Page 122 of Ruthless Cross

"I remember the first one. She wanted to get Rafael's endorsement, his patronage, so she'd shown him her painting, the belladonna. He told her she was an amateur and she would never be good or famous. Her anger simmered for years. She plotted the best way to take him down and then she found out he was cheating on his wife. He was a pig; that's what she told me. She sent him the painting with a note that she was coming for him. Two hours later, he was dead. She got her revenge and the painting back."

"And the others?" Savannah asked.

"I don't remember the details. I'm in a lot of pain."

"So you decided to copy her when you went after Arthur. How did you set that up?" he asked.

"Why should I tell you?"

"Because I'm the only one who can help you."

"Why would you help me?"

He shrugged. "Maybe I appreciate the fact that you had a criminal for a mother."

Marcus met his gaze. "Like your father?"

"Exactly. Tell me what happened. How did you set Arthur Corbyn up?"

Marcus hesitated and then said, "I stole the painting from my mother, and I sent it to Arthur's house."

"What day was that?"

"Wednesday morning. I wanted him to sweat, to wonder what might be coming. On Friday afternoon, I texted him a note to meet me at the museum, on the top floor hallway, just as the exhibition was starting. I told him that I would keep his secret of buying stolen paintings if he showed up. When Arthur arrived, I had a waiter hand him a glass of champagne while he was waiting. He drank it all the way down, and when I walked down the hall, he could see the truth in my eyes. But he couldn't move. I loosened his belt, so it would look like he'd been having sex with someone. Then I shoved him over the railing."

"What about the security cameras? Who hacked into the system?"

"A hacker who goes by the name Dreambuster. I don't know who he is. I bought his services on the internet. I actually used Arthur's money to buy the hack."

"He tripped the cameras at Arthur's house as well?"

"Yes."

"How was Eddie Norman involved?"

"He was someone I knew would do anything needed for a little cash. I sent him to get the painting back, but he couldn't find it in the judge's house."

"How did he find the Palm Springs home?"

"He followed you and Callie. We hoped you'd lead us to the painting."

Marcus's answer made him grimace with disgust that he'd allowed that to happen. "When Eddie didn’t get the painting, you killed him."

"Actually, I didn't. That was my mother. She was on to me, and when she realized her painting was missing, she knew I'd taken it and she guessed that I'd killed Arthur. She was furious that I hadn't gotten it back and when Eddie failed, he became a loose end."

"Then your next move was to kidnap Callie."

"I thought my mother might kill me if I didn't get the painting back. It was the only way I knew how to do it." Marcus gave him a questioning look. "How did you find the warehouse?"

"My father identified it by the picture you took."

"There was nothing identifiable in that photo."

"The light through the stained glass made a pattern on the floor. There was a picture frame in one corner. Those are the details a true artist might notice, or a master art thief who had been in the building before."

Marcus shook his head. "I didn't see that coming."

"You didn't see a lot of things coming."

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