During a funeral, a dog wouldn’t stop barking at the coffin. Growing suspicious, the son decided to open it, only to discover it was empty – a shocking twist to the day’s events

“Bella, stay,” Ryan sighed as he climbed out of his car outside the church.

He paused on the sidewalk to smooth his dark suit. His heart was not prepared for the ordeal that awaited him behind those pale, wooden doors. How does a son say goodbye to his father? Especially under these circumstances…by God, they couldn’t even give Dad a typical funeral.

Bella interrupted his thoughts with a sharp bark. He turned back to his car and frowned when he saw the Malinois pawing at the back of the driver’s seat. Although Bella was still young, it was unusual for her to behave like this after he’d given her a clear command.

“Bella.” Ryan gave her the hand signal to lie down. She obeyed instantly, and he reached through the open window to pet her head. “Now, stay, Bella.”

Ryan walked away then, ignoring Bella’s whine, and entered the church. The casket was already in place, closed, and the funeral director had discretely cordoned off the immediate area with a white ribbon. This was per the doctor’s advice since Dad had died of a highly infectious disease.

It all bothered Ryan immensely. He sat beside his mother and took her hand. He had to be strong, for her sake, but his foot tapped out his agitation against the marble floor as he stared at the casket.

Father Riley appeared then and stepped up to the pulpit. “Thank you all for coming today to bid a final farewell to Arnold, beloved father of Ryan and husband to Emily. Arnold was a good man and will be sorely missed by everyone who knew him.”

“…the deceased will now proceed to the crematorium,” Father Riley informed the mourners at the end of the mass.

The mourners rose to sing the final hymn, but Ryan’s heart wasn’t in it. Dad was supposed to have been buried in the family plot, but the doctor had suggested cremation was a better option due to the circumstances of his death.

Ryan wiped at the tear rolling down his cheek as the funeral director and his employees approached the casket. This was all wrong! How could he honor his dad when he wasn’t even permitted to carry his body from the church…he never had a chance to say goodbye when Dad was alive, and now he couldn’t even give him a proper farewell in death.

He hung his head as he struggled to get his emotions under control. Then Bella’s bark echoed through the church.

Ryan stared in horrified disbelief as his dog jumped up against Dad’s casket, knocking the elaborate arrangement of white lilies to the floor.

Her entire body jerked as she barked furiously at the coffin. The funeral director rushed forward and tried to shoo her away, but she ducked beneath the bier and growled at him.

“Bella, heel!” Ryan strode forward to confront the spectacle of his dog barking at Dad’s casket. “Stop this! Heel, Bella. I said, heel!”

Bella pricked her ears at him but didn’t obey his command. She barked at the casket once more and then turned to Ryan as she sat in her alert position.

The hair at the back of Ryan’s neck stood up, and an icy chill settled in his guts. Something was wrong. He stepped over the white ribbon and approached the casket. Bella immediately started barking again and raced around the bier.

“Is this your dog?” The funeral director snapped at Ryan.

“Open the casket,” Ryan said, ignoring the man’s question.

“What? Sir, no. With all due respect, we can’t do that. We were specifically advised—”

“I said, open the casket!” Ryan snapped.

“Ryan, what are you doing?” Mom sobbed behind him.

Ryan turned and was greeted by the astonished faces of the mourners who’d come to bid his father farewell. Two of his aunts whispered together, and his uncle looked ready to explode. But the face that stood out was that of his mother, who stared at him with heartbroken confusion in her eyes.

Ryan didn’t know how to explain to them that Bella’s unusual behavior was a sign that something was wrong. All he could do was prove it to them. Ryan turned his back on his shocked family, shouldered past the funeral director, and opened the casket.

Mom shrieked behind him. Several people called his name, but all of it faded into a background buzz as Ryan gaped at the white satin lining his father’s empty casket. A heavy hand landed on his shoulder.

“Ryan, have you lost your—oh my God.” Uncle Thomas made the sign of the cross as he backed away from Ryan and the casket. He turned to the funeral director.

“What’s going on here? Why is my brother’s casket empty?”

The funeral director rushed forward. His jaw dropped, and he reached into the casket as though he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. Pandemonium broke out in the church. Distressed relatives rushed forward to see the empty casket for themselves. One of Ryan’s younger cousins started screaming.

“Where is my Arnold?” Mom keened, her voice trembling with emotion as her desperate cry echoed through the church.

As Ryan watched, Mom’s eyes rolled back in her skull, and her knees buckled. He rushed forward and caught her just before her head hit the marble floor.

Ryan lifted Mom in his arms and carried her away from the chaos of the church. As he shouldered through the doors, Bella appeared at his side. She dashed ahead and jumped back into his car through the open window.

Right now, Ryan was more concerned about his mother than his dog’s odd behavior. He settled Mom in the passenger seat and drove her to the hospital.

“Yes, you heard me right, Detective Bradshaw, the casket was empty.” Ryan glanced at the detective as he continued to pace the sitting room in his mother’s house. “There has to be something illegal going on here, right?”

Detective Bradshaw flipped through her notebook. “It certainly bears investigation, sir, but I can’t say more than that at this juncture. We’ve already interviewed the funeral director and have found no evidence that he did anything untoward with your father’s remains.”

“Do you think…I know it sounds crazy, but is it possible that this is all a big mistake and my dad is still alive?” Ryan asked.

“At this point, all we know is that the coroner confirmed the cause of death and released the remains to the funeral home,” Detective Bradshaw continued. “Tell me, sir, was your father involved in any activities that I should be aware of as I continue my investigation?”

Ryan stopped dead. That particular question came out of nowhere. It got him wondering if the detective had uncovered something she wasn’t telling him.

“No,” he replied. “Honestly, I haven’t been involved in the business since I decided to open my dog training and rehabilitation center, but I can’t see my father doing anything that would place his or the company’s reputation at stake. Why do you ask?”

“It’s always better to be thorough.” Detective Bradshaw smiled politely at him.

Detective Bradshaw rose and offered him her business card. “I’ll be in touch if I discover anything but please don’t hesitate to call me if you remember any information that might be pertinent to this investigation.”

Ryan nodded and showed the detective to the door. Despite her assurance about the coroner’s report, Ryan felt sure there was something amiss.

He’d seen the funeral director’s reaction to the empty casket firsthand, and there wasn’t a doubt in his mind that the man was just as shocked as he was.

He slumped onto the sofa as he tried to organize everything that had happened into some sequence of events that made sense. Bella rose from where she’d lain down to chew on one of her toys and set her head on his lap.

Ryan looked down into her intelligent, brown eyes as he scratched behind her ears. Her tail thumped against the floor.

“You’re a good girl, Bella.” He whispered to the dog. “How did you know? It makes no sense…why would you alert for an empty casket?”

But, of course, Bella couldn’t reply even if she wanted to. Ryan sighed and set those questions aside. It was no use pondering Bella’s inexplicable behavior when he faced the more serious question of what had happened to his father.

Sitting on the sofa with his jumbled thoughts was driving Ryan mad. The hospital was keeping Mom overnight, so he fed Bella and let her out into the yard with some of her favorite toys. Then, he set out to find answers.

“What do you mean the coroner has resigned?” Ryan pressed his palms against the counter as he leaned over to stare at the nurse on the other side.

“What part do you find hard to understand, sir?” The nurse snapped. “One day, Dr. Jeffries was here, complaining about his wife’s ‘shopping addiction,’ as he liked to put it, and the next day he was gone. Early retirement, they told us.” She huffed softly.

“What about the new coroner then?”

“Aint no new coroner yet, and it’s causing all kinds of backlog. So how about you tell me what you’re after and I’ll tell you if I can help you, okay, sir?”

“I want to see my father’s file,” Ryan sighed. “He was declared dead on—”

The nurse raised her hand to cut him off. “It’s against hospital policy to release the files for deceased patients without the proper authorization.”

“Are you kidding me? I’m his son. I have a right to see those files!”

“Not without the proper authorization, you don’t.” The nurse eyeballed him over the top of her glasses. “Now, if you don’t mind, I have a ton of work to do. Come back once you’ve seen the hospital administrator.”

Ryan pulled out his wallet. “I don’t want to cause you any more trouble, but I can tell you’re under a lot of strain.” He removed $50 and pinched it between his fingers. “Why don’t you take a break? It’s on me.”

The nurse arched her eyebrow at the note and then looked up at him. “Sir, I’m under way more than $50 worth of strain, and sandwiches cost 20 bucks at the hospital cafeteria. You’ll have to try a lot harder than that.”

The nurse’s attitude took Ryan aback, but he didn’t comment on it. Instead, he counted out $1000 and set it on the counter.

“I think I will take that break now.” The nurse smiled as she took the cash.

Once the elevator doors shut behind the nurse, Ryan followed the signs on the walls until he found the coroner’s office. The door was unlocked. He checked that the corridor was empty, then slipped inside.

Ryan padded slowly across the scuffed linoleum floor to the filing cabinets lining one wall of the small office. He started going through the cabinet marked ‘K-L’ and quickly found the spot where his father’s file ought to be. There was nothing there.

Ryan double-checked the names. Then he checked under his father’s first name in case his file had been misplaced, but there was nothing there. His father’s file was missing.

Ryan fisted his hands in his hair and let out a frustrated groan. He’d gained nothing from his search but more questions! He’d hoped to find some clue in his father’s file, but instead, all he had was a lighter wallet.

He recalled what the nurse had said about the coroner’s sudden disappearance. His gut told him it was no coincidence that the coroner, his father’s file, and his father’s body had all disappeared around the same time. It was all too hinky for words.

Ryan’s phone chimed then. He quickly pulled it from his pocket and was about to end the call when he saw the caller ID.

“Mr. Stevens! I’m so glad you called,” Ryan said. “I could really use a lawyer’s opinion.”

“And I’ll be happy to provide it, but unless this is an emergency, you have more pressing concerns to attend to, Ryan. The responsibility of running your father’s company now falls to you, and I’m sorry to say it’s not going to be smooth sailing.”

Mr. Stevens cleared his throat. “In fact, the sooner we can devise a strategy for damage control, the better,” he continued. “Can you meet me at your father’s office in fifteen minutes?”

Ryan rubbed at his temple. It felt like his life had become a sequence of disasters and impossible questions.

“Sure, I’ll head there right away,” he said. If nothing else, this gave him an ideal opportunity to search Dad’s office for clues about his disappearance.

During the drive to Dad’s office, Ryan mentally sorted through his fears and suspicions. He couldn’t shake the feeling that Dad was alive and somebody had tried to cover it up. The only reason he could think of for anybody to do that was if they intended to demand a ransom for his return.

But even though that seemed the most likely conclusion, it didn’t sit well with Ryan. He was sure he was missing something and hoped he might come across information in Dad’s office that set him on the right track.

An overwhelming sense of nostalgia washed over Ryan as he entered Dad’s office. He ran his fingers across the mahogany desk and felt a great weight settle in his heart. This mystery about Dad and Mr. Stevens’s implication that the company was in trouble…it all seemed too much to bear.

All Ryan had ever wanted was a quiet life helping dogs through proper training for puppies and rehabilitation for as many strays and mistreated animals as he could afford to take in. At that moment, all he wanted was to turn his back on this impossible situation and return home.

‘A man should do what is right, not follow his own selfish interests.’ Dad’s words echoed through Ryan’s memory like he was standing beside him.

“You’re right, Dad,” Ryan whispered. “And I won’t rest until I figure out what happened to you.”

He rounded the desk and sat in Dad’s chair as the computer booted. He opened Dad’s email—it seemed like the most likely place to start looking for answers—and steepled his hands in front of his face when he was confronted with an empty inbox. Somebody had deleted every last message.

“Ryan! It’s good to see you again, although I wish the circumstances were more fortuitous.”

Ryan glanced up at Mr. Stevens as he shut the office door. “Who’s been using this computer?”

Mr. Stevens frowned. “Nobody. This office has been locked up since we got the sad news of your father’s passing.”

Ryan put his head in his hands. All he wanted was answers; instead, he kept encountering more mysteries. He glanced at the family photos on Dad’s desk and noticed something was missing.

“Where are the dancers? Those figurines my dad was so in love with.” Ryan pointed at the space where the two colorful post-modern figurines should’ve been.

“He took those home a few weeks before his death,” Mr. Stevens replied. “Poor Arnold…he never was able to procure the third figurine in the set. Can you believe the man who owns the third dancer wouldn’t accept anything less than half a million for it?”

But Ryan was barely listening. He’d been all through his parents’ house since he arrived for the funeral and hadn’t seen those figurines anywhere. Dad definitely hadn’t taken them home.

“Anyhow, we have important matters to discuss, Ryan.” Mr. Stevens took a seat opposite Ryan. “I’m sorry to tell you that the company has incurred some serious debt over the past few months. In addition, our investors need an earnest show of faith if we’re to win back their confidence.”

“Why would we need to win it back?” Ryan asked.

Mr. Stevens softly cleared his throat. “Your father missed several important meetings with investors in the months leading up to his death. Several smaller players pulled out entirely and some of the larger contributors have been threatening to do so.”

“That doesn’t sound like Dad. What…why would he miss such important meetings?”

“It all started when his new secretary began working here.” Mr. Stevens avoided Ryan’s gaze. “Please don’t repeat what I’m about to tell you to Emily. I’d hate to smear your father’s memory over something that is, admittedly, just a suspicion.”

“Please, just tell me, Mr. Stevens. I swear I won’t tell my mother.”

Mr. Stevens gave a curt nod. “As you know, I worked closely with your father to manage this company. As such, I had many opportunities to observe him in this office, and I believe…with all due respect to him and your family, I believe he was having a romantic relationship with his secretary, Miss Pearson.”

Ryan’s gaze turned to the wide section of glass wall to the right of the office door and locked onto the attractive brunette woman seated at the secretary’s desk outside. He rose from his chair and marched toward the door.

“You can’t confront her.” Mr. Stevens stepped in front of Ryan. “This company can’t weather yet another blemish on your father’s reputation.”

Ryan ground his teeth and stared at Miss Pearson through the glass. She looked up and frowned at him.

“Ryan…” Mr. Stevens placed a hand on his arm. “I understand how shocking this revelation must be, but please remember it’s only a suspicion. I have no proof they were having an affair.”

“Fine.” Ryan whirled away and returned to Dad’s desk.

For the rest of the day, Ryan worked hard to solve the company’s debt problem. He arranged to send gift baskets to the most vital investors and ended the day feeling like he’d been through the wringer.

He went down to the parking lot, climbed into his car, and waited. Almost an hour later, he spotted Miss Pearson exiting the elevator. She climbed into her car and headed for the exit. Ryan followed.

She pulled into the garage of a modest suburban home. Ryan parked nearby and settled down to wait. He didn’t know exactly what he was waiting for, but Miss Pearson was the first solid lead he’d gotten, and he felt in his bones that she would eventually lead him to answers.

Sometime later, the whir of a garage door and an engine revving startled Ryan awake. Night had settled over the suburbs, and most houses lining the street were dark. It seemed like everyone was asleep except Miss Pearson.

Ryan ducked down in his seat and watched her reverse out of the garage. She turned in the street and headed in the direction of the city. Ryan started his car to follow her, but a better idea came to mind as he glanced at her garage.

He cut the engine and leaped from his car. The garage door was still closing. His eyes never left it as he raced across the lawn and onto the smooth driveway. He dived for the narrowing gap between the bottom of the garage door and the cement.

Ryan rolled through the small opening just in time. The garage door shut behind him, leaving him in total darkness. He leaned his forehead against the cold cement and breathed a sigh of relief. A moment later, the smell of old car oil drove him to his feet. He felt his way along the wall until he found the doorway leading into the house.

Ryan tiptoed into Miss Pearson’s home. He found the kitchen first and searched the drawers until he found a flashlight. He didn’t want to turn on any lights in case she came home suddenly. He then headed down the hall.

A spark of anger ignited in Ryan’s chest as he panned his flashlight over Miss Pearson’s bedroom. There was a framed photo on the nightstand of Dad with his arms wrapped around Miss Pearson’s waist as they smiled at the camera. Another showed them dancing together at a party.

The worst picture of all showed Dad and Miss Pearson kissing on the beach in front of the family’s timeshare in Barbados. Ryan’s heart sank like a lump of lead. There was no doubt that Dad and Miss Pearson had been having an affair.

All Ryan could think of was the sadness on Mom’s face at the funeral. How could Dad have betrayed her with another woman? And as for Miss Pearson…Ryan snatched the photo from the nightstand and drew back his arm to throw it against the wall.

But this was not the time or place to vent his anger. He set the photo down and opened the nightstand drawer. There was nothing useful there, so he continued his search.

As time ticked on, Ryan’s nerves started to get the best of him. Each creak and groan of the house settling startled him, and his heart kicked into overdrive every time he heard a car passing by on the street. Every time a curtain flapped in the breeze, it was transformed into a shadowy figure.

Ryan searched the entire house and found nothing. He was about ready to give up and get out of there before Miss Pearson returned when he noticed a slightly recessed drawer in the coffee table. He pulled it open. A grin spread over his face as he realized the drawer was filled with documents.

Ryan found exactly what he needed in a manila envelope. He sat on the sofa and read through the life insurance documents in the envelope with a frown. It was a policy for Dad! He’d insured his life for $7 million, and the sole beneficiary was…Miss Pearson!

Ryan jumped to his feet, folded the A4 envelope, and tucked it into his pocket. It was time to get out of here. He returned the flashlight to the kitchen drawer and then ducked into the garage. He fled the house and drove to the police station.

An hour later, Ryan strode into Detective Bradshaw’s office and set the insurance documents down on her desk.

“My father was having an affair with his secretary,” he said. “And he took out a life insurance policy for a sizeable sum and named her the sole beneficiary.”

Detective Bradshaw scanned the documents and nodded. “This is quite compelling…let me see what else I can find out about this Pearson woman.”

Ryan haunted the police station while he waited for Detective Bradshaw to discover something useful about Miss Pearson. The detective tried to get him to go home, but Ryan couldn’t escape the feeling that something big was about to happen. And he was right.

He was seated near the front desk watching an officer deal with a minor complaint when he noticed Detective Bradshaw stride into the room with several other cops in her wake.

“Did you find something?” Ryan stood and joined the detective.

“Miss Pearson is booked on a flight to Morocco that leaves in an hour and a half,” Detective Bradshaw replied as she continued walking. “Since the US has no extradition treaty with the Moroccan government, it’s vital we bring her in for questioning before she boards that plane. We’re headed to the airport now to stop her.”

The group burst out into the lot, and cops started heading to their cars.

“I’m coming with you,” Ryan said.

Detective Bradshaw glanced at him over her shoulder as she tugged open the driver’s door of her dark, unmarked sedan. “I understand your concern, but you’re a civilian and I simply can’t allow that.”

But there was too much at stake for Ryan to blindly obey the detective. He hurried to his car and followed the cops to the airport.

Ryan brought up the rear as the small group of cops ran through the airport, leaving startled travelers in their wake.

“Police!” Detective Bradshaw yelled as they approached a boarding gate. “Let us through!”

Ryan slipped past the airport security officers by blending with the group, and they proceeded to the boarding area. The cops immediately spread out and started checking the passengers.

“You there! The dark-haired woman in the white shirt! Step out of the line and raise your hands in the air,” Detective Bradshaw yelled.

The rest of the cops turned as one and trained their firearms on the woman just about to enter the passenger boarding bridge. The other passengers in the queue shied away, leaving her standing alone. Her long brown hair slid across her back as she turned to glance behind her.

Ryan was so relieved they’d caught Miss Pearson in time that he started laughing. He watched in delight as she dropped her carry-on case and raised her hands. Detective Bradshaw rushed forward to handcuff her.

But the smile fell from Ryan’s face when the cops turned the woman to lead her away.

“That’s not her!” Ryan pushed through the police officers and approached the detective. “This isn’t Miss Pearson.”

“Didn’t I tell you to stay out of this?” Detective Bradshaw snapped. She then turned to one of the other officers. “Check the plane, the other passengers, and the passenger manifesto! The real Miss Pearson might still be here.”

But a few hours later, it became clear that the plane ticket was just an elaborate ruse. Ryan sank into a chair in the airport lounge and put his head in his hands. His only link to his father’s disappearance had just gone up in smoke. He was back to square one.

No…he had significantly more information to work with than he’d had when he started. There was the life insurance policy and the affair in addition to the missing body, coroner, and coroner’s report. And although he had no way to prove it, Ryan felt certain Dad was still alive.

He’d searched through Mom’s house again, and the two colorful figurines of dancers were definitely not there. Nothing else was missing. Wherever Dad was now, he must’ve taken the figurines with him.

Ryan leaned back and glared at the display in the duty-free gift shop nearby. It was deeply insulting to know that the only thing Dad had considered valuable enough to take with him was a couple of sculptures.

An idea sparked in Ryan’s thoughts. He removed his phone and frantically searched the internet as he hurried from the airport.

Ryan stared at the 8-inch-tall sculpture locked behind the glass of an antique display cabinet. Like the other figures in the set, the artist had crafted her from different colored plastics melted together and shaped into an elegantly flowing, multicolored figurine of a woman dancing.

The artist had claimed this set was a statement about the inability to be truly joyful in a world fraught with one climate crisis after another and a whole lot more that Ryan didn’t recall. It all seemed like word salad to him, but his father had adored the two pieces he’d purchased.

“How much will you take for it?” Ryan asked.

He turned to Mr. Frederick, the collector who’d long denied his father’s dream of completing the set by setting an exorbitant price on his figurine. The man smiled wolfishly.

“$750 000,” he replied.

Ryan ran his fingers through his hair. “That’s a steep price, sir, far above the market value for this artist’s work.”

Mr. Frederick shrugged. “Then don’t buy it. It really makes no difference to me, young man, but if you want it then you’ll have to pay the price I’m asking. It’s non-negotiable.”

Ryan nodded. “Fine, I’ll take it, but I need some time to free up the cash.”

Ryan sat in his car and considered his options. He needed that figurine, but he wasn’t a rich man like his father. Most of his money went to the rehabilitation center and the upkeep of the dogs housed in it. He simply didn’t have hundreds of thousands of dollars lying around. Or did he?

He took out his phone and checked the NASDAQ website. Then he called Mr. Stevens.

“I need to sell $750 000 worth of my shares in the company, and I need to do it fast. Can you make that happen?” Ryan asked.

“Are you out of your mind?” Mr. Stevens snapped. “Our share price has dipped since we announced the news of your father’s death. If you sell so many shares, you’ll no longer have a controlling stake in the company.”

“I’m aware, Mr. Stevens, but this is urgent.” Ryan pinched the bridge of his nose. “Listen, there are things at stake here that are far more important than business. I need the cash immediately, but if I’m right, I should be able to buy back those shares within the week.”

Mr. Stevens was quiet for a long time. Ryan crossed his fingers and let the silence draw out.

“Ryan,” Mr. Stevens eventually replied in a measured tone, “as a major stakeholder and legal advisor for the company, I get the feeling it would behoove me not to ask questions about why you need such a large amount of money at such short notice.”

“As a longtime family friend, however,” Mr. Stevens continued, “I must know if this is related to the suspicion I shared with you about Miss Pearson.”

“In a manner of speaking, yes,” Ryan replied.

Mr. Stevens sighed. “She’s also disappeared, you know…didn’t turn up for work today, and her phone number no longer exists. I’ll get you the money…best you not ask me the details…and wire it to you asap.”

“Thank you, Mr. Stevens!”

Ryan ended the call and spent the next half an hour staring at his phone. The moment he received the message that the money was in his account, he rushed back inside to speak to Mr. Frederick.

“I’ve got your money,” Ryan declared.

Mr. Frederick frowned. He muttered something about how the figurine was actually worth more than his asking price since it was the only available piece of the set, but Ryan cut him off.

“You asked for $750 000, sir, and that’s what I’m giving you, effective immediately. You said yourself that the price was nonnegotiable and I took you at your word…are you not a man of your word, Mr. Frederick?”

Emotions flickered across Mr. Frederick’s face as he stared at the figurine in the display cabinet. He pressed his lips together and then removed a set of keys from his pocket.

“I am a man of my word. Here,” he removed the figurine and passed it to Ryan, “take it. I’ll give you the details to transfer the money.”

A wave of relief washed over Ryan as he returned to his car with the figurine in his hands. Now, he had the bait he needed; next, he had to set the trap.

Ryan called a few people from his car and made a quick stop before returning to Mom’s house. Bella greeted him at the door with a wagging tail. She sat and stared intently at him until he walked over to scratch her.

“Where on earth have you been, Ryan?” Mom appeared at the far side of the hall. “I return from the hospital to find the house empty and poor Bella bored out of her mind. This is a time when we should be together as a family, and instead…instead you’re out all the time. Your dog misses you; I really can’t keep her busy enough, and I’ve barely seen you since the funeral…”

Mom broke into sobs, and Ryan rushed to her side. He put his arms around her and rubbed her back.

“I’m sorry, Mom,” he muttered. “Please just trust that what I’ve been doing is very important. It will also be over very soon.”

Ryan stood behind a pillar near the back of the auction house’s main bidding area and studied the crowd through his shades. The figurine he’d bought was the next lot up for bid. He glanced toward the podium as it was brought to the front.

Paddles flashed from numerous parts of the crowd when the bidding started. As the price climbed, the number of participants whittled down to just two. Ryan studied them intently. One was an overweight man with a prominent nose, and the other was a tall, white-haired man in a navy suit. Neither of them was his father.

Ryan shifted restlessly as he faced the possibility that his plan had failed. He didn’t understand it. He’d insisted on anonymity and personally paid for several adverts to ensure his father, wherever he might be, would know that the figurine was on auction today.

“$600 000 going once,” the auctioneer declared.

Ryan’s heart sank further. Not only was he going to lose his bait and miss the chance to find his father, but he was also going to make a huge loss on the figurine.

“…going twice…”

“$1 million!”

Ryan got goosebumps at the sound of his father’s voice. He stared in shock as Dad rose from a seat near the back of the auction room and removed his wide-brimmed hat. There was no mistaking that kindly smile, the dimple on his cheek, or his sparkling brown eyes. His suspicions were right: Dad was alive!

“$1 million going once…going twice…sold to the man in the beige coat!” The auctioneer banged his gavel.

Immediately, Dad put his hat back on and headed for the door. Ryan rushed around the edge of the room. He spread out his arms to block his father just as he reached for the door.

“I can’t believe you did this to me and Mom,” Ryan hissed as he stared into his father’s face.

“Ryan?” Dad’s jaw dropped. “What are you doing here? How—”

“Mr. Kingsley, you’re under arrest for fraud.” Detective Bradshaw stepped forward and placed her hand on Dad’s arm. She read him his rights as she handcuffed him.

“You…” Dad frowned at Ryan. “You tricked me! This was a trap.”

“Oh, don’t act like I’ve committed some terrible betrayal, Dad! You’re the one who had an affair and faked your own death so you could run off with your mistress! How could you?”

Dad hung his head. “I fell in love…all I wanted to do was be with Nicky. I was done with the pressure of tackling corporate problems and having to smooth talk investors all the time. I’ve worked hard! I deserve a chance to relax. This was the only way I could do that.”

“So you took out a huge amount in life insurance for your new life, bribed the coroner to falsify your death certificate and cause of death, and had all of us gather around an empty casket to mourn you!”

Ryan grabbed the front of Dad’s shirt. He pulled back his fist, but Detective Bradshaw pushed him back.

“Much as I understand your desire to hit him, sir, rest assured that the confession you just got out of your father will be more than enough to ensure justice is served. And it’s only a matter of time before we catch his accomplice.

Ryan let out a deep breath and looked Dad in the eye. “‘A man should do what is right, not follow his own selfish interests.’ You taught me that, Dad. I’m sorry you couldn’t follow your own principles, but I hope you realize that your failure to do so is what led to your downfall.”

Ryan turned away and pushed the door open. “You can take him away now, Detective Bradshaw,” he said. “I don’t think I can stand to be near him for one second longer.”