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Theo’s words were lost, her thoughts confused. The idea of distancing herself from Dan seemed so callous, so treacherous.
“I understand Dan’s death is having an impact on your brother’s practice,” Veronica said quietly.
“Gus?”
“Yes, I believe his firm has lost a lot of clients.”
“But this has nothing to do with Gus. He’s never even met Dan.”
“It’s ironic, but true, that criminals want their lawyers to be beyond any kind of reproach.” Veronica sighed. “And I’m afraid Gus’s partners are the conservative sort.”
“How do you know?” Theo asked. She did not doubt the veracity of what Veronica said, but she did wonder how she knew so much about Gus’s firm.
“Day Delos has a lot of contacts in Lawrence…and we keep our ears to the ground.” Veronica poured Theo a cup of coffee. “Crane, Hayes and Benton is the least of our concerns, I’m afraid. I don’t suppose you recall me telling you about the fans Dan was forced to flee?”
“Yes, I remember.”
“I am concerned that with news of Dan’s death, they’ll make their way to Lawrence.” She looked Theo in the eye. “It is really important, for your sake and the sake of those around you, that you do try to distance yourself from Dan Murdoch.”
Theo stared. “Shouldn’t we tell the police about these people?”
“Day Delos has already handed over all the information we have.” Veronica put down her fork and dabbed the corner of her mouth with a linen napkin without disturbing her lipstick. “You mustn’t panic, Theo; we have no intention of allowing anything happen to a talent like you. But you must do your part…if not for your own sake, for your brother’s—”
“Are you saying Gus is in danger from these people?” Theo tried valiantly to sound calm, but she could hear the fear in her own voice.
“Oh no…Theo, no. I was talking about the impact on his firm, his professional reputation. Your brother is fierce in his defense of you—so fierce that his better judgment is occasionally compromised.”
“Do you know Gus?” Theo wasn’t sure why she asked this—it was a sudden feeling.
“I have met him professionally, a year or two ago,” Veronica said smiling. “He won’t remember me—it was a straightforward contract negotiation. I have heard the odd word of him recently from mutual acquaintances.” The agent studied her. “Of course, I’m not telling you anything you don’t know. I presume you’re well aware of the pressure Gus is under as a result of all this.”
Theo felt sick. She hadn’t been aware…not really, not enough.
“All I’m suggesting,” Veronica said gently, “is that you don’t try to become too involved in the investigation.” She stood and fetched a sheaf of papers from the writing desk. “I do have something else on which you might want to spend some time instead.” She handed the paperwork to Theo. “Should we offer you representation, there are few things we’ll need—a number of biographies of different lengths for media of various sorts. We find it works best if our clients write us a bit of a life story, which we will then edit and piece together to get a targeted bio tailored for the audience in question.”
“Oh…okay.” Theo took the papers, embarrassed. Veronica was obviously giving her busywork to keep her occupied…like a child who was getting into scrapes.
“There are also usual questions about social security numbers, bank accounts, passports etc.”
“But Gus… Maybe I should—”
“You’re not going to be able to get him to stop being your big brother. I’m afraid the best way to keep him out of trouble is to stay out of it yourself.”
Theo closed her eyes. She felt ashamed. She’d been so preoccupied with what she owed Dan that she hadn’t even thought about what she owed Gus. She wouldn’t let his life be destroyed again because he tried to look after her.
“Theo… Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“You didn’t—it isn’t you I’m upset with. I should have insulated Gus from this somehow.”
Veronica sighed. “Easier said than done.” She exhaled. “Look, I’m breaking all sorts of rules telling you this, but I’m almost sure Day Delos is going to offer you representation. If it were up to just me, it would be done already.”
“Really?” Despite herself, Theo’s eyes brightened.
“I think so. There’s just couple of checks we still need to make.”
“What checks?”
“We need to be certain you really want to be writer.”
