Chapter 259: The Phoenix Man’s Family

Chapter 259: Chapter 259: The Phoenix Man’s Family

Seeing the police arrive, the young man carefully placed the photograph in his hand on the counter next to the cash register.

Then, he raised his hands and walked step by step toward Heath Hale and the others.

A few officers around Heath Hale hurried forward to check the five deceased individuals. They found that every one of them had stopped breathing; they were beyond saving.

Meanwhile, the passersby who had been lingering outside, curious about what was happening, crept closer.

When they saw the five people around the small dining table, they couldn’t help but scream, "Someone’s dead! Someone’s dead! The owner’s whole family is dead!"

The crowd of onlookers outside erupted in an uproar.

’They were fine just a moment ago. How could they all be gone so suddenly?’

This time, without Heath Hale even having to say a word, the officers still outside proactively cordoned off the scene from the onlookers.

Heath Hale looked at the young man before him and asked, "What did you poison them with?"

"Arsenic. I don’t know how much, but I dumped it all in. I made sure they’d die the second they drank it!

Don’t bother trying to save them. To guarantee its effectiveness, I didn’t leave a single drop!" The young man’s expression was a mixture of madness and catharsis.

’I couldn’t give those bastards a single chance to live. If I’d gone soft, it would have been me and my sister suffering next!’

Heath Hale looked at the young man and gave a nod to the officers beside him.

Two officers quickly moved forward and restrained him, while several others stood guard, ready in case he struggled and caused a scene.

But from beginning to end, the young man was unusually cooperative. As the police were arresting him, he even offered a pointed reminder, "There might be some residue in my cuffs. Be careful not to touch it and ingest it by mistake."

Hearing this, a few officers gestured for him to take off his jacket, then carefully rolled it up.

Soon, the responding officers split into two groups. One secured the scene, taking photos and collecting evidence, while the other took the killer back to the station.

From the discovery, to arriving at the scene, to bringing the suspect back.

The entire process took less than ten minutes.

"What’s your name? Why did you poison this family?" Heath Hale asked, sitting in the interrogation room and looking at the killer across from him.

A smile of relief touched the killer’s face. He answered almost every question without hesitation. "My name is Caleb Rivers. I poisoned this family to get revenge for my sister."

As Caleb Rivers told his story, the tale of a social-climbing freeloader who leeched off his wife unfolded before Heath Hale and the others.

The sister Caleb spoke of was his neighbor, Wendy Kendall.

Wendy Kendall had been frail and sickly since childhood. Her mother was also in perpetually poor health and couldn’t work, so the entire family depended on the small restaurant her father ran.

Caleb Rivers, on the other hand, was an orphan abandoned by his parents. They left him a small, dilapidated apartment in an old district before divorcing and going their separate ways to find new love.

Caleb’s grandparents disliked his mother, and by extension, they disliked him as well.

No one was willing to raise him. At six or seven years old, the boy could only scavenge for trash every day, selling it to buy steamed buns to fill his stomach.

Mr. and Mrs. Kendall saw his pitiful state, and since they were neighbors, they took him in and raised him as their own. Over time, the bond between the "brother and sister" grew so strong that they were no different from real siblings.

But these happy days didn’t last. Shortly after they started middle school, Mrs. Kendall passed away due to her poor health, compounded by damage sustained during childbirth.

Mr. Kendall, busy with work, didn’t have much energy to look after the two children. The intense labor also gradually weakened his own body.

But the thought of the two children gave him the strength to grit his teeth and carry on.

Due to Wendy Kendall’s health, she dropped out during her freshman year of college to recuperate at home, while Caleb Rivers stayed and finished his entire degree.

When Caleb came home for break the following year, he discovered his sister was dating an apprentice from the restaurant.

This apprentice was the cook Caleb had just poisoned, Harrison Alcott.

In front of Mr. Kendall and Caleb, Harrison Alcott was gentle and handled himself well with others. He seemed to be constantly concerned about Wendy’s health and mood.

Whenever he had free time, he would take Wendy for walks or trips to nearby places. He had no bad habits; he didn’t smoke or drink.

Caleb was wary, afraid it was all an act, so he secretly followed Harrison for a long time.

But he never found anything out of the ordinary.

Harrison was the same person in public and in private. Gradually, Caleb let go of his prejudice and began to accept his future brother-in-law.

Over the next two years, every time Caleb made a surprise visit home from school, he would see Harrison doting on Wendy. The young couple would occasionally bicker, but they always talked it out quickly and made up, as if nothing had happened.

Aside from the fact that Harrison’s family was poor, Mr. Kendall was very satisfied with his future son-in-law.

’It doesn’t matter if he doesn’t have money, I do!’

He only had one daughter, and everything he had worked so hard to save was, of course, for Wendy.

But what truly convinced him to teach Harrison his culinary trade was when Harrison promised in front of all three of them that he would take good care of Wendy after they were married.

He said her health and safety would always come first, and if Wendy wanted to have a child, their firstborn would take her surname.

He explained that he had a younger brother at home who could carry on the family line, so there was no need to worry about his elders objecting.

Life after that was like a fairy tale. After the young couple got married, aside from not having children, everything else was exactly as he had promised; he had completely fulfilled his word.

When exactly did it all start to change?

Caleb couldn’t remember.

He only knew that one day, while he was at work, he suddenly received a call from Wendy, who told him something had happened to Mr. Kendall and that he needed to come back quickly.

By the time he rushed home, he found his sister had become terribly thin. The plump cheeks Mr. Kendall had lovingly nurtured back to health were now sunken, her expression was listless, and she looked like a completely different person.

And Mr. Kendall hadn’t held on long enough for Caleb to see him one last time. Harrison had already sent his body to be cremated immediately.

The day after Mr. Kendall’s funeral, Harrison’s mother and younger brother from his hometown showed up at the door.

They were carrying large and small bags, with bright, obvious smiles on their faces.

The moment they stepped inside, they started clamoring, saying it was a good thing the "old bastard" was dead, or they wouldn’t have known when they’d get to move into this house.

Harrison’s younger brother went even further, immediately clearing out all of Mr. Kendall’s belongings and taking over his room.

Wendy was upset and had barely said a few words before Harrison’s mother slapped her across the face.

Having been pampered since she was a child, Wendy wasn’t one to take a loss. She was about to retaliate when Harrison slapped her on the other side of her face.

The force of the blow made Wendy’s cheeks swell and her vision swim with stars.

His once-gentle expression twisted into a savage snarl as he pointed a finger at Wendy’s nose and began to curse her.

"Shut up! I slaved away for your family for years. The old man is finally dead, and you still think you can walk all over me?

I’m telling you, dream on!"