Ultimate Fear (Book 2 Ultimate CORE) (CORE Series) (17 page)

No one, not even Wayne, was going to take the opportunity away from her.

To be able to bring a life in this world and be the very first person to hold and kiss the precious angel was something she’d dreamed of for more years than she could remember. God had given her the gift of being a born nurturer. Now He was giving her Missy Schneider’s baby boy.

“I promised you this would be the last one,” she said. “When have I ever gone back on my promises?”

He pressed his head against the headrest. “Never. But how can you make a promise like that? When the boy starts walkin’, talkin’ and he’s ready for potty training, what makes you think you’re not going to have the itch to get rid of him and find a new one?”

“We’re both thirty-six. How many years can we keep doing this?” She remembered what she’d thought about that yesterday. “I don’t know about you, but I’m not sure I want to deal with sleepless nights and dirty diapers in my forties. I’m telling you the truth, Wayne. I’m ready to settle down, too. Just think, after living in Chicago for a few years and saving up more money, we could buy a house.”

Hope replaced his worry. “Set up roots.”

“Exactly, hon. I want that, and I want
this
baby.” She looked at the clock on the dashboard. All of this talking was going to make her late for her twelve o’clock appointment with Missy. “So, whatdya say? Ready to do this?”

“Let’s go over the plan one more time.”

She fought an eye roll. They’d gone over their plan—or her version of it—last night and again this morning. But she understood Wayne’s unease. Usually they scoped out their next child together, targeting families who didn’t deserve to have a baby. They always wore disguises and looked for opportunities when the thoughtless parents weren’t keeping a careful eye on their babies. One time, they’d rescued a baby right from the family’s backyard. The mother had gone inside to answer the phone and left the child sitting in his Exersaucer on the patio. Wayne had been parked on the next street over, waiting for her. When the mom had slipped inside, she’d pounced. Grabbed that precious bundle and ran. This time around would be different from the others. Never before had she had face-to-face contact with a parent.

She itched her head where the cheap wig irritated her scalp, then slid on a pair of fake glasses. “Again,” she began, “when Missy takes me to look at the puppies she thinks I’m wanting to buy, I’m gonna give her a bop on the back of the head with this.” She opened her oversized purse, careful not to reveal the latex gloves and dissecting kit, and showed him the small, ball peen hammer. “Once she’s out, I’ll get the baby and meet you out front. Easy-breezy.”

“I still think it’d make more sense for me to sneak into the house and grab the baby while you’re lookin’ at the puppies.”

“And I told you I’m not comfortable with that. One of us needs to be in the truck and ready to haul out of here. Plus, what if Missy has a baby monitor in the nursery? If she does and she brings it with her out to the kennels, she could hear you and then we’re busted.” She closed her purse. “God led me to Missy and I’m not leaving here without that baby. Understand?”

“Understood,” he said with a single nod.

Relieved they could finally move on, she gave him a smile. “Thanks, hon. I love you.”

He touched her cheek, then fingered the strands of the brown wig. “I love you, too,” he said with a smile, then unbuckled his seatbelt and climbed into the back seat. Once he was lying on the cushioned bench, his head near the baby’s car seat, she scooted behind the wheel, then reached for the gear and shifted it into DRIVE.

Dust from the driveway kicked up and coated the large, driver’s side mirror. She quickly rolled up her window to avoid swallowing a mouthful, then reached over and cranked the air conditioning. “Lord, it’s gonna be a hot one today,” she said, her scalp sweaty beneath the wig. “Once I’m back in the car, we gotta make sure the temperature is just right for the baby.”

“I know,” he said. “It hasn’t been that long since I’ve been around an infant.”

But he’d never had a newborn.

Her stomach tightened and fluttered as if there were a dozen humming birds inside just itching to escape. This moment would change their lives forever. She knew it in her heart. God had intervened when he’d put Penny Goodman in her path at the park that pretty spring day three weeks ago. Penny had had an adorable, black Labrador puppy with her and her kids. Elton had loved dogs and had been nothing but all smiles when he’d seen that puppy. She’d let him pet the pup and then had started talking to Penny, who’d informed her that she’d adopted the Lab from a breeder in Montour, Iowa. At the time, she’d been thinking about surprising Wayne with a dog, and had mentioned her interest to Penny. That’d been when Penny had informed her that if she wanted a puppy, she’d better act fast. The dog breeder was weeks away from having her first baby—a boy—and wouldn’t be available for a while.

Later, after she’d brought Elton home from the park and put him down for a nap, she hadn’t been able to think about anything but the pregnant dog breeder. Even then, she’d known her time with Elton was drawing to an end and she’d soon need a replacement. After much prayer and reflection, a week later she’d gone to the library and used one of the computers there to email Missy Schneider. Missy had informed her the puppies would be ready to leave in a couple of weeks and she’d be glad to have her come out to Montour and choose one. Other than responding back with a date and time, there’d been no further communication with the breeder and she’d closed the email account she had used to contact her immediately.

The humming birds in her belly quickened their pace. Nervousness and excitement had the urge to use the bathroom coming on strong. She was going to kill the woman. She was going to commit a heinous sin against God. Only God had led her to Missy. He had answered her prayers and given her no sign that this wasn’t what He wanted for her. And she believed He wanted her to have this baby, to take the child and give him a home filled with love.

“Stay down,” she said as the F-150 approached the modest, ranch style house. “She’s standing at the door.” After giving Missy a wave, she parked the truck, rolled down the windows to keep Wayne from overheating, then killed the engine. She reached toward the passenger seat to grab her purse. As she leaned over, she glanced to the back seat and met Wayne’s gaze. “This might take a while.”

“Good luck.”

She sent him a quick smile and then climbed out of the truck. “Hey there,” she called, and gave Missy another wave. “You sure are way out in the country.”

Missy held the screen door open for her. “Did you have trouble finding the place?”

“Not a one.” She stepped into the house. “Thanks again for letting me take a look at your puppies. Now I see why you were so specific about the timing,” she said, motioning to the woman’s swollen stomach. “When are you due?”

“Two weeks.”

Perfect. The baby would be fully developed, and all he was doing now was putting on weight. She’d fatten him up quickly, though. Her heart pounded hard. She couldn’t wait to hold him.

“I’ll be honest,” Missy continued. “If I’d had your phone number, I would’ve cancelled. I tried your email address, but it bounced back.”

“Oh? I apologize about that. I had an issue with someone hacking into my email account and had to close it. Is something wrong?”

“I haven’t been feeling well today.”

“It’s awfully hot outside. Maybe you’re just a little dehydrated.”

“Maybe.” Missy gave her a half-smile. “Or maybe I’m just being paranoid.”

“Nothin’ wrong with that,” she assured her. “Is this your first?”

Missy rubbed a hand along her stomach. “Yeah.”

“Well, there you have it. I was a bundle of nerves during each one of my pregnancies.” Which was the truth. Would she miscarry this one? Was the baby going to be born right or with a birth defect? After experiencing multiple miscarriages, she understood Missy’s paranoia. But the woman was big and healthy, and obviously hadn’t skipped dessert during the pregnancy. Missy just needed to relax. She didn’t want the woman putting any added stress on the baby. Without proper medical equipment, she wouldn’t be able to give him any additional care should things become complicated.

“How many kids do you have?”

“Five,” she said, adding her stillborn baby to the four Eltons.

“Then maybe you can tell me, is it odd to not feel much movement this far along?”

“You’re thirty-eight weeks, right? Think about it, the baby doesn’t have much room to move anymore. Plus, like newborns, they do sleep, just like they hiccup.”

Missy chuckled. “Oh, don’t I know. This little guy is always getting the hiccups.”

She smiled and touched the other woman’s arm. “If you’re concerned about the baby not moving much, one thing my doctor told me to do this late in the pregnancy is to drink a glass of juice—something with sugar in it—then lie on my left side.”

“And that works?”

“It did for me.” She glanced around the house and spotted the entrance into the kitchen. That would be the perfect room to operate in—running water, towels, plenty of light. “Why don’t you get yourself some juice and sip on it while you show me those puppies.”

“Great idea. Can I get you something to drink?”

“No thanks.” She held up a hand. “I had way too much coffee during the drive here. Actually, if you don’t mind…can I use your bathroom?”

“Sure, it’s just down the hall. I’ll be in the kitchen. We can walk out to the kennels from the back door.”

As Missy headed for the kitchen, she quickly walked to the bathroom and nudged the door open with her shoe. While she did need to go, she wouldn’t. With what she planned to do, she had to be careful not to leave any evidence behind.

Using the bottom of her t-shirt, she turned on the light, then set her purse on the counter. She quickly put on the pair of latex gloves she’d brought and pulled out the ball peen hammer. After stuffing the handle of the hammer in her back jeans pocket, she made sure her t-shirt covered the head of it. Then she gave her reflection one final glance.

She couldn’t say much about Missy having quite a few extra pounds on her when she could stand to lose about thirty or so. The baggy t-shirt she wore hid her rolls though, as well as the hammer. Plus, with the belly weight she carried, she could pass for a woman who had just given birth.

Her heart rate spiked, and a wave of dizziness forced her to close her eyes and calm her nerves.

You can do this. You must do this. This baby is a gift from God.

She glanced at her reflection again. Offered a silent prayer of thanks, then, with purse in hand, she left the bathroom. With every step she took toward the kitchen, her stomach knotted. Her pulse beat hard, so hard it pounded in her head and ears. The closing of cupboards, the clank of a glass hitting a countertop, the slam of the fridge… The sounds were muffled by the blood rushing to her head, making her thoughts thick, her mind out of focus.

Then she saw Missy.

Clarity, unlike she’d ever experienced, washed over her like a cold rain shower. Corroding the uncertainty. Cleansing her conscience. She looked to the right and followed the stream of sunlight as it filtered into the kitchen from the patio door. The beam bathed Missy, giving her a supernatural aura and she knew then and there it was a sign. A beacon.

This was God’s will.

This was her destiny.

Her heart rate slowed to normal. Strength, she hadn’t known existed, surged through her and gave her the empowerment she needed.

“Are you sure I can’t get you anything?” Missy asked, and poured orange juice into a glass.

Staring at the back of Missy’s head, pondering the best place to crack her skull—the top, the forehead or maybe near the temple—she quickly crossed the kitchen tile. “There is one thing,” she said, reaching for her back pocket and sliding the hammer free. She rotated it in her palm like a baton, clutched the handle and kept the hammer behind her back.

Glass in hand, Missy turned and faced her. “I have soda if you’d like.”

“I don’t want anything to drink. But you do have something I want.”

Missy smiled. “A puppy.”

“No.” She swung the hammer. “Your baby.”

*

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. Please call me Phil.” Detective Walters shook Dante’s hand, then turned to Jessica and did the same. “I’m really glad you decided to come here. Especially after the night we had.”

“Last night?” Jessica asked, and leaned against the white wood rails surrounding the wraparound porch of Phil’s old farmhouse.

“Yes, Elton didn’t sleep well. He kept waking up and crying for his mommy and daddy.” The detective’s face hardened. “If only the boy could understand that his mommy and daddy are bad people. But how do you explain?”

How indeed? Anxious to meet the boy, Dante edged toward the screen door. “How is he now?”

“Better. He calmed down and ended up finally staying asleep around four this morning. My wife’s inside with him and my daughter, Maddy. They’re in the playroom.” He opened the screen door. “Let’s head inside so you can meet him.”

Dante let Jessica precede him, then stepped into the foyer. The farmhouse was as quaint on the inside as it was on the outside. The hardwood floors, crown molding and built in bookshelves were likely original to the house, which had been decorated in a mix of contemporary and traditional furnishings and decorations.