The Midnight Club

by Love, Michelle

By the time her neighbor broke down the door, she was already unconscious.

  Isa closed her eyes as they were driven back from the airport. Their vacation in Venice had flown by, and now they had to face the reality of their existence back here in Seattle. Sam’s arm was around her shoulder, and she leaned into him, wanting to feel his big body next to hers.

  Tomorrow they would meet with Paul Carter to tell him they had agreed to do the live interview. She had worn Sam down finally, telling him she wanted to shock her stalker into making a mistake and revealing himself. They had argued long into most of the nights of their vacation, but finally, Sam had given in.

  ‘Fine! But I’m doubling your protection.’

  She agreed – after all if she was already being baby-sat, what difference did it make? They were being driven back to yet another hotel; Sam wanted to make sure that they weren’t being followed.

  The hotel was, of course, luxurious but impersonal and Isa thought back wistfully to her old apartment, the one above the garage at Zoe’s house. Messy, basic but she had loved it, loved that she had first made love with Sam there. Now, she knew, it had been pulled down, demolished after the dead girl had been found there and a fire had ravaged Zoe’s home and gallery. So much has changed, she considered, in such a short time. She looked over at her husband, his finely angled features stern and brooding. I love you so much, she thought, but I can’t help wondering where I would be if we’d never met. Would Seb still be alive? Would the man who wanted her dead still be stalking her? She gave a deep sigh and Sam looked around at her, his green eyes soft.

  ‘You okay?’

  She nodded, trying to smile. I could never give up any part of you, Samuel Levy. I would gladly die for you. She leaned over and kissed him. ‘Let’s go to bed, darling.’

  Sam’s phone bleeped and he gave her an apologetic smile as he answered it. ‘Yeah? Hey, Cal.’

  Isa watched his face change and felt her heart sink. Whatever Cal was calling about, it wasn’t good news. Sam finished the call then looked at her. ‘It’s Louisa. She had a fall at home, hit her head.’

  ‘Oh no. Is she okay?’

  Sam shook his head. ‘She’s in the hospital, unconscious. They don’t know if there’s been permanent damage.’

  Zoe Marshall flew back to Seattle the day of the interview with Paul Carter. Isa had objected over the phone when Zoe told her her plans, but Zoe had insisted.

  ‘There’s no way I’m going to be away from you at a time like this,’ she had said, and Isa had given in graciously.

  ‘It would be lovely to see you,’ she told her de-facto mother, and that had settled the matter. As Zoe grabbed her luggage and walked into the Arrivals area. She saw Isa, flanked by two enormous bodyguards waiting for her. Isa nodded imperceptibly at the men and rolled her eyes, and Zoe grinned. She hugged Isa tightly.

  ‘Welcome back, Mom,’ Isa said, and Zoe felt tears spring into her eyes. Dashing them away impatiently, she hurried them all to the waiting town car.

  ‘We’re to go straight to the hospital,’ she ordered the driver and Isa nodded.

  ‘Lou’s awake,’ she told Zoe, ‘but still a little out of it. Bad concussion but they’re hopeful she’ll be okay in the long run.’

  Zoe frowned. ‘What about her family?’

  Isa looked sad. ‘She doesn’t have any, to speak of. Not in Washington.’

  ‘Like you.’

  Isa smiled. ‘I have you.’

  Zoe squeezed her hand. ‘And Sam and Cal now.’

  Isa nodded, and Zoe wondered if all was okay. ‘What’s going on? Are you having second thoughts about the interview?’

  Isa shook her head. ‘No, it’s just…God, it sounds so ridiculous but Paul Carter was very, um, flirtatious yesterday and it really got under Sam’s skin. Like he has anything to worry about; Paul Carter’s a good journalist, but he makes my skin crawl. But I’m concerned that Sam will forget why we’re doing this in the first place.’ She looked apologetically at Zoe. ‘Told you it was ridiculous.’

  Zoe smiled at her. ‘If the world had less male ego in it, it would be a better place, Isa. Sam knows the priority here, don’t worry.’

  At the hospital, they found Louisa awake and happy to see them. Zoe was shocked at the dark circles under her eyes, and when Isa had gone to get them some coffee, she took the younger woman’s hand.

  ‘What is it, honey?’

  Louisa sighed. ‘It’s the nightmares, Zoe; I can’t shake them. Images of Seb being killed, over and over. Of Isa being murdered in the vilest, horrific ways. And in all of them, the killer is the same person, and I can’t get it out of my head.’

  ‘Who?’

  Louisa hesitated then met her gaze. ‘Cal.’

  Zoe’s eyebrows shot up. ‘Lou, why on Earth?’

  ‘I know, I know, it’s crazy, and I have no earthly reason for even suspecting the poor guy.’

  There was a silence, and Zoe waited for a beat before asking. ‘So why?’

  ‘He’s in love with Isa,’ Lou blurted out, wanting to get it out of her system. ‘It’s obvious to me, and I just was wondering if he would be capable of such violent jealousy that…’

  ‘No,’ Zoe said abruptly. ‘There’s no way. For one thing, he would never hurt Seb; they were as thick as thieves. For another, he’d never hurt Sam. And yes, he does have a crush on Isa, but they all know that. It’s harmless. Cal is harmless.’

  Lou looked ashamed of herself. ‘I’m sorry. I guess I’m not dealing with things as well as I thought.’ Her eyes filled with tears. ‘God, I miss him, Zoe, Seb, I miss him all of the time.’

  Zoe nodded, her dark eyes glistening. ‘I know, sweetheart, I know.’ She moved and held onto Louisa as she sobbed.

  Outside the hospital room, he listened to the girl crying. That was my doing. Their pain made him smile. He moved away, fingering the knife in his pocket. He’d followed Isa to the hospital, knowing that there, she felt safe, that she sent her protection to wait in the relatives’ room.

  Foolish girl. How easily he could corner her and kill her. He could… but he wouldn’t, not yet. It would be too rushed, too easily discovered. But he liked to follow her, know he was close, that in a place she should be safest, she was most at risk.

  And it made him smile to think that soon, so very soon, she would be bleeding to death in his arms and no-one would be able to save her.

  Sam shifted in the chair as the make-up person fussed over him, dabbing powder onto his face. He narrowed his eyes at Isa, who was struggling to hide a smile at his grumpy face. The studio lights were hot, and he felt antsy, irritated. His gut was telling him this was a mistake, especially taking into account the meeting he’d had with Carter yesterday when Isa had been at the hospital with Zoe.

  He hadn’t told her about it, just ducked out of picking Zoe up, telling Isa he had a last-minute meeting. She had accepted his reason with no argument or suspicion, and he’d called Carter and asked him to meet him at Sam’s office.

  Carter had turned up, smirking, looking like he knew what Sam wanted to say. Dammit, why did he always have a supercilious look on his face; made Sam want to punch it off of him.

  ‘I’ve not much time, Levy, preparing for the interview of course. What did you want?’

  Sam didn’t mess around. The sooner this guy was out of his office, the better.

  ‘I don’t want Isa distressed by your questions tomorrow. I don’t want her humiliated or upset.’

  ‘I wouldn’t dream of it,’ Carter said smoothly, ‘That lovely young woman has been through enough.’

  Sam gritted his teeth. ‘Yes, my wife has. So, I’m just warning you – if she doesn’t want to talk about something, don’t pressure her.’

  ‘I won’t. You have my word. You, on the other hand, I have some questions for.’

  Sam nodded briskly. ‘Fine. Just leave them with my secretary on the way out.’

  Paul Carter’s smile spread across his face. ‘I never do questions in advance, Mr. Levy. Yo
u know that. You shouldn’t be too concerned; your family’s history is well known.’

  Sam had gone very still. ‘My mother’s murder is not up for discussion.’

  Carter got up. ‘I won’t linger on it, but it is relevant, don’t you see?’

  Sam couldn’t argue with the man, but he got up. ‘One more thing. Isa is my wife. Don’t think I haven’t noticed you sleazing your way around her. Back off, buddy, or I’ll make your life very unpleasant.’

  Paul Carter flushed a beetroot red. ‘God, why do exquisite women always fall for such bastards? Don’t threaten me, Levy, or you’ll be sorry.’

  He slammed the door on his way out and now Sam wished he hadn’t threatened him. That was all male pride talking, too, and it had been Neanderthal of him. Still, if this interviewer drew the killer out then he could live with it.

  Paul smiled at Isa, ignored Sam, as he came into the studio. ‘Don’t look so scared,’ he said to Isa, ‘This will be easy.’

  Sam cleared his throat but still Paul ignored him. Isa put her hand on Sam’s.

  ‘We’ll be fine,’ she said softly.

  As the floor manager counted them in, Paul did an intro then they played some clips; the fire at the gallery, Seb’s body being taken away from the place they’d been held, some candid shots of Isa and Sam together at social functions.

  Sam wound his fingers between Isa’s, felt her trembling. She turned to glance at him, her dark eyes scared. I love you; he mouthed, and she smiled gratefully at him.

  Paul Carter, despite his many faults, was a superb interviewer and guided Isa gently through the toughest questions, about her abduction, Seb’s murder, finding the dead girl who looked like her in her apartment and knowing that horrific death was the one she might be facing.

  Isa’s voice shook and a couple of times she had to stop, collect herself but she got through it. Paul looked at her sympathetically. ‘Are you scared, Isa? You have every right to be.’

  She nodded. ‘Yes, I am. But more than that, I’m pissed. Monumentally pissed, Paul. I never asked for this, but I feel now that this comes down to me and him. So, I say, come at me. We’ll see what happens next.’

  The anger in her voice silenced Paul for a second, then he nodded, his admiration clear. He looked at Sam. ‘You must be a proud man.’

  Sam nodded. ‘I am. Proud and lucky to have met this extraordinary woman.’

  Paul smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. ‘You’ve championed many artists as one of the leading art dealers in this country. Can I take you back to when you first met Isa? How did you spot her talent?’

  Sam smiled and told who they met – minus the sexathon which followed later that same night. Isa grinned at him as he retold it, her eyes shining as she remembered it with him.

  ‘And you married just a few months later?’

  Sam touched Isa’s face. ‘I wanted to marry her the minute I met her.’ Isa leaned into his touch.

  ‘Well, it certainly appears that you two are committed to fighting this thing together.’

  Isa nodded. ‘We are. We are unbreakable.’

  Paul’s eyebrows shot up. ‘Really?’

  Isa frowned confused, and Sam sat up, glaring at the interviewer. ‘Of course.’

  Paul tapped his pen on his notepad. ‘I just ask because surely you must have thought that the first time around?’

  Sam went cold. ‘What?’

  ‘Your first wife, Casey Hamilton?’

  Sam felt Isa go very still beside him; her hand froze in his. He managed to compose himself. ‘That’s not up for discussion.’ Fuck. Fuck. For a second he wanted to launch himself at Paul Carter but when he caught the other man’s eye, there was no malice just confusion, and he realized that Paul Carter hadn’t known that Isa was in the dark about Casey – why would he? Any normal person would have told his new wife about his old wife. Jesus.

  Paul quickly changed the subject and brought the interview to a close. As soon as the floor manager called that they were off the air, Isa slid from her seat and stalked away from the two men staring after her. Paul looked at Sam.

  ‘She didn’t know?’

  Sam shook his head. ‘Who told you?’

  Carter’s eyes were hooded. ‘I can’t reveal my source. I’m sorry.’

  Sam shook his head. ‘Not your fault.’ He got up and followed Isa back toward the dressing rooms. When he got there, only one of their security team remained. The man, Toby, looked awkward.

  ‘Sir. Mrs. Levy asked David to drive her home. She left you a note in the room.’

  Sam nodded tightly and went into the dressing room. His heart faltered when he saw her note – and her wedding ring that was sitting on top of it. He picked the ring up, flipped open the note.

  Don’t try to follow me.

  That was all, and it was all she needed to say to break his heart.

  Zoe frowned at her daughter as she sat in the small apartment. Isa had appeared at her door two days ago, and Zoe had known immediately that something big had happened – and it was not a good ‘something.'

  ‘He’s a liar,’ was all Isa had told her so far, and the heartbreak in her voice had made Zoe hold back from peppering her with questions. Sam had been calling, of course, but Isa wouldn’t take his calls. Zoe questioned him, growing increasingly concerned when Sam broke down on the phone.

  ‘Just tell her I’m sorry, and that I love her.’

  Now Zoe took Isa’s hand. ‘You have to tell me what happened, Isa. I’m going crazy here.’

  Isa sighed. ‘He was married before, Zoe. To Casey Hamilton.’

  Anger rippled across Zoe’s face. ‘You’re kidding me?’

  ‘Nope. And he lied to my face about her. It took months for him to even admit he knew her, had an intimate relationship with her. Now I find he was married to her, married. What else has he lied about?’ She glanced at Zoe, her eyes full of pain, ‘After everything we’ve been through…how could he do this?’

  Zoe wrapped her arms around her and held her as she sobbed, silently cursing Sam Levy. She, Zoe, had known him for years and she’d never even known about Casey Hamilton. Isa was right – what else was he hiding?

  Across the city, Sam was equally as messed up. Cal had been trying to talk him down, but Sam’s distress was overwhelming. He didn’t blame Paul Carter one bit – this was all on him. Why the hell hadn’t he been honest about Casey from the start? He raged against himself, against Casey as Cal listened, watching him carefully. Finally, Sam sighed, shaking his head. ‘I blew it.’

  ‘Yes,’ Cal said, without much sympathy, ‘You did. What the hell were you thinking?’

  ‘It was almost like the lie got too big to retract, you know?’

  ‘You can’t be so naive to think it wouldn’t come out. However much you scrub the internet or hide records, Sam…’

  ‘I know,’ Sam interrupted, waving his hand at his brother. ‘It was dumb. It’s just, with everything else that’s been going on, it didn’t seem relevant, you know?’

  Cal shook his head, his jaw clenched. ‘What if it’s connected? What if Casey is the one behind all of this?’

  Sam shook his head. ‘A man abducted Isa and Seb.’

  ‘A man who could have been hired.’

  Sam considered. ‘I know, but from what he said, how he behaved. It seemed like he was the one obsessed with Isa.’

  ‘I still don’t get why he didn’t kill her when he had her,’ Cal said bluntly, ignoring Sam’s wince. ‘I’m sorry, Sam, I just don’t get it.’

  Sam sighed and rubbed his hand over his hair. ‘Look, I’m shattered. I’m going to bed. I’ll figure this out in the morning.’

  After Sam had gone to bed, Cal stayed up, a bottle of single malt scotch in front of him. He took his phone out and texted Isa.

  Hey, babe, I am sorry about all of this. If you need to talk, you know where I am.

  He didn’t expect her to reply but a half hour later…

  Thank you, Cal. I just need time.
<
br />   Louisa had been out of the hospital for a week before she ventured out with her dog, a huge German Shepard called William, who hated everyone except Louisa. Except for Seb, she thought now, strapping on his harness. Even William loved Seb.

  She drove out to the beach and let William off his leash. It was cold, and they were the only ones there.

  Louisa breathed out a long breath. The last few weeks had been a whirl. Every day she thought of Seb. I love you. I’m in love with you. She sighed. He was right; she should think about it; it was the right thing, the appropriate thing. But she kept thinking of his lips against hers, the way his hands felt on her skin…

  Her cell phone rang. Jumping slightly, she saw it was Cal calling.

  ‘Hey, how are you?’

  ‘Hello Louisa, I was wondering the same. I hope you’re feeling… well, perhaps better isn’t the word but…’

  ‘I know what you mean, Cal. Yes, thank you.’

  There was a pause. Louisa frowned.

  ‘I hear water,’ Cal said, ‘Where are you?’

  She told him. ‘William is misbehaving with the gulls.’ She laughed, and he joined in.

  ‘Well I was going to invite you to lunch but how about you stay where you are, and I’ll bring a picnic?’

  Louisa hesitated – she was enjoying being alone – but relented. ‘Okay, Cal. That sounds like fun. I’m at the far-left side of the beach; you can’t miss me. I’m the only one here.’

  ‘I’ll find you. I’ll see you soon.’

  Louisa slid her phone back into her bag. Too late she realized that William wouldn’t be happy with Cal there. She let him run for a bit then grabbed his leash and walked him back to her truck. William was used to being tied in the back of the flatbed and settled down with a mournful look at her.

  ‘Sorry, bubba. But I’d rather you didn’t eat Cal.’

  She kissed the top of his head and headed back down to the beach to wait for Cal.

  Louisa sat back. ‘Okay I think I’ve eaten more today than in the past week,’ She put her hand on her stomach and laughed. ‘That was delicious.’ She leaned back against the driftwood and grinned at him. It was strange; Cal was more relaxed around her than he’d ever been and Louisa found she was grateful for his company. She felt bad for having suspecting him.