Discreet Activities (Barry/McCall Series) Read online

  Discreet Activities

  A novel by

  Claude Bouchard

  All rights reserved

  Copyright © 2012 by Claude Bouchard

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. It may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales are purely coincidental.

  Published by Claude Bouchard

  Kindle Edition

  Other Books by Claude Bouchard

  Vigilante

  Summer of 96 in Montreal and a killer known as the Vigilante is on a spree, his victims, those who engage in criminal activities. Following 16 murders in 6 months, Lieutenant Dave McCall, head of Montreal's Special Homicide Task Force is without clue or lead until an electronic message is received from the assassin himself. Failure in tracing the origin of the email leads McCall to request the assistance of CSS Inc., a security firm specializing in computer and communication networks and headed by EVP and COO, Chris Barry. As murders and emails continue, the two men join forces to bring the killer to justice. But whose justice will prevail? Theirs, or the Vigilante's?

  The Consultant

  Murderers, drug lords, biker gangs, kidnappers... None stand a chance against... The Consultant.

  Mind Games

  A string of sex slayings plagues Montreal and has Captain Dave McCall and his Special Homicide Task Force in a frustrated frenzy as they try to bring an end to the vicious butchery. Assisted officially by the noted psychiatrist, Doctor Samuel Bowman and unofficially by his close friend, computer genius and multi-millionaire, Chris Barry, Captain McCall works his way closer and closer to the truth, unaware that they are heading deeper into the core of deadly Mind Games.

  The Homeless Killer

  Ten years later, Captain Dave McCall and Chris Barry are back in this fast-paced thriller as they try to track down The Homeless Killer, a man who has taken it upon himself to rid the city of all variety of street people in no uncertain terms.

  6 Hours 42 Minutes

  Though most of them dabbled in a variety of criminal activities, they weren't experienced in this particular field and had never been involved in a job like this before. However, with proper planning, careful organization and the inside information available to them, they were certain that this bank heist would be a piece of cake. Ten minutes, in and out, was all it would take and they'd be sharing 2.5 million dollars. Nothing could go wrong as they had thought of everything...

  How could they possibly know that a new member of the board was visiting the bank that morning?

  How could they know that the new board member was Chris Barry?

  ASYLUM

  As Managing Director of the “Montreal Hospital for the Criminally Insane”, Doctor Matthew Russell has always put his professional responsibilities ahead of all else. That is, until he one day realizes he is losing his wife, Cassidy, and his two children, Stuart and Jennifer.

  With only his family in mind, Russell takes an adventure-filled, impromptu vacation of indefinite duration, leaving all else behind and stopping at nothing to show how much he cares for his loved ones in an effort to win them back. But, will he succeed… Or, will it prove to be all too late in the end?

  What are readers saying about Claude Bouchard’s books?

  Vigilante

  Taut, Witty Thriller – John Locke, NYT Best-selling author

  One of the best mystery/thrillers I’ve read – Tiffany Harkleroad. Tiffany’s Bookshelf

  The Consultant

  Not a mere sequel, but instead a well-written, powerful continuation of the characters born within his thriller, "Vigilante." - Dee Marie, Author of ‘Sons of Avalon: Merlin’s Prophecy’

  Mind Games

  Definitely worth a read – Michael Goodell, Author of ‘Zenith Rising’

  The Homeless Killer

  Bouchard's writing is splendid and accurate in every detail - Patrick Mackeown, Litarena Reviews

  6 Hours 42 Minutes

  Thoroughly enjoyable read, I highly recommend it – Eric Thomasma, Author of ‘SEAMS16: A New Home’

  ASYLUM

  Sheer Entertainment in the Palm of Your Hand – Stuart McCallum, Author of ‘Beyond my Control’

  Learn more about Claude Bouchard’s books

  Visit http://www.claudebouchardbooks.com

  Dedication

  I dedicate this book to all my readers but particularly those who have shown their support, encouragement and loyalty as true fans. You know who you are… You’re the ones who have been pestering me about when Discreet Activities would be released… You’re the ones who will pick it up as soon as it’s out there. Thank you!

  Acknowledgement

  At the risk of sounding repetitious (and I don’t care if I do), I once again thank Joanne for her multiple roles as soundboard, beta-reader, critic, editor, proofreader, fan, partner, friend, supporter, lover and creator of the best damned enchiladas I’ve ever eaten. I love you, sweetheart, and couldn’t do it without you.

  Chapter 1 – Thursday, December 30, 2010, 10:22 p.m.

  “I still don’t see anything,” said Chris Barry as he surveyed the building nestled in the trees through compact, night-vision binoculars.

  “That’s either a very good sign or very disappointing news,” Jonathan Addley replied, scanning the area as well.

  “How did you end up pinpointing this place?” asked Chris. “You never mentioned the specifics.”

  “The address was transmitted in bits and pieces in a series of emails which both we and Homeland Security intercepted,” Jonathan explained. “In fact, the components of the address were the only things in the emails. Once we pieced it together, we confirmed the rental with the realtor’s records.”

  The building under observation was a large cottage located at the foot of the ski slopes of Mont-Sutton in Quebec’s Eastern Townships. A fifteen minute drive southbound along Route 139 led to the small border crossing near Richford, Vermont, and then anywhere within the United States beyond. Part of a consortium of rental units managed by a local realtor, the cottage in question had been reserved two days earlier for the period of December 30, 2010 to February 28, 2011 by Mahmood Buzdar, a twenty-one year old foreign student from Pakistan attending Carleton University in Ottawa, the nation’s capital.

  Having arrived in Canada on a student visa in August of 2009, Buzdar, a quiet, practicing Muslim, never attended or demonstrated any support for the pro-Muslim protests on and off campus. However, he had been picked up by the government’s radar when, through electronic surveillance, authorities had established definite links between Mahmood and some unidentified alleged members of the Army for Islam, or AFI, which had cells based in both Montreal and Toronto as well as in a number of American cities.

  “Do you really think they’d use Sutton as a home-base for an attack on New York City?” Chris questioned.

  “I think it’s a bit of a stretch myself,” admitted Jonathan, “But other messages on Facebook and Twitter by the same players during the same time frame mentioned The Big Apple, a different kind of New Year’s Eve celebration and showing North America how to start the year with a bang.”

  “The realtor confirmed that Buzdar picked up the keys?” Chris enquired, his eyes never wavering from the cottage.

  “Yep, at about ten this morning,” replied Add
ley. “There are tire tracks in the snow so someone was here earlier today but not since I had the cameras set up out here.”

  “I still don’t see anything,” repeated Chris with some concern. “I hope nothing went wrong.”

  “Let me check with Cat,” said Jon as he activated the voice dialler on his Bluetooth. “Cat Connor… Any visuals on your side?- No, nothing here either and I’ve gotten no reports of any cam sightings from Surveillance… I’ll give it a couple of minutes more and then we’ll be going in.”

  He cut the connection and addressed Chris. “Cat and Jeff have nothing to report either.”

  As he finished his sentence, a voice behind them murmured. “Both of you stay very still if you want to be around to celebrate the New Year. Now, I want you to spread your arms away from your bodies and turn around slowly.”

  Chris and Jonathan froze then complied, turning inch by inch until they faced the grinning Leslie Robb.

  “Nice touch with this silent approach and capture of two senior operatives, Leslie,” Addley commended with a smile, “But did you get the job done or did you chicken out and hide somewhere while we were waiting out here, suffering in the cold?”

  “Are you kidding?” Leslie laughed. “For one, it’s barely below freezing so you’ll get no sympathy from me. Secondly, while the lot of you was out here, standing around and enjoying the fresh country air, I was in there, working under pressure and fearing for my life.”

  “The kid’s got definite acting skills,” Chris commented as he winked at Leslie.

  “So, it’s all set up?” Jonathan asked, becoming serious as he activated his Bluetooth again.

  “Cameras and mikes in every room of the place,” Leslie nodded.

  “We didn’t see you coming or going,” Chris informed her with pride. “Neither did Cat or Jeff.”

  “I’ve had excellent teachers,” Leslie smiled as she blushed.

  “All good?” Jonathan asked into his mouthpiece. “Excellent.”

  He cut the connection and turned to Leslie. “Congratulations, Ms. Robb. You’ve passed yet another test. All systems are go, both visual and audio and, as Chris just mentioned, we never saw you, which is quite impressive.”

  “Thank you, gentlemen,” Leslie replied with a slight bow of the head.

  “Well, folks,” said Chris. “Now that the work is done, let’s round up Cat and Jeff and return to my humble abode for celebratory refreshments.”

  “I’ll drink to that,” Leslie grinned.

  Chapter 2 – Friday, December 31, 2010

  “Good morning,” said Jonathan as he entered the spacious kitchen of the Barrys’ luxury home in Knowlton. “Where the heck is everybody? I wake up to find my wife gone and nobody else around but you.”

  “Since you refused to wake up,” Chris grinned from the kitchen table, “The women just upped and abandoned us. I could have gone with them but, unlike Jeff, I felt sorry for you so I sacrificed myself the pleasure of their company.”

  “It’s barely nine-thirty,” muttered Jonathan, feigning disgruntlement as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

  “Another school of thought says it’s already almost nine-thirty,” Chris countered.

  “Yeah, yeah, tomayto, tomahto,” Jonathan laughed. “So, where did the fair damsels and the heartless Mister Lloyd head off to?”

  “Considering it’s a beautiful, sunny day and the temperature is already at two degrees Celsius,” Chris explained, “They decided to go get a few New Year’s Eve skiing runs in at Sutton before the hill gets too crowded. That’s why they left at eight, the lifts open at eight-thirty. The forecast for this afternoon is sunny with a high of eight degrees so the trails are going to be packed.”

  “Well, good for them,” Jonathan replied. “We don’t often get the chance to do some spring skiing in December, after all. They’ll be back for lunch?”

  “Yep, Sandy told me they’d be back between noon and one,” Chris confirmed. “Dave and Cathy are heading over to join us as well and with weather like this, we’ll be flipping burgers on the grill, my friend.”

  “Hmmm, then I’ll go light on breakfast,” Jonathan smiled, “Cuz you grill a mean burger, Mister Barry. Any word from Surveillance?”

  “Nada, so far,” Chris shook his head. “I still think this rented place in Sutton has nothing to do with any suspected terrorist plot tonight in New York City. It’s a seven hour drive if traffic and weather conditions are perfect all the way and nobody’s even shown up at the cottage yet.”

  “I can’t disagree with you,” said Jonathan as he popped a sliced bagel into the toaster. “The Sutton cottage is either a diversion or it’s to be used after the fact. Maybe, once the deed is done in New York, the bad boys are planning to scoot over here to lay low for a while.”

  “That makes more sense to me,” Chris agreed. “Either that or the cottage has nothing to do with New York and was rented for another reason altogether.”

  “Well, we’ll be keeping a close eye on the place as long as Mister Buzdar is renting it,” Jonathan stated. “In fact, once I’ve eaten breakfast, why don’t you and I go for a leisurely chopper ride, maybe buzz our ladies and Jeff on the slopes and have a look at the cottage from above?”

  “You know how I love those chopper rides, buddy,” Chris grinned. “I’m in.”

  * * * *

  Of the various departments within the Ministry of Defence, ‘Discreet Activities’ was one known by very few, even amongst many at the top echelons. In fact, its name did not officially exist or appear in any government records anywhere and was used only verbally by those who were aware of the team’s existence. Though Jonathan Addley’s official title was Director of Police Relations, a role which he actually did perform, most of his time was devoted to overseeing ‘Discreet Activities’ which consisted of a small group of elite ‘consultants’ and tech specialists, all with the expertise required to perform a variety of clandestine efforts aimed at maintaining the country’s national security. As required, aid was also extended to and received from similar organizations in other countries.

  Over time, often via his official role, Jonathan had developed a network of contacts with high level law enforcement officials across the country and it was not uncommon that his group’s assistance be called upon when conventional police techniques might not culminate in the desired end results. On such occasions, one or more of his consultants was dispatched to eliminate the problem situations and, in most cases, those causing them.

  Not one to sit behind a desk to simply give orders, even now at the age of fifty-five, Addley had always been active in the field and his unofficial partner when on a mission was Chris Barry who Jon had hired fourteen years earlier. At the time, Barry, a thirty-four year old executive, had just made his fortune when his employer, a firm of which he owned twenty percent in stock and options, had been acquired in a friendly take-over. Though a well respected businessman in the computer industry, Barry had a darker side, of which Addley had become aware, and his particular talents and way of thinking had led to his joining Jonathan’s secret organization. Since, Barry had never taken on other conventional employment, though he remained present and active in the business world as a director on the boards of various national and international corporations.

  Through his military background, Addley had come to know a number of bright and able soldiers, some which he had subsequently brought into the team over time. Two of these were Cat Connor and her partner in life, Jeff Lloyd, who had joined Jonathan when he had started up HeliPro in 2005. Though by all appearances, the company was a privately owned helicopter charter service, it was actually a government owned, revenue producing entity, completely under Jonathan’s control and therefore fully available for ‘Discreet Activity’ purposes.

  Connor, a thirty-eight year old ex-military pilot with a keen sense of business, ran the operation while forty year old Lloyd, an aeronautics engineer and pilot, oversaw the maintenance of the fleet in a hands-on fashion. Regardless of
any particular requirements for a given mission, Lloyd could be counted on to modify a chopper, transforming it from a commercial craft to a highly versatile fighting machine. Most of the fleet had now been discreetly fitted with hidden armour plating and all windows were bullet-proof. Needless to say, both Connor and Lloyd were active consultants on Addley’s team, often called upon when flying talents were required, though both were highly capable of handling themselves in other situations.

  Jonathan, while not constantly recruiting, always kept an eye open for potential candidates and twenty-eight year old Leslie Robb had caught his eye. Six months earlier, he, Chris and Cat had ended up in the middle of a bank heist/hostage-taking situation where Leslie, an accountant with the bank, had been one of the hostages. As events had unfolded, the five foot eight, trim and attractive redhead had readily and aggressively assisted the three operatives in taking the robbers down after which she had informed Jonathan she wished to work for whatever organization the trio was involved with. Already an accomplished student of many years in Aikido and Taijutsu, her training had gone well and was now mostly complete, part of which had been conducted during minor missions such as the surveillance equipment installation the previous evening.