The D.C. Connection

By Liam Adair

Paul Blair a former Special Forces officer now a Civil Engineer was recruited by the International Court at The Hague and became the Director of the Criminal Apprehension Group of the UN. Apart from other tasks his main occupation is to bring to justice those who have had an international warrant issued for their apprehension and arrest by the Court at The Hague. To carry out any operation Blair has recruited a small very specialist team of former Special Forces.

There are other operations his team will perform, especially the rescue of UN personnel who have been taken into custody by rebel forces in the country they have been sent to help. This is about two such operations in South America. The first is concluded without too much drama. It is the second one that turns out to be almost fatal for Blair and his team.

The second operation in the same area of South America is a deliberate act to trap Blair and his team and hopefully wipe them out.

They survive because of their skill and training, only to find out they have been sold out by rogue directors of the UN. Blair unravels this nest of vipers and brings them to justice. Again Blair and his dedicated team will hunt down these people responsible for not only taking UN volunteers hostage in South America, who have also been using the UN system to transport drugs and firearms around the world, he will have great pleasure in bringing their corrupt lives to a sudden halt.

While engaged in these activities Paul Blair is also asked by the President of the US, to be his undercover agent outside the normal Law Enforcement agencies, to perform tasks of a sensitive nature that should not be made public. His first task is to track a prominent Washington Civil Servant, who has been systematically stealing military secrets from the Pentagon. It is the fact that this person is closely tied to the White House that is the problem. None the less Blair will bring him to justice without the knowledge of the other US law enforcement agencies.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris AU
• Release date: Jul 28, 2015
• ISBN: 9781503507838

Liam Adair

I am descended from a long line of Irish-Men, I received my education at a private boarding school in England. I am an author writing under the pseudonym of “Liam Adair.” I currently reside in Victoria, Australia. Since retiring from my former career, I undertook the task of president and tutor of the University of the Third Age, Geelong Victoria, before I dedicated myself entirely to writing, I was in my seventies when I began writing. To enhance the stories and scenarios in my books, I have used my employment history that took me to several countries around the world. Also, my previous military service, to create my first main character ‘Paul Blair,' a fictional character based on my life experiences. I am the author of: - The Sterling Connection. The Rand Connection. The Ruble Connection, The DC Connection, New Directions, (in that order) all of which are focused on the character of Paul Blair, and his team of former Special Forces. Following those are my latest novels all set in Canada? Introducing Detective Chief Superintend Steve Benson RCMP, and his staff of dedicated detectives. They are, Blood under the Maple Leaf, The Douglas affair, Evil in Command, and The First Nations Affair, and as a change of pace, I have now published a short Autobiography of the life and times of William James Adair: - Title “My life, It’s been a Hell of a Ride.”

Book preview

Chapter 1

As Paul Blair drove to his office at the UN on that bright and breezy Monday morning, he was thinking that I have done it to myself again. Again I have let myself be talked into taking part in some task that I would be performing without backup that could at the very least get me critically injured, or worse get me killed. This could mean carrying out some tasks for the US President that may have been better left to the security services and other experts. Still time would tell, and he could always quite.

When Paul Blair arrived at his UN office, an envelope from the US President was, in fact, being held by security for his signature only. He already had a reasonable idea what would be in it. Still he needed to read all of it to familiarize himself with the contents. As the president had said, he required that the person of note in this matter be apprehended as quietly as possible to minimize any damage to the Office of the Presidency, and to the president personally. That was why the Oval office did not want this matter to go through normal channels.

Now as ‘The President’s Man’ (as Paul Blair now thought of himself), he assumed he was going to be doing a lot more running around. He was not so sure that was a good idea, but he would kick it around for a bit to see how it panned out. He was determined that he would not let himself, or any of his team be dragged into something, they should never have been a part of in the first place. He was not about to play sheriff at high noon, or be a sacrificial lamb for anybody. He had left home that morning, certain that this was probably the day, when he would know the answer. If in fact, the Oval Office had sent him instructions of the how and when the president expected the task to be carried out.

It would have been impossible to stop the leaks or to keep it quiet. As the president put it, this person had not only attended White House dinners, but also cocktail parties for visiting international representatives of foreign governments. It was the fact that the president had taken Barnes (the subject in question), into his confidence on a number of occasions, which had the president worried. This was the main reason he wanted Barnes brought back in as quiet a way as possible. The repercussions of his disgrace would spread like a tidal wave across the capitol. The president finished by saying Please Paul, bring this lowlife to justice. Paul Blair was still not convinced that sending him was the answer. There, surely, had to be people in the Justice Dept., that as president he could rely on and trust to pick up Barnes and keep It quiet.

The task as set out was to try to bring back to the US a gentleman by the name of Robert Lindsay Barnes, a top-ranking civil servant in the US Defense Department at the Pentagon. Barnes was at a level where ‘eyes only’ security sensitive documents passed across his desk. It was only after one defense item that had been under test had shown up in another country’s arsenal that bells started ringing all across the Pentagon, that secret documents were being leaked to other countries.

After an exhaustive investigation by defense security personnel, the evidence clearly pointed to Barnes. It was the fact that Barnes as a senior executive and a part-time advisor to the White House had also been leading one of the investigation teams. This gave security the added problem that Barnes was in the unique position of being able to turn the investigation away from himself. He was playing both ends against the middle and still retaining that smug attitude of being above it all.

Barnes’s record in the civil service had been second to none. He was a graduate of Princeton University; he came from an affluent Washington DC based family, whose both parents worked for the Secretary of State. It was this fact of his good upbringing and his family’s reputation that keep throwing security off the scent.

It was also the fact that Barnes was part of that rarefied group of people in the higher echelons of DC society. Barnes’s family came from a long line of government employees working directly for the Justice Department, the Secretary of State, and the Congress. With everything going for him, Barnes was set for a long, illustrious career in government service. If indeed he was selling secrets, it was not for the money. What with bequests from various members of his extended family, he was not short of cash. He owned a townhouse in Georgetown, an exclusive suburb of Washington DC. As a good, looking athletic young man, he had several lady friends to call on whenever he desired. Life surely could not have been better. So what had started him selling secrets?

In Barnes’s twisted logic, it was because he could do so easily. It brought a certain amount of excitement into his life. The fact that he was giving away his country’s defense secrets did not disturb him in the least. It would have made more sense if he had been doing it for ideological reasons. No, he was doing it for the sheer hell of it, and the little bit of extra money it threw his way. He was not in any way concerned about the damage he would do to America’s military structure.

It was the thrill of not being found out that he was getting off on. Another wonder boy who thought because of his status in society, he was untouchable. Robert Lindsay Barnes was, in fact, the worst kind of spy to catch as he was not a spy at all. Just some useless piece of work, playing on the side that is trying to get into the big time, and as the president had said bringing this lowlife to justice would appeal to Blair.

Barnes, like many others, did the rounds of the DC government sponsored cocktail parties. He engaged in the usual chit-chat with representatives of all foreign countries, up to and including Ambassadors. All the while he would be thinking, if they only knew whom they had in their midst, they would have been a lot more reticent when talking to me. He learned so much from these encounters that he later used to determine what sensitive documents to trade. His descent into this sordid betrayal of his country, started when at one of these parties he met a certain François Gestang, a member of the French Diplomatic Service, with whom he became quite friendly. That would then lead to an association where he passed on information to what he thought was the French Government. In fact, Gestang was a Soviet Union sleeper who had infiltrated into French Government Service.

According to Intel supplied by the Oval Office, it looked apparent that he was currently in Montevideo, on a short leave of absence. The only reason for supposing that Barnes had gone to Montevideo was that he had mentioned this to a friend either deliberately or carelessly, and this had eventually been passed on to an investigation team supervisor. It was true that Barnes was making no secret of where he was going and that fact bothered Blair just a little.

The reason apparently was to look for some obscure member of his mother’s family. Other than that fact there did not seem to be any connection to that area of South America that was apparent. Unfortunately, there was only one way. Blair would have to go there, there was no doubt he would have to visit Montevideo, and find out for himself. As Blair sat there thinking about it, two questions came to mind. The principal one was his loyalty to the UN, and how he could be absent, without arousing suspicions, and how long could he reasonably Be absent.

He called the number which the Oval Office had given and asked for a scrambler. He was lucky to catch The Man working on his own, so he quickly put his concerns in as few short words as he possible, about the UN and any time it may take to carry out any of these tasks. Although Blair had already had this conversation with the president, the president reassured Blair at once. He made it clear that through the US Ambassador to the UN he had a private talk to the Secretary General. He explained that he was not going to be stealing Blair, but simply using his knowledge and expertise to sort out sensitive matters outside normal channels. The Secretary-General had agreed that if the time required was of a short duration he could see no problem.

Does that allay your concerns Paul? The President asked.

Yes sir, that about does it, Paul replied.

Although when he disconnected, Blair thought, I’m still going to make sure from this end. He called Cathy into his office and put the question to her.

You have been around these hallowed halls a long time now Cathy. How easy would it be for me to talk quietly to the Secretary General about a problem without everybody running down the hallways shouting, ‘Blair’s going to talk to the chief’?

Cathy without hesitation said, That’s easy boss. All I have to do is talk to his secretary and arrange a private meeting between you. You can do that now you are a director.

That’s great Cathy; do you think you could get on to that ASAP, please?

I will go and arrange it now boss," Cathy said.

About ten minutes later Blair’s phone rang. He picked it up and was about to speak when Cathy said, How does 1pm tomorrow sound? I have his secretary on the line. Will I confirm?

Yes please do that, and thanks Cathy."

Next day when Paul Blair was shown into the office of the Secretary General he was not sure what to expect. He was surprised when his senior boss came around his desk and shook his hand and said, Its Paul is not it, and may I call you Paul?

Yes sir, Paul will be fine, Blair answered.

Now what can I do for you who has already done so much for the UN? The Secretary asked.

Blair thought this is it, and without wasting words, he gave a quick explanation of how he got talked into possibly carrying out tasks for the US President, and this first one, would at least require Blair going to Montevideo.

I spoke to the President yesterday, and he has assured me he has spoken to you Mr. Secretary, and that you have agreed to loan me from time to time to the Oval Office. The reason I am here now is to assure you that my loyalties are and will remain with the UN. So, as you can see, I did not take the step of speaking to you lightly. I am at your disposal and will abide by whatever decision you make.

Let me say at the onset that any task performed for the President, as long as it does not bring the United Nations or this office into disrepute, has my blessing. I believe you have already made it clear to the president that the UN will always come first. Your record stands Paul as a man of honour. So I will abide by any task you undertake. Does this set your mind at rest? Furthermore, there is no reason any of this conversation took place. One thing I am pleased about is that you had the courtesy to come and talk to me. Many would not have.

Yes sir, this does put my mind at rest. I can only say thank you for your willingness to abide by a decision that I made before coming to see you, in the first place.

Was there a special reason you agreed to carry out some tasks for the President?

"Only, because he told me that this particular task would appeal to my sense of justice.

Can I ask what this involves, or is this, a closely guarded State secret? The Secretary asked.

Short version is, that this about a very senior civil public servant who decided to play at giving away military secrets, not for ideology, or even money, but because he could do so just for the hell of it. As far as it is possible to understand these things, there does not seem to be any logic to why he did any of this at all. Blair replied.

Yes, I can see this would be a bit of a dilemma, the Secretary said.

There are other considerations. The president has asked me to have a look to see if I can extract this person from his hidden hole in South America, and bring him back to the US as quietly as possible. I have already told the Oval Office that the most time I will spend is a week looking into this. Then the president will have to go through normal channels. He is reluctant to do so because of leaks that may cause a media frenzy, and because this person has in the past been a personal advisor to the president. So as you can see there would be considerable damage done to Oval Office, Mr. Secretary.

That would certainly cause some serious headaches for this current Administration. I will not hold you longer Paul. Off you go, and good hunting.

Chapter 2

Blair had already taken the time to bring his team up to date before he had spoken to the Secretary General, with what might happen if he were to go on one of these excursions for the president. The president was right finding this guy was of the highest priority. Anyone who steals his country’s defense secrets to be sold to the highest bidder deserves no mercy at all as far as Blair was concerned. If in fact he had only gone to ground in Uruguay in South America, there may just be a chance to dig him out and return him to the US for justice.

As everyone had returned from their various honeymoon trips by then (three of his group had recently been married in the gardens of Blair’s home), and the group was now back to full strength. The president had included a note telling him that if it were not possible to carry out the task he would understand, but he thought that finding this guy would appeal to Blair, and in that he was right. The Oval Office had included several photos of Barnes in different dress, at different angles, so Blair did not think he would have any problems recognizing him in a crowd. Once he had absorbed the contents he called his 2IC Bill Brent into his office. Blair thought, unless nothing urgent comes up for the UN, there was no reason he couldn’t make the trip to Montevideo next Monday. If that happened then, he and Bill Brent would have to sort out priorities and go from there.

When Bill came in he told him to close the door, because what he was about to reveal was top secret, eyes only. After the initial small talk about Bill and Liz’s wedding and the honeymoon it was down to business.

Blair said, As you know I was asked to go to Washington again last Wednesday to talk with the president, so what I’m about to reveal is not to go beyond this door, not until we sort out our priorities. I know I can trust you on this Bill. The reason I am telling you is that I need you on my side.

Bill just sat there waiting for Blair to explain. Instead, Blair handed over the president’s file and gave him the story without embellishments in as short a time as possible.

Now I hope you understand the need attached to this that not everyone should know the contents of this file just yet. I know Bill you are going to ask, how I got myself talked into this. I’ve been asking myself the same question. Maybe I just can’t help myself, but if I believe it is not in the best interests of me or this group, then I will decline the mission. Of more importance, will you back me if necessary to carry out some of these tasks the president wants me to handle?

No problems with me Paul, I say, ‘let the games begin’. I could end up having more adventure that I did in all those years I spent in the Special Forces teams.

That’s fantastic Bill, Blair said. This is what the president would like me to do in this instance, take your time and read the profile. I’m going to get a coffee, would you like one?

Yes thanks, Bill replied.

As he walked out of his office Paul Blair’s mind drifted back to the beginning, and how he had come to be in his current position. Blair thought that all this started way back when he worked for Joe Boyd, at Boyd and Henderson Construction. Looking back Blair had been involved with the UN now for a fair number of years. It was Joe Boyd who had talked him into taking on a couple of humanitarian aid contracts in third world countries for the UN. That in turn led to him to being recruited by the UN on a more permanent basis.

He was then further recruited by the International Court at The Hague and was destined to become the Director of a new department at the UN, the Criminal Apprehension Group. This division was formed with only one purpose in mind. It was simply to run to ground and apprehend criminals, who have had an international warrant issued against them by The Hague for crimes against humanity. He had in the initial stages recruited two former Special Forces guys for his department in the UN, Alex Craven and John Gannon, who had been part of his Special Forces team, when he had served in that illustrious group, to help him achieve results.

In those early days, the trio had become a very effective team. The problem was there were not enough of them. This would in turn push Blair into trying to recruit more members like Alex and John for his group. He decided to try to stay with recruiting men from the Special Forces. These men were already well trained, and much more importantly they were well disciplined. So now he had as his 2IC, a retired master armourer, who just happened to have finished serving his time, and who was the top exponent of unarmed martial arts training and defense. The team now consisted of four former Special Forces personnel, two US Army combat pilots, and one senior DEA agent, now retired. For all that whatever happens from this point he was not going to become involved in any skullduggery for the US president, without having his team back him all the way?

Blair went out to the outer office and gave them the lame excuse that Bill was working on a special report for the UN as a way to cover what they were doing. He would tell them when the time was right. He picked up two mugs of coffee and went back inside his office.

How’s it coming Bill? Have you read enough of it by now or not?

I have read it boss, but it looks like the only way to find this shithead is going to South America.

That’s how I see it, but would you be willing to come along as backup, or would you rather stay here and I take George who has spent a lot of time down there, and Alex who is extremely good at security systems and explosives? Wait one; I have to start thinking a bit more about this. I think as the 2IC you need to stay here to make sure this end is covered. What do you think Bill?

I would love to go, but one of us should be here at all times. You constantly keep pressing home that point yourself, Paul.

Paul Blair was happier still, now that he knew he had Bill Brent on his side. More than anything he needed Bill, who was the right man with the authority to field all enquiries during his absence.

"Okay Bill, let’s make a ruling now, in fact, a standing order, that if and when I’m away and the UN want me to look into a construction project. If you know where I am, you can let me have the details, and maybe I can go from there to the site without having to come back here. On the other hand, if the task is to extract someone then I’ll leave it to your discretion to go ahead and see if you can complete the job yourself. Would you agree to that?

Yes boss its time I got my feet wet anyway.

That’s settled, I’ll let Cathy know too. Now I will call in Alex and George and we can have a talk to them, Blair replied.

As soon as Alex and George were seated, Blair gave them a quick rundown on what he had been doing at the Oval Office and what he had been asked to do as regards one particular lowlife the president wanted apprehended as quietly as possible.

It might turn out that this guy has gone to ground and in fact may never be found, but I’ve been asked to go have a look. One thing I must insist on is absolute secrecy about anything I do for the president. You have known me long enough to know that I will treat any breach of this with a severe reprimand, and then bang your heads together anyway. There is one difference to this I have been given a ‘Presidential Warrant’ that allows me, at short notice, to commandeer any personnel or materials from US Military Forces, or Embassies, around the world that I believe will help complete the task at hand. But having said all that, I have already told the President that my first loyalty is to the UN. Now, are you willing to go along with all that? I will be as you know disappointed if you do not, but I will totally understand your decision if you decide not be a part of this.

The two men sat for a few minutes before Alex asked, Why George and I, why not Bill or some of the others?

George because of where I will be going, he has already been there and is familiar with the area. You Alex because you are the best at security systems and can make a reasonable bomb in the field when called on to do so. There is the other point I don’t think I’m safe going out on my own. More importantly, Bill agrees as 2IC, he should remain here. Does that answer your question?

Yes boss, but what is the job? Alex asked.

It involves a lowlife who has stolen Defense plans and drawings from the Pentagon in D.C., and supplied them to the highest bidder. Not for ideological reasons or the money, but apparently just because he could. As a former advisor to the current president, you should be able to understand the sensitive nature of this, and why the president wants him brought back quietly to the US without using normal channels.

"Intel suggests he has gone to ground in Montevideo in Uruguay. George, I know you have just come back from your honeymoon, but I was kind of hoping you would tag along. I don’t intend to stay more than a week before I call it off. As I’ve just said, Bill and