The First Sixteen: A Vigilante Series crime thriller novella - The Prequel
Page 11
I turned around and returned to Belanger as well, hanging a right to head back to Duhaime’s neighbourhood. As I approached Lacordaire Boulevard, the next intersection, I noticed Duhaime waiting at the bus stop on the corner. Not a complete idiot, the black windbreaker he had been wearing was now pale grey – it was reversible – and the red ball cap had been switched for a black one.
The light was red so I stopped with Duhaime standing barely a dozen feet from me. If I’d had a gun of my own, I could have popped him right there and gone home. However, I didn’t have one and wouldn’t have taken the chance even if I had. The light turned green and I drove off, smiling as I noticed the 95 westbound bus coming in behind me.
I made it back to Duhaime’s neck of the woods several minutes ahead of him which gave me time to park further up the street and get in position to wait for him. Duhaime lived on 12th Avenue, one block east of St-Michel and half a block south of Belanger. An alley ran parallel to Belanger between 12th and St-Michel and I knew Duhaime would either walk it on his way home or at least walk by it on 12th. Though I hoped he’d choose the first, either option would put him close enough to the trash containers where I’d be waiting.
I saw the bus go by and got into position between two of the containers, crouched somewhat but peering over the top of the trash receptacle toward St-Michel. If he didn’t appear at the far end of the alley within a minute, I’d know to expect him on the other side in a couple of minutes. Luck was on my side and he rounded the far corner into the alley thirty seconds later.
I crouched lower, wishing to be completely out of sight, even though the unlit alley was shrouded in darkness. I listened intently for his footsteps as I counted the seconds but heard nothing as he probably was wearing rubber-soled shoes. I then heard a slight, gritty sliding sound – perhaps his foot had brushed a patch of sandy dirt – and knew his appearance was imminent. Seconds later, he strolled right by me, oblivious of my presence and his impending fate.
I also wore rubber-soled shoes and Duhaime never heard me, never had a chance. As soon as he passed, I was up and behind him. I slapped my right hand to his forehead, yanking him toward me as I raised a knee into his back. The knife in my left hand went to his throat and with one perfectly executed slash, it was over.
I wiped my blade on his windbreaker then closed the knife and slipped it into my pocket before dragging him back a few feet to where I had waited for him seconds before. A quick scan of the area confirmed the absence of any witness, always a good thing. I left the alley and headed half a block down to where I had parked, got in the minivan and drove home.
Epilogue
So, there you have it, folks, the never-before-told story of the first sixteen. My intention was not to shock anyone by sharing this tale but rather to convey the information about my initial acts of vigilantism to those out there who know me or, at least know of me. I felt those people, many of whom I actually consider fans, were entitled to know about everything I’ve done and figured I was the best one to tell them.
Once again, I realize that not everyone agrees with what I did then, since or may do in the future. I am what I am just as you are what you are. Perhaps, you will never have to do the kind of things I’ve done because I, and others like me, will have done them for you.
Those of you who have read about me in other books know that there is much more to me and my story following these sixteen first, uh, victims. I’ll also mention that I have it on good authority that there will be more installments to come, one, in fact, in the near future. Stay tuned.
For those whose initiation to my world was this book, I invite you to delve into the other volumes of the Vigilante Series which are, at the very least, entertaining though, mind you, I may be biased.
A final word, if I may. Some past, and future, more astute readers may note a few slight discrepancies in the details relating to Sylvie Theriault, Greg O’Shea and Rick Bourque as discussed in this work versus what was presented in Vigilante, the first tome of the series penned by Bouchard. With all the credit due to Bouchard for his fine recounting of my story, allow me to state that I was present whereas he was not… Don’t worry, I’m just teasing the man – I know him well as he’s been a friend for the longest time.
Books by Claude Bouchard
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Vigilante
Book 1 of the Vigilante Series
Montreal . . . the long, hot summer of 1996. . . and in the dark of night, moving like a shadowy wraith, a vigilante prowls the city's streets. The targets of his bloody rampage: the worst of the worst. . . Murderers. Gangbangers. Rapists. Six months. Sixteen murders. The harried police are still without a clue . . . until the day they receive an email from the assassin himself. Lieutenant Dave McCall, head of Montreal's Special Homicide Task Force, needs help to crack the secrets of the killer's taunting message. He calls on an expert, Chris Barry, who runs a security firm specializing in computer communications. Together, McCall and Barry launch a grim quest to track down a man who preys on predators - an urgent quest to bring this remorseless killer to justice. But whose justice will prevail: theirs – or the vigilante's?
The Consultant
Book 2 of the Vigilante Series
The friendly takeover of CSS Inc. leaves computer executive Chris Barry unemployed, very wealthy and pleased with the situation. But the hiatus is short-lived. . . As a result of his involvement in the recent ‘Vigilante’ investigation, Barry is approached by Jonathan Addley and invited to join ‘Discreet Activities’, a government agency of the clandestine variety. Accepting, he promptly takes on his first assignment under the guise of an IT consultant, to investigate possible links between a local import business and the murder of its MIS director. As he discovers the firm is being used to import narcotics, his cover is blown and things get personal, spurring him to show that murderers, drug lords, biker gangs and kidnappers are no match for. . . The Consultant. . .
Mind Games
Book 3 of the Vigilante Series
Montreal is plagued by a string of vicious sex slayings. . . Captain Dave McCall and his Special Homicide Task Force are in a frustrated frenzy as they try to bring an end to the savage butchery. . . Assisting officially is noted psychiatrist, Doctor Samuel Bowman and unofficially, computer genius and multi-millionaire, Chris Barry. . . With each passing day, McCall works his way closer to the truth. . . Unaware that they are heading deep into the deadly core of. . . Mind Games. . .
The Homeless Killer
Book 4 of the Vigilante Series
The homeless of Montreal are dying at the hand of 'Allan', a serial killer set on ridding the city of street people. . . As the killer taunts the police about the increasing body count, Captain Dave McCall calls on the services Jonathan Addley and Chris Barry, both operatives with the government's clandestine 'Discreet Activities' team. . . All while fighting the city's proposed by-law banning the homeless from downtown parks, philanthropist and activist, William Enright, joins the law-enforcement crusade to capture the assassin. . . But will the combined efforts of the law and old money be sufficient to stop the Homeless Killer?
6 Hours 42 Minutes
Book 5 of the Vigilante Series
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?
Discreet Activities
Book 6 of the Vigilante Series
As a result of information gathered via electronic surveillance by intelligence agencies in the
U.S. and Canada, a budding terrorist organization, the Army for Islam or AFI, is suspected of planning an attack, its target possibly NYC, Burlington, Vermont or even Canada's famed Montreal. . . When four foreign students from Pakistan with known ties to the AFI's Montreal cell arrive in the area on New Year's Eve, Discreet Activities' head, Jonathan Addley, along with Chris Barry and other DA consultants are more than willing to take on the additional workload. . . After two of the DA team members die violently in an AFI related suicide-bombing, the job becomes getting revenge on those responsible for this Holy War...
Femme Fatale
Book 7 of the Vigilante Series
Less than two years earlier, Leslie Robb, an accountant in her late twenties working for the Imperial National Bank, had seen her life-partner and co-worker, Gina, shot to death during a bank heist subsequently foiled in part by Chris Barry, millionaire and clandestine operative of the government's 'Discreet Activities'. Taken as a hostage along with Chris by the remaining robbers onto a helicopter secretly piloted by two 'DA' operatives, including 'DA' head, Jonathan Addley, Leslie had played an integral role in helping bring the offenders down. As a result, thanks to her sang froid, sense of moral justice and martial arts affinities, Leslie left the world of finance to fight crime as a member of the 'DA' team. Now, Leslie has a new partner in life, Dominique Petit, a Canadian/French dual citizen who suggests Leslie visit Paris with her while she is in the City of Lights on business. Less than twenty-four hours after Leslie arrives, Dominique and her sister, Corinne, disappear, turning Leslie's vacation into her own business trip of justice and revenge...
Thirteen to None
Book 8 of the Vigilante Series
Born of a violent, criminal father, an alcoholic, promiscuous mother and left to fend for himself at an early age, Butch Kincaid was destined for a life on the darker side where he would live and lead by his own rules… Savvy, charismatic and narcissistic, Kincaid headed a handful of deviants involved in theft and drug distribution in small-town Ontario by his mid-teens and was running a prosperous organized crime crew of twelve in Toronto before the age of twenty… An iron-fist ruler, Kincaid demanded an intense, high-risk pace from his men throughout most of the year but rewarded them with a month or more of down time each summer during which the crew would go on a nomadic road trip geared toward relaxation, amusement and lessened criminal activity... Until the summer of 2012… With a penchant for violence and a desire for increased domination, Kincaid introduced a new activity at the end of that summer's vacation… A home invasion, the purpose being death and destruction for pleasure, at his command… Pleased with the enthusiastic participation of his crew, Butch promised them the following summer would be the vacation of a lifetime... Multiple invasions, an orgy of terror, rape and murder… Their first stop, the home of a retired couple in Brighton, Ontario, was a resounding success, as per their standards… Their next stop, several hundred miles away in Knowlton, Quebec, promised to be even more exciting… The home of an attractive and obviously affluent couple… The home of Sandy and Chris Barry…
The First Sixteen – The Prequel
Book 9 of the Vigilante Series
Once upon a time, there was Vigilante, the first volume of the Vigilante Series… but from its beginning, it was said that sixteen victims had already fallen prey to this self-appointed judge, jury and executioner… Who were these wrong-doers? What crimes had they committed to deserve to be chosen? What led this killer to deliver his own form of justice upon them to begin with? Join the Vigilante himself in this prequel novella as he tells you firsthand about…The First Sixteen…
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?
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