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 hung up the phone and stepped into O’Brien’s office. “Fergus Rafferty left an envelope for you. Shall I fetch it?”

“By all means! It’s a copy of his course project. I want to understand what all the fuss is about.”

"Yes, sir.” Two minutes later, Healy handed the envelope to O’Brien.

“Hold firm, Healy. Let’s check out what we have here.” He pulled the papers from the envelope and scanned the first page.

“I have no idea what to make of this, Healy. It doesn’t appear to be 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 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. “They must be convinced of the sincerity of our friendship so we can infiltrate their organization.”

Wyl gazed at his husband over the top of the car. “You amaze me sometimes. You better understand this situation 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.

“You're right.” Rod stroked Wyl’s cheek. “But we face a lot of unknowns.”

“Yes, we do, babe. We'll deal with them as we can.” Wyl kissed Rod. “Now, let’s enjoy the evening.”

Inside, Ailbe and Declan sat at a table with a close view of the stage.

“Hi Ailbe, hi Declan,” Rod faked a smile as they approached. "Thanks for the invite.”

“Hi, lads,” Declan stood and offered his hand.

“Hey.” Ailbe remained seated but saluted in the air with two fingers. "It's great you can join us.”

Wyl accepted Declan’s handshake as he and Rod sat. “We love this place. Great food and excellent music.”

“We like it too.” Declan sat. “And Pearson is aces.”

“I agree. He’s quite the musician. I can tell he studied classical music.” Rod said. “He’s too accomplished to be self-taught.”

“You can tell, Rod?” Declan asked.

“Musicians have an ear for those things, Declan,” Ailbe said. “Proper musical training requires much discipline. Evidence of their training is easy to spot when you understand what to listen for.”

“I agree, Ailbe,” Rod turned to Ailbe. “Your love of opera taught you a few things.”

“I'm a novice, but opera intrigues me. Not at your level by any means, Rod.” Ailbe's voice included unsettling undertones. “Your detailed presentation on Tuesday demonstrates my point. I enjoyed it and learned a lot.”

“My husband is the expert,” Wyl winked at Rod.

“I can 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 your fault.” Rod put on a show for their table mates.

“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 ordered their meal.

“And speaking of expert,” Ailbe reflected on a prior conversation. “You gave an impressive keynote speech yesterday, Wyl.”

“Thanks, Ailbe.” Wyl released Rod’s hand. “I’m sorry we didn’t have a chance to chat afterward, what with such a crowded room.”

“You’re right about the crowd. Folks mobbed you and Rod after your talk, and I needed to hurry back to my office to make a few notes about points you made.”

“Notes? I'm surprised, Ailbe. You’re an educated professor, and I’m an ex-Marine with no degree.”

“Yes, but your enviable field experience is something books and lab work cannot duplicate. You have first-hand knowledge of things we only read about. You worked in the trenches, dealing with new situations as they arose. I worked in a lab doing exercises or sat in a conference hearing about situations.”

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 are 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 in an instant. He picked up his glass of cider and took a sip. “It's a shame the university students could not attend your presentation, Wyl. Would you consider coming and giving a short talk to the class?”

Wyl glanced at Rod before turning to Ailbe. “Sure, Ailbe…as long as Rod is okay with me taking honeymoon time.”

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 sensed the uneasiness in Rod’s eyes. They both realized the dangers of working with Ailbe and Declan.

“How about tomorrow? The class starts at 9:00 in the morning. I’ll have them assembled to answer any questions about the final details of their course projects.” Ailbe glanced at Wyl for confirmation.

“Do we have plans for tomorrow, Rod?” Wyl asked, scraping the last potato from his Irish Stew bowl.