Chapter 44: Life-Saving Kindness

Chapter 44: Chapter 44: Life-Saving Kindness

Henry Stark was leading the response team this time.

Renee Jennings walked up to him, her brow furrowed. "Captain Stark, Mary is hurt. I have to take them to the vet first. Can I come to the station to give my statement a little later?"

Mary?

Henry Stark glanced at the two small birds in her arms. "Which one is Mary?"

Renee Jennings pointed to the slightly larger of the two.

"What’s the other one’s name?" Henry Stark asked.

Renee Jennings shook her head. "I don’t know its name yet."

’How could she not be moved? A bird she didn’t even know had risked its life to save her.’

Henry Stark nodded. "I hope they have a speedy recovery."

"Thank you." Renee Jennings gazed at the man’s deep-set eyes. "I’ll be going, then."

"Miss Jennings, wait," Henry Stark suddenly called out.

Renee Jennings thought he was about to refuse her request to take Mary and the other bird for treatment first. A hint of displeasure touched her delicate features.

She turned back, only to hear the man’s soft voice ask, "Are you hurt?"

Renee Jennings instantly hid her emotions, shaking her head. "If it weren’t for them, I probably would have been."

"Renee." Diana Jennings, who had gone back upstairs for the car keys, had already pulled the car around.

"I’m leaving now." Renee Jennings hurried toward the red BMW.

Fortunately, Mary and the other Little Sparrow hadn’t sustained any life-threatening injuries.

"While their condition isn’t critical, they can’t eat on their own right now. They’ll need nutritional injections, and we’ll keep them in an incubator for the next few days..."

Walking out of the vet’s office, Renee Jennings finally felt a weight lift from her shoulders.

She hung her head, her voice catching. "Diana, they only got hurt because they were saving me."

Diana Jennings suppressed her surprise and comforted her gently. "They’re so brave. The vet said they’ll be fine in a few days, so don’t blame yourself too much."

"I know." Renee Jennings sighed in relief.

"Do you still have to go to the police station?" Diana Jennings asked quietly.

Renee Jennings nodded. "Yeah."

In the red BMW, Diana Jennings gripped the steering wheel, debating whether to speak.

Renee Jennings watched the night scenery recede outside the car window and said slowly, "A while ago, I found a body in Blue Bay Park."

Diana Jennings shot her a surprised glance.

Renee Jennings continued, "I called the police. They found out the murderer was that man’s son—the one from just now."

Diana Jennings’s hands tightened on the steering wheel, her voice agitated. "So he thinks you’re responsible for what happened to his son, and he’s trying to get revenge?"

"Mhm," Renee Jennings nodded.

A look of anger appeared in Diana Jennings’s usually gentle eyes. "He’s insane!"

"There are so many sick people in this world," Renee Jennings sighed.

’Then again, wasn’t she one of them in her previous life?’

At the police station.

From Renee Jennings’s statement, Henry Stark learned that Dean Hughes had been secretly stalking her for a long time and had even attempted to attack her on one occasion.

"Why didn’t you call the police?" The man’s handsome face was stern.

Renee Jennings said calmly, "He suddenly rushed at me and started chasing me, but he didn’t pull out a knife or anything. Then he just gave up halfway and left..."

"Renee Jennings, you’re being too careless," Henry Stark said with a frown.

She met the man’s slightly displeased gaze, but her thoughts suddenly veered off-track. A smile played on her lips. "Captain Stark, have you run into any tricky murder cases lately?"

Henry Stark: "..."

The change of subject was so abrupt he didn’t have time to react.

Before she left, Renee Jennings added, "If you ever need help, feel free to find me. I’ll give you a discount on my consultation fee—a friends-and-family rate."

Henry Stark found this amusing. He raised an eyebrow. "Are we friends?"

"Aren’t we?" Renee Jennings blinked, speaking as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I’m on your friends list. Doesn’t that make us friends?"

The amusement in the man’s dark eyes deepened. His thin lips curved slightly. "I guess we are."

**

New Year’s Eve arrived right on schedule.

Renee Jennings was sleeping soundly, snuggled in her blankets, when she suddenly heard the system’s voice announcing a mission.

[System 009: Random Mission Triggered—Earn the gratitude of ten small animals. Mission Reward: Two (2) chances at the random prize draw. Mission Failure: Random plot event will be deployed.]

Renee Jennings pried open her sleepy eyes, utterly bewildered.

’Why would it sneakily assign a mission while I’m asleep?’

[System 009: You’re the one who’s sleeping in!]

Jasmine stood at the bedroom door, pushing it open just a crack. In her high, sweet voice, she said, "Auntie Renee, Grandma told me to come wake you up."

"Okay, Jasmine, Auntie’s getting up," Renee Jennings said, taking a deep breath as she struggled out of bed.

After brunch, she was thinking about the new mission the system had just assigned when her phone suddenly started ringing.

Renee Jennings glanced at the caller ID. To her surprise, it was Sylvia Brooks.

She answered the call. "Miss Brooks?"

The woman’s voice came through the receiver. "Miss Jennings, am I interrupting you?"

"Not at all," Renee Jennings chuckled. "What can I do for you, Miss Brooks?"

Sylvia Brooks laughed. "Yes, actually. I’d like to send you some New Year’s gifts to thank you for saving my life."

Renee Jennings raised an eyebrow slightly. "Miss Brooks, there’s no need. It was no trouble at all. Besides, you’ve already paid me."

"That five hundred thousand was for helping me find the lost gold bars and necklace. This is different," Sylvia Brooks said, her tone utterly sincere. "Miss Jennings, please, give me a chance to properly thank you."

Since she was so insistent, Renee Jennings no longer refused. "Well, why don’t you come over for a bit, then?"

"Okay," Sylvia Brooks agreed happily. "When would be a good time for you?"

After hanging up, Renee Jennings told her family that a friend would be visiting in the afternoon.

Rhea Dempsey sounded surprised. "You have other friends besides Michelle?"

Renee Jennings: "..."

’Was that a polite thing to ask?’

’But on second thought, Michelle Fuller really was the only one who had ever been a true friend to her.’

’Everyone else just pretended to be her friend to her face, but they’d always mock her behind her back for being poor while trying to act like a socialite.’

Seeing her daughter had no comeback, Rhea Dempsey didn’t press the point.

That afternoon, Rhea Dempsey took her three furry companions downstairs to sunbathe and gossip with the neighbors.

But as soon as they got downstairs, she saw Old Hag Crawford lift a thick leg and kick viciously at a small black dog.

She cursed as she kicked, "I’ll kill you, you mutt! How dare you steal my food! And then you dare bark at me! I’m going to kick you to death today!"

Seeing this, Rhea Dempsey’s fists clenched and her face turned pale with rage. She ground out through her teeth, "Old Hag Crawford, have you lost your damn mind?! You’re abusing a puppy!"

Old Hag Crawford spat out a mouthful of sunflower seed shells. "Well now," she said with a sneer, "what’s with the temper? It’s not like I kicked *your* dog!"

Rhea Dempsey was seething. "What did that dog ever do to you?"

Old Hag Crawford snorted. "This mutt stole my food! I told it off, and it had the nerve to bark at me!"

The little black dog cowered miserably under a stone table, whimpering, "You’re lying! I didn’t steal anything!"

Blueberry quickly filled in Cici and Bella. "You two, remember her face. That’s the Old Hag who’s always bullying our family!"

Cici stared fiercely at Old Hag Crawford. "Old Hag! You’re horrible, abusing a little dog!"

Bella ground her teeth. "Bella is angry! Bella wants to bite her!"