Next Life, I Want to Be a Happy Person

1
The call from my mother came as I was being murdered by the serial killer shed been hunting for ten years.
Her voice was laced with venom from the moment she spoke. Your cousin Lily is getting married next week. You will be there as her maid of honor.
Her fianc used to be your boyfriend, she continued, her tone sharp as glass. "If you don't show, think of how it will make her look."
I was already fading, the world turning grey at the edges from blood loss. I didn't have the strength to speak.
She didn't notice. All I heard was her impatient snap. "What are you, dead? Can't even say a word."
"I'm telling you, Chloe, even if you're dying, you'll crawl to that wedding and be her maid of honor first."
Two days later, she was leading the investigation into the gruesome discovery of a dismembered young woman.
She identified the killers signature work in a single glance.
The one thing she didnt identify was the victim.
Me. Her despised daughter.
My remains were found by workers cleaning out a septic tank. It took three officers in heavy-duty respirators a full day and night of draining the filth to find all of me.
My mother, Captain Eva Rostova, arrived at the precinct, her face a grim mask of professionalism. "Time of death? Have we identified the victim?"
Dr. Peterson, the head medical examiner, pulled off his gloves with a weary sigh. "Preliminary estimate is two to three days ago. The body is too severely damaged to identify by face or fingerprints. I've sent samples for DNA. We'll have results in three days, fastest."
At the case briefing, the mood was grim. After Dr. Peterson presented the autopsy findings, a wave of anger swept through the room of hardened detectives.
"She was only in her twenties. A kid. Damn him."
"This was torture, not just murder. Sick son of a bitch."
A veteran detective who had served under my mother for years, Mark Reilly, suddenly stiffened. He looked at her, a question in his eyes. "Captain the MO. You think it's him?"
My mothers gaze, which had been locked on the autopsy report, shot up. Her eyes were like chips of ice.
"It's Walter Crane," she said, her voice low and certain. "I've studied him for a decade. It's him."
She continued, addressing the room. "He's a fanatic. Believes a person's retina holds the last image they saw before death. None of his victims have ever been found with their eyes intact."
A heavy silence fell over the room. The newer detectives hadn't been on the force a decade ago, but everyone knew the name Walter Crane. The "Vanishing Girls" case had shaken the entire country and left deep scars on the original investigative team. He had disappeared for ten years. Why he had resurfaced now, no one knew.
As the lead detective on the original case, my mother knew Crane better than anyone. She immediately formed a task force and began coordinating the investigation.
Mark, an old friend from the police academy, was forced to stay behind at the office with a leg injury, relegated to sorting through cold case files. As the teams filed out, his eyes settled on my mother.
"Looks like you didn't even have time to change," he observed, gesturing to her rumpled suit. "This case couldn't have come at a worse time. Must be throwing a wrench in the wedding plans."
At the mention of the wedding, my mothers professional focus dissolved into pure resentment. "Wedding plans? It's Lily who's getting married. That menace is just a bridesmaid."
Mark looked confused. "Wait, you're saying Chloe's ex is marrying Lily? How did that happen?"
"How do you think it happened?" she scoffed. "Any sane man would choose Lily over that that monster who killed her own father."
Mark sighed heavily. "Eva, it's been three years. You have to let that go. I miss David too, but it wasn't all Chloe's fault. She's been living with that guilt ever since. You kicked her out, but all she ever does is ask about you."
He leaned forward. "She told me once, no matter what you asked her to do, she'd do it. No questions asked."
My mothers face contorted with rage. "You really believe that? She's a master manipulator, always playing the victim for outsiders. She'd do anything I ask? Then why won't she agree to be Lily's maid of honor? It's been two days, and she won't even return my call."
"She's a selfish, worthless parasite," she spat, her voice dripping with venom. "Serves her right she couldn't even hold on to her own boyfriend."
Mark shook his head, a sad, defeated look on his face. He wanted to say more, but it was family business. He let it drop.
I stood right there in front of her, a ghost in the room, listening to every poisoned word. Tears I could no longer physically cry streamed down my face.
Mom, I wasn't being selfish.
I was just dead.
I died the day you called me about Lily's wedding.
The dismembered body you saw today that was me.
2
"Mark, stop worrying about trivial matters," my mother ordered, her voice clipped and professional again. "Pull all missing persons reports for young women filed in the last ten days. We need to ID this victim, fast."
With that, she turned and strode to the morgue, coming to stand before my body once more.
I remember her telling me once that the dead can't speak, but they often tell us more than the living.
Dr. Peterson was performing a second, more detailed autopsy. I lay on the steel table like a crudely stitched-together doll. My mother glanced at my remains, then squeezed her eyes shut, fighting back a wave of nausea.
Her gaze fixed on the ME's hands, her brow furrowed in thought. Then, her frown deepened. She reached out and took hold of my ankle.
My ghostly breath hitched.
Is she going to recognize me?
There's a scar on my ankle, a pale, jagged line from when I tumbled down the stairs as a child.
But a moment later, she spoke, her voice puzzled. "Ligature marks on the ankle. That's not his style. Crane never tied up his victims. It was like he knew they had no chance of escape."
A dull ache spread through my chest.
Walter Crane didn't tie people up.
But that doesn't mean others wouldn't.
She was so strong, Mom. It hurt so much.
Don't you know? I was so scared.
Just then, my mothers phone rang. She walked briskly out of the autopsy room, a rare smile gracing her lips as she answered. "Lily, darling. Sorry, I was busy, I didn't hear your call."
"Don't you worry," she cooed. "I'll make sure that menace shows up to be your maid of honor. If she dares refuse, I'll disown her for good."
Lilys sweet voice chirped from the other end. "Aunt Eva, it's okay. Even if Chloe doesn't want to, I won't blame her. It was my fault for taking Julian from her in the first place."
My mother's expression hardened instantly. "She wouldn't dare! As soon as I'm done with this case, I'll go find her myself. I'll drag her to your wedding if I have to." Her voice softened again. "Listen, things are a little crazy right now. You stay home for the next few days, lock your doors and windows, and don't go anywhere. Understand?"
The affection in her voice was a physical thing, a warmth that never touched me. For her beloved niece, there was endless love. For me, only contempt.
The moment she hung up with Lily, another call came in. It was my aunt, one of the few relatives who still spoke to me.
"Eva? Has Chloe been by to see you? She was supposed to come over and tutor the kids this weekend, but I haven't been able to reach her for two days."
My mothers brief moment of calm evaporated. "Why would she be here? I would never let her in my house."
"You know how she is," my mother continued, her voice dripping with scorn. "She's manipulative and a pathological liar. You actually believe a word that comes out of her mouth? That's laughable."
My aunt sounded uncomfortable. "Eva, Chloe's not like that. She's always been so helpful to me, she'd do anything I ask."
"Oh, so she'll do anything you ask, but she ignores me?" my mother seethed. "All I asked was for her to be a bridesmaid for her own cousin, and she decides to play this little disappearing game. Well, you can give her a message for me. She has two more days. If she doesn't agree, we're done. I'll have no daughter."
She hung up, her face a mask of cold fury.
Mark came to find her just in time to hear the end of the conversation. He raised an eyebrow and sighed dramatically to the empty air beside him. "You know, if someone doesn't answer your call, you could always try calling them again. Why does everything with your own kid have to be a declaration of war?"
My mother shot him a glare and was about to storm off when another officer stopped her. "Captain, we've got someone here reporting his daughter missing."
In the interview room, a middle-aged man with exhausted, red-rimmed eyes described his situation. "My daughter is twenty-three. Just graduated from college. She called me the day before yesterday, said she was coming home to visit. Now I can't reach her. She's never, ever gone more than two days without calling. Please, you have to help me find her."
My mother and Mark exchanged a look of shared sorrow. On the slab downstairs, my body belonged to a girl of about twenty-three.
I floated in the air above them, a heavy stone sitting in my chest. Even a man who seemed gruff and unobservant on the surface could be brought to his knees by the fear of losing his daughter. Less than two days, and he was here, begging for help.
But my own mother, after five days of silence from me, was still just angry. Still convinced I was playing games to get out of a wedding.
The numbness in my heart was absolute. It's true what they say. To someone who loves you, a cough is a sign of pneumonia. To someone who doesn't, you could be hanging from a noose and they'd think you were just playing on a swing.
3
My mother was debating whether to tell the distraught father about the body theyd foundthe timeline didn't quite matchwhen the mans phone rang. A number he didn't recognize.
My mothers police instincts kicked in immediately. She gestured for him to put it on speaker.
"Dad? I'm so sorry, my phone was stolen. I'm using a friend's. I'm okay, I'll be home in an hour."
The man sagged with relief, tears of joy streaming down his face. He staggered to his feet, leaning against the wall for support. As he left, he kept apologizing. "I'm so sorry to have bothered you, officers. Thank you."
My mother watched him go, her expression somber. "A child is a parent's whole world," she murmured. "Every time we get a missing persons case, the hardest part is watching the hope die in their parents' eyes."
I floated beside her, studying her face.
A child is a parent's world, Mom? Then what am I to you?
Just something you hate?
You feel pity for him, but you can't spare a single drop for me.
The task force worked around the clock for a day and a night, but came up with nothing. They were all exhausted and frustrated.
"How does a person just vanish without a single person noticing?"
"No one's even reported her missing."
"Maybe she was an orphan, or homeless."
Speculation flew around the conference room. Just then, the dispatch operator knocked and entered. "Captain Rostova, there's a call for you. They're specifically asking for you."
My mother took the phone, her brow furrowed.
"Captain Rostova? This is the manager at Chloe's internship. She hasn't shown up for work in three days, and we can't get in touch with her. I know you're her mother, so I'm calling to inform you. Consider this my official report, okay? If anything happens to her, the company isn't liable."
My mothers temper, which had been simmering just below the surface, exploded. "What does that have to do with me? I'm warning you, if you ever tie up a public emergency line for her personal drama again, I'll charge you with obstructing justice."
My manager was so stunned he could only stammer an apology before quickly hanging up.
The conference room was silent. Everyone knew the Captain's temper.
It was Mark who finally broke the silence, using a file as an excuse to pull her into her office.
"Eva, this isn't right," he said, his voice low. "Three days no-show at work, her aunt can't reach her What if something really has happened? I tried calling her just now while you were on the phone. Still no answer."
"I can take a couple of uniforms and go check on her," he offered.
My mother's face was like stone. "There is a victim lying on a cold slab in the morgue, waiting for justice," she said through gritted teeth. "There is a monster on the loose, and you want to waste manpower on her childish games?"
"She's just doing this to get out of the wedding. It's a pathetic stunt. Trust me, she'll come crawling back within three days."
She was right. In the past, no matter how much she hated me, how much she screamed at me, I always went to see her. Every few weeks, Id stop by the precinct, even if the gifts I brought ended up in the trash.
I always came back.
But not this time, Mom.
This time, I'm already here.
I've been by your side all along.
4
To expedite the hunt for Walter Crane, my mother didn't even go home. After calling Lily to remind her to lock her doors, she decided to sleep in her office.
She worked until the early hours of the morning, finally lying down on the small cot. She had just drifted off when her phone shattered the silence.
Six a.m. A call at this hour was never good news.
She shot upright, grabbing the phone. "Rostova."
"Is this Chloe's mother? Your daughter is over a week late on her rent. I can't find her, and you're the emergency contact. You need to come down and pay what she owes."
It was my landlady, a sweet but notoriously early riser.
Despite her fury, my mother managed to restrain herself, knowing she was speaking to an elderly woman. She bit out a cold, "I'll handle it," and hung up.
She sat on the edge of the cot, rubbing her temples. The victim's identity remained a mystery, but my name, Chloe, seemed to be haunting her from every direction.
Frustration boiling over, she pulled out her phone and found my contact information. After a long moment of hesitation, she typed a single, furious line.
Get your ass to my office within the hour.
The message sent instantly, but a red exclamation mark appeared beside it.
Her eyes widened in disbelief. She slammed the phone down on the cot. "You've got some nerve, Chloe," she seethed. "You actually blocked me."
She paced the small office like a caged animal, so lost in her rage that she didn't hear her phone ringing again until the third or fourth time. She glanced at the screen.
It was my name. The contact she had saved simply as "C."
"You've got some nerve, Chloe!" she barked into the phone. "Still playing these stupid games?"
"I'm warning you, even if you were on your deathbed, you would still have to be that maid of honor!"
"Don't think this little stunt will make me forgive you. The only way I will ever forgive you is if you die!"
There was a moment of silence on the other end, then a man's hesitant voice. "Captain? It's me. We've found the primary crime scene. And we found this phone here."

First, search for and download the MotoNovel app from Google. Then, open the app and use the code "331749" to read the entire book.

MotoNovel

App Store

Google Play

Novellia

App Store

Google Play