Page 215 of The Texas Sterling Collection
James handed Glenn four celery sticks before reaching into the refrigerator for the chilled spicy tomato juice mixture pitcher. James poured the tomato juice after Glenn added a jigger of vodka to each glass.
“Let’s get these on the table. Brunch is almost ready.”
The oven timer dinged, and James removed the hot skillet, dishing up the steaming egg mixture. “Let’s eat!”
The four sat down to a delicious brunch, accompanied by mugs of coffee and Bloody Marys. Wyl and James were seated at each end of the dining table, with Rod and Glenn on either side.
“Wow, James…you are quite the gourmet,” Rod lifted a forkful of egg to his mouth. The egg casserole had a unique buttery flavor with the right amounts of garlic, chopped onion, sweet pepper, fresh mushrooms, and ham.
“Something my mum taught me,” James bit off the corner of his toasted soda bread.
“My mom taught me to cook as well,” Rod said. “I guess moms are the same everywhere.”
“So, Wyl, what was in the envelope Glenn delivered to you?” James asked. Both he and Glenn were curious about the contents.
“Fergus Rafferty’s course project,” Wyl said. “It’s code and difficult to decipher by itself. I could tell he was working on a password algorithm, but I need to see more to determine how it may fit with everything else.”
“Who is Fergus Rafferty?” Rod asked. “You mentioned him when you opened the envelope, but I’m not sure how he fits into all this.”
“Fergus Rafferty was talking with Keenan Moynihan the morning Moynihan was killed,” James said. “Gardaí suspects MacGowan is connected somehow, but there are no solid leads so far.”
“I wasn’t aware there had been a murder,” Rod’s brow furrowed.
“A student in MacGowan’s program was killed the morning after he visited MacGowan and revealed that he suspected all the student projects dovetailed,” James said. “Chief Superintendent O’Brien is investigating the murder.”
“But we’re here to work on an espionage case.” Rod shook his head. “MacGowan is involved in a plot to create economic havoc.”
“True,” James nodded, “but we believe the murder ties into that entire case. We think Moynihan may have hit a nerve. A nerve that put fear into MacGowan. So, he had him killed.”
“MacGowan is a murderer too?” Rod’s eyes widened.
“Babe, I told you this was about to get interesting,” Wyl reached for Rod’s hand. “This is the dangerous territory I mentioned this morning.”
“Actually, we think Knowlan arranged the murder,” James said. “He has connections to people who would leave no trail and could pull it off without hesitation.”
“Oh my God,” Rod gasped. “I knew we were dealing with a couple of unsavory characters, but I never dreamed we would deal with murderers.”
“Are you okay?” Wyl asked.
Rod shook his head. “No. If Declan can find someone to kill a student, he will have no problem doing the same thing to us.”
Wyl stood to massage his husband’s shoulders. “Babe, they need us. They need me to help finish what the student started. They need you because if anything happens to you, I won’t cooperate. As long as we are needed, we are safe.”
“And you have us watching your back,” James said. “And the four of us have An Garda Síochána at our disposal. One phone call and the local Gardaí are all over us.”
Rod sighed. “Thanks, guys. Hearing about the murder rattled me.”
Wyl kissed Rod’s temple. “Now, are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” Rod looked at Wyl. “This is a lot of information to absorb at one time.”
“How about a Bloody Mary refill?” Glenn asked. “I think we could all use another round.”
Rod sat dazed. Murder?
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Late Sunday afternoon, the phone rang in Rod and Wyl’s flat.
