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“I don’t think it was strong enough to rally fans across the nation to form a posse and ride on Lawrence.” Mac frowned. He didn’t raise specifically the vitriol being levelled at Theodosia Benton on social media. He wasn’t sure if Theo was aware of it. “It might be worth finding out how all this rage is being generated.”
“Good,” Theo said. “You hack Twitter or whatever you’re planning. I’ll speak to the people at Benders.”
“I’ll go with her,” Mac said as Gus opened his mouth to protest once again. “If there are any problems, I’ll call in the cavalry.”
“I’ve got to do something, Gus,” Theo said as her brother shook his head. “I can’t write with all this going on… I can’t have a life; and it’s destroying yours. We’re in the middle of this because of my relationship with Dan. And people are dying.”
“I know, I just don’t want you to be one of them.”
Mac tried to reassure him. “I won’t let her out of my sight, Gus.”
“Don’t you have a job?” Gus muttered.
Mac smiled. “Not a real one. We private eyes don’t really punch clocks.”
“I’ve got to go back to Benders anyway—see that Laura and Chic are okay.” Theo met Gus’s eye. “They’re my friends, Gus. Before Dan was killed, I saw them nearly every day for months. I want to know how they’re doing.”
Gus sighed. “Just be careful.” He rubbed his jaw. “We need background checks on Mary Cowell and Burt Winslow as well as Dan Murdoch.”
Mac nodded. “I’ll get Bernie started on it.”
“I hope you kids are hungry!” Nancy Etheridge wheeled in a serving cart laden with sandwiches and cakes and fried chicken. As preposterous as catering seemed under the circumstances, Theo was starving.
“We’d better get back.” Gus put a sandwich in his pocket and grabbed an elaborately iced cupcake. “I have a deposition this afternoon if Philip Hayes hasn’t changed the locks.”
“Caleb will drive you back,” Nancy said.
Jacqui glanced at her phone. “Mendes has already left a message.”
“They’re probably wondering where we all went,” Gus said. “We’d better go before they decide to…”
Mac shook his head.
“…worry.” Gus’s eyes flicked to Nancy.
Theo wasn’t sure what Gus had been about to say, but Mac clearly didn’t want to alarm his mother. An alarmed Nancy would probably be dangerous.
It was decided they would return to Lawrence separately. Caleb would drop Gus and Jacqui at Crane, Hayes and Benton. Mac and Theo would take one of the other pickups a little while later.
As soon as Gus and Jacqui left, Nancy began her interrogation. She directed it at Mac, though she looked at Theo.
“Sorry, Mom, you know I can’t talk about work.”
“Were you arrested? Just tell me if you were arrested. A mother has a right to know.”
“I wasn’t arrested.”
“Then why are the police—”
“Can’t talk about it, Mom.”
“Your brothers could—”
“No, they couldn’t.”
“Is it to do with this serial killer?” Again her eyes were on Theo. “The Lawrence Slayer.”
“The what?”
