Dog Barks at Coffin During Funeral, Suspicious Son Opens It and Finds It Empty

Everyone was sad at the gathering. Then, a dog started barking at a closed box. Ryan, the son, felt something was wrong. He opened the box. It was empty.

Ryan was sad because his dad was gone. “We couldn’t even say goodbye right,” he thought. Then his dog, Bella, barked loudly.

Bella was very upset in the car. “Bella!” Ryan told her to lie down. He patted her head. “Stay, Bella.”

Ryan went into the building. His dad, Arnold, was supposed to be in the box. The event person had put ropes around it. This was because Arnold had a sickness that could spread.

Ryan sat with his mom. They were going to burn Arnold’s things, not bury them.

When the event ended, Bella barked again. She jumped on the box and knocked flowers down. She looked at Ryan. He knew something was wrong.

“Open the box!” he said.

People gasped. Ryan opened the box. It was empty.

“Where’s my brother?” Ryan’s uncle asked.

Ryan’s mom got sick and almost fell. Ryan took her to the hospital.

Later, Ryan called the police.

“We know the doctor said what was wrong with him, and the event people got the body,” Officer Bradshaw said. “Did your dad do anything bad?”

Ryan trained dogs. He didn’t work with his dad anymore. He knew his dad wouldn’t do anything to hurt his name.

Officer Bradshaw left. Ryan went to the doctor’s office.

“The doctor quit? Who’s the new doctor?” Ryan asked. The nurse said there was no new doctor. Ryan asked for his dad’s file. The nurse said no.

Ryan gave her money. He went into the office. He looked for his dad’s file. It was gone.

Ryan’s phone rang. It was his dad’s lawyer, Mr. Stevens. He said he was now the boss of Arnold’s company. He wanted to see Ryan.

At his dad’s office, Ryan looked at his dad’s email. It was empty. Someone had deleted everything.

“Ryan! Good to see you,” Mr. Stevens said.

“Who used this computer?” Ryan asked.

“Nobody,” Mr. Stevens said.

“Where are the little statues?” Ryan asked.

“Oh, he took them home. He wanted the third one. The man wants a lot of money for it,” Mr. Stevens said.

Ryan knew his dad didn’t take them.

“We have to talk about money,” Mr. Stevens said. The company had a lot of debt. “And it started when his new helper came. I think he liked her,” Mr. Stevens said.

Ryan was angry. He wanted to talk to the helper, but Mr. Stevens said no.

Ryan spent the day fixing the money problem. He followed the helper, Miss Pearson, home. He waited outside her house.

Later, he went into her house. He found a paper. It was Arnold’s money paper for a lot of money. Miss Pearson was the only one who got the money! Ryan took the paper to the police.

“This is important,” Officer Bradshaw said. “We need to find this Pearson woman.”

Miss Pearson was going to leave the country.

“We need to get her before she gets on the plane!”

Ryan followed the police to the airport.

“Police!” Officer Bradshaw yelled.

They stopped a woman. It wasn’t Miss Pearson. She was gone.

Ryan was back to the start. He thought Arnold was still alive. He remembered the statues. He found the man with the third statue.

“How much?” he asked.

“$750,000,” the man said.

“That’s too much,” Ryan said.

“Then don’t buy it,” the man said.

Ryan needed it. He called Mr. Stevens. He sold his company shares.

“You’ll lose control of the company!” Mr. Stevens said.

“I know,” Ryan said. “I need the money now.”

Mr. Stevens got him the money.

Ryan bought the statue. He made phone calls. He went to his mom’s house.

“Where were you?” his mom asked. “Bella misses you.”

“I’m sorry,” Ryan said. “I’m doing something important.”

Ryan went to an auction. He put the statue up for sale.

A man bought it for a lot of money. It was Arnold!

Arnold tried to leave. Officer Bradshaw stopped him.

“Ryan? You tricked me!” Arnold said.

“You had a girlfriend and left us! How could you?” Ryan said.

Arnold said he wanted a new life.

“You took the money, lied to the doctor, and made us cry at an empty box!” Ryan said.

“‘Do what’s right.’ You taught me that, Dad. You didn’t do what’s right.”

Officer Bradshaw said they would find Miss Pearson. Arnold was taken away.