The Empty Coffin
Ryan grew suspicious the second his dog bolted into the church and started barking furiously at his father’s coffin. Seeing the dog alert and tense, he rushed forward, opened the casket, and was shocked to find it utterly empty.
Earlier, Ryan had stepped out of his car and stood outside the church, not yet ready to confront the finality of saying goodbye to his father. “We couldn’t even give Dad a proper funeral,” he thought sadly, a heavy weight in his chest. Just then, Bella, his dog, barked loudly, sharply breaking his melancholic thoughts.
Ryan looked toward the car, where Bella seemed more restless than usual, pacing anxiously.
“Bella!” he commanded, using a distinct hand signal to tell her to lie down. She promptly obeyed, and he gently patted her head through the open window. “Stay here, Bella.”
Then Ryan walked into the church, ignoring her persistent whines. His father’s closed casket was already positioned at the front of the aisle, and the funeral director had deliberately roped off the area because Arnold had reportedly died from a highly contagious illness.
Ryan sat solemnly next to his mother, acutely aware that his father would be cremated instead of buried due to the nature of his death.
As the funeral mass concluded and people began to stand to sing the final hymn, Bella’s insistent barking suddenly filled the entire church. She leaped onto the casket, knocking over the carefully arranged flowers with a clatter, and barked loudly, frantically.
Then Bella settled onto the floor in an alert, rigid position, staring intently at Ryan. He immediately sensed that something was profoundly wrong.
“Open the casket!” Ryan shouted, his voice cutting through the solemn atmosphere.
People gasped audibly, but he didn’t care. He walked purposefully up to the casket and threw open its lid— his father’s body was gone.
“Wh-Where’s my brother?” Ryan’s uncle stammered, asking the funeral director in utter shock.
The profound shock proved too much for Ryan’s mother. She fainted, but Ryan instinctively caught her just in time before she hit the cold floor. He swiftly rushed her to the hospital.
Later that day, at his mom’s house, Ryan contacted the police.
“The coroner confirmed the cause of death and sent the body to the funeral home,” Detective Bradshaw stated calmly over the phone. “Was your father involved in anything unusual prior to his death?”
Ryan hadn’t worked with his dad since starting his own successful dog training business. Still, he firmly believed his father would never do anything to harm his own name or the company’s reputation.
With no clear leads yet established, the detective promised to diligently follow up. But Ryan didn’t want to wait passively. With his mom staying overnight in the hospital and Bella safely at home, he headed directly to the morgue to search for answers himself.
“The coroner quit? What about the new one?” Ryan was utterly shocked when the nurse informed him there wasn’t a replacement yet in place. He then asked to see his dad’s file, but the nurse firmly stated it was against established rules.
Ryan had a sudden idea. He discreetly placed $1000 on the counter, and the nurse subtly looked the other way while he skillfully slipped into the coroner’s private office. He frantically searched the shelves for his dad’s file but couldn’t locate it— Arnold’s file was conspicuously missing.
Feeling increasingly frustrated, Ryan’s phone suddenly buzzed. It was Mr. Stevens, his father’s long-time lawyer. He informed Ryan that he was now the new CEO of Arnold’s company and needed to come in right away for an urgent meeting.
At the office, Ryan logged into his dad’s Gmail account but found the inbox completely empty—someone had meticulously deleted all the emails.
“Ryan! Good to see you,” Mr. Stevens said pleasantly as he walked in and closed the door behind him.
“Who’s been using this computer?” Ryan immediately inquired.
“No one,” Stevens calmly replied.
Ryan looked slowly around the office. “Where are the dancer figurines?” he asked, noticing two were conspicuously absent from their usual spots.
“Oh, Arnold took them home. He always wanted the third one but couldn’t manage to acquire it. The owner stubbornly refused to sell it for less than half a million,” Stevens explained.
Ryan knew that wasn’t true. He had been through his parents’ house extensively and hadn’t seen the figurines there.
Stevens quickly changed the subject. He explained that the company was now in serious financial debt, and key investors were threatening to withdraw their support because Arnold had been mysteriously missing important meetings for months.
“It all began when his new secretary joined. To be honest with you, I strongly suspect Arnold was romantically involved with her,” Stevens added conspiratorially.
Ryan felt a surge of anger, thinking about how profoundly upset his mother was. He wanted to immediately confront his father’s secretary, Miss Pearson, but Mr. Stevens stopped him, warning that it would only further damage Arnold’s already tarnished reputation.
Instead, Ryan spent the entire day diligently working to rectify the company’s severe financial issues and sent expensive gift baskets to the most crucial investors. Afterward, he discreetly followed Miss Pearson and observed her drive into a small house in the suburbs. She was his only tangible clue so far, so he waited patiently outside in his car.
Later, the sound of her garage door opening woke him up. He saw her drive away toward the city and was about to follow, but then a better plan formed in his mind. He rushed into her garage just before the door completely closed and found a way to gain entry into the house.
He quietly searched the kitchen and located a flashlight so he wouldn’t need to risk turning on any lights. In her bedroom, he was shocked to discover a photograph of Miss Pearson intimately kissing his father. Still, he managed to stay calm and sternly reminded himself he was there to find concrete answers.
After thoroughly searching the house with no further luck, he was about to leave when he noticed a slightly ajar drawer in the coffee table. Inside was a Manila envelope containing Arnold’s $7 million life insurance policy— explicitly naming Miss Pearson as the sole beneficiary who would receive the money.
Ryan immediately took the damning document straight to the police.
“This is strong evidence,” Detective Bradshaw acknowledged. “I’ll definitely look into this Miss Pearson.”
While Ryan waited anxiously at the police station, Detective Bradshaw came rushing in with a team of officers. Miss Pearson had just booked a flight to Morocco that was departing in only thirty minutes.
“The U.S. doesn’t have an extradition treaty with Morocco,” she explained urgently, “so we absolutely have to stop her before she gets on that plane!”
Ryan wanted desperately to go with them, but the detective firmly said no—he wasn’t permitted. Still, Ryan instinctively followed them anyway.
At the airport, Detective Bradshaw shouted, “Police! Let us through!” as they frantically reached the boarding gate. Ryan seamlessly blended in with the group to avoid being stopped and successfully entered the boarding area. The police quickly spread out, meticulously checking every single passenger.
“You! The woman in the white shirt!” Bradshaw yelled, pointing. “Step out and raise your hands!”
At first, Ryan felt a wave of relief— until she slowly turned around. It wasn’t Miss Pearson.
The search continued for hours, but Miss Pearson had completely vanished. Ryan was back at the absolute beginning again. But deep down, he firmly believed his father was still alive. He vividly remembered the missing figurines and felt certain Arnold had taken them. So Ryan looked up the esteemed collector who owned the third figurine and paid him a visit.
“So…how much do you want for it?” he asked, pointing directly at the figurine.
“$750,000,” the collector, Mr. Frederick, stated firmly, without hesitation.
“That’s significantly more than what this artist’s work usually sells for,” Ryan replied, challenging the price.
“Then don’t buy it. The price isn’t up for discussion,” Mr. Frederick snapped, irritated.
Ryan knew he desperately needed the figurine, so he asked for time to gather the substantial sum of money. Back in his car, he immediately called Mr. Stevens and informed him he wanted to sell $750,000 worth of his company shares.
“But if you do that, you’ll lose controlling interest of the company,” Mr. Stevens warned, concerned.
“I understand, but this is extremely urgent,” Ryan insisted. “If I’m correct, I’ll be able to buy them back within a week’s time.”
Mr. Stevens paused, then replied, “As your legal advisor, I probably shouldn’t ask why you require so much cash so quickly.”
Then he added, his voice softening, “But as a family friend, I need to ask— does this have anything to do with Miss Pearson and what I mentioned earlier?”
“In a way, yes,” Ryan confirmed.
Mr. Stevens sighed heavily. “She’s vanished, too. Didn’t show up for work, and her phone number’s disconnected. I’ll get you the money. Just don’t ask how. I’ll transfer it right away.”
When Ryan received confirmation that the money had successfully arrived, he immediately went back inside to see Mr. Frederick. The old man grumbled that the figurine was worth even more now, since it was the only one left to complete the rare set, but Ryan cut him off sharply.
“You asked for $750,000, and I’m paying it now. Are you not a man of your word?”
Mr. Frederick finally conceded, and the figurine was officially Ryan’s. Ready for his next strategic move, Ryan made a few crucial calls and a quick stop before heading back to his mother’s house.
“Where have you been, Ryan?” his mother asked, her voice tinged with worry, when he returned. “I got back from the hospital to an empty house. Bella’s been bored and truly misses you. I simply can’t keep up with her. And I haven’t seen much of you since the funeral…”
“I’m sorry, Mom,” Ryan said softly, his voice full of apology. “Please just trust me—it’s important. It’ll all be over soon.”
Later, Ryan stood discreetly behind a pillar at the auction house, intently watching the growing crowd. The very figurine he had just purchased was about to be auctioned. He looked toward the stage as they carefully brought it up.
As the bidding escalated, only two people remained in contention— an overweight man with a prominent nose, and a tall man with distinguished white hair in a sharp navy suit. Neither of them was his father.
Ryan had meticulously ensured to remain anonymous and had strategically placed advertisements to guarantee that, if his father was indeed out there, he would unequivocally know the figurine was being auctioned today.
“$600,000 going once,” the auctioneer announced, his voice clear.
Ryan felt a wave of hopelessness wash over him. He was terrified he would lose both the crucial chance to find his father and a substantial amount of money on the figurine.
“…going twice…”
“$1 million!”
Ryan froze—he instantly recognized the voice. It was his father. He looked up and saw Arnold standing at the very back of the room, slowly taking off his wide-brimmed hat.
“$1 million going once… going twice… sold to the man in the beige coat!” the auctioneer announced triumphantly, hitting the gavel.
Arnold quickly put his hat back on and walked purposefully toward the exit, but Ryan swiftly ran around and blocked his path. Then Detective Bradshaw stepped in and placed handcuffs on Arnold.
“Ryan?” Arnold looked genuinely surprised, his eyes wide. “You tricked me! This was all a setup!”
“Don’t make it sound like I betrayed you, Dad!” Ryan snapped, his anger finally surfacing. “You’re the one who cheated on Mom and faked your own death so you could run away with your girlfriend! How could you possibly do that to us?”
Arnold looked down, his gaze heavy, and admitted he was tired of his old life and simply wanted to start over with Miss Pearson.
“So you secured a massive life insurance policy, paid off the coroner to fake your death, and allowed your family and friends to cry mournfully over an empty casket?” Ryan demanded angrily.
“You always told me, ‘A man should do what’s right, not just what benefits him.’ I’m profoundly saddened that you didn’t live by your own words. But now, you’re facing the consequences of your actions.”
Detective Bradshaw informed Ryan that Miss Pearson would be found soon. Then the police calmly took Arnold away.
