Ryan wasn’t ready to say goodbye to his father. Standing outside the church, he felt a knot in his stomach. “We couldn’t even give Dad a proper funeral,” he thought sadly. Suddenly, Bella, his dog, barked sharply, breaking his focus. She was acting strange.
Ryan turned to his car, where Bella was acting more agitated than usual. Her bark had a sense of urgency in it.
“Bella!” Ryan called, raising his hand in a command. Bella obeyed and lay down, but she still seemed uneasy. He reached through the open car window to pat her head. “Stay, Bella.”
Ignoring her whine, Ryan walked into the church. His father’s casket was already in place, sealed tight. The funeral director had cordoned off the area, since Arnold had passed from an infectious disease. Ryan sat next to his mother, feeling the weight of the situation. Arnold, his father, would be cremated rather than buried, due to the nature of his death.
As the mass ended and the mourners began to rise for the final hymn, a loud bark echoed through the church. Ryan froze. Bella had somehow gotten inside and jumped onto the casket, knocking over the flower arrangement. She barked frantically, her body tense and her eyes wide with alarm.
Ryan’s heart raced. He knew something wasn’t right. He watched as Bella sat down, staring at him, alert and intense.
“Open the casket!” Ryan’s voice was sharp, and a gasp rippled through the crowd. Ryan didn’t care about the shocked looks; he had to see for himself. He walked over and opened the casket. To his horror, it was empty.
“Wh-Where’s my brother?” Ryan’s uncle gasped, looking at the funeral director. But Ryan barely heard him. His mind was racing, his father’s body—gone.
Ryan’s mother couldn’t handle the shock. Her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed, but Ryan caught her just in time. “Mom!” he cried out, rushing to support her. He quickly got her to the hospital, his mind still reeling from what he’d just discovered.
At home, Ryan called the police. He needed answers.
“Right now, all we know is the coroner confirmed the cause of death and released the remains to the funeral home,” Detective Bradshaw explained over the phone. “Has your father been involved in anything unusual? Any activities we should know about?”
Ryan thought for a moment. He hadn’t been involved in his father’s business for a while, focusing instead on his dog training center. But he knew Arnold would never do anything to ruin his reputation—or the company’s.
“Not that I’m aware of,” Ryan replied, his voice low. “I just need to find out what happened.”
With no immediate leads, Detective Bradshaw promised to follow up and left. But Ryan wasn’t going to wait. With his mother staying overnight at the hospital, he decided to take matters into his own hands. He headed straight for the morgue.
When Ryan arrived, he was stunned to learn that the coroner had resigned. “What about the new coroner?” Ryan asked the nurse, confused.
“There is no new coroner yet,” the nurse answered. She refused to let him see his father’s file, citing hospital policy.
Ryan didn’t let that stop him. He discreetly slipped a $1000 bill onto the counter. The nurse hesitated, then turned away. Ryan slipped into the coroner’s office. He searched the shelves, but Arnold’s file was missing.
Frustrated, Ryan’s phone buzzed. It was Mr. Stevens, his father’s lawyer.
“Ryan, I need to see you immediately,” Mr. Stevens said, his voice urgent. “I’m the new CEO of Arnold’s company. It’s important.”
Ryan rushed to Arnold’s office. When he opened the computer, he found Arnold’s Gmail inbox was empty—someone had deleted all the messages.
“Who’s been using this computer?” Ryan demanded when Mr. Stevens walked in.
“Nobody,” Mr. Stevens replied too quickly.
Ryan glanced around the office. “Where are the figurines?” he asked, noticing two missing items.
“Oh, Arnold took them home,” Mr. Stevens said dismissively. “Poor Arnold, he could never get the third figurine in the set. The guy who owns it is asking for half a million dollars.”
Ryan didn’t buy it. He’d searched his parents’ house top to bottom since the funeral and never saw the figurines.
“Well, we have more important matters to discuss,” Mr. Stevens continued. He revealed that Arnold’s company was in deep debt, and several investors were threatening to pull out. The trouble had started when Arnold’s new secretary began working for him. “I believe Arnold was having an affair with her,” Mr. Stevens added, a hint of disapproval in his voice.
Ryan’s fists clenched, thinking of his mother. “I’ll confront her!” he said, but Mr. Stevens quickly stopped him. “Don’t. It will only ruin Arnold’s reputation.”
Ryan spent the rest of the day trying to manage the company’s debts. He sent gifts to investors to keep them from pulling out. Afterward, he followed his father’s secretary, Miss Pearson, home. He watched her pull into a modest suburban house. This was his best lead.
Ryan waited outside for a while, but when the garage door opened, Miss Pearson left in her car. Ryan had an idea. He snuck into her garage just before the door closed and found a door that led inside her house. Quietly, he searched the house, trying to find something that would explain what was happening.
When he reached her bedroom, his heart sank. On the nightstand was a framed photo of Miss Pearson kissing his father.
Ryan kept his emotions in check. This was about finding answers. He rummaged through her house but found nothing useful. As he was about to leave, he noticed a drawer slightly open in the coffee table. Inside was a Manila envelope. Ryan’s hands shook as he opened it—inside was Arnold’s life insurance policy for $7 million, with Miss Pearson listed as the sole beneficiary.
Ryan drove straight to the police station.
“This is a huge lead,” Detective Bradshaw said, looking at the document. “I’ll check out this Miss Pearson.”
As Ryan sat in the station, he saw a team of officers rush by. They were headed to the airport to catch Miss Pearson, who was about to board a flight to Morocco. Ryan wanted to go with them, but Detective Bradshaw refused.
Ryan didn’t listen. He followed them to the boarding gate. “Police!” Detective Bradshaw shouted, waving her badge.
Ryan slipped past security and into the boarding area, his heart pounding. The officers spread out, searching for Miss Pearson.
“There! The woman in the white shirt! Step out of line!” Detective Bradshaw ordered.
Ryan thought they had her, but his heart dropped when the woman turned around. It wasn’t Miss Pearson. She was gone.
Back at square one, Ryan didn’t give up. He knew Arnold was alive. He went to a collector who owned the third figurine Arnold had been searching for.
“How much for it?” Ryan asked, eyeing the figurine.
“$750,000,” the collector replied.
“That’s more than it’s worth,” Ryan protested.
“Take it or leave it. The price is firm,” the man said.
Ryan was desperate. He called Mr. Stevens to sell $750,000 worth of his shares in the company.
“But Ryan, if you sell that much, you’ll lose your controlling stake,” Mr. Stevens warned.
“I know,” Ryan replied. “It’s urgent.”
A few hours later, Ryan got the money and headed back to the auction house. He was ready. As the figurine was brought out for the auction, Ryan’s heart raced. His father would see it.
The bidding was intense, but at $600,000, only two bidders were left: an overweight man and a tall, white-haired man in a navy suit. Neither was Ryan’s father.
Then the price shot up. “$1 million!” The auctioneer’s voice rang out.
Ryan’s breath caught in his throat. He knew that voice. He turned just as his father stood up, wide-brimmed hat in hand.
“$1 million, going once, going twice… sold!” the auctioneer banged the gavel.
Ryan rushed forward, but his father quickly turned and tried to leave. He was blocked by Ryan, and just as things seemed to calm down, Detective Bradshaw stepped in.
“Arnold,” she said, handcuffing him, “you’re under arrest.”
Ryan stared at his father, feeling a mix of anger and disbelief.
“You tricked me!” Arnold shouted. “This was a trap!”
Ryan couldn’t hold back anymore. “You’re the one who faked your death and ran off with your mistress!” he snapped. “How could you do that?”
Arnold lowered his head in shame. He admitted that he had been tired of his life and wanted to start over with Miss Pearson.
“You took out a huge life insurance policy and had the coroner fake your death, just so you could disappear!” Ryan shouted, the betrayal cutting deep. “You taught me that a man should do what is right. What happened to that, Dad?”
Arnold’s face was full of regret, but it was too late. Detective Bradshaw assured Ryan that Miss Pearson would be caught soon too. Arnold was taken away in a police car, and Ryan finally felt the truth was out.
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