Chapter 697


    chapter 697 Unnatural Deaths


    Curtis smoothed out the nkets beside Rayna and said, “It''s still early. Get some rest. I''ve arranged


    for someone to apany her, so don''t worry.”


    “Okay.” Rayna nodded before burrowing herself under the sheets.


    Curtis left the bed and walked to the open window. He nced at the street outside and saw a few


    brightly lit houses in the distance. The sounds of anguished wails drifted from the same direction.


    He closed the window and returned to the side of the bed. “I''m heading outside to see what''s going on.”


    “Okay. Be careful,” replied Rayna.


    Curtis grabbed a jacket off the coat rack before leaving the bedroom.


    Yasmin, who had been in Cassidy''s room, heard footsteps descending the stairs. She jumped off the


    bed and opened the door. When she saw that Curtis had gone downstairs, she made a beeline for


    Rayna''s room and twisted the doorknob.


    Rayna heard someone opening her bedroom door and asked, “Who''s there?”


    “It''s me... Yasmin.” She stood in the doorway with a pillow to her chest and asked timidly, “Can Ie


    in?”


    “Of course.” Rayna sat up in her bed and gestured to an empty spot beside her.


    Yasmin walked into the room and climbed onto the bed. When she was close enough, Rayna patted


    the girl and asked, “Can''t fall asleep?”


    “Mm-hmm. I''m scared,” mumbled the girl. She instinctively leaned into Rayna forfort.


    Then, Yasmin said through sobs, “Ms. Cassidy lured out the hellfire birds in the day, and now someone


    is dead. They will surely kill Ms. Cassidy over this!”


    Rayna was perplexed by the girl''s words. “Yasmin, at the end of the day, hellfire birds are just birds.


    Why are birds revered like legendary beings?”


    Yasmin raised her head at Rayna''s question and asked, “Don''t you believe in the myth, Ms. Belle?”


    “Well, I don''t fully believe it. We''re in a scientific era. I know there are still things that science cannot


    exin, but I tend to believe in science more. Is there some story behind the hellfire birds?”


    The girl began recounting her memories of hellfire birds. “I don''t know the whole story, but the people in


    the vige have always said that death is imminent when a hellfire bird appears. This saying has been


    around for many years. I didn''t quite believe it myself until an incident three years ago. Ms. Cassidy


    and I hiked up the mountains and identally disturbed a hellfire bird resting in the forest. The next


    day, someone in the vige died.”


    “Perhaps that''s nothing more than coincidence.” Rayna was not convinced by her exnation.


    Yasmin shook her head in disagreement. “It''s not a coincidence. The person who died had w marks


    from a hellfire bird on his body, and it was right across his chest.”


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    She took Rayna''s hand and ced it over her heart. “Hellfire birds kill humans by attacking their


    hearts.”


    “Their hearts?” The more Rayna heard, the more convinced she was that the truth was far from the


    vigers'' myths.


    Rayna shared her suspicions with Yasmin. “If a bird attacked a human, why wouldn''t the victim defend


    himself? Or shout for help? How could a bird be so powerful?”


    “A hellfire bird only attacks deep in the night when its target is sound asleep,” Yasmin exined. “Some


    people also said that there are monsters helping the hellfire birds during their attack, which is why the


    victims would never wake up.”


    “What if the person was just drugged?”


    Yasmin hugged the pillow tighter and said, “I wouldn''t know about that.”


    “Doesn''t anyone in the vige report these mysterious deaths to the police?”


    “We''ve tried, but even the police im that it was a hellfire bird''s doing!” Yasmin sighed in resignation.


    Rayna''s confusion only grew. “Are the police even qualified to determine the cause of death? What


    about the medical examiner?”


    “What''s a medical examiner? Is that like a coroner?” asked Yasmin.


    Rayna nodded. “Yes. That''s what it means.”


    “They''ve gotten a coroner involved in the past, but even he could not figure out the true cause of death.


    That''s why the vigers are even more certain that it was a hellfire bird''s doing.” Yasmin tugged on


    Rayna''s hand insistently.


    “I see.” Rayna fell into deep thought. Something still felt off.


    She believed someone was using the myth to carry out the murders.


    A thought suddenly crossed Rayna''s mind. She asked Yasmin, “Oh, right. Do you know who the person


    who passed away was?”


    “I think it was one of the parents-inw of the chef who came today.” As she spoke, she curled deeper


    into Rayna''s arms.


    Rayna sensed her fear and lifted the sheets to let the girl dart inside. Then, she grabbed her phone


    from the bedside table and handed it to Yasmin. “Help me call my husband.”


    Yasmin took the phone and keyed in the string of numbers that Rayna rattled out. The line immediately


    connected.


    Meanwhile, Curtis had just arrived at the well-lit doorway to the yard. He saw Robin standing behind


    Cassidy. He was about to approach them when his phone began vibrating with an iing call.


    Curtis immediately picked up the phone when he saw that Rayna was calling. “What''s wrong?”


    “Nothing. Yasmin is in my room now. She just told me some things. I thought they were quite odd.”


    “What did she say?” Curtis walked under the shelter of a big tree near the doorway instead of entering


    the yard.


    Rayna exined, “Yasmin said people would mysteriously die whenever hellfire birds appeared. The


    birds apparently kill their victims by targeting their hearts, and the victims always have the w marks


    of a hellfire bird across their chests. That''s how the vige and the medical examiner came to believe


    that hellfire birds were responsible for all the unexined deaths.”


    A frown appeared on Curtis'' face. “Do you suspect foul y?”


    “Yes. Hellfire bird is just the name of a type of bird, yet the local police and medical examiner believe


    their involvement so readily. Don''t you find it strange?” Rayna voiced her doubts to her husband.


    She added, “While residents of less-developed areas could buy into such myths, we''re talking about


    death here. If the police don''t bother checking for foul y or other factors and instantly point fingers at


    hellfire birds, are they even doing their jobs right?”


    After some thought, Curtis replied gravely, “I''ll check it out. Don''t be so hung up on the incident, by the


    way. Even if something''s off about the situation, it has nothing to do with us.”


    “But Cassidy...” Rayna continued anxiously, “The hellfire birds that appeared this morning were lured


    out by Cassidy''s whistling.”


    He retorted, “Cassidy has spent her whole life here. If she wasn''t confident, do you think she would try


    something so risky?”


    She found his exnation logical enough. “You have a point. Why don''t youe back with Mr. Yeast


    and the others, then? Be careful.”


    “I will.” Curtis hung up afterward and strode into the yard.


    When Robin noticed Curtising in, he rushed forward to stop thetter. “Mr. Faymon, don''t look in


    that direction. The victim died in a rather eerie manner.”


    “Eerie?” Curtis was intrigued by his assistant''s description.


    “His eyes are wide open, almost as though he was literally frightened to death.” Robin had ascertained


    at first nce that the elderly victim had died of unnatural causes.


    “Isn''t it because of hellfire birds?” Undeterred, Curtis peeped over Robin''s shoulder. All he saw was a


    human shape covered under a white sheet.


    “What era are we in? Monsters and ghosts aren''t real. Pfft. It''s clearly a human''s doing.” Robin added


    disdainfully, “I can''t believe everyone in the vige fell for that hellfire bird myth. Honestly, it''s really


    weird.”