Page 91 of Ruthless Cross

"Juliette was looking for Gretchen right before the exhibition began," Flynn continued. "She mentioned that you told her Gretchen was in the Seville Room."

"Yes. Gretchen wanted to see a sculpture that we had on loan from the British Museum. I must say that Juliette seemed rather upset in that moment and angry with Gretchen about something. She wanted to speak to her right away. I didn't pay much attention, because I was about to get on the stage." She paused, giving Flynn a thoughtful look. "It sounds like you think Arthur was having an affair and that his murder was a crime of passion."

"We're considering all the options," Flynn said vaguely. "Including Marcus Vitelli's relationship with Arthur."

"I told you the other day that they were in communication because Arthur was supporting Marcus's work and was impatient to get his next painting. What more is there to know? If Arthur was hard on Marcus, it was only because he cared about his talent. Marcus knew that. There was no bad blood between them."

"Juliette mentioned they had an argument right here in the hall only a few weeks ago."

"Yes, but Arthur's comments to Marcus fired him up, and he got back to work. Arthur was pleased about that."

"Interesting that you know so much about their relationship. Why is that?"

Was it her imagination or did Victoria hesitate?

"I'm his friend and his mentor," Victoria answered. "I believe in Marcus's talent. I've helped him make connections with galleries and collectors, because he's an amazing artist. However, I shouldn't speak for Marcus. You should talk to him again if you have more concerns. Perhaps there was something going on that I didn't know."

"All right. I'm curious about something else," Flynn continued. "When was the exhibition for Gerard's work set up?"

"Three months ago. It was actually Arthur's idea." She stopped abruptly. "I didn't think about that until just this second. But Arthur suggested it to Juliette, who brought it to me. The museum is a big fan of Gerard's, so, of course, we were happy to host the event. Gerard hadn't done any shows in about eight years. It was quite a coup for the museum to have him, and all that was due to Arthur's relationship with him." Victoria glanced down at her watch. "I hate to cut this short, but I have another meeting. Is there anything else? Or perhaps we can speak again later?"

"Later is fine. Thanks," Flynn said.

"You're more than welcome." Victoria gave her a sympathetic smile. "Please tell your mom I'm just a phone call away, Callie. Whatever she needs. She's such a sweet person, and I know how much she adored Arthur. She must feel terribly lost."

"I'll let her know," she replied.

"Also…" Victoria stopped, her gaze focused on Flynn. "Perhaps we should step outside for a moment."

Callie frowned, wondering why Victoria suddenly needed to speak to Flynn alone.

She wanted Flynn to tell her she could say whatever she needed to say in front of her, but he simply gave a nod and followed her into the hall, closing the door behind him.

Callie moved to the door, opening it slightly, more than a little curious to hear what was happening. She could see that Flynn and Victoria had moved down the hall. Victoria's back was to her, and she thought Flynn could see her, but he didn't seem to care.

"What's this about?" he asked.

"I mentioned to you the other day that I heard your father might be back in the States."

"You said Arthur told you that."

"Well, his name came up again in a conversation I had with Gerard yesterday. Gerard mentioned that your father was a big fan of Paulette Martine and that her most famous painting,Lady in the Wood,was stolen from the Kentwell Museum in Boston last week. He mused that perhaps your dad was back in the business of stealing art."

Callie saw the tension tighten Flynn's lips.Was his father involved?She couldn't imagine how he would deal with that, especially if his father had killed Arthur, who had been a second father to him.

How horrible would that be?

She was starting to worry about him as much as she was worrying about her mother. But it wasn't her job to protect Flynn, and he'd probably think she was crazy for even thinking she should try.

"Thanks for sharing that," Flynn told Victoria, his tone showing no emotion.

"I thought you should know."

As Victoria left, Flynn came back down the hall. "You heard?"

"Yes. Are you okay, Flynn?"

His hard gaze met hers. "I'm fine."

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