Ryan becomes suspicious when his dog runs into the chapel and begins barking at his father’s coffin. Ryan opens the casket after noticing the dog in an alert state, only to discover that his father’s body has gone missing. Ryan got out of the car and stood outside the church, knowing he was not ready to say goodbye to his father. “We couldn’t even give Dad a proper funeral,” he realized. Suddenly, Bella’s loud bark distracted him.

Ryan returned to his car, where Bella was more upset than usual. “Bella!” He gave her a hand signal to lie down, and she did. He patted her head through the open car window. “Now, stay, Bella.” Ryan then moved away from Bella, disregarding her whine, and entered the chapel. His father Arnold’s casket was already in place and closed, and the funeral director had discreetly blocked off the surrounding area because Arnold had died of infectious sickness.

Ryan sat with his mother. Arnold would be cremated rather than buried, given the circumstances of his death. Bella’s bark rang throughout the chapel as the mass ended and the mourners stood to sing the closing hymn. She jumped upon the casket, knocking the flower arrangement to the ground, and began barking loudly. Ryan realized something was wrong when Bella sat up on the floor and glanced at him.

“Open the casket!” he commanded. A gasp echoed through the crowd. Ryan didn’t care. He stepped over to the casket and opened it, only to discover it empty. “Wh-Where’s my brother?” His uncle gazed at the funeral director. Ryan’s mother could not bear what was occurring. Her eyes rolled back into her head, and her knees gave way. Ryan caught her just before her head hit the marble floor. He rushed her to the hospital.Ryan contacted the police from his mother’s residence.

“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 informed him. “Was your father involved in any activities I should be aware of?” Ryan has not been active in his father’s business since he established his canine training and rehabilitation center. But he knew Arnold would never jeopardize his own or the company’s reputation.

Detective Bradshaw left without providing a key lead, promising to keep me updated. But Ryan did not want to wait. The hospital was keeping his mother overnight. He left Bella at home and went to the morgue to seek answers.”Did the coroner resign?” “What about the new coroner?” Ryan was perplexed when the nurse at reception informed him that there was no new coroner yet. He asked to see his father’s file, but the nurse refused, claiming it was against policy.

Ryan understood how to persuade her. He placed $1,000 on the counter, and she turned a blind eye as he slipped into the coroner’s office. He began scanning the shelves for his father’s file, but it proved pointless. Arnold’s files were gone. Ryan was frustrated. His phone suddenly started vibrating, distracting him. Mr. Stevens was his father’s lawyer. The elder man informed Ryan that he was the new CEO of Arnold’s company and needed to meet him immediately.

Ryan arrived at his father’s office and accessed Arnold’s Gmail on the office computer, only to find that the inbox was empty. Someone removed the messages. “Ryan! “Good to see you.” Mr. Stevens entered the room, closing the door behind him.”Who’s been using this computer?” Ryan asked him. “Nobody,” Mr. Stevens responded. “Wait, where are the dancers?” Ryan discovered that two figurines were missing from his father’s office.

Oh, he took them home. Poor Arnold…He could never get the third figurine in the set. Can you imagine the man who owns it refuses to accept anything less than half a million?” Mr. Stevens spoke. Ryan was certain Arnold had not taken them home. He’d gone through his parents’ house since arriving for the funeral, but he hadn’t seen the dancers anywhere.

“But anyway, we have more important matters to discuss…” Mr. Stevens warned Ryan that they were in serious debt, and that numerous investors were threatening to withdraw their money since Arnold had been skipping meetings with them for months prior to his death. “It all started when his new secretary started working here. “With all due respect to Arnold and his family, I believe he was having a romantic relationship with her,” Mr. Stevens stated.

Ryan lost his composure as the image of his mother’s sad expression crossed his mind. He would have confronted his father’s secretary if Mr. Stevens hadn’t stopped him—it would have harmed Arnold’s image. Ryan spent the day dealing with the debt problem and sending gift baskets to the most important investors. After work, he followed his father’s secretary, Miss Pearson, as she drove into the garage of a modest suburban home. She was his only lead up until now, so he waited outside her house in his automobile.

Later, the whirring of her garage door awakened him up. He noticed her in her car heading towards the city and wanted to follow her. But then he got a better idea. He jumped out of his car and made it inside the garage just in time before the door closed. He discovered a passage leading inside her residence. He went to the kitchen first, explored the drawers, and found a flashlight. He didn’t want to turn on the lights in case Miss Pearson arrived home unexpectedly.

His heart sunk as he entered her bedroom and seen a framed photo of her kissing Arnold on the nightstand. Ryan kept his cool, reminding himself that he was here to locate a clue that would help him figure out what happened to his father. He searched Miss Pearson’s home but found nothing. Depressed, he was about to depart when he noticed a slightly open drawer in the coffee table.A Manila envelope piqued his interest.

The contents included Arnold’s $7 million life insurance policy, with only one beneficiary.Miss Pearson! Ryan retrieved the document and drove to the police station. “This is quite compelling…” Detective Bradshaw stated, looking at the document. “Let me see what else I can find out about this Pearson woman.” Ryan was sitting near the front desk when she approached him with a group of officers. Miss Pearson’s flight to Morocco was scheduled to leave in half an hour.

“Since the US has no extradition treaty with the Moroccan government, it’s vital we bring her in for questioning before she boards the plane!” Ryan asked to accompany the officers, but Detective Bradshaw declined because he was a civilian. Ryan did not listen to her and instead followed her. “Police!” Detective Bradshaw yelled as she and her squad neared the boarding gate.

“Let us through!”Ryan sneaked by airport security personnel by blending in with the crowd, and they headed to the boarding area. The cops instantly split out and began scrutinizing the passengers. “You’re there!” The dark-haired woman wearing the white shirt! Detective Bradshaw said, “Step out of line and raise your hands in the air.”

Ryan was happy they’d apprehended Miss Pearson, but his smile faded when the woman turned around. She wasn’t Miss Pearson. The cops searched for hours, but Miss Pearson was gone. Ryan was back at square one. But in his heart, he knew Arnold was still alive. Ryan knew the figurines were not at his mother’s house. Wherever his father went, he must have carried the figurines with him.

Ryan searched for the collector who owned the third statue online and paid him a visit.”So…how much will you take for it?” he inquired, pointing at the figurine. “$750,000,” the collector, Mr. Frederick, said. “That’s far above the market value for the artist’s work, sir.” “Then do not buy it. “The price is not negotiable, young man!”

Ryan needed it, so he asked for some time to arrange the money. He returned to his car, contacted Mr. Stevens, and informed him that he wanted to sell $750,000 worth of company stock. “But then you won’t have a controlling stake in the company, Ryan!” Mr. Stevens spoke. “I’m aware, Mr. Stevens, but this is urgent,” Ryan explained. “I need the cash immediately, but if I’m right, I should be able to buy back those shares within the week.”

“Ryan,” Mr. Stevens ultimately said 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 went on, “I must know if this is related to the suspicion I shared with you about Miss Pearson.””In a sense, yes,” Ryan responded.

Mr. Stevens sighed. “She’s also gone, you know…she didn’t show up for work today, and her phone number is no longer active. I’ll get you the money…just don’t question me for the details…and send it to you as soon as possible.” Ryan raced inside to talk with Mr. Frederick after receiving word that the money had been deposited into his account.

The elder man grumbled something about how the figure was worth more than his asking price because it was the sole available component of the set, but Ryan cut him short. “You asked for $750 000, sir, and that is what I am providing you, effective immediately. Mr. Frederick, are you not a man of your word? Mr. Frederick eventually agreed to sell the figure. Ryan was now prepared for the next stage. He called a few folks from his automobile and stopped briefly before returning to his mother’s house.

“Where on earth have you been, Ryan?” his mother inquired. “When I returned from the hospital, the home was vacant, and poor Bella was bored out of her wits. Your puppy misses you; I can’t keep her occupied enough, and I haven’t seen you since the funeral… “I’m sorry, Mom,” he mumbled. “Please believe that what I’ve been doing is extremely significant. “It will also be over soon.”

Ryan stood behind a pillar toward the back of the auction house’s main bidding area, observing the audience. The figure he had purchased was the next lot up for bidding. He looked at the podium as it was brought to the front. As the price rose, the number of participants decreased to just two. The first was an overweight man with a big nose, while the second was a tall, white-haired man dressed in a navy suit. Neither of them were his father.

Ryan insisted on anonymity and personally paid for multiple advertisements to guarantee that his father, no matter where he was, was aware that the figurine was up for sale today. “$600,000 going once,” the auctioneer announced. Ryan’s heart fell. He feared that not only would he lose his bait and miss out on the opportunity to discover his father, but he would also incur a significant loss on the figurine.

“…going twice…” “$1 million!” Ryan got goosebumps hearing his father’s voice. He watched in surprise as Arnold stood from a seat toward the rear of the auction room and removed his wide-brimmed hat.”$1 million going once…going twice…sold to the man in the beige coat!” The auctioneer hammered his gavel. Arnold quickly put his hat back on and walked for the door. Ryan dashed around the corner of the room, blocking his route.

Then Detective Bradshaw came forward and handcuffed Arnold. “Ryan?” Arnold frowned at Ryan. “You deceived me! “It was a trap!” “Don’t act like I’ve done some terrible betrayal, Dad! You’re the one who had an affair and pretended to die so you could flee with your mistress! “How could you?” Arnold hung his head as he admitted that he was bored of his previous life and wanted to start a new one with his new love, Miss Pearson.

“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 hissed.”A man should do what is right, not pursue his own selfish interests.” You’ve taught me that, Dad. I’m sorry you couldn’t follow your own ideals, but I hope you understand that your failure to do so resulted in your downfall.” Detective Bradshaw told Ryan that Miss Pearson will be apprehended soon. Arnold was then escorted to the police car.