The Minute You Wake Up Dead

Stockbroker Russ returns to his childhood home in Bare Hollow, Mississippi. He rents the house next door to his former high school crush, Delaine, and the two rekindle a tense, flirtatious dynamic. The return sets off a dangerous personal relationship that will entangle money, murder, and motive.

Residents have profited from Russ's stock tips until a merger deal collapses, wiping out many of their savings. The financial hit sows distrust and desperation in Bare Hollow. The failing deal foreshadows how money will drive deadly choices throughout the story.

Delaine begins a secret arrangement with Lucius to murder her cancer-stricken father for a $550,000 life insurance payout. At the same time, she maintains a close relationship with Russ, using him as cover for her duplicity. The seed of a wider fraud is planted.

Lucius kills Delaine's father, who is battling stage-four cancer, enabling the insurance payout. He hopes the money will help him pay off a local loan shark and secure his future in the plot. The murder marks a turning point that pulls the town deeper into deceit.

Lucius plans to use his share to settle his debts with Jody, the local loan shark. After his thug Mace cuts off Lucius's toe, Lucius tells Jody about the murder, triggering a demand for repayment. The revelation tightens the criminal circle around Delaine and keeps the scheme alive.

Jody learns of the murder and demands repayment for the insurance fraud. The debt's pressure accelerates decisions and heightens the risk of exposure. Delaine's grip tightens as she coordinates the next moves to protect the scheme.

Russ overhears Delaine and Lucius discussing their crimes and hides Lucius's body to protect Delaine. He then reveals that he has killed Sheriff Fowler to keep the investigation from closing in. He positions himself as Delaine's equal partner in the fraud.

Delaine explains that her father was in pain and that suicide would void the insurance payout, so they staged his murder. She and her father collaborated to swindle the insurer, recasting the crime as a long-running deception rather than a single murder. The admission cements her power in the fraud and tests loyalties.

Delaine kills Russ, her third murder, and dumps his body alongside Lucius's into the swamp. The bodies are soon discovered, threatening to unravel the insurance scheme. With Russ out of the picture, Delaine consolidates control and pursues the remaining payout.

Deputy Sheriff Kane discovers the missing bodies and grows convinced that Delaine is involved. He vows to gather proof despite the town's fear and her charisma. The investigation promises to expose the full extent of the fraud.

Pernie, Russ's secretary, reveals that Russ told her everything about the murders and the fraud. She insists that Delaine accept equal partnership to avoid exposure. Delaine weighs her options as the net tightens around the scheme.

Facing pressure from debt collectors, Delaine orders Pernie to kill Jody and Mace that night. The plan sets off a deadly chain, culminating in Pernie's murder the following morning. The death toll in the insurance fraud climbs even higher.

Kane arrests Delaine and, against his Miranda warning, she confesses everything. Her admission confirms a mass-murder insurance fraud carried out by a waitress in Bare Hollow. The town is left to grapple with the scope of the deception.