Page 48 of The Arbiter
“He’s been watching me for two weeks now. Everywhere.”
Lucy pauses, her expression turning deadly serious.
“And you didn’t think about calling the police? Calling me? I have a serious case of déjà vu here. Is he stalking you?”
The question hits me like a brick. I was about to call the detective, but he stopped me. But did I actually want to get him caught? Ever since I met him, I’ve been plagued by questions I don’t have the answers for, and it’s getting truly frustrating.
“I don’t know Lucy… it’s—“
I pause, catching my breath.
“It's complicated.”
Her eyes widen as she takes a step toward me, her hands grabbing my shoulders.
“Mali, if he’s stalking you, we need to go to the police right now. This isn’t a joke. Especially not after what happened to Jake.”
I look down at my phone, the screen still glowing with the message from him. If I tell Lucy the truth, that the man she just passed is the one who did this to Jake, he will kill us both. He’s watching. I know it.
“I can’t Lucy,” I whisper, my voice cracking.
“It’s not that simple.”
“Why isn’t it simple?”
Lucy raises her voice, her frustration bubbling over.
“Your ex is dead on your table, a psycho is following you, and you’re acting like you’re protecting him! Is he threatening you? Is that it?”
I look at her, and for a second, I want to scream everything. I want to tell her about the note in the heart, about the way he touched me, about the terrifying attraction I felt toward a monster. But then I remember his eyes. Those soulless, dark eyes that see everything. I can’t put my best friend in danger.
“He told me that if I talk, someone else dies,” I lie, though it feels like the truth.
“Lucy, please. Just… give me tonight to figure it out. If you go to the police now, you’re putting a target on your back too.”
And now I fear I already told her too much. Lucy looks like she wants to argue, but the fear in my eyes finally reaches her.She lets out a long, shaky breath and hugs me again, tighter this time.
“Fine. One night. But I’m staying with you. I’m not leaving you alone in this place.”
“No!”
I pull back a bit too quickly, the word escaping me like a shot.
“You have to go. If he sees you staying, he’ll know I told you something. Please, Lucy. Just go back to the station. Act like everything is normal. I’ll be okay. I have my car, and I’ll go straight home after.”
She hesitates for a long time, scanning the dark corners of the cold storage as if she expects him to jump out of the walls. Finally, she nods, though her expression remains tight with a mixture of fear and professional frustration.
“Fine. But I’m calling you every hour. If you don’t pick up, I’m sending the whole precinct here.”
I watch her walk toward the door. She looks back one last time, her face full of worry, before the heavy metal door clicks shut.
The silence that follows is deafening. I’m alone with Jake’s body and the ghost of a killer. I lean against the cold table, my heart finally slowing down to a dull, aching thud, when my phone vibrates again.
I swear I will throw the goddamn phone away after this night is over. I let out a long sigh and glance at the screen.
UNKNOWN:“You’re a very good liar, Madeline.”
A wave of relief flashes over me, followed immediately by a sharp sting of guilt. I’m annoyed at myself for feeling strangely appealed by his praise. What’s wrong with me?
