This item appears immediately in the novel. It initially seems to be the reason Michael became tangled up with Alan Holton; however, that is not the case. Something so important not being what it appears to be is symbolic of the novel itself: As the solution to the mystery of the dead body is revealed—along with the true story of Robert Cunningham’s death and Michael’s involvement—the reader learns that the apparent truth on the surface cannot be trusted. The deceptive nature of the surface of things is especially applicable when wealth is involved; at every turn in the novel, family loyalty among the Cunninghams ultimately has a stronger pull than money. Ernie’s initial assumption that Michael has stolen the money from Alan Holton casts Michael as a thief and criminal. When Ernie later discerns that the money may have belonged to Michael and that Michael was, instead, offering it as payment to Holton, the reader’s perception of Michael changes. Later still, as Ernie pieces together the details involving the botched ransom, Michael’s character becomes even more complex—readers are invited to question whether he is a noble son who is righting his father’s death or a duplicitous double agent, outsmarting Alan Holton by finally garnering the ransom money.