Chapter 423: The 'Corpse' Came to Life

Gerald froze as a wall of gun barrels locked on him, his mind blank.

"What the hell are you doing? This is my son's funeral! Are you here to spit on a father's grief and fury?"

He jabbed a trembling finger at Archibald and Kathie, his voice cracking with rage.

Archibald's gaze was cold, unblinking. "Stop struggling, Gerald. Randy has already told us about the little trick you hid under the coffin. Come quietly to the station."

"Randy? No way."

Gerald's eyes snapped toward the crowd. Randy gave a sheepish wave, trying to look small.

Eric, standing off to the side, felt his stomach knot. So Randy had told the police about the bomb. That meant the bastard had betrayed him too.

Randy caught Eric's glare and sighed. Survival mattered more than loyalty now.

Augustus stared at Gerald, shock etched into every line of his face. The old man swayed, nearly collapsing, until William caught him.

William's eyes burned. "Gerald, what the hell is going on? Is it true? Were you really going to blow us all to pieces?"

Gerald's fists clenched. "I have no idea what they are talking about. This is a setup."

He turned his fury on William and Jonathan, still wearing Jett's face. "You two have been trying to kill me for months. What better chance than this? Accusing a father of planting a bomb at his own son's funeral? It's insane."

"You lying bastard," William snapped.

From the crowd, Randy suddenly shouted, pointing at Gerald's pocket. "Watch out! He's got the detonator in there. He was going to trigger it during Harold's cremation!"

Gerald's face twisted in rage. Archibald lunged, reaching for the pocket. Gerald's hand shot down instinctively, pulling out a small black remote.

"You still want to claim you weren't planning to kill us?" William pulled his family behind him.

Gerald glared at the device, fury boiling in his chest. He had no idea Eric had been watching him all along.

"Drop it, Gerald," Archibald barked, gun steady. "It's over."

"Someone planted this on me! I swear it's not mine!"

Before anyone could speak, the coffin creaked. Harold sat up.

"God, you people never shut up. The bomb's already disarmed. That toy in his hand is useless. Just arrest him so I can get back to my lunch."

Gasps and screams rippled through the mourners. Some bolted for the doors.

"Zombies! Oh my God, zombies!" someone shrieked.

Harold climbed out of the coffin, flipping the crowd a middle finger. "Afraid of the dead but not the bomb? Idiots."

He locked eyes with Eric, grinning at the shock there, then turned to Gerald.

His voice dropped to a low, venomous growl, "Father, what did I do to deserve this? You couldn't even let me rest in one piece? You wanted to scatter me across the damn room?"

Gerald's face drained of color. "No... my son is dead. You can't be real."

He backed away until his shoulders hit the wall. His thumb twitched on the detonator. Nothing happened.

Harold's hand shot out, clamping around Gerald's throat. "Answer me. Why did you want to tear me apart? What did I do to you?"

Gerald's breath came in ragged gasps. Rage flared through the fear. "Shut your mouth!"

He shoved Harold back, shouting, "Yes, I planted the bomb! I wanted you gone. You were useless to me alive, but dead... dead I could still use you to fulfill my last wish."

"Your wish was to kill your own family? You're sicker than I am," Harold spat, stepping back.

"Yeah, I'm sick. And you, dead or alive, are nothing but trouble."

Gerald hurled the remote at Harold's face. It hit with a crack.

"Dammit! Do you know how long it took me to get this nose right?" Harold ripped off his mask, revealing a completely different face.

"Archibald, job's done. Don't forget to petition the court for my sentence reduction."

Matthew stepped toward a nearby officer. "Alright, I'm done here. Cuff me and take me back before I starve."

The room was silent. Kathie gave a small shrug. "Matthew. Master thief. Makeup and disguise expert."

Gerald stared at the mask in Matthew's hand, realization dawning. If he had denied everything, they'd have had no proof. But his own fear had made him confess.

"Gerald, you are under arrest for attempted terrorism," Archibald said, snapping cuffs on him and signaling his team.

Even as they dragged him away, Gerald couldn't believe he'd been beaten by a thief... and Randy.

William watched him go, shaking his head. Then he noticed Archibald's group still lingering. "The police have their man. Why are you still here?"

Archibald pointed at Eric. "Because we have another criminal. This one tried to kill Jonathan and take his place."