Page 58 of Ruthless Cross

He smiled. "We're back to the boat?"

"I was trying to lighten the mood."

"Nice job." He pulled out of his parking spot, eager to put Laguna Beach in the rearview mirror.

Chapter Fourteen

As they drovetoward the desert town of Palm Springs, Callie decided to get Flynn's mind off his dad. "I read through some of Arthur's trust this morning," she said. "My mom gets a sizeable flat sum payment and the condo in Hawaii. She can also stay in the Pacific Palisades house for one year before it's put up for sale. The proceeds from the sale will go to Arthur's foundation as well as the bulk of his other assets, but the Piquard Museum and other arts organizations will be receiving donations as well. Oh, and Layana's studio was also noted in the trust, which was updated four weeks ago."

"Interesting. And there was no mention of the Palm Springs house?"

"No. And since the trust was updated recently, it wasn't like he just hadn't had a chance to put the house in there. Although, there were a bunch of LLCs listed that I didn't recognize. You should probably take the binder and go through it. I should have brought it with me, but you can get it when you take me home."

"A month ago," he mused. "I wonder what spurred the change."

"I have no idea. I did put in a call to the lawyer. But since it's Sunday, I'm not expecting a return call until tomorrow."

"Will your mother be unhappy with her inheritance?"

"I don't think so. Although, she might be sad to move out of the house. She really loves that place. But it won't be the same without Arthur. There might be too many memories there." She paused, thinking about all the changes headed her mom's way. "Going back to work at the museum might be problematic, too. She met Arthur at the museum, and the fact that he died there…I can't imagine her being able to walk across the grand hall and not see his body on the marble floor."

"That would be difficult."

"I feel like she's going to be lost in her head again. When she gets out of the hospital, she'll probably need to live with me, or I might have to move into the Palisades house until it's sold." That thought depressed her. She'd gotten used to being on her own, to having a life that didn't include her mother. She'd probably have to reduce her hours at the restaurant, too, which wouldn't make the owner happy. She might even have to get another job.

"Hopefully, her doctor will be able to help her get through this," Flynn said quietly.

"I want to believe that; I've just been down this road before."

He gave her a sympathetic smile. "It's a rough road, isn't it?"

"Very rough. Lots of unexpected potholes and surprising curves. But I love her. She's my mom. I can't abandon her. Anyway, let's talk about something else. What did you do this morning?"

"I started my day in the ocean."

"Seriously? You went surfing today? It's cold."

"I had a wetsuit. I do my best thinking on the water."

"Did you catch any waves?"

"A few."

"I'm sure you needed a break. You've been on this investigation nonstop since Friday night."

"That's how we roll when we catch a case. The truth gets more difficult to find as the days pass. By the way, Savannah and Lucas are going through Arthur's house this afternoon to see if there's anything we missed."

"I can't imagine Arthur had more than one hiding place."

"Probably not. But I don't want to leave any stone unturned. I did get some happy personal news this morning."

"Well, don't keep it to yourself," she said. "I wouldn't mind hearing something happy."

"One of my agents, Bree, is pregnant. She hosted a brunch at her house this morning. I thought it was just for her husband's birthday, but it turned out there was a big announcement. We'll have a new addition to our team family in about six months."

"It sounds like your team is close."

"We're a tight group, which is partly because we've known each other since we went through Quantico together."

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