks to you, instead of living with God, he’s going to be dragged into her hell.”

  They didn’t have time for this. They needed to go. “Yell at me all you want once we’re on the road. Just get what you need and let’s get out of here. I’m getting the safe.”

  She picked up the remote, then began flipping through the channels. “Everything I need is on the counter,” she said, focused on the TV.

  He looked to the counter, where her purse sat, then walked down the short hall leading to the bedroom. Once inside, he quickly moved to the window. They could be surrounded by police. If the news stations have been running their pictures all morning, someone was bound to remember them. Him more likely. His name was on his employment application. He’d come into contact with dozens of people this week who would be able to identify him.