Page 187 of The Texas Sterling Collection
“It means fantastic,” James said.
Wyl chuckled and called to Rod. “Babe, James, and Glenn are here.”
Rod strolled into the living room. “Hi, James. It’s good to see you again.” He offered his hand to James, then to Glenn. “Glenn, I’m Rod. Welcome to our little bit of Ireland.”
“Great to meet you, Rod. James mentioned you two and told me a bit about your relationship. I understand you created quite a sensation in San Francisco.” Glenn smiled and emphasized the wordsensation.
“Let’s say San Francisco won’t easily forget us,” Wyl laughed.
“Why don’t we sit and visit for a bit before brunch?” Rod motioned toward the seating area. “Can I offer a mimosa?”
“I’d love one,” James said. “Glenn?”
“Me too,” Glen said. “My last mimosa was years ago.”
“Babe, you open the champagne, and I’ll get the orange juice,” Rod said. “You two make yourselves comfortable.”
Mimosas arrived, and the four settled in the living room.
“Glenn and I are stationed permanently in Ireland,” James said. “We can discuss the mission with him as he is involved.”
“I’m glad to hear you validate our information,” Rod said. “I hoped we could easily discuss things related to the mission.”
Wyl nodded. “O’Brien mentioned your name, Glenn, but didn’t provide any details. What do you do here in Galway?”
“I’m in commercial real estate,” Glenn sipped his mimosa. “I handle larger properties like warehouses and buildings with large square footage.”
“Glenn can keep an eye on properties that criminal organizations may lease. We’ve cracked some cases that netted quite a few arrests.”
“Wow, I never thought of that.” Rod rubbed his nose after a sip of the fizzy drink. “It’s comforting to realize the law enforcement effort is so well organized.”
Glenn nodded. “Speaking of organized, our combined intel indicates MacGowan plans something big, but we cannot determine exactly what or when. Chief Superintendent O’Brien hopes you can get close enough to MacGowan to ferret out details, Wyl.”
“We need someone on the inside who has access to his plans,” James gulped the last of his mimosa.
“Actually, we met MacGowan and Knowlan yesterday,” Wyl said. “We went to the tra…uh…” he snapped fingers at Rod.
“Racecourse,” Rod chuckled.
“Yeah…racecourse yesterday and bumped into them there. It was a surprise to both couples, I think.”
“Wow,” James said. “I didn’t expect you to connect until this week…at one of your sessions.”
“We thought that, too,” Rod said. “It was a shock when we sat down with them and discovered who they were.”
“Anything surprising come about as far as the conversation went?” Glenn asked.
“Nothing out of the ordinary. Mostly introductions and small talk,” Wyl said. “We discussed meeting them at Wilde’s but didn’t set a firm date. They enjoy your music, James.”
“We both detected what appeared to be a sinister side to Declan,” Rod said. “He was nice, but he gave me the creeps.”
“I’ve seen them in Wilde’s Pub and said hello to them while I work the room before I start my session, but I never conversed with them,” James said. “They appear normal enough, but as you mentioned, Rod, there is an undercurrent of seediness.”
“Watch out for them,” Glenn said. “They are not to be trusted.”
Rod nodded and drained his glass. “All right, everyone in the kitchen. I’ll start the French toast.
“Glenn, if you’ll take the cream out of the refrigerator and whip it up, we’ll have that to top the fresh fruit. A bowl and a whisk are on the counter, along with a spoon for serving. Add a drop of vanilla and a spoonful of sugar. You’ll find both on the counter.”
