Heatwave Murder

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In the middle of a scorching 104-degree heatwave, my husband took our daughter for an outing. They both allegedly died of severe heatstroke.

As soon as the funeral was over, the debt collector who had been eyeing me for a long time showed up at my door.

I had no way to pay him back. To protect my husband's family, I had no choice but to become his secret plaything.

Eventually, the debt collector grew tired of me and threw me out onto the streets like trash.

With nothing left to my name, I was wandering the city when I saw my long-dead husband. He was smiling and hugging a beautiful mistress.

I rushed forward, desperate for an explanation. But my drunken husband didn't hesitateDhe floored the gas and crushed me under his wheels.

As I lay dying, I heard the mistress's triumphant laughter.

"You poor thing. Your husband is mine now, and your daughter was sold to some backwoods creep. Dying is actually a mercy for you!"

Then, I woke up.

I was back on the day my husband was supposed to take our daughter on that fatal outing.

"Rainey, something happened! Caleb and Yara they passed out from heatstroke. It's bad, real bad"

The phone rang with a piercing, familiar shrillness.

On the other end was Silas, my husband's best friend. His voice was trembling, exactly like it had in my previous life.

My husband, who usually hated taking care of our child, had suddenly claimed he wanted to be a better father. He insisted on taking Yara to a mountain retreat owned by his friend to pick peaches.

I had begged him not to go. I told him the heatwave was too dangerous for outdoor activities.

But he wouldn't listen to a single word. He pounded his chest and promised me everything would be fine.

I saw how excited Yara was and reluctantly gave in.

Now, before lunch could even be served, I was receiving this nightmare of a phone call.

When I arrived at the retreat, Silas told me Yara had already been rushed to the hospital. But as for my husbandD

I could only see a body lying in the distance, covered by a white sheet.

I tried to get closer, but Silas blocked me. He told me the body was too graphic and would haunt my dreams.

Later, they told me the doctors couldn't save Yara. She was gone.

I was so consumed by grief that I fainted on the spot.

When I woke up, my mother-in-law, Martha, told me she had already handled the cremations and the paperwork.

She held me as we sobbed together. She told me I had to be the pillar of the family now and stay strong.

I was deeply moved by her apparent kindness and support.

But the moment the mourning period ended, the debt collectors arrived.

I didn't even know Caleb had borrowed such a staggering amount of money. His bank accounts were completely empty.

When I tried to sell our house and car to cover the debt, the bank told me they had already been used as collateral. They were scheduled for repossession.

The debt collector, Victor, looked at me with hungry eyes.

"You're all alone now, sweetheart. I won't make it hard on you. If you can't pay, you can use your body to settle the account."

"But if you want to play difficult, don't blame me if something happens to that elderly mother-in-law of yours!"

For Martha's sake, I surrendered myself to him in total despair.

Years later, depression took its toll on my looks. Victor grew disgusted with me and kicked me out.

I was a homeless ghost until that one night. I saw my "dead" husband hugging a woman, laughing as they stepped into a luxury car.

I was paralyzed with shock. I ran toward them, screaming for the truth.

Caleb's face turned dark. He called me a pathetic curse that wouldn't stay buried.

While drunk, he drove his car over my body, crushing my bones into the pavement.

Before I took my last breath, the woman beside him laughed.

"You poor thing. Your husband is mine now, and your daughter was sold to some backwoods creep. Dying is actually a mercy for you!"

I had been lived a lie for ten years.

It wasn't a tragic accident. It was a cold, calculated murder!

Hearing Silas's voice on the phone again made my blood run cold.

I felt a chill of hatred in my heart.

This time, I will make sure he pays for my daughter's life with his own!

"Rainey? Are you there? If you hurry, you might see Caleb one last time."

Silas spoke tentatively when I didn't respond for a long time.

"Fine. I'm coming."

I faked a voice full of grief and hung up the phone.

I didn't have a second to waste. I checked my phoneDYara's GPS smartwatch was still on.

The signal was near Silas's retreat, but it was moving fast toward the highway.

I immediately dialed the police.

"Hello? I believe my daughter is being kidnapped! The vehicle likely just left Silas's Mountain Retreat in the West Hills. Please, you have to intercept them!"

The operator became alert instantly. I provided all the descriptions and personal details.

She assured me that patrol cars in the area were being deployed.

Thinking of my poor daughter made my heart ache with a violent physical pain.

I never imagined her own father and grandmother would sell her to human traffickers for money.

This time, I will save you, even if it costs me my life!

I couldn't afford to break down yet. I called my boss to take leave and raced toward the retreat.

"Silas, where is my daughter!"

I screamed the moment I saw him.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead, looking heartbroken.

"Rainey, calm down. Yara was already sent to the hospital. But Caleb he's gone. I kept him here so you could say goodbye."

He pointed toward the small courtyard. A body was lying silently under the sun.

The heat was blistering, at least 104 degrees. The retreat courtyard had low walls and offered zero shade.

My husband, that bastard Caleb, was really committed to the act. It was high noon, and the ground was hot enough to fry an egg.

"Are you sure he's dead?"

"Yeah the paramedics who took Yara checked him. They confirmed he was gone. We're just waiting for the coroner's certificate."

Silas was lying through his teeth. His eyes never left my hands.

"Rainey just look from here. Don't go closer. It's a gruesome sight, and I don't want you to collapse."

Just like in my previous life, Silas tried to keep me away. He was terrified I would actually examine the "corpse."

But I wasn't that fragile, grieving woman anymore.

I shoved Silas aside with all my strength and ran toward Caleb's "body."

I had been practicing boxing for years. My arms were toned, and my strength caught him off guard.

The scrawny Silas stumbled back, then tried to rush forward to grab me.

I pulled a sharp paring knife out of my bag, which I had prepared beforehand.

"Is there something you're hiding about my husband's death? Why won't you let me see him!"

Silas froze, clearly not expecting this reaction.

His lips trembled as he spoke.

"Rainey, what are you saying? Be reasonable! Caleb has been my best friend for years. Why would I hurt him?"

"Then why didn't you send him to the hospital with Yara? Why are you keeping me away from his body!"

I sneered, acting like a woman driven mad by grief. I stood over the body, swinging the knife to keep Silas back.

As I yelled, my other hand reached down and flipped up a corner of the white sheet.

Caleb's eyes were tightly shut. He didn't move a muscle, but his face was dripping with sweat.

I confirmed it was really him. I felt a sense of relief and tucked the sheet back over him carefully.

I began to wail loudly while waving the knife.

"I've already called the police! Nobody touches my husband until the authorities get here!"

The 104-degree sun was truly vicious.

I had been making a scene for a while, and even I was starting to feel the heat.

But compared to Caleb, who was lying on the scorching pavement under a heavy sheetD

I could definitely last longer.

"Rainey, it's too hot out here. You're going to get sick! Just come inside, I'll make you some iced tea"

Silas was sweating bullets. He kept glancing at Caleb on the ground, looking like he was about to cry from anxiety.

"No need! I brought my own!"

I stayed on guard and pulled a bottle of ice water from my bag. I took a long, deliberate swig.

I didn't trust Silas. I wouldn't touch a drop of water provided by him.

I could feel Caleb twitch slightly beside me. He had to be burning up.

But I knew he wouldn't dare get up. If he blew his cover now, his entire plan would fail, and he'd go to prison for the kidnapping.

You want to play dead? Fine. I'll make sure you enjoy the experience.

"Rainey, I swear on my life! This is just a small mountain business. I'm not a killer. Caleb just had bad luck with the heatstroke!"

"Oh? You knew it was this hot, so why did you let him take a child out to pick fruit? You're the owner. If a guest dies, it's on you!"

I gripped the knife tighter, continuing my irrational rant.

Silas was frantic. His shirt was completely soaked through with sweat.

Seeing that he couldn't convince me, he tried to threaten me instead.

"Rainey, stop this nonsense right now! I didn't get the permits for this land by being a nice guy. If you don't step away, I'll make you regret it!"

In my last life, the debt collector had said much worse to me.

A little rat like Silas didn't scare me at all.

"Where is the deceased? Let me see him immediately!"

Suddenly, a sharp female voice rang out from the gate.

My expression froze for a split second.

I knew that voice all too well.

It was the mistress who had mocked me right before I died.

A young woman in a white lab coat arrived, carrying a medical kit.

I took a good look at her. It was definitely her.

She looked much younger now, but the malice in her eyes was the same.

It seemed she didn't just meet Caleb laterDshe was part of the conspiracy from the very beginning.

She frowned and barked at me.

"Are you the wife? Move aside. If you keep interfering, your husband might actually die if he's still hanging on!"

So, Silas couldn't handle me, and now the mistress was playing doctor?

I sneered and pointed the knife at her.

"The paramedics already came and left! You're with him, aren't you? You just want to tamper with the scene and hide the evidence!"

Seeing that I was immovable, Silas and the mistress exchanged a quick look.

I immediately went on high alert.

The mistress suddenly opened her kit and pulled out a device that looked like a small handgun.

I recognized itDit was a sedative dart gun used for animals.

This retreat often had issues with stray dogs or wild boars. Silas must have kept it for emergencies.

It seemed she came prepared for a fight.

"Since you won't listen to reason, don't blame me!"

She fired. A sedative dart streaked toward me.

But years of boxing had given me great reflexes. I twisted my body, and the dart whistled past me.

It thudded directly into Caleb's leg as he lay on the ground.

It wasn't my imaginationDI heard a muffled, tiny groan come from under the sheet.

"DCaleb!"

The mistress froze. Her face went pale as the name slipped out of her mouth.

"Aha! You do know him! You're not a doctor you're trying to murder him!"

I threw myself onto Caleb's body, screaming and wailing. While I did, I secretly pushed the dart deeper into his flesh.

"They're here! They're here!"

Silas, who had been standing there like a statue, suddenly looked toward the gate and ran to help someone inside.

"Where is my poor son Let me see him!"

My mother-in-law, Martha, had arrived out of nowhere.

Silas or the mistress must have sent her a secret text to bring in reinforcements.

Her wrinkled face twisted into a mask of sorrow, and she began to sob instantly.

I couldn't tell if she was acting or if she was genuinely upset to see her precious son roasting on the concrete.

"Rainey honey, I know you're hurting. I'm heartbroken too. But Silas said Caleb passed away at noon. It's too hot for the body to stay out here. Go inside and rest. Silas will handle everything."

She looked so kind and motherly, as if she were truly worried about my mental state.

But I knew the poisonous heart hiding behind that gentle face.

In my last life, when I heard Yara died, I thought I fainted from grief.

But looking back, it happened right after I drank the stew Martha had brought me.

By the time I woke up, the funerals were already over.

Martha had hugged me then, her face full of fake tears.

"From now on, it's just us two women. You're the head of this house now. You have to stay strong for us."

She acted so loving that I had cried with gratitude.

In reality, she just wanted me to be the one to pay off her son's debts.

Worse than that, Yara had been raised by her since she was six months old. They were incredibly close.

Yara used to save her favorite snacks just to bring them home to her grandma.

And yet, this "loving" grandmother was the one who personally sold her to a trafficker.

Thinking about it made me want to tear this old monster apart with my bare hands.

"Mom, you don't understand. Caleb's death is suspicious. This woman tried to trick me by pretending to be a doctor! I can't leave. I won't let them destroy the evidence. The police will be here any minute!"

As I spoke, the body beneath me flinched.

Caleb's arm brushed against mine.

I didn't say a word. I used the cover of my "hysteria" to pin his twitching body down harder against the hot ground.

Caleb's skin was pale, and his body was starting to shake. I could feel his heart racing. His breathing was shallow and ragged.

The ground was like a furnace. He was literally cooking.

I fought the urge to smile.

Finally, he was actually suffering from heatstroke.

With the sedative dart in his system, he couldn't even get up if he wanted to.

"You stubborn girl! Why won't you listen! Get out of the way!"

Martha hurried toward me, her eyes darting to her son.

Suddenly, my phone began to vibrate violently.

"Don't come any closer!"

I swung the knife, forcing Martha to back off.

I answered the phone quickly.

"Hello? Is this Mrs. Rainey Miller? Based on the info you provided, we intercepted the vehicle. We have the suspects in custody."

My heart did a somersault in my chest.

"Mrs. Miller, your daughter is safe. She was drugged with a mild sedative, but she's okay. We're taking her to the Central Hospital. Please come as soon as possible."