Poisoned Blood

Twenty-four-year-old Lily Morrison slowly awoke to the sound of lips brushing the air above her forehead. Hot breath lingered on her skin. Her body stirred. In the split second it took to focus, she caught a shadow glide over her headboard, stretching high across the wall before disappearing into her closet.

She strangled a gasp, her hand groping blindly for the kitchen knife under her pillow. She flinched as the sharp blade sliced the soft flesh of her finger before she shot up in bed, wielding the knife in front of her. "Who's there?" she demanded in a voice much steadier than she felt. "I have a weapon."

The light flicked on in the closet, and a familiar head of carefully-styled hair popped out of the door. "Relax, it's me," her ex-boyfriend, Jeff Samuels, said, grinning. "What are you going to do, julienne me to death?"

"Damn it, Jeff, what are you doing here?" Lily cried, leaping to her feet, her heart pounding. "I told you, it's over. You can't just let yourself into my apartment any time you like. It’s creepy and against the law. You scared me half to death. How did you get in here, anyway?"

Jeff dangled a single key on a shoelace in front of her. "I kept one, just in case. It's a good thing too. You forgot one of my uniforms while you were throwing all my things out in the hall."

"You can't be here," she said, snatching the key from his hand, and stuffing it in her dresser. "I mean it. I'll call the police.”

Jeff held up a freshly-pressed uniform, then laid it out on the bed. "I am the police," he said with a smirk.

"You need to take me seriously," Lily said, stomping her bare foot. "Police or not, it's trespassing at the very least, stalking if you want to be technical." She clasped her chest, taking a calming breath.

"Can I have my underwear back, too?" he asked, raising his eyebrows as his eyes wandered over her sleeveless t-shirt and striped boxer shorts.

"No," Lily said, suddenly feeling self-conscious. She slid a heavy robe over her slender frame, flipping her auburn-colored hair from beneath the collar. She pulled the belt tight. "You threw them in the garbage. I fished them out. There was nothing wrong with them but a little hole in the elastic."

"News flash," Jeff said. "You're not a poor little orphan anymore. You make great money, and you sure as heck don't need my hand-me-downs. Why don't you treat yourself to some fancy lingerie? And while you’re at it, why don’t you move out of this dump. This neighborhood’s not safe for a woman living alone.”

"Where I live isn’t your business anymore," Lily snapped. "And neither is my underwear. These shorts are perfectly serviceable, and you're not getting them back."

"Afraid you'll miss me, eh?" Jeff teased, stooping down to pull a pair of perfectly polished shoes from under the bed. "Keep them if they mean that much to you."

"Miss you?" Lily sniped. "You mean sitting home alone while you're chasing women on your dating app. No, I think I'll be better off without you."

Jeff tucked his shoes under one arm while carefully folding his uniform over the other. "It wasn't women," he said, sounding hurt. "It was one woman, and I've apologized a hundred times." His face crumpled as he stepped closer. "Come on, Lil. You know she didn't mean anything to me. It's just that you were working such long hours. I was lonely."

"So, you’re saying it's my fault that you cheated?" Lily asked angrily. Even in the dim light, she could see the spray of freckles scattered across his boyish face. They gave him an innocent look that belied his sharp mind. He was quick with a lie and even quicker with an alibi. Lily had fallen for both of them more than once. “There’s a name for that. They call it gaslighting.”

"That's not fair," Jeff argued, his dark eyes cast downcast. "I took full responsibility for my actions."

"Sure, after I caught you red-handed,” Lily said, unaffected by his feigned regret. She’d seen it all before. “Admit it. You would never have confessed otherwise."

Jeff sighed as he strolled into the kitchen, setting his shoes on the counter. Lily quickly moved them to the floor. "Look, it's in the past," Jeff continued. "Can't we forget about it? I promise it won't happen again." When he opened the cupboard door, looking for a cup, Lily pushed him aside.

"I can never trust you again," she said, plunking the glass down in his hand. "I thought I was working hard for both of us. We talked about saving for a house to start a family one day. You knew being a new associate at a big law firm meant long hours for me. At least until I proved myself. That's just the way it works."

"I understand that now," he said, filling the glass with water and taking a long drink. "Seriously, can't we move past it?"

Lily sighed. "We've been through this for weeks. I'm sorry, but you knew cheating was a deal-breaker for me. Once someone breaks my trust, there's no going back. I'll never look at you the same way again."

"Not everyone is perfect, Lil," he said sadly. "Not even you.”

“Don’t bring that up,” Lily said. “It isn’t fair.”

“I’m just saying everyone deserves a second chance,” Jeff said. “Like I gave you. Can you imagine where you’d be today if I had arrested you that day instead of taking pity on you? You sure as hell wouldn’t be a lawyer.”

“It wasn’t the same thing at all,” Lily said. “And I did my best to make it right.”

“Look, I'm not saying anything I did was your fault,” Jeff said. “But maybe I wouldn't have strayed if I felt like it really mattered to you. You're so independent, so afraid to need anyone, that I never really felt important in your life. It's hard to live with someone who never really lets you in."

"Jeff, I can’t have this conversation again," Lily pleaded. “Threatening to blackmail me only makes it worse.”

Jeff’s eyes grew dark. "Who said blackmail? I was reminding you that you aren’t a saint either.” He stepped back away from her and appeared to compose himself. “Look, I don’t want to fight. Maybe you’re right. In the end, maybe we both dodged a bullet," Jeff said. "But even if we’re not right for each other, that doesn't mean we can't be friends. I care about you, Lil. I truly do."

"Fine," Lily agreed. "Friends. And as your friend, can I ask why you're off tonight? I thought you were working nights this week."

"I just finished a double shift," Jeff said, setting the glass in the sink and gathering his shoes off the floor. "They've got us working overtime. There's been a rash of assaults in and around Central Park that are baffling the detectives. The victims can't offer much detail as to what happened. It's like something wiped their memories.”

“That’s weird,” Lily said.

“There are rumors that they might be animal attacks, but there's no proof of that either." He put a gentle hand on Lily's shoulder. "I know you hate when I tell you what to do, but I still worry about you. You need to be careful."

"Thanks," Lily said, taking the glass from the sink and putting it in the dishwasher. "I promise I will. As long as you promise to knock next time."

“Deal,” Jeff said, slipping out the door. “Lock it,” he commanded from the other side.

Lily locked the door and pushed the deadbolt into place, then padded back to her bedroom. An icy blast greeted her as she stepped through the door. Her eyes immediately fell on the open window next to her bed. She specifically remembered closing it when she went to bed.

Damn Jeff, she thought, cranking it shut, he always thought he knew what was best for her. She didn’t want to hurt his feelings, but if he showed up again, she was going to have to draw the line once and for all.