The Fake Suicide Note at Her Funeral

Claudia was dead.

She left a suicide note saying I drove her to it.

At the funeral hall entrance, Emmett shoved me down, demanding I kneel before her.

The Simpson family wept and cursed me as a murderer. Claudia's fans blocked the doorway, screaming for me to pay with my life.

I stared at the casket that no one had opened from start to finish and asked only one question:

"Where's the death certificate?"

Emmett's eyes were bloodshot as he roared at me. "She's dead and you still want to cause trouble?"

I dialed the police. "Someone's accusing me of driving a person to death. I'm requesting an autopsy."

The moment the call went through, the funeral hall fell silent.

Emmett grabbed my wrist. "Iris, hang up."

I looked up at him. "Why?"

His eyes were completely bloodshot, his voice hoarse. "Claudia's already dead."

I lowered my gaze to his hand. "All the more reason to call the police."

I pressed the speaker button. The dispatcher's voice came through the phone.

"Hello, what's your emergency?"

Emmett's expression changed.

I looked into his eyes. "Someone used a suicide note to accuse me of murder. Now they're demanding I confess at the funeral hall. I'm requesting the police verify the death procedures. If necessary, confirm the identity of the body in the casket."

Those words fell, and the funeral hall became completely silent.

Emmett's mother, Lydia, was the first to react. She clutched the casket, crying so hard she could barely stand.

"Iris, how can you be so cruel?"

"Claudia died so horribly, and you still won't let her rest in peace?"

Claudia's agent, Mira, also looked at me with red eyes.

"Miss Iris, Claudia tried to preserve your dignity even in death."

"She did so much charity work, saved so many people."

"She didn't call the police, didn't press charges. She only asked you in her suicide note to let her go."

"Why won't you even give her this last bit of peace?"

I looked at her. "Did you personally witness Claudia jump?"

Mira froze. "Everyone saw it on the livestream!"

"I asked if you personally witnessed it."

Her lips moved, but no words came out.

I turned to look at Emmett.

"Where's the ambulance dispatch record?"

Emmett didn't answer.

The tears on Mira's face paused for a moment.

I continued. "That casketwho verified it? The person insidewho confirmed it?"

The funeral hall was so quiet, only the shouts of fans outside the door remained.

I looked at them.

"You have nothing."

"Just a suicide note full of my name."

"And a casket that no one has opened from beginning to end."

Mira's face went pale for a moment. Emmett's fingers clenched tight.

I glanced down at my wrist, red from his grip.

"What? The police aren't even here yet and you're already leaving evidence of injury on me?"

He froze, then released his hand the next second.

Lydia trembled with rage.

"Iris! Are you threatening the Simpson family?"

"Not threatening." I said. "Reminding you to follow the law."

The fans' shouts outside hadn't stopped, crashing against the venue doors wave after wave.

Emmett looked at me, his voice cold and heavy.

"Iris, must you make a scene in front of the police?"

"Claudia's already dead. You want her examined all over again?"

I smiled slightly. "Emmett, you're the one who dragged me here."

"You threw the suicide note in my face. You were the ones who started calling me a murderer."

"Now I'm just asking the police to investigate. Why are you so anxious?"

At this point, the Simpson Group's legal counsel finally stepped forward.

He pushed up his glasses, his tone still composed.

"Miss Iris, of course the police can come."

"It's just that Miss Claudia's family has already entrusted the Simpson family to handle the funeral arrangements."

"Tonight she'll be transferred to the funeral home according to procedure."

I looked at him. "Who are the family members? Where are Miss Claudia's parents?"

"Overseas."

I nodded.

"Three hours after death, parents haven't arrived, body hasn't been confirmed."

"And the Simpson family can already transfer her to the funeral home?"

The lawyer's expression stiffened.

"The family provided remote authorization."

"Where's the authorization letter?"

He didn't answer immediately.

I stepped forward. "Also, you said she'll be transferred to the funeral home tonight according to procedure. What procedure? Where's the body transfer form? Which facility is receiving her? Who signed?"

The lawyer's lips pressed tight. Mira immediately interrupted with tears.

"Iris, enough! Claudia was most afraid of looking ugly. She fell from the twenty-seventh floor. She's unrecognizable."

"Mr. Emmett wouldn't let you see because he doesn't want her talked about even in death."

I looked at her. "Did I say I wanted to see?"

Mira froze. "I asked about the death certificate, body transfer documents, and family authorization."

"You keep bringing up dignity."

"Is it because you can't produce these documents, or because there isn't the person you claim inside that casket at all?"

When those words fell, the funeral hall became deathly silent.

Emmett's head snapped up. "Iris."

His voice was frighteningly low.

"Do you know what you're saying?"

"I do." I looked at him. "Since you all claim Claudia is dead, then from now on, every single step needs to be backed by evidence."

I paused, my gaze returning to the casket.

"Let's prove one thing first."

"Whether the person in the casket is Claudia."

The police arrived faster than the Simpson family expected.

Twenty minutes later, the shouts outside the venue were contained behind police tape.

When two officers entered, Lydia's crying clearly paused.

The Simpson Group's legal counsel was first to greet them.

"Officers, thank you for coming. This is really a family matter."

"Miss Claudia has already passed away. Miss Iris and Miss Claudia had some misunderstandings before her death. Miss Iris is quite emotional, which is why..."

I cut him off. "This isn't a family matter."

The lawyer's expression stiffened. I looked at the officers.

"Someone used a suicide note to accuse me of driving a person to death."

"Now they're demanding I confess at this funeral hall."

"And they're preparing to transfer the so-called body to a funeral home without a death certificate, emergency records, body transfer documents, or verified family authorization."

The officers' expressions immediately turned serious.

"Who called the police?"

"I did." I raised my phone. "Iris."

The officer glanced at me, then looked toward the casket in the center of the funeral hall.

"Where's the deceased?"

The funeral hall fell silent for a moment.

Mira instinctively looked at Emmett. Emmett said nothing.

The lawyer answered quickly. "Miss Claudia's body is in the casket."

The officer asked, "Where's the death certificate?"

The moment those four words came out, the Simpson family's expressions all changed.

The lawyer pulled out a folder. "Here's the medical report regarding Miss Claudia's condition after her fall."

The officer took it and flipped through two pages.

"I need a medical death certificate, not a condition report."

The lawyer paused. "The circumstances were special. The procedures are still being completed."

I looked up. "Three hours since death."

"The funeral hall is set up, the suicide note made public, even the funeral home transfer arranged."

"But the death certificate is still being completed?"

The lawyer's lips pressed tight.

Lydia finally couldn't hold back.

"Iris, must you be so aggressive in front of the police?"

"I'm not being aggressive." I looked at her.

"Lydia, the Lewis Group owns three hospitals. I've seen death procedures. They're not 'completed' this way."

Lydia's face went pale with anger.

Emmett said coldly, "Claudia jumped from the twenty-seventh floor of the Simpson Group hotel."

"Everyone saw it on the livestream."

I looked at him.

"Saw her standing on the rooftop, or saw her hit the ground?"

Emmett's gaze darkened.

Mira immediately cried out, "Miss Iris, why must you split hairs like this?"

"Wasn't Claudia's final livestream clear enough?"

"She cried saying you pressured her, cried saying she couldn't take it anymore, then the camera went black."

"If it wasn't suicide, what else could it be?"

I looked at her. "After the camera went black, did you see what happened?"

Mira's lips trembled.

"I..."

"You didn't see." I finished for her.

"The Simpson family didn't see, the fans didn't see, no one saw."

I looked at the officer. "That's why I'm requesting verification."

The officer nodded and looked at the lawyer.

"Where are the emergency records?"

The lawyer glanced at Emmett. Emmett's voice was low.

"The situation was urgent. I had my private medical transport take her to a hospital partnered with the Simpson Group."

The officer frowned. "You didn't dial 911?"

Emmett paused. "The private medical transport was faster."

I laughed. "Fast indeed. So fast there's no 911 record, no police at the scene, no scene secured."

"But the Simpson family's obituarythat went out fastest of all."

Those words fell, and Emmett's face completely darkened.

The officer looked at him. "Mr. Emmett, a fall is classified as unnatural death."

"According to procedure, you need to report to police, preserve the scene, and verify emergency response and death circumstances."

"Why did you take the body away first?"

Before Emmett could answer, Mira cried out, "Because Claudia was in such terrible condition!"

"She was covered in blood, her face was..."

She seemed unable to continue, covering her mouth as she cried.

"Mr. Emmett just felt sorry for her."

"He didn't want her to be gawked at."

I looked at Mira. "You saw her covered in blood?"

Mira's crying stopped.

"After the livestream went black, you said no one saw."

"Now you're saying she was covered in blood."

"Mira, did you see, or didn't you?"

The tears on her face froze.

Emmett's gaze finally landed on Mira.

Mira reacted quickly, immediately choking out, "I heard it from staff."

"Which staff member?" I asked. "Name."

She opened her mouth but couldn't answer.

The officer also looked at Mira. "Please cooperate with a statement later."

Mira's face went pale.

Another officer contacted the emergency center. The call came back quickly.

No 911 dispatch record for a fall from the twenty-seventh floor of the Simpson Group hotel.

The air in the funeral hall seemed frozen.

I looked at Emmett. "Why do you keep circumventing normal procedures?"

Emmett's jaw tightened. "Iris, are you suspecting me?"

"I'm suspecting the evidence." I said. "If you have it, produce it. If not, don't stop me from investigating."

The lawyer's forehead was already beaded with sweat. He tried to redirect the conversation.

"Officers, Miss Claudia's family truly has authorized the Simpson family to handle funeral arrangements."

"We have no intention of avoiding investigation."

"It's just that the deceased had significant public influence during her life. The Simpson family made some preliminary arrangements out of concern for protecting the deceased's privacy."

I looked toward the entrance. "Protecting privacyby having fans and media arrive in advance?"

The lawyer's expression grew worse.

The officer asked, "Where's the authorization letter?"

The lawyer was silent for a moment, then pulled out a sheet from the bottom of the folder.

"Here."

The officer took it.

It did have Claudia's parents' electronic signatures, and the authorization content was complete.

Agreed to have the Simpson family handle Claudia's funeral arrangements.

Agreed to transfer to funeral home.

Agreed not to publicly disclose the body's condition.

Even agreed to cremation as soon as possible.

Every clause was complete. Also suspiciously urgent.

The officer looked at the signing time. "11:47 PM."

I looked at the electronic clock on the wall. 12:26 AM.

Claudia's supposed time of death was 9:58 PM.

I looked at the lawyer.

"Less than two hours."

"Medical transport, death confirmation, notifying parents overseas, obtaining authorization, setting up the funeral hall, issuing an obituary."

"And bringing me here to confess."

"The Simpson family's funeral efficiency is faster than emergency response."

The lawyer's expression froze.

The officer asked, "Can the authorizing parties be reached now?"

The lawyer was silent for a moment. "Miss Claudia's parents are overseas, overwhelmed with grief. It may not be convenient."

The officer's voice remained steady. "Contact the authorizing parties for verification immediately."

The lawyer's composure finally cracked.

"Right now?"

"Right now."

I looked at the phone in the lawyer's hand. "On speaker."

Emmett finally spoke.

"Iris, stop this."

I looked at him.

"When the police verify the authorization, you say I should stop."

"Emmett, can your authorization letter not withstand questioning?"

There was deeply suppressed fury in his eyes, but this time, he couldn't answer.

The lawyer made the call.

First attemptno answer.

Second attemptstill no answer.

Third attemptthe call finally connected.

But what came through was a cold, automated English message.

The officer frowned. "This number needs verification."

The lawyer's hand holding the phone trembled.

"It might... might be an international line issue."

The officer placed the authorization letter in an evidence bag.

"This authorization requires further verification."

"Until verification is complete, the body must not be transferred or cremated without authorization."

"Additionally, we need to legally verify the identity of the body in the casket and seal all subsequent transfer procedures."

When those words came out, everyone in the funeral hall fell silent.

I saw Emmett's fingers curl slightly.

Mira's face instantly drained of all color.

I turned my head and looked at the casket in the center of the funeral hall.

"Did you hear?"

"The police are inspecting the casket."

"Right now."

Emmett finally stared at me, his eyes cold as ice.

"Iris, must you go this far?"

I looked at him and calmly asked back, "Isn't she dead?"

"It's just opening a casket."

"What are you afraid of?"

Emmett fell silent. He didn't answer.

The officer looked at him. "Mr. Emmett, please cooperate with inspecting the body in the casket."

Emmett's throat bobbed.

After a long moment, he finally spoke.

"Fine."

Just those two words, spoken with weight.

Lydia broke first. She threw herself at the casket, pressing down hard on the lid.

"No! Claudia's already suffered so much. You're going to open her casket too?"

Mira also knelt beside the casket, her shoulders shaking with sobs.

"Officers, Claudia loved being beautiful more than anything."

"She fell from such a height. She's unrecognizable."

"Please, don't make her be stared at in the end."

The officer's tone remained steady.

"We're not doing this publicly. We're just verifying the condition of the body in the casket. Please step aside."

Lydia still tried to block them.

Emmett said quietly, "Mom."

Lydia whipped her head toward him. "Emmett!"

Emmett closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he looked at me.

That gaze held hatred, and a trace of panic he couldn't suppress.

"Open it."

That one word fell, and Lydia's crying stopped.

Mira's face went deathly pale.

Venue staff stepped forward. The casket lid was slowly pushed open.

Everyone in the funeral hall held their breath.

I didn't crowd forward. My gaze fell on the outer side of the body bag inside the casket.

What hit first was a pungent smell of disinfectant.

Inside the casket lay a black body bag. A white label was stuck to the outside of the bag.

It read: Claudia.

Gender: Female.

Age: 26.

Transfer Unit: Simpson Group Partner Medical Center.

No hospital wristband, no police seal, no funeral home identification number.

Only the Simpson family's own label.

The officer frowned. "Who put this on?"

The lawyer responded immediately. "The medical center."

The officer asked, "Where's the transfer document?"

The lawyer paused.

I looked at that label and smiled slightly.

Mira's head snapped up. "What are you smiling at?"

"Nothing." I said. "First time learning that identity confirmation after death relies on stickers."

Mira's expression stiffened.

The officer put on gloves and lifted the outer layer of the body bag to inspect it.

Venue staff tried to step forward to block him but were stopped by another officer.

Lydia turned her head away, unable to watch.

Mira lowered her head, but her fingers clutched her clothes desperately.

Only Emmett was still watching the casket. His face showed no grief, only tension.

A few seconds later, the officer looked up.

"The body is severely damaged."

"Visual identification at the scene is not possible."

"Subsequent sampling and verification will need to follow procedure."

Lydia seemed to finally grab an opportunity, crying out, "It's already like this. What more verification do you need?"

The officer looked at her. "Identity verification."

Lydia's crying caught. Mira's face also went pale for a moment.

I looked at their reactions and said softly, "What's wrong?"

"It's just identity confirmation. Are you afraid of that too?"

Emmett finally spoke. "Iris, that's enough."

I looked at him.

"Emmett, when proving I drove Claudia to death, one suicide note was enough."

"Now asking you to prove the person in the casket is Claudiawhy is it so difficult?"

He stared at me hard. "I just want to let her leave quietly."

I looked up. "Leave? A dead personwhat does she need to leave?"

Emmett's eyes darkened. "Leave behind these humiliating questions."

The officer continued inspecting the outside of the body bag.

Soon, he pulled out a folded piece of paper from the side.

The lawyer visibly relaxed when he saw it.

"That's the transfer document. It should explain the procedure."

The officer unfolded it. The paper was very new, so new the creases were still stiff.

It read:

Simpson Group Partner Medical Center Temporary Body Transfer Statement.

Receiving party: blank. Transfer person signature: blank. Time: blank.

Only a red stamp.

The officer looked up at the lawyer. "This is a blank form."

The lawyer's shoulders, which had just relaxed, immediately stiffened again.

"Perhaps the staff were too rushed and forgot to complete it."

I looked at that blank form.

"Every step is missing. Every step is waiting to be completed after the fact."

I looked up at Emmett.

"Seems like you're not handling a funeral. You're racing through procedures."

Emmett said nothing.

Lydia said tremulously, "Officers, can't you just let Claudia go to the funeral home first?"

"She's already so pitiful..."

The officer interrupted her.

"The body can be transferred."

"But it must be supervised by police, and transfer procedures must be completed."

"At the same time, records from the venue, hotel, and medical transport will be sealed."

"The Simpson family may not handle this privately."

Lydia's face went completely pale.

Emmett looked at the officer.

"The hotel records need to be sealed too?"

The officer said, "The incident location was at the Simpson Group hotel. Of course it needs to be sealed."

Emmett asked too quickly.

I looked at him. "Why are you so afraid of procedures?"

Emmett looked at me coldly. "Stop trying to smear me."

I didn't respond to him, because the lawyer's phone rang again.

Since the casket opened, it had rung three times.

He glanced down and immediately declined the call.

The officer looked at him. "Answer it."

The lawyer froze. "It's just a work call."

The officer looked at him. "Answer it. On speaker."

Sweat appeared on the lawyer's forehead again. He had no choice but to answer.

The moment speaker turned on, a man's lowered voice came through.

"Mr. Howard, we've been waiting at the back entrance for twenty minutes."

"You said earlier it had to leave tonight. Now there's police tape. Are we still going with the original plan?"

The funeral hall went deathly silent. The lawyer's face went sheet white.

The officer's voice deepened. "What original plan?"

The person on the phone was clearly stunned. "Didn't you say the paperwork would be completed later?"

The lawyer abruptly hung up, but it was too late.

The officer looked at him. "Who told you to arrange vehicles at the back entrance?"

The lawyer's lips moved, but no words came out.

I looked at Emmett.

"Paperwork completed laterseems like it's not just the transfer form, is it?"

His expression was frighteningly dark. He didn't answer me.

Mira instinctively glanced at the casket, then quickly looked away.

I noticed, and said slowly, "Don't worry. Once police seal it, no one can touch that casket."

Her face went even paler.

"Iris, don't make baseless accusations."

"Then don't be afraid." I looked at her. "As long as the person in the casket really is Claudia, no one can wrong her, and no one can wrong you."

Mira's shoulders visibly trembled.

The officer had already called for backup to seal the venue's back entrance and related vehicles.

The Simpson Group lawyer still wanted to explain.

But as soon as he opened his mouth, a staff member rushed insomeone from the venue's concierge.

When he saw the police, his expression immediately changed.

"Mr. Emmett."

Emmett shot him a cold glance. "Get out."

The concierge stood frozen, unable to advance or retreat.

The officer looked at him.

"What is it?"

The man swallowed. "It's... it's Miss Claudia's luggage that was stored at the venue last night."

Mira's head snapped up. Emmett's expression also changed in that moment.

I looked at the concierge. "What about the luggage?"

His voice grew quieter and quieter.

"It was originally arranged to be sent to the airport tonight."

"But the driver's been stopped in the underground parking by the police tape. He's asking if he should still deliver it."

The funeral hall fell so quiet it was as if the air had been sucked out.

I slowly turned my head and looked at Emmett.

"The airport?"

"Didn't you say Claudia was dead?"

"Why is her luggage being sent to the airport?"

After the concierge spoke, his legs nearly gave out.

No one spoke. Everyone in the funeral hall looked at Emmett.

Emmett's expression had gone ice cold. "Who told you to come in?"

The concierge trembled. "I... I couldn't reach Enrique."

"It's sealed outside. The driver's stuck in the underground garage."

"He said according to regulations, the organizer must confirm, so I came."

The officer immediately asked, "What driver?"

The concierge swallowed. "Airport shuttle driver. He was originally supposed to deliver Miss Claudia's luggage to the airport."

"Who arranged it?"

The concierge instinctively looked at Emmett.

"Enrique."

Enrique, Emmett's most trusted assistant.

I looked at Emmett.

"Three hours after Claudia's death."

"Her casket is here."

"But her luggage is going to the airport."

I paused. "Emmett, how did Claudia's funeral arrangements also include airport drop-off?"

Emmett stared at me, his eyes frighteningly cold.

"Iris, stop with the sarcasm."

"Then you explain."

He didn't answer immediately.

Lydia said urgently, "Maybe it was arranged by Claudia before her death. The staff didn't have time to cancel it."

"Fine." I nodded. "Then let's check the records."

The officer had the concierge pull up the storage records.

A tablet was handed to the officer. I also saw the information on it.

Storage Name: Claudia.

Storage Time: Last night, 8:37 PM.

Items: Two suitcases, one handbag.

Notes: Tonight at 11:50 PM, deliver to Chicago International Airport VIP access.

Contact: Enrique.

The funeral hall fell silent.

Last night at 8:37 PM.

Claudia's supposed time of death was tonight at 9:58 PM.

In other words, the day before she "jumped," she had already stored her luggage at the venue and arranged in advance for it to be delivered to the airport.

I smiled slowly. "Stored a day in advance, delivered to the airport the night of her death."

"Emmett, did Claudia have a premonition she would die, or did she book herself to leave?"

Emmett said nothing. His silence made the funeral hall colder.

The officer asked the concierge, "Where is Enrique now?"

The concierge shook his head.

"I don't know."

"I've always followed his phone instructions."

"Just now after the driver was stopped, I called again and couldn't get through."

I said calmly, "Looks like your assistant has gone missing."

Emmett stared at me, his voice very low.

"I'll have someone find him."

"Don't trouble yourself." The officer said. "We'll find him."

Emmett's expression completely darkened.

Just then, the Simpson Group lawyer seemed to finally find an explanation.

"Officers, this might just be Miss Claudia's travel arrangements from before her death."

"After the sudden incident, the staff didn't have time to cancel, which caused this misunderstanding."

I looked at him. "Misunderstanding? Then let Enrique come explain."

The lawyer's lips pressed tight.

Mira spoke quietly, "Claudia was planning to leave anyway."

Everyone looked at her.

Mira clutched her skirt, her eyes red-rimmed.

"She'd been in bad shape lately."

"She said she wanted to leave Chicago and recuperate in Miami for a while."

"The luggage and carI asked Enrique to arrange them."

"Mr. Emmett doesn't know the details."

Emmett's head whipped toward her. Mira's words immediately stopped.

I laughed softly. "Mira, just now you said you didn't know where she was going."

"Now you even know about Miami recuperation?"

Mira's breathing faltered. She quickly bit her lip.

"I'm her agent. Of course I know some arrangements."

"Really?" I looked at her. "Then when did she give you the suicide note?"

Mira froze.

"Yesterday."

"What time yesterday?"

She couldn't answer.

I looked at her, enunciating each word.

"She was going to Miami tonightyou knew that."

"But when asked about the suicide note's origin, you can't remember."

Mira's face went paler and paler.

The officer also looked at her.

"Miss Mira, you'll need to cooperate with explaining the suicide note's origin."

Mira's lips moved, but she didn't dare speak further.

Emmett said coldly, "Iris, don't interrogate her here."

I turned to look at him. "Then I'll interrogate you."

The air in the funeral hall instantly tensed.

The officer looked at Emmett.

"Enrique is your assistant?"

Emmett was silent for a second. "Yes."

"Were you aware of these arrangements?"

Emmett's gaze landed on my face. His voice was very low."Claudia already had plans for overseas treatment."

"I just had Enrique preserve her original itinerary."

"Preserve?" I asked. "Preserve it until three hours after her death, and still have the driver continue delivery?"

"Emmett, are you preserving an itinerary, or an escape route?"

Emmett's jawline tightened.

The officer spoke quietly to his colleague.

Soon, they contacted the airport.

A few minutes later, the feedback came back. The lead officer looked at Emmett.

"The airport confirmed there is indeed a VIP access reservation for 11:50 PM tonight."

"The reservation notes also include one accompanying female."

"The registered luggage information matches Miss Claudia's stored luggage exactly."

Emmett's expression darkened. Lydia's head snapped up. Mira swayed on her feet.

I wasn't surprised at all. I only asked, "What's the destination?"

The officer glanced at me. "Miami."

My chest tightened slightly.

The Simpson Group's charity fund had a treatment project there, one of the accounts Emmett had always refused to let me touch.

I looked up at Emmett.

"Claudia was going to Miami tonight."

"Enrique made the reservation."

"The destination is Miami."

"Emmett, you still claim this is just preserving an itinerary?"

Emmett's gaze bore down.

"There's a treatment center in Miami. She just wanted to go for treatment."

"Treatment?"

"The person is already dead, but the treatment itinerary is still active."

"The body is supposed to go to the funeral home, but the VIP access wasn't canceled."

"Emmett, where exactly did you want her to go?"

Lydia couldn't sit still anymore. She lowered her voice to Emmett.

"Emmett, don't let them drag this to Miami."

"If things blow up there, where will the Simpson family's reputation go?"

I looked at her. "Lydia, Claudia is dead, and you're not worried about finding the killer. You're worried about protecting Miami first?"

Lydia turned her face away. Mira also lowered her head at that moment.

Just then, the officer's phone rang again.

He answered, and a few seconds later, he looked at Emmett.

"Airport feedback again. Enrique has already used the VIP access reservation."

"There's a woman with him wearing a hat and mask. Her build resembles Claudia's."

"Airport police have temporarily detained them and are verifying identification."

The funeral hall went deathly silent.

I looked at the casket, then at Emmett.

"Emmett. There's one Claudia lying in that casket. The airport detained someone who looks like Claudia. Who exactly died tonight?"