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

lost. Dimples probably wasn’t, either. She’d just learned their son had died, and she’d just woken from a coma. After she had time to adjust and grieve properly, she’d realize adopting a boy and calling him by their dead son’s name wasn’t healthy.
    “Wayne,” she began, her voice surprisingly strong and defensive, “you don’t have a problem with that, do you? After all that we’ve been through, after all me and my family has done for you, I can’t imagine that you’d lie and go back on your promises to me.”
    She’d never held his past over his head and he’d never gone back on a promise. Hell, she’d never spoken to him in a condescending tone before, either.
    He reminded himself of where they were at and what they’d just lost, and put her feelings and needs above his. “Never,” he said, taking her hand in his. “You know I’d do anything for you. And if you want to name the next baby Elton, that’s fine by me.”
    Her eyes softened. “You’re a good husband. And you’re gonna make a great daddy.” With a wistful sigh, she looked to the picture again. “Ain’t that right, Elton. Your daddy is gonna make sure we’re together again real soon. And we’re gonna be a real family.” As she traced the tip of her finger along the photograph, she began humming a lullaby that should have sounded sweet, but for some reason it gave him an eerie chill.
    Dimples wasn’t herself right now, was all. She’d be fine. Once she had herself a baby boy to love, she’d be fine.
    He hoped.

THE FIRST TRIMESTER

    For every evil under the sun,
    There is a remedy, or there is none.
    If there be one, try and find it;
    If there be none, never mind it.
    —Mother Goose

Chapter 1

    Present day…

    “I HAVE NO words,” the young, uniformed patrol officer said, his face ashen, his eyes filled with disgust.
    Detective Jessica Donavan looked over the man’s shoulder toward where a large headstone stood at the top of a gently sloping hill. “You were the first on the scene, try and find them.” She glanced to his badge. “Officer Kronowski.”
    “Right. I…ah.” Kronowski cleared his throat and wiped the sweat from his brow. “There’re two victims. Male and female. Looks like they’ve been there overnight.”
    Well, wasn’t that great. Between the heat and humidity plaguing Chicago, she could only imagine what they were going to find at the top of that hill. Too bad it was Thursday and not Saturday. Someone else could have taken this case, and she could be in her air-conditioned apartment, maybe even still in bed.
    “And?” her partner, Alex Byrnes, asked and looked up toward the cawing crows circling in the sky.
    “Call came in from one of the cemetery’s groundskeepers at six forty-five this morning. My partner and I got here a few minutes later, and after we found the victims I called dispatch. There’s a gun next to the male victim. I’m no forensics guy, but it looks like maybe a murder-suicide.”
    “Got any IDs?” Jessica asked, following the circling crows as well and counting four of them.
    Kronowski’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard. “No. But we’re assuming they’re the kid’s parents.”
    She dropped her gaze from the crows to the headstone below them. “Kid?”
    “Yeah, the grave is Noah Palmer’s. The marker says he was almost seven when he died.”
    Alex glanced at her. With his mirrored, aviator Ray-Ban sunglasses, she couldn’t see his eyes, but his clenched jaw indicated his disgust. Alex was married to her cousin, Shannon. They had three sons and their youngest was going to be eight at the end of the next month. Whenever she and Alex had to work a case involving kids, he had a hard time separating the job from his boys at home. Unfortunately, she could relate. Although at least this time around, thankfully, the kid wasn’t one of the victims.
    Car doors slammed behind them. Alex looked over her head. “Megan and Audra are here. Let’s head up the hill