Ryan became suspicious when his dog ran into the church and started barking at his father\u2019s coffin.<\/p>\n
Seeing the dog alert and tense, he opened the casket and was shocked to find it empty.<\/p>\n
Earlier, Ryan got out of his car and stood outside the church, not ready to say goodbye to his father.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe couldn\u2019t even give Dad a proper funeral,\u201d he thought sadly. Just then, Bella, his dog, barked loudly and broke his thoughts.<\/p>\n
Ryan looked at the car, where Bella seemed more restless than usual.<\/p>\n
\u201cBella!\u201d he said, using a hand signal to tell her to lie down. She obeyed, and he gently patted her head through the window. \u201cStay here, Bella.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then Ryan walked into the church, ignoring her whines. His father\u2019s closed casket was already at the front,<\/p>\n
and the funeral director had roped off the area because Arnold had died from a contagious illness.<\/p>\n
Ryan sat next to his mother, knowing his father would be cremated instead of buried because of how he died.<\/p>\n
As the funeral mass ended and people stood to sing, Bella\u2019s barking filled the church.<\/p>\n
She jumped onto the casket, knocking over the flowers, and barked loudly.<\/p>\n
Then Bella sat on the floor in an alert position, staring at Ryan. He immediately felt something was wrong.<\/p>\n
\u201cOpen the casket!\u201d Ryan shouted.<\/p>\n
People gasped, but he didn\u2019t care. He walked up and opened the casket\u2014his father\u2019s body was gone.<\/p>\n
\u201cWh-Where\u2019s my brother?\u201d Ryan\u2019s uncle asked the funeral director in shock.<\/p>\n
The shock was too much for Ryan\u2019s mother. She fainted, but Ryan caught her just in time before she hit the floor. He rushed her to the hospital.<\/p>\n
Later, at his mom\u2019s house, Ryan called the police.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe coroner confirmed the cause of death and sent the body to the funeral home,\u201d Detective Bradshaw said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWas your father involved in anything unusual?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ryan hadn\u2019t worked with his dad since starting his own dog training business.<\/p>\n
Still, he believed his father wouldn\u2019t do anything to harm his or the company\u2019s name.<\/p>\n
With no clear leads yet, the detective promised to follow up. But Ryan didn\u2019t want to wait.<\/p>\n
With his mom staying overnight in the hospital and Bella safe at home, he headed to the morgue to search for answers himself.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe coroner quit? What about the new one?\u201d Ryan was shocked when the nurse told him there wasn\u2019t a replacement yet.<\/p>\n
He asked to see his dad\u2019s file, but the nurse said it was against the rules.<\/p>\n
Ryan had an idea. He put $1000 on the counter, and the nurse looked the other way while he slipped into the coroner\u2019s office.<\/p>\n
He searched the shelves for his dad\u2019s file but couldn\u2019t find it\u2014Arnold\u2019s file was missing.<\/p>\n
Feeling frustrated, Ryan\u2019s phone buzzed. It was Mr. Stevens, his father\u2019s lawyer.<\/p>\n
He said Ryan was now the new CEO of Arnold\u2019s company and needed to come in right away.<\/p>\n
At the office, Ryan logged into his dad\u2019s Gmail but found the inbox completely empty\u2014someone had deleted all the emails.<\/p>\n
\u201cRyan! Good to see you,\u201d Mr. Stevens said as he walked in and closed the door.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho\u2019s been using this computer?\u201d Ryan asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo one,\u201d Stevens replied.<\/p>\n
Ryan looked around. \u201cWhere are the dancer figurines?\u201d he asked, noticing two were missing.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, Arnold took them home. He always wanted the third one but couldn\u2019t get it.<\/p>\n
The owner refused to sell it for less than half a million,\u201d Stevens said.<\/p>\n
Ryan knew that wasn\u2019t true. He had been through his parents\u2019 house and hadn\u2019t seen the figurines there.<\/p>\n
Stevens changed the subject. He explained the company was in serious debt,<\/p>\n
and investors were threatening to leave because Arnold had been missing meetings for months.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt all started when his new secretary joined. To be honest, I think Arnold was romantically involved with her,\u201d Stevens added.<\/p>\n
Ryan got angry thinking about how upset his mother was. He wanted to confront his father\u2019s secretary,<\/p>\n
Miss Pearson, but Mr. Stevens stopped him, saying it would only damage Arnold\u2019s reputation.<\/p>\n
Instead, Ryan spent the day working to fix the company\u2019s financial issues and sent gift baskets to the most important investors.<\/p>\n
Afterward, he followed Miss Pearson and saw her drive into a small house in the suburbs. She was his only clue so far, so he waited outside in his car.<\/p>\n
Later, the sound of her garage door woke him up. He saw her drive away toward the city and was about to follow,<\/p>\n
but then had a better plan. He rushed into her garage just before the door closed and found a way into the house.<\/p>\n
He quietly searched the kitchen and found a flashlight so he wouldn\u2019t need to turn on the lights. In her bedroom,<\/p>\n
he was shocked to find a photo of Miss Pearson kissing his father. Still, he stayed calm and reminded himself he was there to find answers.<\/p>\n
After searching the house with no luck, he was about to leave when he noticed a slightly open drawer in the coffee table.<\/p>\n
Inside was a Manila envelope containing Arnold\u2019s $7 million life insurance policy\u2014naming Miss<\/p>\n
Pearson as the only person who would receive the money.<\/p>\n
Ryan took the document straight to the police.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is strong evidence,\u201d said Detective Bradshaw. \u201cI\u2019ll look into this Miss Pearson.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Ryan waited at the police station, Detective Bradshaw came rushing in with officers. Miss Pearson had booked a flight to Morocco that was leaving in 30 minutes.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe U.S. doesn\u2019t have an extradition treaty with Morocco,\u201d she explained, \u201cso we have to stop her before she gets on that plane!\u201d<\/p>\n
Ryan wanted to go with them, but the detective said no\u2014he wasn\u2019t allowed. Still, Ryan followed them.<\/p>\n
At the airport, Detective Bradshaw shouted, \u201cPolice! Let us through!\u201d as they reached the gate. Ryan blended in with the group to avoid being stopped and entered the boarding area. The police quickly spread out, checking every passenger.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou! The woman in the white shirt!\u201d Bradshaw yelled. \u201cStep out and raise your hands!\u201d<\/p>\n
At first, Ryan felt relieved\u2014until she turned around. It wasn\u2019t Miss Pearson.<\/p>\n
The search continued for hours, but Miss Pearson had vanished. Ryan was back at the beginning again. But deep down, he believed his father was still alive. He remembered the missing figurines and felt sure Arnold had taken them. So Ryan looked up the collector who owned the third figurine and paid him a visit.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo\u2026how much do you want for it?\u201d he asked, pointing at the figurine.<\/p>\n
\u201c$750,000,\u201d the collector, Mr. Frederick, said firmly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s way more than what this artist\u2019s work usually sells for,\u201d Ryan replied.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen don\u2019t buy it. The price isn\u2019t up for discussion,\u201d Mr. Frederick snapped.<\/p>\n
Ryan knew he needed the figurine, so he asked for time to get the money. Back in his car, he called Mr. Stevens and said he wanted to sell $750,000 worth of his company shares.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut if you do that, you\u2019ll lose control of the company,\u201d Mr. Stevens warned.<\/p>\n
\u201cI understand, but this is urgent,\u201d Ryan said. \u201cIf I\u2019m right, I\u2019ll be able to buy them back within a week.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr. Stevens paused, then replied, \u201cAs your legal advisor, I probably shouldn\u2019t ask why you need so much cash so quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then he added, \u201cBut as a family friend, I need to ask\u2014does this have anything to do with Miss Pearson and what I mentioned before?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn a way, yes,\u201d Ryan said.<\/p>\n
Mr. Stevens sighed. \u201cShe\u2019s vanished, too. Didn\u2019t show up at work, and her number\u2019s disconnected. I\u2019ll get you the money. Just don\u2019t ask how. I\u2019ll transfer it right away.\u201d<\/p>\n
When Ryan got confirmation that the money had arrived, he went back inside to see Mr. Frederick. The old man grumbled that the figurine was worth even more, since it was the only one left to complete the set, but Ryan cut him off.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou asked for $750,000, and I\u2019m paying it now. Are you not a man of your word?\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr. Frederick finally agreed, and the figurine was Ryan\u2019s. Ready for his next move, Ryan made a few calls and a quick stop before heading back to his mother\u2019s house.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere have you been, Ryan?\u201d his mother asked when he returned. \u201cI got back from the hospital to an empty house. Bella\u2019s been bored and misses you. I can\u2019t keep up with her. And I haven\u2019t seen much of you since the funeral\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry, Mom,\u201d Ryan said softly. \u201cPlease just trust me\u2014it\u2019s important. It\u2019ll all be over soon.\u201d<\/p>\n
Later, Ryan stood behind a pillar at the auction house, watching the crowd. The figurine he had just bought was about to be auctioned. He looked at the stage as they brought it up.<\/p>\n
As the bidding went up, only two people were still in\u2014an overweight man with a large nose, and a tall man with white hair in a navy suit. Neither of them was his father.<\/p>\n
Ryan had made sure to stay anonymous and had placed ads to make sure that, if his father was out there, he would know the figurine was being auctioned today.<\/p>\n
\u201c$600,000 going once,\u201d the auctioneer announced.<\/p>\n
Ryan felt hopeless. He was afraid he would lose both the chance to find his father and a lot of money on the figurine.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2026going twice\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201c$1 million!\u201d<\/p>\n
Ryan froze\u2014he recognized the voice. It was his father. He looked up and saw Arnold standing at the back of the room, taking off his wide-brimmed hat.<\/p>\n
\u201c$1 million going once\u2026 going twice\u2026 sold to the man in the beige coat!\u201d the auctioneer announced, hitting the gavel.<\/p>\n
Arnold quickly put his hat back on and walked toward the exit, but Ryan ran around and blocked his way. Then Detective Bradshaw stepped in and put handcuffs on Arnold.<\/p>\n
\u201cRyan?\u201d Arnold looked surprised. \u201cYou tricked me! This was all a setup!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t make it sound like I betrayed you, Dad!\u201d Ryan snapped. \u201cYou\u2019re the one who cheated on Mom and faked your death so you could run away with your girlfriend! How could you do that to us?\u201d<\/p>\n
Arnold looked down and admitted he was tired of his old life and wanted to start over with Miss Pearson.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you got a big life insurance policy, paid off the coroner to fake your death, and let your family and friends cry over an empty casket?\u201d Ryan said angrily.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou always told me, \u2018A man should do what\u2019s right, not just what benefits him.\u2019 I\u2019m sad you didn\u2019t live by your own words. But now, you\u2019re facing the consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n
Detective Bradshaw told Ryan that Miss Pearson would be found soon. Then the police took Arnold away.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Ryan became suspicious when his dog ran into the church and started barking at his father\u2019s coffin. Seeing the dog alert and tense, he opened the casket… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":29983,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29982","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-finance"],"yoast_head":"\n