Page 68 of Gravity of Love
Liam gripped the wooden back of a bench, knuckles white, and tried to will his heart rate to slow. He was counting back from a hundred when he heard a soft persistent whir from the farthest corner of the glass box, followed by a barely perceptible throat-clearing. He squinted and saw that under the skeletal shadow of the Japanese maple was a wheelchair. Its occupant was a scarecrow of a man in an olive jacket, with a knit hat pulled down and long, veined hands folded on his lap. Arthur Santino was positioned in a way that if Liam had been even slightly less distracted, he would have spotted him immediately. Although Arthurwasa pro at blending into the background, at making himself invisible until he decided otherwise.
“Hell of a show,” Arthur rasped, the corner of his mouth twitching as if he was trying to remember how to smile. “Would’ve brought popcorn if I’d known.”
“What are you doing in here?” A Zen garden was the last place he’d expect to find Arthur Santino.
“Couldn’t stare at white walls anymore. Had to see some nature. And there are too many people outside.”
Liam could relate to that. He wasn’t a fan of people either.
“What you heard…” Liam wasn’t sure exactly how to phrase his request. “Can you keep that to yourself?”
Arthur grinned. “I think you’ll find I’m good at keeping a secret.”
He had a point. Arthur was somewhat of a legend in Hope Falls and the surrounding area. And since taking down a man twice his size at 90 in a Matrix-move and taking a bullet while doing so, his lore continued to grow. From what Liam heard, no one knew anything about the 90-year-old before he movedto Hope Falls around forty years earlier. For the first ten to fifteen years he’d lived there, he was a recluse, and barely spoke to anyone. Then one day two kids were riding their bikes in the woods, and one of them fell in a rattlesnake den and was bitten. They managed to make it to his cabin, and he saved the boy’s life by, literally, dressing and treating the wound and setting up a rendezvous point with an ambulance, apparently it was impressive. Over the years, he’d done quite a few crazy MacGyver, James Bond, and special forces hero-type feats but never wanted any recognition and refused to discuss his past.
“Arthur.” Liam figured this might be the only chance he had to ask, and honestly, he figured, what did he have to lose?
“Yes, son.”
“Whoareyou?”
“I don’t watch much TV, do you?”
“Yeah.” Liam sighed at his change of subject. “Some. Sports.”
Arthur nodded his head, a small smile tugged at the corners of his lips. The deep wrinkles around his eyes giving off a wise and experienced air. “Go Birds.”
Ah, so Arthur was from Philly. Liam thought he had picked up on an East Coast vibe from the man.
“You ever watch that programHomeland?”
The question came so far from left field it took Liam a second for his brain to recall the show that premiered over fifteen years ago. “The one with Mandy Patinkin and Claire Danes?”
“That’s the one.” Arthur touched the side of his nose with his index finger as his eyes twinkled with recognition.
Liam realized then he wasn’t making small talk, he was telling him what orwhohe was.
Arthur was a spy. Liam would have put money on him being a hitman for the mob. Actually, come to think of it, hehadput money on it. Earlier in the year when Arthur came in for a heartmurmur, someone started a pool, he’d put a bill on him being a Sammy “The Bull” or James “Whitey” Bulger.
But aspy,that made sense too.
“Well now, the big wigs over there, the money people, they asked me to consult on that show.”
“They did?”
He nodded.
“They wanted an actor named Rupert something to come and stay with me so he could ask me a lot of questions for research. Now he had a funny last name.”
“Friend? RupertFriend.”
“That’s it.” Arthur nodded. “That’s the one.”
“You wereQuinn?”
“I didn’t end up talkin’ to him. Don’t like talkin’ much. But I watched the program, and they got a lot right. A lot wrong, but a lot right.”
Holy shit. “You were a badass, CIA, black ops assassin?”
