Snorting in the face of their questioning, I retorted, "Instead of confronting me, you should be asking the hospital your questions. Why would they have released my father's body to me if we still had outstanding payments to make?

"And secondly, how does a dead person rack up 246 thousand dollars in medical fees in a single day?"

Someone from the crowd stepped forward and said, "The same can be said about you! Why haven't you gone to the hospital to challenge the claims if you think there's been a mistake?"

"Exactly! Why are you busy holding a wake instead? Are you just trying to earn everyone's sympathy in hopes they'll contribute to the funeral expenses? You're just a greedy scumbag!"

As I scoffed in anger, Mom came over to me. "What on earth is going on, Evan? Stop causing such a scene!"

"Hey, old lady, don't you know your son's a deadbeat? You guys didn't even pay off the hospital bills before getting your husband's body released, and now, you're forcing the hospital workers to foot the bill of over 200 thousand dollars! How can you be so shameless?"

Mom was completely stupefied. "Evan?"

"Don't worry about it, Mom."

But Mom refused to listen to me. "You can't do this, Evan! Your father was an honest man his entire life! We can't owe anyone money. Go down to the hospital and pay off the bill right away! This is the reason for everything that has been happening the last few days, isn't it?"

Our friends and family also started urging me. "You shouldn't owe the hospital anything, Evan. Hurry up and pay off the bill. Your father won't be able to rest in peace otherwise."

I couldn't contain my fury any longer. "Dad died, yet the day after he died, he somehow racked up 246 thousand dollars in medical expenses at the hospital? Just who received those treatments, huh?"

Everyone was dumbfounded to hear me. Even the reporters looked at me cluelessly. "What do you mean by that?"

"You don't believe me, huh? Fine. Let's take my father's body and the death certificate to the hospital. I'll confront them face to face and see who's the real shameless deadbeat!"

Fuming, I whipped my head around and said, "Guys, help me out. Load my dad's casket into the funeral parlor's van. We're heading to the hospital right this minute."

A few of my friends and relatives got right to it. "Leave it to us!"

I also arranged for the rest of them to bring along the funeral wreaths and Dad's funeral portrait.

When we arrived, Albert Hawkins, the hospital president, stopped us at the hospital entrance.

"If you're here for a reasonable discussion, Mr. Stone, we're more than happy to engage with you. But if you're here to cause a scene, we won't allow it. You're not allowed to bring a corpse into the hospital, either."

"Exactly! It's just 246 thousand dollars anyway. Not only are you refusing to pay what you owe us, but you're trying to cause trouble for us! Once the police arrive, you'll all be taken away!" a shrill voice rang out.

It sounded impossibly familiar, and I soon realized it belonged to Tina Hawkins, the very woman who started the online witch hunt against me.

"Where's the itemized bill for the 246 thousand dollars I supposedly owe the hospital? Give it to me. If the expenses are legitimate, I'll make the payment right away."

Tina snorted. "Oh, now you say you'll make payment, huh? It's too late! A deadbeat will always be a deadbeat. Since you've admitted to your wrongdoing, you should be punished!"

"And how do you wish to punish me?"

"246 thousand dollars is only the initial amount you owe us. You should also be penalized for trying to default on your payment, so you should give us 300 thousand dollars in total instead!"

Tina's brazen shamelessness made me laugh. "Sure. I'll even give you 500 thousand dollars, but first, I want to see the itemized bill."

Snorting, she threw a stack of papers at my face. "Go ahead! Let's see if you can weasel your way out of it now!"

She crossed her arms and eyed me smugly. But after glancing at the bill, I laughed.

I brandished Dad's certificate and the invoices for the previous payments I'd made to the hospital, saying, "My father died on the first, and I took his body with me once your hospital completed the paperwork for his death certificate.

"I came back on the third to complete the hospital paperwork, only to get a call on the fourth for supposedly owing the hospital 246 thousand dollars.

"Now let's see. Care to explain how a dead person received these so-called emergency treatments and hospital care services on the second and third? How did a body lying in a casket at the funeral parlor incur 246 thousand dollars in medical expenses, huh?"