Chapter 3
Three
Chloe hurried out to the parlor with her clothing for the day as soon as the sun broke through the curtain. It was early,
Celia Henderson. And if she was early, she didn’t need to be in the way when Wes wanted to shower and dress.
Except that when she stepped quietly into the parlor area, Wes was already up, reading the various brochures that had been
left in the room on the coffee table. He was casually dressed in Bermuda shorts and a tailored short-sleeved cotton shirt,
perfect for a day at sea.
“You’re ready—already!” she said.
He nodded. “Woke up, figured I’d be out of the way,” he told her. “Oh, and our steward—his name is Lucas, by the way—already
brought us a lovely pot of coffee. Shall I pour you some?” he asked her.
“Um, sure, great! I’ll take two minutes, promise!” she told him.
She might have taken more like five, but Chloe was quick; she could be ready to go just about anywhere in a very short amount of time, another skill learned on the job.
When she came out, he was seated on the sofa.
His pillow and blanket had been shoved back into the closet and there was plenty of room for her to join him.
She sat and picked up one of the brochures.
“Dunn’s River Falls,” she murmured.
“I signed us up,” he told her. “And, by the way, we’ll be joined by one of our own.”
“Oh?”
“Taylor Braxton. He’s been working a drug connection over there.”
He handed her his phone so that she could read the message he’d received.
Hey, Wes! I heard that you and your lovely wife are heading my way! Know you love the falls, meet you there, maybe some lunch
after!
“The more the merrier. Obviously, he’s been read in. I mean, you don’t have a real wife, right? That’s not something I missed—”
“When you read everything that you could to check out your odd partner?” Wes inquired, grinning.
“And you didn’t do the same?”
“You already know I did.” He shrugged, taking a long sip of his coffee. “Nope. You’re the only lovely wife I have at this
moment,” he told her.
“So,” Chloe murmured, “today at sea, tomorrow Jamaica, Dunn’s River Falls and lunch with Taylor Braxton. But for now . . .”
“Yeah. Let’s see if we can find any of our suspects at breakfast.”
“Buffet one deck below, quick and easy, and I’m assuming our instructors for all these computer classes will want to grab and go,” Chloe said.
“Let’s do it,” he said. “Oh, we’ll have a chance to study the brothers on our list after our morning social media and security
classes. They’re giving a lecture on finding the best computers and screens for your particular interests, be it work, gaming,
whatever.”
“Both of us?”
“We could, yes, it would appeal to us both in our chosen fields.” He arched a brow to her. “You do know something about art,
right?”
“You read up on me. I majored in criminology, minored in art,” she reminded him. “Besides, we’re going to be okay. I’m not
selling any of the classics—my work is with today’s artists!”
“Still—”
“Not to worry. I can hold my own.”
“Wasn’t really worried. Just checking.”
“And you? Can you actually dive?”
“Oh, ouch. That hurt.”
“That means yes,” she said lightly. “So, onward!”
She unlatched the door so that they could head out. A flight of stairs brought them to the buffet where many of the ship’s
passengers were gathered, so many that finding a table might not be an easy task.
But it worked out perfectly.
“Over there!” Wes said softly.
Chloe turned in the direction he indicated. A table had just cleared—and two of their suspects were about to take a seat.
“Grab me a croissant or something, I’ll save our seats!” Chloe told him.
She hurried over to the table, asking quickly, “May I grab these? Seems like no one wanted a formal sit-down breakfast today! Everyone’s preparing for classes!”
She gave the two men her best smile.
The brothers Daniel and Broderick McClintock were an impressive pair. Like most of the men on board, they were wearing knee-length
shorts and polo shirts. Daniel was a bit taller at about six-two; his brother was maybe an inch shorter. From reading, she
knew that Broderick was thirty-eight and Daniel was thirty-six. Their parents had died in an automobile crash when they’d
been in college and, apparently, they’d leaned on one another since. Neither was married; their company, Bulwark Cybersecurity,
had been a focus for them since they’d founded it six years ago.
Prior to that, Daniel had worked for a major gaming enterprise and Broderick had been a cyber security officer for a bank.
They were handsome men, dark-haired and dark-eyed, fit, blending dignity with quick solid smiles.
And they gave her a pair of those very pleasant smiles.
“Of course, please! Tables are for all to share. Can we get you something?” Daniel asked her.
“Oh, no, no, thank you! My husband is in the line—I was just making sure that we had somewhere to sit!” Chloe told them.
Broderick pulled out a chair for her and she sat. “I think I know who you are. I mean, you two do look quite a bit like one
another! Daniel and Broderick McClintock, Bulwark Cybersecurity!”
“Yes, I’m Daniel, and my big brother here is Broderick. And you have us at a disadvantage—”
“Chloe,” she said. “I’m Chloe Douglas, and my husband, Wes, is heading our way as we speak.
We’re both coming to the class you’re giving today.
Oh, and it was such a surprise for us! We planned this trip way back, and it couldn’t have been more perfect!
I can’t believe that Milestones and all the people they’ve brought on are being so wonderful and generous with their time! ”
“We love to pay it forward!” Broderick said.
“And, of course, create a lot of goodwill for Bulwark Cybersecurity!” Daniel added, grinning. His smile slipped. “We need
good things these days in all online fields.”
“Well, creating these classes for everyone does create goodwill,” Chloe assured them. But she frowned as well, looking at
Daniel. “Oh! I read in the paper about a woman killing five or her associates and then herself! I see where you might be worried,
but then again, that was one person, and the world is moving on the internet!” she assured him.
“I know, I know, it’s just so sad and so . . . unbelievable!” Daniel said.
“We knew them,” Broderick added quietly.
“Oh, I am so very sorry,” Chloe told him earnestly.
Wes was coming their way with a tray carrying two plates of food and two cups of coffee.
He glanced at the brothers and introduced himself. “Wes Douglas, and I see you’ve met my wife. I hope we’re not interrupting—this
seems to be the busiest place on the ship at the moment.”
“Not interrupting at all,” Broderick assured him. Wes smiled his thanks and took the fourth seat at the table.
“Everyone is all in on going to classes on our day at sea,” Wes said. He laughed softly. “We were thinking about the pool,
lounge chairs, drinks with little umbrellas in them—okay, Chloe was thinking about the little umbrellas. I was thinking more
about a few beers. But you get the drift. Now we’re all excited about the classes we’re going to take.”
“Go figure!” Chloe said. “Sun, sea, soft breezes—and we realized that we’d both rather get in on those classes!”
“And what classes in particular interest you?” Daniel asked her.
She smiled. “Well, mainly social media, I guess. I own an art gallery and I’m always trying to promote local talent. I need
to learn what apps I should be using, how I should be using them . . . you know! That kind of thing.”
Daiel looked at his brother. “I guess she’s not going to need to learn about security on dating apps.”
“I can only hope not!” Wes said lightly, brushing his fingers through her hair.
“Oh, trust me, no! I just want to showcase my artists!” Chloe assured him.
“So, even though I understand some of it will be on dating, I thought that I’d attend Celia Henderson’s class tomorrow morning,” Chloe said, smiling.
“And you’re not going?” Broderick asked Wes.
“I’m going to Edward Thompson’s class at the same time. We’re trying to divide and conquer—except we’re both coming to your
mid-morning class!” Wes said. “Chloe thinks we should both attend.”
“Well, we’re delighted, of course, and thank you,” Daniel said. He grinned and looked at Wes and said, “As she wishes it,
right?”
“Pardon?” Wes said.
Daniel laughed. “Sorry. I mean, you’re a ‘Westley,’ right?”
“I am,” Wes said, nodding slightly.
“Sorry, movie fan here. I’m thinking of The Princess Bride and the Dread Pirate Roberts. Buttercup’s beloved Westley always told her, ‘As you wish!’”
Wes looked over at Chloe before glancing back at Daniel and saying, “Yeah! Right. Saw that as a kid! I’ve been missing the mark!” He turned back to Chloe, lifted one of her hands and kissed it lightly, and then grinned at her and said, “As you wish!”
She groaned softly, grinning and shaking her head.
“If only!” she told the other two.
Wes groaned playfully and teased his fingers through her hair again. “Someone told me once that’s the key to a happy marriage—”
“Whatever one’s spouse wants!” Chloe interrupted lightly.
“And you two seem to be doing it right,” Daniel said. “The chemistry even bounces all the way over here. Wes, you seem to
be ‘as you wish-ing’ it just right.”
“Hey, maybe I am!” Chloe protested. “Neither of you is married?”
Daniel winced. “Not anymore. Now I just ‘as you wish it’ to my brother!”
“Well, from what I understand, you have one of the most amazing companies out there, seeing as how it’s rising and rising!”
Chloe told him earnestly.
Broderick nodded. “We’re doing all right, but . . . well, you must stay on it, stay awake, all the time in this field.”
“There are always hackers out there. And no matter what kind of security firewall you come up with, someone will come up with
a way to hack it. That’s why it’s such a tough business,” Daniel added.
Chloe sipped her coffee and looked at the two brothers. They seemed to be in sync with one another.
A family murder affair?