Page 60 of Ruthless Cross

"I'm close. If Arthur couldn't fight, then his assailant could have been any size or gender."

"Yes."

"But I still think it was a man and not just because I want my mother off the hot seat. I don't believe that even an incapacitated Arthur could have been lifted by a woman high enough to get him over the railing."

"We could be looking for more than one person," he reminded her. "It's possible that someone was hired to take care of Arthur."

She sighed. "True. And the killer probably walked right past us when they left the museum."

"It would have been easy to get lost in the crowd, especially if the perpetrator was someone who was comfortable in the art world. We're going through the security footage before the cameras went out, trying to pinpoint who was in the grand hall against the witness list. But people were coming and going, including yourself."

"I was in the restroom."

"Wiping away your tears after your fight with Arthur."

"Yes. And thinking about getting the hell out of there. I only came because my mom was nervous about the event. Gerard Bissette was a good friend of Arthur's, and she didn't want anything to go wrong. But in the end, everything went wrong. Did you speak to Gerard that night?"

"For a few minutes before he took the stage. Arthur introduced us. I did read his statement, which was taken by Detective Gage, but there was nothing of importance. Gerard was in full view of everyone when Arthur came over the railing."

"Unless he was the person who hired Arthur's killer. You just pointed out that there could be more than one individual involved."

"I'm having trouble eliminating anyone," he admitted.

"Is it interesting that Gerard was in Laguna Beach talking to Stephen?"

"On the face of it, no. He's an artist. Stephen runs a gallery. Although, I'm surprised Gerard didn't come into the gallery."

"And they did seem to be arguing. Maybe you should talk to Gerard."

He smiled at Callie's directive. "Good idea."

She gave him a rueful look. "You probably already thought of it. I just keep thinking we're going to get more answers, but all we get are more questions."

"That's often the way things unfold."

"I'd like them to unfold faster. Then, when my mom is released, she won't have to face any more interrogation. She'll be able to bury Arthur and grieve properly and hopefully find a way to move on. Not that I think that will be easy. I'm sure it will be very difficult, and she'll need as much support as I can give her."

"What about you, Callie? What about your needs?"

"I don't need anything except for my mother to be well."

"I don't think that's true. You've just gotten used to putting your mom first."

"She needs to be first. She needs a lot more than I do. My mom once told me I was like a self-cleaning oven. When things got messy in my life, I cleaned them up on my own. I still do that, and I have a feeling you do, too."

"I do now, but when I was a child, I had parental support. I hate to admit it, but during my childhood, my dad was a good father. We spent a lot of time together."

"What was he like?" she asked curiously.

"He was funny, easygoing, and always smiling. He liked video games and baseball and was the first person who ever took me out on the ocean to surf. He liked to teach me things, especially when it came to art. I started going into his gallery when I was about twelve. At first, I was sweeping floors and taking out the trash, but eventually he got me involved in the business of running a gallery. He wanted me to understand it, to be able to run the place one day. When he traveled to trade shows, he took me with him."

"You really did grow up in that world."

"I did. Of course, I had no idea what he was really doing on some of those trips until his mask was stripped away."

She heard the hardness return to Flynn's voice. The love he'd expressed just a moment ago was now buried in pain.

"Do you miss him, Flynn?"

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