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“I’m only after information, not money.” He glanced at Gus. “And I have a good lawyer.”
“Who knows nothing about what you’re planning,” Gus added pointedly.
Mac laughed. “It’s okay, Theo. If I do my job properly, they won’t catch on, even if they never hear from me again. Producers are notoriously fickle and easily distracted.”
“Why would they talk to you?”
“Because nothing sells books like talk of the movie, and since Dan Murdoch won’t be writing any more books, I expect they’ll be keen to make as much money as they can from the books they have.”
Theo gave in. Mac seemed far too relaxed to be contemplating anything particularly dangerous or illegal. Perhaps this sort of minor subterfuge was perfectly ordinary in the world of private eyes.
“So in the meantime, I just don’t leave the house,” she said despondently.
Mac wrinkled his nose. “Afraid so…unless you want to leave now while there’re no reporters about.”
Theo smiled. “If I had anywhere to go… No, I think I’d better just sit out the siege.”
It snowed quite heavily overnight. Even so, the reporters were back by seven. Theo closed the curtain unhappily. Gus had wanted to leave before the media scrum returned, but he’d only just gotten out of the shower. Now he’d have to run the gauntlet of microphones and cameras just to get to his car.
She stood outside his bedroom door and broke the news. Gus sighed. “I’d better wear the green tie then. It’ll bring out my eyes for the cameras.”
Theo snorted. “Idiot.” She shook her head. “Would you like breakfast?”
“I don’t think I’ll have time, mate.”
“A sandwich?”
“Sure. I keep vegemite in the back of the cupboard where it won’t scare our American friends.”
Theo laughed, running down to the kitchen to make him a sandwich. Vegemite was an acquired taste which had to be applied sparingly over a thick layer of butter. Americans tended to apply it too thickly and expect it to be sweet, with the result that they reacted quite badly to what many Australians considered their national dish.
Gus came down the stairs with a green tie in his pocket. He grabbed a cup of coffee and the sandwich, half of which he gave to Horse. “I should go.”
“Gus, wait… What if I step outside and distract them so you can slip out?”
He sat her down. “Look, Theo, I face reporters every time I leave the court. I’ve become quite good at it, if I do say so myself, not to mention photogenic—you mustn’t worry.”
Theo groaned. “I am sorry, Gus. Everything’s gone to hell for you since I arrived.”
He took her hand. “Come on, mate. I’ve had clients go through this—it passes. You’ve just got to try not to panic.” He ruffled her hair as he used to when she was ten and hated it. “They’re just reporters.”
“They’ve got us trapped in the house.”
“I’m going to work, so mostly just you.” He winked as he slung the green tie around his neck and proceeded to knot it. “Actually, as much as the reporters are a nuisance, at least I know nothing will happen to you with them standing guard on the lawn.”
“Happen to me?”
“The same facts that make the police suspect you of being involved in two murders make me concerned for your safety.” He sat down opposite her for a moment. “You seem to have got caught in the gravitational pull of whatever trouble Dan Murdoch was in.”
Theo swallowed, trying in vain to dislodge the lump in her throat. “You would have liked him, Gus. If you’d met him, you would have liked him.”
Gus smiled. But Theo could see the skepticism in his eyes, a fleeting flash of something like anger when she mentioned Dan Murdoch’s name. “Well, I’m afraid that’s a moot point now, mate,” he said. “I’m sure Murdoch was a terrific bloke, but he was clearly involved in something unsavory.”
“We don’t know that. He might have been dragged into something the same way I have…just by being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Gus conceded, or at least he didn’t argue. “Mendes says he’ll have a squad car drive by periodically. I’ll pick up dinner before I come home.”
“Don’t be silly… I’m stuck here all day, I might as well cook.”
