AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Day Delos and Associates is a holistic agency. We manage our clients’ careers, not just their books, and careers can be destroyed by an unwise assignation. So when a client wishes to form an association, he or she sends the particulars to the agency. The agency then runs general checks…criminal history, public platforms—nothing particularly intrusive.”
Theo wasn’t quite sure what to say.
“Day Delos’s greatest asset is the reputations and careers of our writers. Naturally, we wish to protect them, and without exception our writers are very grateful. You’ll find it’s standard practice among the better agencies.”
“Really,” Theo replied. “It seems extreme. Writers are entitled to private lives, surely.”
Veronica shrugged. “That was the case once…but not anymore. The public now requires the creators of art to be beyond reproach. Any sort of ethical indiscretion will destroy not only the artist but all those associated with his or her work. Think, Theo, about all the writers you know of whose careers have been rendered to dust by, say, an allegation of sexual misconduct.”
Theo thought of Airborne, the book that, in a way, had introduced her and Dan. “Like Jack Chase?”
Veronica looked uncomfortable, though she responded candidly. “Yes, exactly like Jack Chase. His publisher nearly went to the wall when everything came out. Other writers in his stable were boycotted by association. The fallout was huge. Publishers know that when they take on a Day Delos writer, they are not investing in an asset that is going to be unsellable because of some awkward revelation down the track.”
“But Dan didn’t tell you about me?”
“Not directly.” Veronica smiled. “Not that we would have had any objection to you…though we may have had to do a little PR about the age difference. Honestly, Theo, it’s just a precaution…like a prenuptial. We otherwise have no interest in the activities of consenting adults.”
Theo exhaled. “I just can’t believe that it’s a consideration.”
“Dan’s last book sold over a million copies worldwide.” Veronica maneuvered salad onto her fork. “That’s before the film and television rights, the audiobook, and merchandising rights, not to mention the translation rights. If, for example, you had been underage, or a criminal of some sort, or even simply married, Dan’s brand would have been compromised. It’s not just his income that would have been affected.”
Theo swallowed, digesting more than food. It made perfect sense when Veronica explained it, and yet the thought made her uneasy.
“Are you no longer interested in signing with Day Delos and Associates?” Veronica laughed.
“No…it’s not that at all,” Theo said startled. Was she talking her way out of representation? “I was just surprised.”
“Everybody is until they’ve been in the industry for a time.” Veronica signaled the waiter. “Let’s order something really decadent and fattening for dessert, shall we? After the last week, we both deserve it.”
Theo nodded, relieved that she had not offended the agent. They ordered chocolate torte with cherry ice cream and strawberry mousse with pistachio pound cake and coffee. Veronica asked about Australia, and Theo spoke of her nomadic Tasmanian childhood following her father’s act to country pubs and small music festivals—funny stories of adolescent mortification.
“It sounds ideal.” Veronica sighed. “The perfect childhood.”
Theo faltered, the phrase scraping against the echo of a memory buried. “It wasn’t always,” she said quietly. “There were times that were unbearable.” The words were out before she could pull them back.
Veronica looked at her curiously.
Theo tried to undo what she had said. She forced a laugh. “It wouldn’t be adolescence if it wasn’t unbearable occasionally.” And she explained how she went from that existence to boarding school on the mainland, then law school in Canberra, and finally to Lawrence.
Veronica confessed that she too had once dreamed of writing but, after years of working on the great American novel, concluded that she had not the talent to do it naturally, nor the persistence to write regardless.
“Working with writers, championing them, was my calling—it just took me a while to realize.”
Inevitably, the conversation drifted back to Dan, and without quite knowing why, Theo found herself talking to the agent about how she’d found Dan’s body, seeing the killer leave, the blood, even the cat.
“Oh, you poor darling…how awful! You must have been terrified. I’m so sorry you had to see that.”
“You’ve known Dan longer than I have. Who would want to do that, to kill him?”
Veronica frowned. She lowered her voice. “When his first book came out, Dan had some trouble with fans—a few readers took things too far. He wasn’t the first thriller writer to have to deal with this, but the individuals involved in his case were quite scary…a history of mental instability and violence.” She shook her head. “It’s why he moved to Lawrence, though officially he lives in New York. We made sure that we didn’t publish images of him unless absolutely necessary, and that any that were published were disguised by shadow—we made a motif of it: the mysterious Dan Murdoch. We thought that would be enough.”
“My God, do the police know about this?”
“We’ve spoken to them. Given them all the information we could.”
“So, Dan was in hiding?”
“Not so much in hiding as keeping a low profile.”
