‘That’s brilliant Vince; anybody would think that you are a private investigator,’ he smiled. ‘In fact it makes a lot of sense for them to come by sea. The diamonds could be dropped off at any European port and then brought by air or car to Rotterdam and on to London. I like the idea.’
‘Willem, do you know how long it will take a yacht of the Belle Diamant’s size to get to Cape Town from Europe?’
‘At a rough estimate about 50 days, give or take 5 days. It would depend on the weather they encounter on the way,’ Willem said after doing a bit of doodling on a paper napkin.
‘So that gives us a forty day window to discover where they are holding the diamonds in South Africa. I assume that when the Belle Diamant arrives they will turn her around very quickly and get her going on her return voyage,’ I said feeling more confident by the minute that we were on the right track.
‘Can you change your flight so as you return to London a bit later in the week. We can start tracking my yacht immediately using its transponder?’ Willem asked. ‘After all there is no urgency in you getting back to South Africa if our premise that they are using the yacht is correct.’
‘I booked an open ticket this time as I didn’t know how long I was going to be here. I can stay on for a few more days if that is what is required. Let’s hope that we see the yacht is heading south and that it continues on that heading after it passes Gibraltar.’
‘I will also check the weather forecast to see if there are storms predicted for the Bay of Biscay. They won’t leave La Rochelle until they are confident that they will have a few days’ clear weather to cross the Bay.’
I was feeling quite pleased with myself by the time we had finished our meal and were heading back to the hotel. The fact that Willem was also in good form seemed to indicate to me that he also felt that we were making progress. Pieces were starting to slot into place in the diamond chain jigsaw puzzle.
‘There is no need to come and pick me up in the morning,’ I said as he dropped me off at my hotel. ‘I’ll make my own way to your offices around 10:00 a.m if that suits.’
‘That’s fine. I’ll have the coffee on by the time you arrive. Mind you, I won’t have a receptionist until I get a temp organized, so the coffee may be a bit late.’
‘I’ll see you in the morning,’ I closed the door of the car, and he drove off.
I was extremely pleased with my days work and our joint analysis. We were a good team, and it was extremely comforting to know that Willem was unmistakably on my side. I was at last making progress as today pretty well confirmed my hunch that the diamonds were being brought to Europe by sea. If the yacht Belle Diamant went south when she left La Rochelle, then I would know where to look for the diamonds the next time I visited South Africa. I should also make plans to get back there as soon as possible.
The following morning I didn’t get up too early and started off my day by having a long soak in a hot bath. Since the car accident in South Africa, I had found that a leisurely bath helped loosen me out for the day and eased my aches and pains.
Arriving at Willem’s office, I found that a new lady had already taken up residence behind the reception desk.
‘Is Willem van Grimbergen there, please,’ I asked her.
‘Do you have an appointment with him,’ she said in perfect English.
‘Yes he is expecting me.’
‘What is your name?’ she asked me taking a pen to write my name down.
‘It is his English friend,’ I answered, which rather threw her as she had been ready to write down a name.
She didn’t have to call through to Willem as at that moment he appeared out of his office and came over to shake my hand.
‘Let’s go down stairs to where there is a spare computer to see if we can track Belle Diamant, Vince.’
We went down a flight of stairs and found a small room where there were two chairs, a computer, plus a printer, and nothing else.
‘OK, let’s work this all out Vince,’ Willem said getting out a notebook. ‘The boat left nine days ago to sail to La Rochelle, and it is about four days sailing time to get there. I am assuming that they were able to keep their speed at an average of seven knots. With a professional crew and good winds they should be able to maintain that speed.’
‘That’s unbelievable Willem,’ I added. ‘I would have thought that it would take a lot longer.’
‘It will take them about five days to get to the southern tip of Portugal, and then they will head directly south. They should bypass Gibraltar as to go there is quite a diversion for them,’ Willem continued to work out calculations in his notebook.
‘So that’s a total of nine days sailing from the time that they left Rotterdam, and, if we add two more days for getting in and out of La Rochelle, it makes a total of eleven days,’ I said, doing some mental arithmetic of my own. ‘Can we see where they are from the satellite? If we are correct in our assumptions, then they should already be quite far down the coast of Portugal.’
‘OK, let’s take a look,’ Willem moved over to the computer and clicked around for a bit until he had the satellite tracking system operating.
‘Is that spot there what we are looking for Willem,’ I said pointing to a pulsating blob on the screen.
‘Probably, let me zoom in on it, and we will see where it is.’
‘The Belle Diamant appears to be passing the small port of Sines in Portugal, so we are 100% right in our assumptions so far,’ Willem said with a broad grin on his face.
‘So, in another day, we should be able to see whether they turn west and head for the Mediterranean or continue south past Gibraltar to the coast of Africa?’ I said, also pleased at the success of our calculations.
‘We will have to check tomorrow morning to confirm if our suspicions are correct, but it’s looking good at this stage,’ Willem said, moving his chair back from the computer and looking at me with a grin of success.
‘I think what I will do to pass the time is to visit the Diamond Centre just down the road,’ I said, having decided that I didn’t want to sit around in the office or at the hotel for the rest of the day. ‘My last visit there was very rushed, and I had to skip a lot of the exhibits.’
‘That’s sensible as any knowledge you can pick up on diamonds will help you later on if you actually find the diamonds,’ Willem concurred with my idea. ‘If you return to the office later in the afternoon we can work out where we will go for dinner. Helga is free this evening so she will probably join us.’
I went upstairs to Willem’s office and left my bag there before heading down the street to the Diamond Centre.
Time passed in a flash, and, when I returned to the office my head was stuffed full of many useful but also many obscure facts about diamonds. There had been another demonstration of diamond cutting in the afternoon which I had made sure that I attended. There was a technical library that was open to the public, and I located some books there, that were written in English.
Back in Willem’s office I told him that I would make my own way back to the hotel to save him the inconvenience of having to transport me.
‘I will pick you up at 7:00 p.m if you will be ready by then,’ he suggested.
‘I’ll be ready for you and will be waiting for you in the forecourt of the hotel,’ I said picking up my bag and heading for the door.
He called out ‘See you,’ as I left the office.
Willem and Helga came by just after seven in a taxi as they had done before. I presumed drinking and driving was outlawed as much in Holland as it was in the UK.
We revisited the restaurant beside the Marina, but this time there was no excitement to interrupt our meal and they dropped me off at the hotel just after 10:00 p.m.
‘I’ll see you in the morning Willem,’ I said as I climbed out of the taxi. ‘Good night Helga, i
t was delightful meeting you again.’
‘Great to see you again Vince, even though you are a bit battered and bruised,’ she said smiling warmly.
They drove off, and I went up to my room, which thankfully hadn’t been ransacked while I was out.
I wandered into Willem’s office the following morning to be greeted by an extremely excited diamond dealer.
‘Come and take a look at this,’ he said grabbing me by the arm and leading me down the stairs.
‘Looking at how excited you are, I presume that they are still heading south,’ I said as we went down the stairs.
‘I couldn’t wait until you got here to have a look, so I opened up the system when I got in at 8:00. They are clearly not going into the Med.’
We reached the computer room, and he reactivated the tracking system. There it was; the ‘blip’ was still heading south, proving that all our assumptions were correct.
‘So what does this tell us Willem?’ I asked.
‘Probably the most significant fact is that we now know for sure that Caas Teifel is the contact in Rotterdam. We also know that they are probably transferring the diamonds using an ocean going yacht. To make it an even harder pill to swallow, it just happens to be my yacht. I would never have expected that my friend Caas Teifel would be involved in something like this.’
‘We better arrange to fly to South Africa as soon as possible as we still need to pick up the trail of the diamonds,’ I suggested. ‘We must now assume that the diamonds will be put on board Belle Diamant when she arrives in Cape Town.’
‘After such a long voyage they will need somewhere to unwind and to prepare the boat for the return journey. Cape Town ticks all the boxes, so that is where they will be going,’ Willem explained, clearly confident that the yacht was heading for Cape Town.
‘I’d like to spend the weekend in London with my family, so is it OK with you if we fly out Sunday evening to Cape Town,’ I asked, changing the topic of conversation.
‘That’s perfect, Vince. Can you book me on the flight with you from London, and I will aim to get to Heathrow in the late afternoon on Sunday. I think that all South African flights leave in the evening, isn’t that right.’
‘Yes, you would need to be in Heathrow by 6:00 p.m latest. We can meet in the international departure area. If you give me your passport details I will make the booking over the internet before I leave today.’
He showed me to another office where he logged me onto the internet, and I made the booking for Sunday evening. The plane was scheduled to leave at 7:30 p.m and would arrive in Cape Town the following morning at 8:00 a.m. I suggested to Willem that he might like to make sure that he got to Heathrow earlier than the previously arranged 6:00 p.m in case of any flights delays from his end. I gave Willem my home telephone number and also my mobile number so as he could contact me if any problems rose their ugly head in the meantime.
With the flights all booked, Willem took me to the airport to get a flight back to London. It had been a remarkably successful few days in Rotterdam with a firm friendship established.
Chapter 13
I enjoyed being a Dad again over the weekend and spent as much time as possible with my family, which had a benefit for them but also for me. My family appreciated the good form I was in.
The next phase of my investigation in South Africa would be more enjoyable with Willem along to provide muscle and friendship. Willem had shown in Rotterdam that he was a very streetwise animal, capable of handling any physical threats that we might face. I had been trained in the army and had special training for the SAS at one stage; however, the wounds that I had suffered in Iraq, plus the injuries received in Limpopo, hampered my movements and made me less effective.
The weekend was going remarkably well until around lunchtime on the Sunday when my mobile phone rang.
‘Hello Vince, Willem here,’ I knew whom it was from the Dutch accent before he said it was him.
‘Hi Willem, is everything alright.’
‘I am afraid not Vince; there has been a nasty development at this end,’ - even over the phone I could pick up the tension in his voice.
‘What’s up Willem, you sound extremely stressed.’
‘I had a threatening letter dropped off at my home. It is obviously written in Dutch, but I will translate it for you: ‘Mr van Grimbergen, you are interfering in something that is no concern of yours, so, please stop at once. You can take care of yourself - but just ask yourself, can your wife, and your children protect themselves if you are not around? We know where you live, and we will harm your family if you do not stop making a nuisance of yourself.’
‘That’s terrible Willem. You must be very upset,’ I interrupted him.
‘I can’t travel to South Africa with you this evening Vince. I won’t leave my family unprotected. The people we are dealing with are ruthless, based on what they did to you. I am not willing to take the risk of them harming my family if I go with you. I am frightfully sorry Vince but what other choice is available to me.’
I had a nasty cold feeling in the pit of my stomach. I had been excited at the prospect of having Willem with me as he was fantastic company, but he was also a welcome ally to strengthen me for the dangers I was likely to encounter in South Africa.
‘I totally understand Willem. If I was in the same position as you, I would definitely stay with my family.’ I was hoping he wasn’t receiving the vibes of my disappointment. ‘I was really looking forward to having you with me, but will just have to get on with it on my own. Are you going to go to the police with the note?’
‘I haven’t fully decided what I am going to do yet; however, going to the police is clearly an option. I will also take the children and Helga to my parents’ house in Delft where they should be safe. I will do that tonight after it gets dark.’
‘I will talk to you when I get back, or, if I need your help on anything in the meantime, I will call you from South Africa,’ I added.
‘If you need my help in anyway Vince just ask. If I can’t help, I will tell you. As long as I don’t have to leave Rotterdam I should be OK.’
‘Thanks Willem. I’ll be in touch,’ I hit the red button and sat down totally shattered by the news.
So I was back on my own again and would have to face the thugs in South Africa without the support and muscle power of Willem. I decided that I had better ring my boss in all of this, Sir Montgomery Fortiscue, and bring him up to date on the situation.
‘So Vince, are you all packed up and ready for this evening?’ he asked me, sounding pleased to hear from me.
‘Yes I am ready to go. Unfortunately Willem van Grimbergen, who was coming with me, has cried off, so I will be going on my own.’
‘What’s the problem?’
‘I don’t want to tell you over the phone, but suffice it to say that it is a security issue with his family,’
‘Have there been any other developments you can tell me about?’ he asked.
‘Yes, one positive one. We are pretty sure that we have found out how the diamonds are getting from South Africa to Europe. This should make it a lot easier for me to track down our missing man and the merchandise when I get to South Africa.’
‘I appreciate what you are saying, and I won’t ask you any more questions now. I will see you when you get back to the UK. If you need me in the meantime just phone me on this number.’
‘I will get in touch with you the minute I get back,’ I said, not actually knowing when I would be back. ‘You still want me to call you and not Harold?’
‘Oh yes, definitely. I don’t see Harold being back in the business for at least two months,’ Sir Montgomery said, very forcefully.
‘I’ll call you when I have something to report,’ I said, putting the phone down.
It was a reluctant investigator filled with
trepidation that caught the 7:30 p.m British Airways flight for Cape Town that evening.
Chapter 14
A beautiful crisp and clear day welcomed me as we swooped in over the sprawling city of Cape Town the following morning. Looking out of the plane as it approached the City, I saw Table Mountain covered in its tablecloth of cloud as I had seen in many photographs, with Table Bay and the ocean stretching out beyond.
I reflected on the fact that the ocean I was looking at was the same one that Belle Diamant was now sailing on, and the harbour beneath me, was where they would arrive to pick up the shipment of diamonds. It had taken me fourteen hours by plane to cover the same distance as the Belle Diamant would take around fifty days.
Looking at the landscape stretched out before me gave me a feeling of anxiety. I had to find Jacques Fortuin and the diamonds before the yacht left Cape Town to return to Europe.
I passed through passport control, picked up my bags and headed for the Hertz Car Hire office. With my previous adventure in mind, I asked them for a fast 3 litre 4 x 4 vehicle. I wanted a car that would be able to withstand a ramming and was also fast. You never knew, but the ‘nasty men’ might chase me again! I was learning quickly that if I was to stay alive, there were basic rules that I had to follow.
When I drove out of the car rental parking area, I felt really secure in my robust car. I also appreciated the good view I had of the traffic around me from my elevated driving position. I felt far more secure in this 4 x 4, than I had in the hire car I had on my first trip.
I drove down to the docklands area of Cape Town, to find a hotel that would be adjacent to the harbour area, where the yacht would berth when it finally arrived. Also, because I was intending to stay in Cape Town for at least two weeks, I wanted a low cost place that was less conspicuous than the Holiday Inn and Hilton.
I followed the signs to the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront where I managed to find parking. I then set off on foot to find a hotel. The route to the centre of the city passed along the side of the docks that were still currently being used by shipping. On the way, I also passed a road sign pointing towards the Royal Cape Town Yacht club where the yacht would berth when it arrived.
The Diamond Chain Page 8