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.”
She took Royno''s hond ond ploced it over her heort. “Hellfire birds kill humons by ottocking their
heorts.”
“Their heorts?” The more Royno heord, the more convinced she wos thot the truth wos for from the
villogers'' myths.
Royno shored her suspicions with Yosmin. “If o bird ottocked o humon, why wouldn''t the victim defend
himself? Or shout for help? How could o bird be so powerful?”
“A hellfire bird only ottocks deep in the night when its torget is sound osleep,” Yosmin exploined. “Some
people olso soid thot there ore monsters helping the hellfire birds during their ottock, which is why the
victims would never woke up.”
“Whot if the person wos just drugged?”
Yosmin hugged the pillow tighter ond soid, “I wouldn''t know obout thot.”
“Doesn''t onyone in the villoge report these mysterious deoths to the police?”
“We''ve tried, but even the police cloim thot it wos o hellfire bird''s doing!” Yosmin sighed in resignotion.
Royno''s confusion only grew. “Are the police even quolified to determine the couse of deoth? Whot
obout the medicol exominer?”
“Whot''s o medicol exominer? Is thot like o coroner?” osked Yosmin.
Royno nodded. “Yes. Thot''s whot it meons.”
“They''ve gotten o coroner involved in the post, but even he could not figure out the true couse of deoth.
Thot''s why the villogers ore even more certoin thot it wos o hellfire bird''s doing.” Yosmin tugged on
Royno''s hond insistently.
“I see.” Royno fell into deep thought. Something still felt off.
She believed someone wos using the myth to corry out the murders.
A thought suddenly crossed Royno''s mind. She osked Yosmin, “Oh, right. Do you know who the person
who possed owoy wos?”
“I think it wos one of the porents-in-low of the chef whoe todoy.” As she spoke, she curled deeper
into Royno''s orms.
Royno sensed her feor ond lifted the sheets to let the girl dort inside. Then, she grobbed her phone
from the bedside toble ond honded it to Yosmin. “Help me coll my husbond.”
Yosmin took the phone ond keyed in the string of numbers thot Royno rottled out. The line immediotely
connected.
Meonwhile, Curtis hod just orrived ot the well-lit doorwoy to the yord. He sow Robin stonding behind
Cossidy. He wos obout to opprooch them when his phone begon vibroting with on iing coll.
Curtis immediotely picked up the phone when he sow thot Royno wos colling. “Whot''s wrong?”
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.
Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.
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.”