“About damn time,” she whispered. Finn had come to visit her in the hospital and already, he was looking happier, healthier.
Except…there was something different about the way he looked at her. The way he had held her hand. It had made her – not uncomfortable – but confused. He looked at her like he wanted to say something to her, something that would change their relationship forever – and Sarah hoped beyond hope that it wasn’t what she thought it might be.
She had no doubt of her love for Isaac – and she stole a quick glance at his sleeping face now and smiled – but Finn…she loved him, for sure, but anything more than that? No.
When they were teenagers together, they would occasionally flirt jokingly, and they even experimented once to find out what kissing would be like. (“Ugh.” They’d agreed.) They both went through periods of having crushes on the other as they were growing up – courtesy, mostly, of raging teenage hormones.
When they ended up going to the same college, however, they’d dated other people – Finn more than her. Their friendship had deepened so that they could talk to each other about sex without being embarrassed and Sarah had come to rely on Finn as the one person she could trust above everyone else…until that terrible night in the autumn of their senior year.
She could remember everything about that day. She had known that Caroline had been sniffing around Finn since the beginning of the semester. For some horrible reason, Caroline had followed them to college and had been bitching and sniping at her for the last couple of years. Around Finn however, she was almost coquettish and Sarah told Finn. “She wants you.” Finn had laughed off her concerns. As if I would ever go with that bitch. And she’d believed him. One day, having gotten a well-deserved A on a piece of work she had struggled with, she was smiling for the first time in days as she pushed open the door to his room. They never knocked on each other’s doors. And the smile froze on her face. Finn was naked, Caroline was on top of him. Kissing him. Fucking him. Caroline turned as she saw Sarah standing there, Finn following her gaze. They both stared at her as she stood there, every single atom in her body screaming with the worst betrayal. Caroline smiled.
Sarah let the door close and stumbled down the hallway, hid in the ladies bathroom all night. She heard her friends calling for her, looking for her. In the morning, she threw her stuff into a bag and ran down to the admissions office. She transferred out of the college, changed her cell phone number, her email. She couldn’t bear it – her best friend, her confidant, Finn, screwing her worst enemy. Caroline, who had called her racist names in the playground, Caroline who she had gotten into numerous fist fights with as they grew up. Caroline who thought her daddy’s money bought everything had gotten her hands on Finn. She’d won.
It had taken years for Sarah and Finn to reconcile to the point where they were best friends again. And now…
Sarah pushed the thought away. Of all her problems, that was one she could – and should – ignore. If Finn was indeed crushing on her again, it would pass and as for anything else, well, she would make sure she dealt with Dan once and for all.
She turned over and snuggled into the warm burrow of Isaac’s arms. He was such a big man she always felt tiny and cared for in his arms. Isaac was love. Her love.
No-one could take her away from him.
He had the desperate thirst to feel blood on his hands. To feel her blood on his hands but locked up in Quinn’s ivory tower, she was safe from him. For now.
Instead, he chose another woman who looked like her – young, Asian-American, beautiful. He followed her home and to his delight, found she lived on the island, an apartment on the street running parallel to Main Street. It was only after she was dead that he realized – he knew her. That only made him more gleeful.
He killed her in her apartment, in her bedroom. As she’d gotten out of her car, he slipped behind her and used a syringe of sedative on her. She was a small woman and he carried her easily to her bedroom. A quick glance around the room told him a man lived here. Good. Someone to discover her. He pulled open her blouse, pushed down her skirt and waited.
While he waited for her to come around, he focused on her face, trying to meld her features with Sarah’s in his mind. It wasn’t hard – all he thought about was Sarah, all day, all night.
“Sarah” came around and he smiled. She opened her eyes and he showed her the knife. “Hello my darling,” he said simply and plunged the knife into her belly.
A cool breeze was whipping up the leaves as Sarah drove off the ferry from the city into work the next morning. Despite herself, she felt optimistic. Isaac had left her note on the kitchen table. See you later, love of mine, when I’ll be doing all sorts of barely legal things to you. Iss x He had woke her up by sliding his diamond-hard cock into her and they’d ended up having the most sensational fuck this morning but even so, Sarah shivered with pleasure at the thought of “later”. God, she almost wanted to turn the car around and go back into the city, run to his office and beg him to take her, bending over his desk, being plowed by him…stop it. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, feeling a beat pulsing between her legs.
She drove into Main Street and was surprised how busy it was. People were gathered on the sidewalks, their faces shocked, curious, and frightened. She parked the truck and went to see what was wrong. She stood on her tiptoes, craning to see over the crowd. Cops, many, many cops, most of whom she didn’t recognize, were scattered along the right side of the street, a taped cordon up around the small apartment building on Hammond Street. She saw Finn talking to a guy in a suit next to the medical examiner’s van. Sarah walked slowly to The Varsity, bumping into people as she went.
“What’s going on?” Sarah grabbed Molly’s t-shirt as she zipped past, her hands laden with coffee for the cops.
“Lindsey Chung’s been killed, can you believe it?” Molly hissed, still moving. Shocked, Sarah let her go, watching her as she dished out the drinks to the waiting, and grateful, police officers and technicians. She had known Lindsey for years, was friendly with her. They’d been the same age – twenty –eight. The young lawyer had only been married just over three years – the wedding had been the last social event she and Dan had been to before he disappeared. Both Lindsey and her doctor husband, Tom were frequent visitors to the coffee house. Good people. Tom had been to see her in the hospital, sat with her. Her heart ached for him. Sarah moved like an automaton through to the backroom, dumping her bag down on the counter. The backdoor opened and Nancy, their barista, greeted her as she came in, her face drawn. She hugged Sarah. “Terrible news, huh?”
Sarah followed her out to the coffee house. “How’d it happen?”
Nancy frowned. “You don’t know? She was murdered. Stabbed to death right there in her apartment. Tom found her this morning when he got back from the medical center. I saw him with Mike earlier, guy’s a mess.”
Sarah felt like she’d been punched in the chest. “Oh God. Poor Tom, I can’t believe it.”
Nancy nodded. “Just awful. Never seen so many cops. Finn doesn’t know half of them, he’s gone to see their boss, see if he can be any help.”
They both went to serve customers then, the coffeehouse becoming busier by the minute. Every conversation Sarah overheard was about the killing and she hoped beyond hope that most of the speculation was exaggerated. That hope disappeared when she saw Finn’s face as the young chief made an appearance later in the morning. Molly hugged her brother and he smiled gratefully, his face stricken and tired. Sarah poured him a large coffee and made him a sandwich. Finn smiled his thanks. They waited until he had eaten, until the coffee house had emptied out a little. Finn wiped his mouth with a napkin and sighed.
“I can’t tell you much but it’s bad. The homicide cop from the city –,” he looked at Sarah, “- you’ve met Cabot – told me the Feds are getting involved. The victim worked for the State Legislature. Also, they’re finally taking the racial thing seriously.”
Nancy and Sarah ex
changed a look. Sarah cleared her throat. “So they think…”
Finn nodded. “Yeah. Do me a favor, the both of you? Don’t go out at night on your own.”
Sarah half-smiled. “As if Isaac would let me. God, the sisterhood would kill me for that remark – sorry –,” she said when the others flinched – “bad choice of words.”
“No,” Finn said, “it’s okay. Look, there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you all. Sarah – when Buddy died, remember we told you that there had been murders of other Asian American women, countrywide?”
She nodded, but the others gaped at them both. “What the hell?” Molly flushed red. “Why the hell didn’t you tell us?”
“Because I had no proof of who I think might be behind the murders. I still don’t.”
Sarah was silent for a moment then nodded at Finn. “Tell them.”
He took a deep breath in. “The murders in the city. On the islands. Lindsey.” He put a piece of paper down on the counter. “There were more, over the two years. All over the country. Seventeen women of Asian descent. Murdered. Over the last two years, during the time where no one knew where Dan was, what he was doing. All of them stabbed repeatedly in the stomach, some of them disemboweled. Like George. Like Buddy. All the women look like Sarah. I think he wants to kill her.”
“Oh my god…” Molly clamped her hands over her mouth. “I don’t believe it. Why?”
Sarah shook her head. “He’s not who we all thought he was, Mols. The Dan Bailey I married changed at the end – so much. I kept a lot of it from you...”
“I know he could be controlling and arrogant, but why the hell would he disappear for two years, kill a bunch of people and then decide all along it’s his wife he wants to murder? Why not just kill Sarah then?” Mike put his hand up to soften his words.
“Listen, listen,” Molly was shaking her head. “We don’t know if Dan even wants to communicate with Sarah, let alone kill her. As far as we know, all he’s doing here is screwing that snake you were married to.” She fixed her brother with a steely eye.
Sarah sighed. “Dan is back. He came to the hospital to see me, made it pretty clear he wants me back. I didn’t give him a chance to explain where he’s been or what he’s been doing. I wanted him away from me. I hate to admit it but he scared me. There’s something…not right about him. That’s not to say we’re not all jumping to conclusions. Dan hasn’t a good reason to want to hurt me – unless he’s gone full psycho.”
Molly snorted. “Well, he did sleep with Caroline.”
“Thanks a lot, sis,” Finn rolled his eyes and Sarah grinned.
Finn was studying her. “You tell Isaac this?
Sarah shook her head. “No. I was going to but things have been so much better for me living there. I feel safer. Which brings me to what I was going to talk to you about.” She glanced out of the window at the cops milling around. “Actually, more important things are going on today, it can wait.”
There was another reason she felt safer. The tiny .22 gun she had in her purse. Isaac had insisted she carry it, had all the legal stuff dealt with, and he’d taken her to the gun range to teach her how to use it. She hated that she felt better now she had it with her but she realized that it was a safeguard.
She had honestly meant to talk to Isaac about Dan but the time they’d spent alone at his apartment had been so heavenly she couldn’t bear to spoil the mood.
Now, as she stared out of the window to the melee outside, she shivered. When it came down to it, did she believe Dan capable of murder? The old Dan, the one she met, fell in love with (or so she thought) wouldn’t have been capable. No way. He might have been arrogant but he had a good heart. The Dan she had confronted in her hospital room, the one who scared her….did she think it was possible he could kill someone? Yes, but was that really his endgame?
She shook her head and sighed. She was in the kitchen of the Varsity, making some fresh muffins. The homicide cops, as well as Finn and his deputies, had cleaned out the place. She dumped two cups of flour into a mixing bowl and grabbed some eggs. She left the kitchen door open slightly so she could hear if Molly needed help. As she worked the mixture, a calm settled over her. This was her world, her little space where she could bake and think. She heard Molly coming back the counter, her voice icy.
“You really are a walking piece of shit, you know that? Seeing as you are no longer my brother’s wife – plus, you are screwing my best friend’s ex-husband – I don’t feel a need to be polite to you, Caroline, even if you are a “paying customer” So, kindly, fuck off.”
Sarah sniggered, and listened to Caroline, her whiny voice rising in annoyance, as she attempted to save face.
“You know something, Molly? I always thought you and Finn were too close…if you get my meaning.”
Sarah shot out from the kitchen immediately. She stepped in between her friend and the redhead. “Time for you to go now, Caroline.”
Caroline, sneering, looked her up and down. “Hello Sarah, I can see your aureole through that shirt. Getting the goods out again? Guess the hooker-gene runs deep, huh?”
Sarah smiled, used to this particular line of Caroline’s. “And the skank is showing through...whatever it is you’re wearing, Caroline. What is that?” She pretended to look confused, turned to Molly, her hands spread wide.
Molly pretended to consider. “Something from Hosebags “R” Us?”
Sarah tutted. “No, I’m sure it’s designer – Michael Whores?”
Molly snorted. “Ho-darte?”
“Whore-gio Armani.”
“Nice. Hoo-chi.”
Caroline looked between them. “You think you’re so fucking funny?”
Sarah and Molly nodded in unison.
“Yep, pretty much.”
“Yes, we do.”
Caroline hesitated, huffed, turned on her heel and left.
“Sorry about that, Saz, I set her off.”
Sarah snorted with laughter. “Honey, don’t worry, the bitch is strong in that one. Still,” she flexed and stretched, “busting her chops is like squeezing a stress ball. Good for the soul.”
Molly nodded in agreement. “Chicken soup, indeed.”
Sarah grinned at her and went back to the kitchen. She finished the muffins and slid the tray into the oven. Fixing the timer, she washed her hands and returned to the shop.
“What was she talking about anyway?”
Molly hesitated, not looking at her friend. Sarah bent to catch her eye.
“What?”
Another silence.
“Milly Molly Mandy?”
“Don’t call me that.” But she smiled.
“Come on then, out with it.”
Molly bit her lip. “She was…crowing about being pregnant with Dan’s baby.”
Sarah winced. A wrecking ball through the chest would hurt less.
“Good for her.”
Molly squeezed her hand. “Ignore the bitch. Would you really want to be pregnant with Dan’s kid?”
Sarah sighed, the ache in her chest still pounding at her. “No. But it would have been nice to have Isaac’s kids one day.”
She’d never forget the day her gynecologist had told her she would never carry children. At the time, she’d been upset but not devastated. It had been after Dan went missing and the only other person who knew was Molly. Sarah had been resigned and it was only when she’d met Isaac that the regret really hit her.
“Have you talked about it?”
Sarah shook her head. “Not really. Maybe we should. If he wants children of his own, then…”
“All he wants is you,” Molly said confidently. “Don’t worry about it, Isaac just wants you.”
Isaac repeated what Molly said, almost-word-for-word. “Sarah, sweetheart, as far as I’m concerned, if we decide to have kids – and I’m honestly right down the middle of whether we do or don’t – we have options. There are thousands of kids out there who would love you as their mother.”
H
e was sitting at one of the tables in the now-closed Varsity, watching her as Sarah moved around the room, switching on the Tiffany lamps, turning down the overhead lights. She loved this time of day, the sensuality of dusk when the coffee house would glow with a soft warmth, the rush would ease, and she could relax. She returned behind the counter, slipping a disc into the shop’s sound system and a second later, Billie Holiday filled the room with sweet music.
“Just when you are near, when I hold you fast, then my dreams will whisper, you’re too lovely to last…”
She’d asked Molly and Finn to join them for a quick supper – where she intended to tell Isaac about Dan. She wanted Finn and Molly there for moral support – and to reign in Isaac’s anger when he found out.
Molly had disappeared somewhere, Finn was due any minute so Sarah had taken advantage of their privacy to tell him about her inability to get pregnant. He had taken it well, expressing sympathy but she could tell, as she gazed into his soft green eyes, that it made no difference to how he felt about her.
He pulled her onto his lap now and kissed her. “You and me, Sarah. That’s all I want.”
She kissed him back, sinking into the embrace and then grinned as she felt his erection harden through his pants. “Ambitious, soldier, but my de facto siblings will be here any minute and I don’t think they’d appreciate the floor show.”
Isaac chuckled. “Just you wait till we get home; I’ll make you pay for giving me blue balls.”
The Midnight Club Page 100