Page 59 of The Artist and the Muse

“We went to Rome because Sebastian told me he could use his connections there to find us places in art exhibitions. He also had family there. We stayed with them for a few weeks while we were getting on our feet.” I recalled the days when everything was simple. When the exhilaration of fleeing Canada and my family to explore a world I’d never known had been enough to mask the shame of abandoning them and lying to them.

“And did you ever suspect that Sebastian was involved in something illegal or criminal?”

I racked my brain. “No. He was an artist, too. We spent almost all our time together in the studio.”

“What kind of art do you make? And what kind of art did he make?”

“I paint, mostly. He made papier-mâché sculptures.” He’d once made a particularly hideous sculpture of a cat, which I shuddered to think about, but the rest of them had been sculptures of different flowers.

“And were his sculptures ever exhibited anywhere?”

“I—” Now that I thought about it, none of his works had ever been put on display, except in the Cavalli villa in Rome. Yet he had gotten all of my paintings into exhibitions and museums. “Not that I know of.”

“Hmm.” Lucas made a note on the file with a ballpoint pen. “And how long did the two of you stay in Italy before you moved to Los Angeles?”

“I lived in Europe for three years before moving to L.A.”

“Why did you move?”

Should I tell him the truth? That I’d left after finding out about Sebastian’s involvement? “I just thought it was time for a change of scenery.”

“It didn’t have anything to do with meeting Georgia Philips?”

I frowned. “How did you know about that?”

“It’s in your file.”

“You’ve been keeping tabs on me?” I should have expected that with all the other facts he had listed.

“We have tabloid reports of you and Georgia together,” he explained. “And we have files on all members of the Steele family. Georgia’s connection to them could have explained your moving to California.”

“Except it doesn’t. Why would I move to California to be with her when she lives in New York?”

He shook his head. “Not to be with her. Perhaps because she warned you about the Cavallis.”

“Georgia didn’t know anything about the Cavallis.” Sure, she had seemed uncomfortable around Sebastian, but I assumed that was because he gave off a sleazy vibe around women.

“Okay, no need to get defensive, Mr. Devereaux.” He held up both hands as if to show he wasn’t a threat. The gun he wore didn’t help that image.

“I wasn’t being defensive.” Was I? I hadn’t realized how high the volume of my voice had gotten. “Georgia doesn’t know anything about the Cavallis. Don’t get her involved in this.”

“Very well. Moving on to the next question: why did you go back to Italy now? You’ve been in America for two years.”

“I went back to take some of my students on a tour of Italian art,” I said.

“Did you know Sebastian was involved in money-laundering in the art world? You didn’t seem surprised when I told you he was a suspect in our money-laundering investigation.” Lucas’ brown eyes studied me.

I shrugged. “I didn’t know anything about his money-laundering business. But he is a Cavalli.”

“You knew he was part of the Cavalli crime family?”

“After I left Europe for L.A., we lost touch. During that time, I heard many rumours about his family’s… activities.”And saw them first hand when Antonio Cavalli kidnapped my sister, but I didn’tsay that.

“He was involved in an extensive money-laundering operation that spanned Italy, England, France, and Spain. He would artificially inflate the prices of artwork created by him or his friends and sell them to gangsters who paid in exorbitant amounts of cash. Illegally-acquired cash, of course, which he would receive a share of as a purported art dealer. Now, he’s mysteriously disappeared from the art scene. Hasn’t been seen in months. We’re out of guesses as to where he could be. Do you have any ideas?”

Taking a deep breath, I sighed. I should have known better to think I would get away from my criminal associations so easily. “Did you bring me here to ask if I was involved in his money-laundering operation, or to ask if I’ve seen him?”

“Both, but since I’ve deduced the answer to the first question is no, I just want you to answer the second one. Then you can go.”

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