Deadly Silence (complete) Chapter 127

The moment Samuel knelt in front of Vivian, Theo decided to give the Devreauxs some space. This was a family moment, and his presence wasn’t needed, nor would it be particularly wanted. So he slipped out of the room as quietly as he could, wondering what to do with himself now that what he’d come for was done.

Laurent had driven him there, so he couldn’t just leave; they were on the outskirts of the city, and walking home would take forever. Theo could call a cab or an Uber, but he didn’t actually know the address. It was looking like he’d be waiting for things to settle down enough that asking for a ride home wouldn’t feel invasive.

The question now was, how to keep himself entertained until that time arrived.

He wandered a bit, not really sure if he should just go in a room and settle down or what, until he happened upon the grey haired man with the cane in the kitchen. “Hey there,” Theo greeted him, trying to sound chipper.

The man looked up from where he’d been preparing what looked like a mug of tea, to meet Theo’s gaze with eyes the colour of steel. It was unsettling.

“Uhm… I’m Theo — Theodore McCullough,” he continued, feeling awkward as he stepped into the kitchen and held out his hand.

The man’s gaze switched to the hand before he released the mug and shook it. “Gilbert Morris.”

*Why does that name sound familiar?* Theo wondered as their hand shake finished and he looked around the kitchen, trying to think of something else to say. Then it hit him. “Oh. You’re Vivian’s first bodyguard. You hurt your… leg? How’s that healing?”

Gilbert’s eyes narrowed just a bit, but otherwise he showed no outward signs that the question may not have been welcomed. “It’s … fine.”

Unable to help himself, Theo laughed. “You sound like Vivian. It’s her favourite answer. ‘I’m fine.’ Do you actually mean it, or is it your go to, like her?”

There was a subtle shift in the man’s posture, but for some reason Theo wasn’t worried. Gilbert had an air about him that said not to mess with him, but so did Tyrell and that guy was a teddy bear if he liked you. Whatever the shift had been for, the man seemed to relax — just a bit — and returned his attention to his mug. “You know Miss Vivian well,” he said after a minute.

“I wouldn’t say ‘well’,” Theo hedged, feeling awkward. “She’s kinda hard to get to know.”

Those steel eyes were locked on him again as Gilbert took a sip of his drink. “And yet, you got her to open up.”

“Ah… well…” Theo wasn’t sure how to respond to that. It felt wrong to say he hadn’t actually expected it to work. “I guess I got lucky.”

Gilbert said nothing in response, simply continuing to drink his tea, eyes never leaving Theo.

Not enjoying the prolonged silence, Theo scrambled for something else to talk about. “You’re a bodyguard, right?”

There was a pause in the lowering of his mug, but Gilbert nodded once before setting it on the counter. “Yes.”

“Can I ask you something? Like, for advice about… bodyguard stuff?” *Wow, I sound lame.*

Gilbert nodded a second time, and Theo took that as his cue.

“Okay, well… say I have … a friend. Miriam,” he added after a second, not wanting the man to think he was really talking about himself — even though he was, but also Miriam was part of it. “I recently learned there’s a possibility she might be in danger, but I don’t… know how, or why. Or who. Okay, I really don’t know anything, other than she’s supposedly in danger. Is there any, like… measures I can have her take to prevent something bad from happening?”

Saying it out loud made Theo cringe; it hadn’t sounded as bad in his head.

For a moment, the man said nothing, only his finger tapping on the counter showed he was thinking about the answer. “Without more information, it’s difficult to do much. It also depends on what Miriam has access to; can she afford personal protection? Does she have access to a security system, one that’s monitored and not simply there to signal unwanted entry? What’s her daily schedule? Can it be modified to prevent opportunities for something to happen?”

Not expecting such a long answer, and one full of questions, Theo couldn’t immediately think of a response. “Uh… well…” The truth was he had no idea about any of it. Sure, the two had gotten closer — as friends — during the last week, but they never talked about home security systems, or their daily schedules outside of school. “She’s still a student… so school is most of her day.”

Another change in the man’s posture, this one made Theo nervous. “Miriam…” Gilbert muttered, eyes narrowing more. “You mean Miriam Wilson; Miss Vivian’s friend.”

“…yes?” Why his response had turned into a question, Theo wasn’t sure, but the bodyguard had taken a couple steps closer, abandoning the mug.

“Is Miss Wilson in danger?”

“Uh… That’s… I’m not really sure?” Again, he hated that his response came out as a question.

Gilbert stared at him for a moment longer before turning around and retrieving his beverage. “Tell me what you do know, Mr McCullough.”

“I don’t know if I can,” Theo said after a few seconds.

“Because you don’t know anything more, or because you were told not to?”

*This guy is waaayy too sharp*, Theo thought to himself. It only made him like the man more. Vivian wouldn’t be able to hide things from him as easily as she had the rest of them. “I wasn’t told to keep it to myself, but the person who told me only let it slip under… uh… duress?” He could feel the grimace on his face, and hoped Gilbert would understand without needing it to be spelled out.

“I see,” he replied, his finger tapping away on the counter again. It stopped after a while, and those eyes were back, staring into Theo’s very soul. “Is it only Miss Wilson that’s in danger?”

“…no…?” *Again with turning everything into a question? What is wrong with me?*

“And no one else knows, other than you and the person who ‘let it slip’?”

“As far as I’m aware.” Theo was prouder than he should have been when his answer hadn’t come out as a question this time.

The finger began tapping away again, but those eyes stayed locked on Theo. “You should go back to your source, and see if there is more information they might be willing to share. Otherwise, there’s only so much that can be done. Knowing what sort of danger might be coming your way is essential to preventing it.”

“That sounds… about right,” Theo nodded, a bit worried. Vivian hadn’t been exactly forthcoming on the matter, not that he’d pressed her very hard on the matter. He’d chosen to focus on getting her to tell them about her mom. “Say… you wouldn’t happen to know anyone able to drive me home, would you? I’d ask Laurent, since he drove me here… but I don’t want to interrupt … things.”