Chapter 22
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
The following day, a knock at the door interrupted their late breakfast.
“I wonder who that could be?” Wyl’s fork clattered to the plate, and he stood to answer the door. Looking through the peephole, he recognized the flat super. “It’s the superintendent. I hope nothing is wrong.” Wyl opened the door.
“Mr. Sterling, I have a message for you.” The flat superintendent handed Wyl a note. “A gentleman called and asked that I deliver this.”
“Thank you.” Wyl took the note and closed the door. He unfolded the message and read it.
“What is it?” Rod asked.
“A request from Declan.” Wyl glanced at Rod. “He asks that we call him. I wonder what he needs?”
“I can’t imagine he would leave a message with the flat office if it were something other than a social call.”
“You’re right, babe.” Wyl picked up the landline phone and dialed the number.
After two rings, “Declan Knowlan.”
“Declan, Wyl Sterling.”
“Wyl, good to hear from you,” Declan said excitedly. “Neither Ailbe nor I had a way of contacting you. I hope you’ll forgive the unorthodox use of your flat superintendent.”
“We didn’t think of exchanging numbers, Declan. If you have caller ID on your office phone, this number is our flat phone. You are welcome to use it any time.” Wyl looked at Rod and shrugged his shoulders, unsure of what Declan wanted.
“I do, and I’ll write it down,” Declan paused to note the number. “How about meeting Ailbe and me at Wilde’s Pub for dinner and drinks this evening? We’d love to get to know you Texans better.”
“Tonight at Wilde’s? Sure,” Wyl glanced at Rod for a thumbs-up or thumbs-down. Rod nodded in approval. “What time?”
“How about seven? We can have dinner and catch James Pearson’s gig.”
“Sounds good. We’ll see you at seven.”
“Oh, and before I forget, Ailbe has talked constantly about how much he enjoyed your presentation yesterday,” Declan said. “There was such a crowd he didn’t have time to tell you himself, but he was very impressed. I’m sure he’ll mention it, but I wanted you to know.”
“Thanks. I’ll blush at the appropriate time when Ailbe says something about the presentation,” Wyl laughed and hoped Declan knew he was joking.
“Good, Wyl. Say hi to Rod for me, and we’ll see you tonight.”
“Fantastic, Declan. Bye.” Wyl hung up the phone.
“Well, Mr. Mysterious was being overly friendly on that call,” Wyl said.
“Sounds like he’s setting the stage. I’m sure Ailbe will want to lure you into his scheme, but they probably want to befriend us first, so it becomes more of a friendly favor than anything.”
“As long as we know what we’re walking into, we’ll be fine. Keep your guard up, Rod, but let them in. We must make them believe we are simply Texans on our honeymoon.”
* * *
Sergeant Healy’s phone rang. “Healy.”
“Sergeant Healy, Officer O’Malley here. I have an envelope for Chief Superintendent O’Brien. A young man named Rafferty left it at the desk.”
“On my way,” Healy said. He hung up the phone and stepped into O’Brien’s office. “Fergus Rafferty left an envelope for you. Shall I fetch it?”
“Absolutely!” O’Brien said. “It’s a copy of his course project. I want to see what all the fuss is about.”
“Be back in a tic, sir.” Two minutes later, Healy handed the envelope to O’Brien.
“Hold firm, Healy. Let’s look at this.” He pulled the papers from the envelope and scanned the first page.
“I don’t know what to make of this, Healy. It doesn’t look like anything worth murdering someone over.” O’Brien handed the page to Healy.
Healy scratched his unruly red hair. “Nor to me, sir.”
O’Brien slid the pages back into the folder. “Make a copy of these pages and take the copy to Pearson or Cross. Have them deliver it to Wyl Sterling. He can make sense of it if anyone can.”
“Right away, sir.” Healy took the envelope and returned to his desk. He placed a call to Glenn Cross. They arranged to meet that evening at an abandoned warehouse to transfer the envelope.
* * *
“We need to put on a show tonight,” Rod said as they climbed out of the car at Wilde’s. “We must cement the friendship so we can infiltrate their organization.”
Wyl gazed at his husband over the top of the car. “You amaze me sometimes. You understand this situation clearer than I give you credit for.”
“I have a huge stake in this fight, you. I have a stronger urge to protect you than to foil MacGowan’s plan.” Rod stopped at the front of the car. “Yes, I realize the two are connected. But if anything happens to you, my life is over.”
“We’ll come out of this alive and safe, babe.” Wyl squeezed Rod’s hand.
“I know.” Rod stroked Wyl’s cheek. “I need you to know how I feel.”
“I feel the same way.” Wyl kissed Rod. “Now, let’s enjoy the evening.”
Inside, Ailbe and Declan sat at a table with a good view of the stage.
“Hi Ailbe, hi Declan,” Rod faked a big smile as they approached. “It’s good to see you both.”
“Hi, lads,” Declan said. He stood and offered his hand.
“Hey.” Ailbe remained seated but saluted in the air with two fingers. “We’re glad you could join us.”
“We like this place.” Wyl accepted Declan’s handshake as he and Rod sat. “Good food and good music.”
“We like it too.” Declan sat. “And Pearson is aces.”
“I agree. He’s quite the musician. I can tell he’s had classical training.” Rod said. “He’s too good to be self-taught.”
“You can tell that, Rod?” Declan asked.
“Musicians have an ear for those things, Declan,” Ailbe said. “There’s a lot of discipline involved in proper musical training. Training is easy to spot when you know what to listen for.”
“I agree, Ailbe,” Rod turned his focus to Ailbe. “Your love of opera has obviously taught you a few things.”
“I know what I like, but I could never approach your level, Rod.” Ailbe's voice had unsettling undertones. “Your presentation on Tuesday was quite detailed. I very much enjoyed it and learned a lot.”
“My husband is the expert,” Wyl winked at Rod.
“I know how to get what I want.” Rod gazed at his husband.
“As I recall, you wanted to learn to play the guitar.” Wyl winked back.
“My lack of guitar lessons is entirely your fault.” Rod put on a show for their tablemates.
“We’ll have to pick up where we left off.” Wyl took Rod’s hand in his.
“Hey…lads,” Declan snapped his fingers. “Audience here.”
The four of them shared a laugh. Rod and Wyl’s little performance cemented their relationship further for Ailbe and Declan, setting the hook.
“We need drinks,” Rod raised his hand to signal the server. “And are we ordering dinner? I’m eyeing the fish and chips on the menu.”
Rod and Wyl ordered Guinness, and the four of them ordered their meals.
“And speaking of experts,” Ailbe reflected on a prior conversation. “I was quite impressed with your keynote speech yesterday, Wyl.”
“Thanks, Ailbe.” Wyl released Rod’s hand. “I’m sorry we didn’t have a chance to chat afterward. The room was quite crowded.”
“You’re right about the crowd. You and Rod got mobbed after your talk, and I needed to hurry back to my office to make a few notes about the points you made.”
“Notes? That surprises me, Ailbe. You’re an educated professor, and I’m an ex-Marine with no degree.”
“Yes, but your enviable field experience is something that books and lab work cannot duplicate. You have first-hand knowledge of things that we can only read about. You were in the trenches, dealing with new situations as they arose. I was in a lab doing exercises or sitting in a conference hearing about situations after the fact.”
The server brought their drinks and food. They dug in, conversing as they ate.
“I spent time in class, too, Ailbe,” Wyl said. “I learned from the same cybercriminals who created the problems we must solve. They get caught. And as restitution, they spend time helping us understand their point of view and teaching us to think like they do.”
A brief flash of tension passed through Ailbe’s eyes, gone as quickly as it appeared. He picked up his glass of cider and took a sip. “You know, Wyl, my students could not attend your presentation. Would you consider coming and giving a short talk to the class?”
Wyl glanced at Rod before returning his focus to Ailbe. “Sure, Ailbe…as long as Rod is okay with me taking honeymoon time for that.”
Rod finished his bite of fish and wiped his mouth. “Babe, if it helps our new friends, I’m fine with it,” Rod said.
Wyl could see the uneasiness in Rod’s eyes. They both knew the dangers of working with Ailbe and Declan.
“How about tomorrow? The class starts at 9:00 a.m. I’ll have them assembled for any questions about the final details of their course projects.” Ailbe looked to Wyl for confirmation.
“Do we have plans for tomorrow, Rod?” Wyl asked, scraping the last potato from his Irish Stew bowl.
Rod shook his head. “Nothing we’ve discussed. Maybe I’ll come with you. I’d like to see the campus.”
“That is a good suggestion, Rod,” Ailbe said. “I can give you both a quick tour after Wyl finishes. It’s quite a place.”
Wyl kept his focus on Ailbe during the conversation. Ailbe’s pupils constricted as he spoke to Rod. His words didn’t match his reaction.
“Sounds like a date, Ailbe,” Wyl said. “Anything special you want me to cover?”
“Cover the highlights of your keynote address. It will be good for the lads to hear from someone of your caliber. You have quite the stellar reputation.”
“Nah,” Wyl said, tossing his napkin on the table. “I know a little bit about coding.”
“That is like saying the pope knows a little bit about Catholicism,” Ailbe laughed.
* * *
After his first set, James Pearson wandered through the crowd, ending up at their table.
“Well, if it isn’t the two lads from Texas. Welcome back, gents.” James extended his hand for a shake. “How is Ireland treating you?”
“We’re enjoying it,” Rod said.
“We miss the horses on our ranch, but Ireland is beautiful.”
“I know of stables up the country a bit,” James said. “If you like riding, I’m sure they would be glad to have you.”
“That sounds like a great way to spend a Saturday,” Wyl said. “Is it far?”