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.”
