“What is it?” Rod asked.
“A request from Declan.” Wyl eyed Rod. “He asks for us to call him. I wonder what he needs?”
“I can’t imagine he would leave a message with the flat office for something other than a social call.”
“You’re right, babe.” Wyl picked up the landline phone and dialed the number.
Declan answered after two rings. “Declan Knowlan.”
“Declan, Wyl Sterling.”
“Wyl, good of you to call.” Excitement showed through Declan's voice. “Neither Ailbe nor I asked for 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're welcome to use it any time.” Wyl glanced at Rod and shrugged his shoulders, unsure of what Declan wanted.
“I do, and I’ll write it down,” Declan paused and noted the number. “How about meeting Ailbe and me at Wilde’s Pub for dinner and drinks this evening? We want the opportunity to become better acquainted.”
“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 great. Until seven.”
“Oh, and before I forget, Ailbe mentions over and over how much he enjoyed your presentation yesterday,” Declan said. “With such a crowded hall, he didn’t have time to tell you himself, but he was 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 got the joke.
Declan nodded. “Say hi to Rod for me. Later.”
“Bye.” Wyl hung up the phone.
“Well," Wyl shook his head. "Mr. Mysterious exuded friendliness on the call."
“Sounds like the stage is being set. I’m sure Ailbe will want to lure you into his scheme, but they'll befriend us first, so it becomes more of a friendly favor than anything."
“As long as we understand 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 nothing more than honeymooning Texans.”
* * *
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.
