The Dating Mystery

Ive had a total of three boyfriends. Every single one of them dropped dead right after eating my mom's homemade lasagna.

The situation was so bizarre that a special task force was formed just to investigate their deaths.

They spent six months on it, tearing our house apart, and still found nothing.

The whole ordeal scared me so much that I didn't dare date anyone for two years.

In the third year, I finally started to move on from the shadow of the past and fell in love again.

But with three dead boyfriends behind me, I was terrified.

I refused to bring my new boyfriend, Mark, home to meet my mom.

He, however, was eager to talk marriage and persistently begged me to take him home.

This time, my mom, following our family tradition, made her special lasagna.

Not long after we finished dinner, I went to the bathroom. A moment later, I heard my mother scream.

Oh God! Not again! Hes dead!

I ran out, and the blood drained from my face.

Mark, who had been perfectly fine just minutes before, was slumped on the couch, his body stiff and cold.

He looked like hed been dead for a while.

1

I was frozen solid, staring at Marks lifeless body on the sofa.

My face was ashen, my eyes burning with tears.

H-how did this happen?

Mark, wake up! Dont do this to me!

My hand trembled as I reached out to check for his breath, but my mother grabbed my arm, pulling me back.

Lucy, what are we going to do? Your boyfriend hes dead too!

We have to call the police! We have to call them now!

My mom is the most timid, law-abiding person I know. Her first instinct is always to call the authorities.

Her face pale, she fumbled with her phone to dial 911. They said theyre on their way!

Lucy, honey, dont look.

I collapsed onto the couch, my entire world spiraling into darkness.

How could he be dead too?

Mom, this is the fourth one

My mom looked at me with pity, sighing heavily. She seemed to have aged a decade in a single night.

Before long, the task force, along with a team of medical examiners, had swarmed our house.

Detective Reed, the lead investigator, saw us and couldn't help but sigh.

How is it that its your house again?

What happened this time?

My mom shook her head like a rattle. We dont know, Detective. We just dont know.

They immediately secured the scene and began a full autopsy on-site.

My mom and I sat by the door, waiting in silence.

This was the fourth time.

Even the detectives and coroners felt like old acquaintances.

During a break, one of the junior medical examiners leaned in and whispered to us.

Mrs. Mills, no offense, but have you ever thought maybe this house has bad luck?

Every time your daughter brings a boyfriend home, something terrible happens. Its like a curse. Its just morbid.

Maybe you should think about selling the place, moving somewhere else.

My mothers lips tightened, her face white as she shook her head.

Its just the two of us. Lucys father died a long time ago. This house is all we have, our roots are here. Where else would we go?

As she spoke, tears began to fall.

I just feel so terrible for my Lucy. She was finally in a stable, happy relationship, and now this God!

With a boyfriend dead in our home, my mother and I were the primary suspects.

The neighbors peeked through their blinds, their faces a mixture of fear and judgment.

Another one? Theres something wrong with that family. Its just not natural.

I bet the two of them are behind it.

Dont say that. The best detectives in the city are on this. If it were them, they wouldve been arrested after the first one!

There has to be something else going on!

Hearing their whispers, the vile accusations being thrown at us, my mom grew frantic.

We will cooperate fully, Detective! My daughter, Lucy, she wants a government job someday. You have to clear our names, please dont let an innocent person be framed for this!

Detective Reed tried to console her.

Mrs. Mills, dont you worry. We will do everything in our power to solve this case.

If we can confirm you had nothing to do with it, you and your daughter will be cleared.

But we waited until our stomachs were growling, and still, they found nothing. Not a single clue.

Even the most experienced medical examiners were shaking their heads in frustration.

This is unbelievable. We cant determine the cause of death.

Its the same as the other three bodies. Appears to be a sudden cardiac arrest, but with no underlying cause.

The citys top forensic team was called in, but even they couldnt crack the puzzle.

Once again, I had a boyfriend die in my home.

My mother and I clung to each other, pale and trembling.

Tears streamed down her face as her composure finally shattered. She let out a desperate, wailing cry.

Oh, God, what have we done to deserve this?

Is my daughter cursed?

Why does every man she loves end up dead in our house?

Soon, a detective from the task force approached me, his eyes studying me intently.

Youre Lucy Mills? The deceased, Mark, died in a manner identical to the previous three victims. I need you to think very carefully. Did they have anything in common?

I fought back my grief and thought hard.

Well, the most obvious thing is

They were all my boyfriends. Other than that, they didnt know each other, so I dont think

I shook my head, but then something clicked. A sudden, chilling realization.

Wait! I remember now!

They all ate my moms homemade lasagna!

2

The moment the words left my mouth, every detective in the room turned to stare at me.

Lasagna?

Just like the first three times, their investigation circled back to my moms cooking.

But every single time, they came up empty.

The lasagna never provided any clues.

They die after eating lasagna? Are you suggesting someone poisoned it? a detective asked, his eyes cold as he sized up my mother and me.

Never! I would never! my mom cried out.

Besides, were not stupid! If we were going to murder someone, why would we do it with food I made myself, in our own home? Do we look like we have a death wish?

And for Gods sake, he was my daughters boyfriend! He could have been my son-in-law one day! What possible motive could we have?

Detective Reed calmly cut my mother off.

Were there any leftovers from dinner tonight?

Yes! my mom said quickly. I made way too much sauce, so I made a whole other tray and put it in the freezer.

And with everything that happened so suddenly, the leftovers from dinner are still on the counter. We didnt have a chance to clean up.

So, they immediately collected everything. The leftover lasagna, the frozen tray, and even the raw ingredients.

From the flour used for the fresh pasta to the meat and spices in my moms sauce.

Everything was tested.

Well? Anything? Reed asked the forensics tech.

The tech shook his head.

No toxins, no poisons, nothing. Its just a normal pan of lasagna.

A younger, intense-looking detective named Nathan suddenly looked up at me, his gaze sharp.

Lucy, you might as well tell us the truth.

Why is your mother so insistent on making lasagna for them?

Id always wondered that myself. I pulled my mom over to explain.

She slapped her thigh in frustration, her face a mask of sorrow.

Detectives, you dont understand. Its a tradition in our family.

Especially when a daughter brings a boy home for the first time. The mother is supposed to make her special family-recipe meal.

And besides, with the holidays coming up, everyone is making big, hearty meals.

Weve been doing this for generations. How could it be that only only my daughters boyfriends are the ones who have something happen to them? Its a damn tragedy.

But Nathan didnt let up, his eyes still fixed on me.

Maybe theres a more sophisticated poisoning method were not seeing.

My face went pale. I opened my mouth to defend myself, but before I could speak, Detective Reed stepped in.

Nathan, the chances of that are practically zero.

You heard the M.E. The victim shows no signs of poisoning. Thats not what killed him.

The task force looked defeated.

So we can rule it out. It has nothing to do with your mothers lasagna.

I couldnt help but mutter under my breath.

Besides, I ate it too, didnt I?

My mom makes lasagna all the time, and before all this happened, it was my favorite food.

This time, I had been so worried about Mark that I barely had an appetite and only ate a few bites.

But my mom had two huge helpings.

If there was poison in the lasagna, how were we still standing here?

With every theory hitting a dead end, the task force moved on to another possibility.

A crime of passion. Someone who was obsessed with me.

Detective Reed turned to me. Lucy, think hard. Is there anyone like that?

Someone who pursued you, couldnt have you, and is now taking out his anger on your boyfriends from the shadows? Its a possibility.

I wracked my brain, and then my eyes shot up.

Actually there might be someone.

3

As all eyes in the room turned to me, I had no choice but to tell them everything.

There was a guy I met through work, Trevor. He pursued me for a while, but he was a heavy smoker and just not my type, so I turned him down.

After that, he threatened me a few times, both directly and indirectly.

He said that when he wants a woman, he gets her, no matter the cost.

I told him I had a boyfriend, and he just smirked and said we wouldnt last long.

The more I said, the more the goosebumps crawled up my arms.

I was on the verge of tears, looking pleadingly at Detective Reed.

Detective, do you think it could be him?

But how would he know every time I got a new boyfriend? And how could he kill them so flawlessly, without a trace?

Detective Reed looked thoughtful. We cant be sure hes the killer, but hes certainly a person of interest.

To test this theory, well need to investigate further.

The task force proposed a plan: Nathan would pose as my new boyfriend and come to my house for dinner.

Me?

Him?

Nathan and I spoke at the same time.

Seeing the utter reluctance on his handsome face, I frowned.

Cant you pick someone else?

Detective Reed just smiled. Hes the only one in the unit who is close to your age. Its more believable this way.

Fine.

So, Nathan, as instructed, came over to my house, pretending to be my boyfriend.

We replicated the entire scenario from when Mark came over.

My mom wiped her tears and forced a smile, chopping vegetables and preparing the lasagna just as she had before.

While we waited for it to bake, I poured a glass of juice from the fridge and handed it to Nathan.

This is my favorite. You should try it.

Nathan shot me an annoyed look.

I rolled my eyes, slammed the glass down on the table, and muttered, Drink it or dont. I dont care.

For some reason, this guy acted like he had a personal vendetta against me, glaring at me every chance he got.

I couldnt figure it out.

Finally, I asked him.

Nathan, what is your problem with me?

He just snorted and turned away, his gaze falling on a childhood photo of me on the wall.

Looks like you were trouble even back then.

That was it. I shot to my feet, my eyes welling up.

Nathan, what is that supposed to mean?

Why are you so prejudiced against me? Deep down, you think Im the one who killed them, dont you?

Tears streamed down my face, hot and unstoppable.

Nathan froze, suddenly looking flustered. He quickly handed me a tissue.

Hey, dont cry.

His voice was awkward. I didnt mean it like that. Dont overthink it.

But this time, I wouldnt back down.

Then what did you mean?

Youve been on this case since the beginning, and every time you see me, you look like you want to punch a wall.

This time, it was my boyfriend, Mark, who died.

Hes gone, and Im the one whos heartbroken, but youre still blaming me.

Nathan was silent for a long time, just looking at me. Finally, he sighed.

I just think youre a bit of a black widow.

And its a damn shame about those lives.

But no matter how much effort it takes, we are going to get to the bottom of this.

A small laugh escaped my lips, and then Nathan smiled too.

He picked up the glass of juice and took a few sips.

After that, the hostility in his eyes seemed to fade a little.

We followed the plan, ate the lasagna, and waited nervously for the killer to make a move.

But the meal ended.

And Nathan was perfectly fine.

Im not dead?

The task force had already tested this batch of lasagna, so there were no surprises there.

But from start to finish, nothing unusual happened.

Everyone was more confused than ever.

Could we be looking at this all wrong?

Maybe its not the lasagna at all. Maybe the problem is somewhere else!

Only I had a different idea.

What if the killer knew? What if he knew Nathan was just pretending to be my boyfriend?

Just then, Detective Reeds phone rang.

It was the task force headquarters. They had just received an anonymous letter.

Detective, we think its from the killer!

Hes hiding in the shadows, watching us run in circles. Hes taunting us!

4

Detective Reeds expression darkened as he snatched the letter.

He only needed one glance.

His face turned grim.

Curious, I leaned over to look.

There were only a few words written in stark, bold letters:

The fifth life is mine.

The atmosphere in the room turned to ice.

A collective gasp went through the task force.

This is insane!

Its a direct challenge!

I dont believe it! We have the whole place locked down. How is he going to take a fifth life right under our noses?

Detective Reed remained calm, raising a hand to silence the chatter.

He handed the letter to a forensics officer.

Check this for prints.

But the results came back quickly.

No prints, Detective.

The killer has counter-surveillance skills. He likely wore gloves. Didnt leave a single mark.

At that exact moment, as everyone was scrambling for a lead, one of the female officers in the room looked around and cried out.

Wheres Nathan?!

My heart leaped into my throat. I looked around wildly.

He was just here a second ago.

A terrible realization dawned on Detective Reeds face.

Now! he yelled.

Find Nathan!