Page 61 of Ruthless Cross

He gave her a hard look. "I shouldn't."

"But you do."

"Sometimes—when I think about happier days," he reluctantly admitted. "But then I remember how it all ended. He wasn't the person I thought he was."

"But he was there for you when you were a child. Maybe that counts for something."

"It doesn't count for much. He abandoned us to save himself. How could I ever forgive him for that?"

"Maybe you can't." She paused. "Do you think Arthur contacted you because you know art or because you're FBI? Or was he collecting on an old debt—the support he gave you when Olivia died?"

"I've asked myself all those questions. He told me someone was watching him, and there was fear in his voice. He didn't look me up because I was an old friend. He wanted my professional help, and he probably thought he could trust me to keep his confidence."

"But he was taking a risk, if he really was involved in stolen art. Getting you involved was dangerous."

"He must have felt desperate."

"It's strange to think of Arthur as being desperate; I always saw him as this self-assured, overly confident, somewhat self-righteous man. Every aspect of his life was under his control. He ran his court with precision and efficiency and his home the same way. But there was this other side to him. The way Layana spoke of him as this passionate, almost dreamy, art lover, it was like she was talking about someone I had never met. I knew he liked art, but she said that he was obsessed with it, that he needed to be with someone who shared that obsession, that my mom couldn't ever be that person."

"Sounds like she was obsessed with Arthur."

"She definitely was. Her grief was palpable."

"So was her anger in the text she sent to your mother."

She glanced back at Flynn. "Do you think she could have killed Arthur, because he didn't want to leave my mother?"

"It wouldn't be the first time that happened."

"But she wasn't at the party, was she?"

"Her name wasn't on the guest list or the witness list. I checked on that this morning. Although, at the time, I only had her first name. Maybe she was listed under her business name as some of the guests were."

"I don't think she was there. If she had been, she would have thrown herself on Arthur's body. So that means she's not our killer, unless she hired someone to do it for her. I feel like we keep spinning around, only to end up at the same place. Does your job ever drive you crazy?"

"Often," he admitted. "But I like the challenge."

"Let's talk about something else for a while."

"Good idea. What do you do for fun, Callie?"

"I cook."

"That's your job."

"I know, but it's my favorite pastime, too."

"What else do you do?"

"I like to run. I ran a half-marathon last year."

"Then you really like to run," he said, giving her a smile.

"It's a good stress reducer. I also love watching baseball. My dad was a huge Dodgers fan. We had season tickets when I was a kid, and we used to go to the games on the weekends. He'd buy me a Dodger dog and a huge carton of popcorn, and I'd go home happy with a big stomachache."

"My father used to take me to Dodgers' games, too. We might have walked right by each other."

"Probably. Did you play baseball?"

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