Searching for truth sounds romantic, a thoughtful quest. But often it's as mind numbing as reading a list of names or looking through scores of obtuse documents to discover a clear pattern. A shrugged-off remark can lead to more truth than a severe cross-examination. ― Jackson Burnett
Elite Forces Sniper
The nice thing about a covert camera is that it's a passive technology. It's like putting a hook or net in water and then just waiting to catch something.
Clare and I were not very patient so it was fortunate on our first try we caught a fish. It was a big fish―Jim Barnes was six foot three and 240 pounds.
I knew his vitals by reading his file but any fool could see he dwarfed me in size and if I confronted him in a fight, he'd brush me aside like an annoying fly.
Note to self―don't freelance with this guy.
"Does Barnes have a military background?" Clare wondered―she voiced her question rather apprehensively, I thought.
"He's ex-military with special forces training. He's a sniper."
She groaned."he looks like a combination of GI Joe and Rambo."
"Hate to tell you, but he's not only special forces but served with JTF2, the elite Canadian Joint Task Force. The man's a killing machine."
"Maybe we should bring Cyril in on this immediately," she whispered, "we can't go up against this guy without backup."
She had a point. The minute I saw Barnes I was intimidated. But the problem was we had no real evidence at this stage and besides, I had no intention of ever directly confronting him.
"I think we need to maintain a low profile and gather as much intel as we can. If he begins to suspect something, then we'll immediately turn over what we have to Cyril and he can arrange whatever specialized support he deems necessary."
"Sounds like a plan," she said dubiously, "but I've got to admit this guy terrifies me."
"I know," I nodded, "he scares the hell right out of me too, but it's way too early to widen the investigation and that in itself may tip Barnes off to being a suspect and both of us could end up as targets."
"Do you know Barnes personally?" she asked.
"I know him enough to say hello. I know he was brought up on the Six Nations reserve, and special forces like to recruit native Canadians as snipers because of their acute eyesight."
"That sounds politically incorrect," she laughed.
"Be that as it may, they deliberately recruit natives because of their backwoods skills and patience and they're ideally suited to the task."
"Barnes sounds really formidable, Cam. Promise me you won't do anything foolish."
I squeezed her arm to reassure her. "Look, Love, I have every intention of keeping my distance from him. You don't have to worry."
"You know I will anyway. I'd feel a lot better if you came and stayed with me at the farm―that way, I'd know you were okay and we could cover each other."
"I like that part."
"Uh, separate rooms, Prince Charming―you're not moving in. But I would feel a lot better. Do you agree?"
"How could I refuse?" I smiled.
To be continued…
© 2025, John J Geddes. All rights reserved
