Family Gathers for Old Businessman’s Funeral, Is Shocked as They Hear His Voice Emerge from the Coffin

When Detective Scott goes to his friend Charles’s burial, he is taken aback to discover that the apparent gentle passing has turned out to be a sophisticated, money-motivated murder.
Scott’s heart was heaving when he arrived at the funeral home. A solemn assembly of Charles’s friends, coworkers, and children crowded into the room, all in mourning.

A surprising interruption, a recording of Charles’s voice from his casket, startled the mourners into stillness as Scott was expressing his condolences.

The recorded voice said, “If this is what you are hearing, then I was right.” My suspicion that my life was in jeopardy appears to have been validated.”

Shaking from hand to mouth, Scott opened the coffin to discover Charles’s voice on a recorder. There was no body of Charles in the casket.

The taped voice went on, “I have reason to believe that I will be murdered soon.” “It’s likely going to be one of my heirs, driven by impatience and greed. With the assistance of my attorney, I’ve devised this exam to uncover the truth.”

Charles spoke to Scott directly, his voice growing sombre. My old friend Scott, you have this duty before of you. Before my will is read, find the person who killed me. You will receive a reward if you do. However, my entire inheritance will be donated to charity if the murderer is not apprehended.”

The message ended, and whispers erupted around the room. Lydia, a board member of Charles’s company and his daughter, made an approach to Scott.

“I was always by my father’s side,” a shaky Lydia replied. “Everyone around my father was suspicious, and he was constantly paranoid. However, he died suddenly after a heart attack.”
Scott gave a sigh. “I’ll respect my friend’s request,” he declared. “While Charles should have a funeral, the time is not right now. Lead me to the location where his corpse was discovered.”

The murderer was one of Charles’s descendants.but, who?
Charles’s body was discovered on his bed, but everything else in the room was in order. Charles was a neat freak when it came to his surroundings.

Lydia peered anxiously at Scott as he took in the area. Reminding him, “The police said it was a heart attack,” she spoke with a hint of regret mixed with resignation.

“They did, indeed. However, in situations like this, every little thing counts “added Scott. Then his eyes landed on an odd-looking bottle of tablets resting on the nightstand. That the bottle was empty seemed strange to him.

“These pills,” Scott thought out loud, “should be at least halfway full based on the date of purchase if Charles was taking them as directed. It’s probable that someone purposefully emptied these.”
“But why would anyone do that?” Startled, Lydia enquired. “My father was well-loved.”

Sometimes the motivation isn’t obvious. The answer could be monetary gain, personal grudges, or something else entirely,” Scott said in a serious tone.

Scott looked around the room more, and beneath the bed he found a single pill. “This might be significant. “This needs to be examined,” he remarked, gathering it for examination. “Did anyone else have access to these pills?”
“Carl, my brother, took care of that. Even so, anyone living in the residence may have potentially accessed them.”

“And… your brother and father were on good terms?”
“Not really,” sighed Lydia. “They got into a heated argument right before Dad died away. I heard it spoken. Dad was enraged and had threatened to stop providing Carl with money. It was really intense.”

“Carl needs to hear from us,” suggested Scott.

Lydia nodded, but a worried expression came across her features. “I’ll try to locate his possible location,” she stated, grabbing her phone.

Scott glanced around the room one more time as Lydia started making calls.
Lydia finally hung up the phone, her face serious. She told Scott, “He’s at a local pub, the usual spot where he drowns his sorrows.” Embarrassed, she said, “He didn’t even bother to come for Dad’s funeral.” “Anyway, that’s where you’ll find him.”

Without saying anything, Scott walked away.

Scott tracked Carl down at the pub. Scott recognised the young man’s picture from Lydia showing it to him.

“Carl?” Scott stepped closer to him. “Your father’s friend, Scott, here. I’m investigating his or her story. I work as a detective. Is it possible for us to speak?”
“What’s there to talk about?” Carl shot back, sour. “My dad has passed away. Heart attack, they said.

“I understand that you are going through a difficult moment, but I must inquire about your father’s medication. Did you ever pick it up on time every time?

Carl’s eyes strayed, lost in memory or contemplation. “Yes, most of the time. But occasionally, I would forget. “I would ask Elizabeth, the maid, to pick it up for me when that happened,” he said.

“Did you forget to pick up the medicine before your father’s death?”

Carl shrugged, “Maybe once or twice, but if that’s what you’re thinking, I didn’t kill him! It was merely a cardiac arrest.”
Scott leaned closer and revealed a shocking revelation. He pointed to the findings of the pill study and added, “The pill I found in your father’s room contained Sarin, a poison.” Soon after leaving the estate, Scott had sent the sample for analysis, receiving the results a few hours later.

“Sarin? Do you believe that I harmed my own father?” Shocked, Carl inquired.

Before Scott could respond, police stormed the building and took Carl into custody, accusing him of being involved in his father’s killing. “It wasn’t me. Carl cried out in desperation as he was taken away, “I swear.”

Deep in meditation, Scott realised something wasn’t quite right. Carl’s car was in the parking lot where he headed. Carl was indicated by the bartender who he had inquired in passing who owned “that lavish BMW in the parking lot.”
Scott started by taking a close look at the BMW from the outside, using his trained eye to look for any unusualities. The car was surprisingly unlocked.

Methodically, Scott started to search, looking in the side pockets, under the seats, and in the glove compartment. When he looked beneath a pile of old newspapers and discovered a bag of Sarin, his efforts had paid off. Sarin was not something that was discovered by chance.

Taking out his phone, Scott dialled the number he had seen in the police files. Elizabeth owned it. It took a few rings for the call to be answered.

“Hey Elizabeth? It’s Detective Scott here. He spoke quietly, “I need to ask you a few things as I’m looking into Charles’s death.
“Yes, detective. “How can I assist you?” she shook her head.
“I am aware that it was your duty to retrieve Charles’s prescription from the drugstore. “Did you get his last prescription filled?”

“I did, indeed. I was always careful to get Mr. Charles his medicine on schedule. It was essential to him.”

“Do you still have the medication?”

Indeed, it remains at the residence. Elizabeth broke into tears. “Mr. Charles… he… he didn’t get a chance to take it.”

“All right. “I appreciate it,” Scott responded, hanging up the phone. After that, he went to the police station, where he was met by Officer Mills, a veteran officer with years of experience on the force.
“We have learned of your efforts regarding Charles’s case. Heard you discovered Sarin in his son’s vehicle. Fantastic work.”

Uneasy, Scott answered. “I like it, but the case seems too tidy. Charles’s room had evidence hidden away, and now Sarin was in Carl’s automobile. It seems shady.

Mills gave a nod. “I get your point, but criminals make mistakes all the time. Carl seemed to be the ideal suspect.

In response, Scott said, “It’s too perfect. For now, let’s keep the Sarin specifics under wraps. There must be more to this, in my opinion.”

Mills nodded, allowing Scott the space he required.

Next, Scott went back to Lydia. Her hands quivering a little, she poured tea for the two of them. She sat down and remarked, “I can’t believe Carl could use Sarin on our father.”
Scott made a mistake. “How were you made aware of Sarin? That particular detail was withheld.

“It simply crossed my thoughts. Flustered, Lydia answered, “I believe one of your detectives must have called for some information and mentioned it.”

Scott enquired more. “Carl insisted he didn’t pick up the medicine, but Elizabeth, your father’s maid, did.”

“Carl is not trustworthy,” Lydia asserted. “He is a constant drinker. He might have forgotten.

Scott was persuaded, but he was not convinced.

Linda begged with streaming eyes, “Please, Scott, find out the truth.” “Is Carl the genuine murderer of our father? I have to discover the truth about Dad’s fate.”
With his head full of hypotheses and possibilities, Scott left her after assuring her that he would track down the murderer. Scott was able to identify the actual murderer. Now all he needed to do was declare Carl the murderer for the time being and bide his time until the will was read.

Detective Scott and Lydia’s younger brother Travis waited in uncomfortable quiet in the lawyer’s office. Lydia apologised for being late and hurried in.

After clearing his throat, the attorney started reading Charles’s will.

“In accordance with the last will and testament,” he uttered, his voice resonating a little in the sombre chamber, “Lydia is to receive half of the inheritance.” After pausing, he looked up at Travis. “And as Travis is a minor, Lydia will manage his share until he comes of age.”
Scott jumped up, his voice forceful and demanding attention, cutting the reading short. “I must point out that the real killer has not yet been caught.”

A startled stillness descended upon the room, the weight of his words hanging heavy in the air.

Lydia looked up at Scott. Her voice trembled a little as she said, “What do you mean, Scott?”

“Lydia, you were aware of the toxin Sarin that took your father’s life. The cops did not share that information. How were you made aware of it?”

Lydia’s expression went pallid, her poise faltering. She stammered, trying to avoid meeting Scott’s intense stare. “I… I told you before it was one of the detectives,” she said.
“That is untrue. Scott answered, “I checked and none of our detectives called you. Also, even though you drive a Ford, I found BMW keys in your hallway. Carl is the owner of the BMW. And when I looked into it more, I found you had extra keys to Carl’s vehicle. Elizabeth also attested to the fact that you frequently took Carl in his vehicle because of his inebriation.”

“All right? I’m not a killer just because I drive Carl. It proves that I loved my brother.”

Indeed. It is also accurate, though, that Charles’s prescription was prescribed and only available in little amounts. Elizabeth helped Carl pick it up because he frequently neglected to do so. Elizabeth did, however, affirm that she was carrying the medication. Carl never got the medication from her, thus he couldn’t have poisoned Charles.”
“That’s absurd!” Lydia growled. Elizabeth is ageing and prone to forgetting. Most likely, she learned nothing new this month.”
“All right,” Scott replied. “While Elizabeth did have the medication, it doesn’t tell us who replaced them just by themselves. It might indicate culpability if someone tried to take them from Elizabeth and conceal them.”

Scott suddenly went for Lydia’s purse. “You were late today, Lydia. I think you came over to Elizabeth’s house to get the medication.” He took out a bottle of medicines from her backpack.

Lydia’s expression twisted into a mixture of dread and rage as her mask broke. “This is ridiculous!”

However, the evidence was strong, and the cops stormed into the room. Lydia was taken away after being detained.

There was a startled stillness for a moment, and then the lawyer read the will again. Now, Travis and Carl would split the fortune. Scott would receive a million dollar reward for his efforts in cracking the case, per Charles’s directions.

Scott had, however, solved the case at great expense. A brother was falsely accused, a family was split apart, and a daughter had to deal with the fallout from her deeds.