Chapter 26
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
After breakfast, Wyl grabbed his laptop to check his email. A new message from Ailbe popped in. He clicked to download the attachment and open it.
“Very interesting,” Wyl said.
“What is?” Rod asked. From the kitchen, breakfast dishes clinked as he loaded the dishwasher.
“Ailbe’s course project. As I review the parameters, the project aims toward one unified goal. Ailbe mentioned that the students originally saw only their individual assignments. When I scroll through the twenty individual project parameters, they dovetail in a sequence that makes sense.”
“You think the murdered student figured out the same thing?” Rod said.
“Yes, and I think he told Ailbe, and I think Ailbe told Declan, and I think Declan took care of things.” He glanced at Rod’s face. A wrinkled brow and narrow eyes looked back at him, lips drawn in a grimace.
Rod shook his head. “I don’t like this at all. Nobody said anything about people getting killed. When we went through training in D.C., we learned about weapons. I never thought a cybercrime would involve murder.”
Wyl stood and wrapped his husband in a warm embrace. “Relax, babe. We’re not the ones targeted here.”
“That doesn’t matter.” Rod pushed out of the hug. “A student was murdered, which is worse. A young man lost his life to protect a scheme.”
Wyl watched in helpless silence as Rod stared out the front windows. Noiseless traffic flowed on the street below.
Seconds later, Rod turned to Wyl. “If they are willing to kill so easily to keep their plan going, what makes you think they won’t murder us if they find out we’re trying to stop them?”
Wyl walked over and grasped Rod’s shoulders. “I don’t have an answer for that, babe. Remember, General Steinburg mentioned hacking of the Irish banking system. Obviously, that means money is involved. None of that led me to expect a murder, but we both knew there was an element of danger.”
“Yes, but there is a big difference between an element of danger and death!” Rod emphasized the words.
“I went into a panic when you didn’t show up on campus for two weeks, and I was beside myself with worry when you fled from the Dusty confrontation.
I can’t handle the thought of you in a life-or-death situation, especially after my dream.
” Rod threw his arms up to get out of Wyl’s hold.
“Rod?” Wyl used a voice as soothing as he could muster. “Calm down.”
“No!” Rod punched the air with a pointed finger.
“I didn’t sign on for this. Not once did General Steinburg mention murder.
Not once did murder come up in my training at Quantico.
Not once did you mention murder when we talked about this mission.
” Tears welled up in Rod’s eyes as his voice whined with emotion.
“I can’t stand the thought of losing you.
” Rod tried to stifle a sob. “The thought of you murdered is more than I can handle.” Rod put his hands over his face as sobs won.
In three long strides, Wyl tugged a sobbing Rod into his arms. He stroked Rod’s back as Rod’s shoulders shook.
“Babe,” Wyl whispered. “You won’t see me murdered.”
“How do you know that?” Rod whined, wrapping his arms around Wyl and burying his face in Wyl’s neck.
“Like James and Glenn pointed out, we have two highly experienced British agents working closely with us. The Irish Gardaí is at our disposal, and the United States government is supporting us. How much chance do you think a couple of amateur criminals have to get rid of us?”
“But a student was murdered by those amateur criminals.”
“Yes, but that student didn’t have the support we do, the training in spotting criminal activity, or the backup of security forces from three strong nations. That student had no idea he was a threat. He was an easy target. We are not, or will ever be, any of those things.”
Rod’s breathing eased, and he sighed deeply as Wyl’s words soaked in.
“You’re right.”
“Of course I’m right. When was I ever not right?”
Rod chuckled. “How long a list do you want?”
Wyl pushed him to arm’s length. “You have a list?”
Rod stroked Wyl’s face. “I love you so much.”
“I love you too.” Wyl pulled him in for a kiss, then thumbed wetness from Rod’s cheek. “Now, are you okay?”
Rod wiped his eyes. “Not really, but I do feel better. Thanks for the pep talk. I didn’t mean to yell at you.”
“You need to tell me when you’re worried so we can deal with it.”
“I know. Sometimes it’s hard.”
Wyl winked at Rod, his arm still around his waist. “I like it when you get hard.” A sly grin crossed Wyl’s face.
Rod shook his head. “Show me what you found in Ailbe’s email.”
“Not until you give me the list.” Wyl raised a brow.
“You’re too easy.” Rod shoved Wyl. “There is no list.”
They crossed the room and sat at the table. Wyl went through the projects, explaining to Rod how one dovetailed with another.
“It’s good you know this, Rod. Since I’ll be working with Ailbe, you’ll understand what I’m doing with this project.”
Rod shuddered. “This also helps me grasp the seriousness of this crime and why we’re here to stop it.”
Wyl put his hand on Rod’s and squeezed. “Exactly. Now I need to call Glenn and tell him what we found.”
Wyl grabbed his secure cell phone to call.
“Glenn, Wyl Sterling.”
“Hi, Wyl. What’s up?”
“I have information on the papers Chief Superintendent O’Brien sent. How would you like me to report? Verbally to you? Written?”
“Tell me what you discovered, and we can decide what will work best for O’Brien.”
“I looked at the coding Fergus Rafferty sent. He was definitely working on a password algorithm. It’s difficult to know exactly how it fits with the remaining projects. MacGowan emailed a project overview to me, and I can see how all student projects dovetail.”
“At least we know there is a connection.”
“Yesterday, Rod and I met Ailbe and Declan at Wilde’s. During the conversation, Ailbe asked me to help him grade the class projects. He claimed the projects were complicated, and he feared he would not be able to finish them. I agreed to give him a hand.”
“So he threw out the bait, and you took the hook, eh?”
“That about sizes it up. Before we flew to Ireland, I created a public email for this mission. I can get messages without compromising my personal email or using our secure email. That is how Ailbe sent me the project guidelines.”
“You’re a smart man, Sterling. I need a copy to take to O’Brien.”
“After I thoroughly review what he sent and mark any relevant points, I’ll get a copy to you.”
“Sounds good, Wyl. Thanks.”
Wyl disconnected the call.
“What’s next?” Rod massaged Wyl’s tense shoulders.
“I need to print this out and read a hard copy to mark items of interest. And I need to send a hard copy to O’Brien via Cross.”
“We don’t have a printer, but we can get one. I noticed a TechStar store when we were in City Centre. They have computers, printers, and accessories.” Rod leaned down and kissed Wyl behind his ear, ending the shoulder rub.
“Can we have lunch while we’re out?”
“Works for me,” Rod said.
Wyl closed his laptop. “You ready?”
Rod handed Wyl his jacket. “You bet!”
* * *
At the front of the classroom, Ailbe assembled his papers after class. A snippet of whispered conversation caught his ear as the students filed out.
Yes, Chief O’Brien interviewed lads who had talked to Keenan.
I heard Fergus got called in twice.
He didn’t get called in twice. He went voluntarily the second time.
Why did he do that?
Something about the change in due dates, he thought O’Brien should know.
The conversation faded away as the lads reached the classroom exit. Ailbe tensed at the last words he overheard. He hurried to his office, dropped his notes and textbook on his desk, and called Declan.
“Declan Knowlan,” Declan answered.
“We may have another problem.”
“What’s that?”
“I overheard my students talking. Apparently, Fergus Rafferty has been to the Gardaí station twice. Several students got called in, but his second visit makes me uncomfortable.”
“Should I take care of it?”
“Please,” Ailbe said. “I’ll call Wyl and make sure he received the project information I sent to his email. I need to get him started before anything else goes wrong.”
They hung up, and Declan pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number. “Another situation. Meet me at the docks in half an hour.” He disconnected the call.
* * *
Rod and Wyl returned to their flat after shopping and lunch. The phone in the flat was ringing as they opened the door. Rod dropped his shopping bags on the table and answered the call.
“Hello?”
“Rod or Wyl?”
“May I ask who is calling?” Rod asked.
“Is this Rod? It’s Ailbe. How are you?”
“Oh, Ailbe. I’m fine. Wyl and I just walked in from the market. What’s up?”
“Actually, I need to talk with Wyl.”
“Sure, just a sec.” Rod mouthed he wants you as he handed Wyl the phone.
“Ailbe, how are you?” Wyl said.
“Doing fine, Wyl. Did you receive the project information I sent to your email?”
“I did, Ailbe. I had a chance to glance through it this morning.”
“Good. Any questions so far?”
“No. The overall course project is fairly straightforward. I may have a few questions after I delve more deeply into the individual projects.”
“Why don’t you and Rod meet us at O’Connell’s later this afternoon. Declan and I usually meet there after work. That gives you a chance to look over the project, and you can ask any questions you may have.”
“Let me check with Rod, Ailbe. Hang on a sec.” Wyl covered the mouthpiece. “Want to meet Ailbe and Declan later this afternoon at O’Connell’s for a drink?”
“Fine with me,” Rod said.
Wyl put the receiver back to his ear. “Sounds good, Ailbe. What time?”
“Around 4:30.”
“We’ll meet you at O’Connell’s.”
They said their goodbyes and hung up the phone.
Wyl set up the new printer and, before long, had two printed copies of the project plan Ailbe sent.
“Hand me one of those manila envelopes we bought,” Wyl said. Rod was in the kitchen, uncorking a bottle of wine. The office supplies they bought were in a bag on the counter near where Rod stood.
“As requested, your highness.” Rod handed Wyl the envelope. “And a pen. I know you will ask for a pen next.”
Wyl chuckled as he accepted the envelope and pen. “You know me too well.” He placed one copy of the project plan in the envelope and wrote Cross on the outside after fastening the metal clasp.
“Hand me my cell phone, will you, babe?”
“Yes, your majesty.” Rod walked to the table and handed Wyl his cell phone from the other end.
“Oh…I didn’t realize it was right there.” Wyl grinned.
“Uh-huh.” Rod winked at Wyl and went back to the kitchen.
Wyl dialed Glenn Cross. “We have a delivery for O’Brien.”
“I can’t swing by this afternoon, gents. I’ll stop by in the morning.”
“Good, we’ll see you then.”
* * *
At four-thirty, Ailbe and Declan greeted the Sterlings at O’Connell’s, martinis waiting for the Texans.
“Drinks for us?” Wyl asked as they sat.
“You ordered for us the other night, so we returned the favor,” Declan said. “I hope the martinis here are up to your standards. We requested Boru.”
“We like Boru, Declan. Thanks.” Rod took a sip. “How was work today?”
“My day was busy,” Ailbe said. “The students are a handful when the pressure is on. So many questions. The line outside my office never seemed to end.”
“Mine wasn’t too bad,” Declan said. “Students are preparing for an art show next week, so they spent time finalizing their work for printing and display. I have a good group this semester.”
“Sounds like you both can use this drink.” Wyl raised his glass for a toast. “Here’s to relaxing with friends.”
“Here-here!” All three responded, clinking glasses. Ailbe and Declan exchanged glances, smiling at the word friends. They had their patsies.
“Wyl, any questions on the project guidelines?” Ailbe asked.
“Only one so far,” Wyl said. “Do you want me to focus on specific projects or everything?”
“Why don’t we meet in my office on Monday? You’ll have digested the project plan more thoroughly, and we can figure out what would work best,” Ailbe said.
“Sounds good,” Wyl said. “How is nine-thirty?”
“That works.” Ailbe paused, “You don’t know how much I appreciate your help offer. Rod can help you figure out the grading.”
“I had the same thought, Ailbe. Rod will enjoy seeing the complexity of the project. I briefly showed him today.”
“Good.” Ailbe tensed at others knowing about the project, but needed Wyl’s experience. Declan could handle the situation if it got out of hand. Rod was expendable, but not until Wyl’s usefulness ended.
“You ready to go, Ailbe?” Declan asked. “I’m a bit tired.” An edge of irritation flowed from Declan’s voice.
“Sure.” Ailbe finished his Bulmers. “I’ll see you gents on Monday.” They stood and left.
Now alone at the table, “Did you notice the change in Declan’s attitude?” Rod asked.
“I think there is trouble in paradise,” Wyl said. “That could work in our favor. There is nothing like internal strife to hamper success.”
“I still feel uneasy around those two.” Rod stood and shrugged on his jacket.
“Don’t ever lose that feeling, Rod.” Wyl tugged on his own jacket. “Those two are not to be trusted.”
* * *
That evening, Fergus Rafferty climbed into the tub for a hot bath before bed.
In his tiny efficiency flat near the GMIT campus, everything was in one room except for the bathroom, which occupied one corner of the rectangle that made up the flat.
As his butt sank into the hot bathwater and found the bottom of the tub, he heard an unfamiliar noise.
“Who’s there?” he called out, listening for a response.
A loud meowing outside signaled a stray cat.
“Feck,” he muttered, drying his hands on a towel hanging near the tub and reaching for his earbuds.
His iPod was on a window ledge above the tub.
He got it and found his favorite playlist before settling back into the warm water to relax, eyes closed.
A shadow passed over his eyes a minute later, and he opened them. The water sloshed as he jolted with surprise. The sudden jerk caused his iPod to fall from the window ledge into the tub. Fergus sat up, jerking the earbuds from his ears.
“Who the feck are you?” Fear shook his voice at the ominous figure standing next to the tub. Dressed in black with a black ski mask covering his face, the figure said nothing.
Fergus put his hands on the tub's rim to stand, but the figure placed a hand on his head, keeping him seated in the water as it glanced around the bathroom.
“What do you want?” Fergus shouted, nothing but a high-pitched squeak coming out of his mouth. “Get out of my flat!”
“Goodbye, kid.” The gruff voice growled as a gloved hand reached for the hair dryer on the top of the toilet tank, turned it on, and dropped it into the bathwater.
The lights in the flat dimmed, and the specter fled into the night.