I headed for home, very satisfied with my days work and the possibilities that I had come up with.
Chapter 40
Having a car for a weekend was a treat for our family and we determined to make best use of it. We voted for where we wanted to go on the Saturday and ended up at Legoland in Windsor. On the Sunday, I needed to return to Henley-on-Thames to see if I could spot a boat at the rear of the Wargrave Road house, so the family had to go there whether they liked it or not.
I was in luck as I spotted a notice at the bridge:
BOAT TRIPS
TRAVEL UP AND DOWN THE RIVER
SEE WHERE THE REGATTA IS HELD
SPECIAL FAMILY RATES
ON THE HOUR - EVERY HOUR
The family jumped at the opportunity of having an hour on the river as it was a perfect day for boating. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, and there was only a slight breeze. The purpose of the trip, from my point of view, was to get a good look at the river side of the house and to see if there was a decent sized boat moored there.
We went up the river first, which was the opposite direction to where the house was; however, after about half an hour we travelled back under the bridge and went downstream past the Pendleton mooring. Tied up, exactly where I wanted it to be, was a magnificent motor cruiser. Michael discovered the make even before I did; it was a powerful Azimut 48 Flybridge cruiser, and it was certainly large enough to travel from the mouth of the Thames to Rotterdam while still being small enough to travel through the locks on the Thames. Emblazoned on the stern was the name CASINO ROYALE.
‘Why do you want to know about that boat Dad?’ Michael asked me pointing in its direction.
‘A person whom I know lives in that house beside the river and he owns the boat’ I explained.
‘Do you think that he would invite us out on his boat? It looks a terribly posh one?’
‘No Michael, I don’t know him that well. He is more of a business acquaintance than a friend.’
I took plenty of photographs of the boat without making it too obvious to the other members of the tour that I was particularly interested in that house and boat.
We were delivered back to just below the bridge at five minutes to the hour and set off to find somewhere for lunch.
I couldn’t wait to phone Willem on Monday morning to tell him the news about the Casino Royale. I also felt that the Inspector should be told. I already had an appointment to see him on the Tuesday so it could wait till then.
‘Good morning Vince. You’re up and about unusually early this morning,’ Willem sounded in good form when I phoned him first thing on Monday morning.
‘I have some interesting information for you, but how about you? Have you been able to find out where the Belle Diamant is?’ I was eager to ascertain if they had switched on the transponder and we were able to track the yacht or whether we had a problem.
‘Good news Vince, as soon as I came in this morning I activated the tracking process and the yacht came up on the screen. They are on the move and have reached a place called Safi, about three hundred kilometres north of Agadir. They should arrive in La Rochelle by Tuesday week; however, it might be wise for us to be there by next Monday at the latest.’
‘That’s fantastic news Willem, especially the fact that they have left the transponder on.’
‘What’s your news Vince?’
‘I went to Henley-on-Thames yesterday and discovered that Mr Pendleton owns a large boat, big enough to cross to Rotterdam. There is an Azimut 48 Flybridge motor cruiser tied up on the mooring behind the house. It is called Casino Royale.’
‘That’s a long and fast boat Vince. I was reading in one of my boating magazines all about it recently, and I was extremely impressed, even if it travels everywhere by engine. I prefer to travel using the wind even if it is slower.’
‘If the Azimut 48 leaves its mooring anytime next weekend, it will prove they are using the boat to transport the diamonds and drugs to London. If it stays on its mooring, then they must be using some other way.’
Willem then came up with a brilliant idea: ‘You need to find a way of putting a transponder on the boat Vince so as we can track it. You can buy a transponder that is battery driven and the battery lasts from two to three weeks on the one charge. That would be perfectly adequate for what we want to do.’
‘I was thinking of getting Inspector Baird involved as there is no way that I can handle everything that needs to be done at this end on my own. Perhaps he can even arrange for the transponder to be put on board and then to monitor the vessel. I am due to meet him tomorrow and will ask him then.’
‘That probably is a good idea Vince. You will be in France, and they could move the boat sooner than we anticipate. You are better having a good back up plan in place in London, and this Inspector guy sounds OK.’
‘So when are you planning to go to La Rochelle Willem?’
‘I will drive down on Monday, leaving at the crack of dawn from my home in Rotterdam. On second thoughts, I will probably leave from my father’s place as they may be watching my home. It’s about a ten hour drive from Rotterdam to La Rochelle, so I should arrive there in the middle of the afternoon.’
‘I think that I will leave on Sunday, just to be 100% certain that I get there in time,’ I said, thinking about it while I was talking. ‘It would be the precise day when something would happen in the Channel tunnel, and the train would be delayed.’
‘If there is any change in the progress of the Belle Diamant that necessitates us changing our plans, I will let you know. If the yacht is delayed, there is no point in getting there too early.’
‘I’ll talk to you during the week then Willem.’
‘Bye Vince.’
So the die was now cast, and the trap was being set, all I had to do was get through this week. One thing I was confident of, the time was going to go really slowly.
Chapter 41
Tuesday morning I spent visiting a gun dealer in Mayfair selecting a suitable weapon. A mate of mine from my army days, also now in Civvy Street, gave me the address of a trustworthy and reputable dealer.
My preference was for a Glock, similar to the one that I had borrowed in South Africa from Laurie, and I was able to buy one at a reasonable price. He was also able to provide ammunition for the gun. Not having my licence, I couldn’t take the gun with me. I asked the dealer to phone through the details to Hampstead Police station as previously arranged with Inspector Baird. I could pick up my licence that afternoon when I met the Inspector. It was comforting to know that I now was able to shoot back if I was fired on.
I stopped for lunch in a pub in Hampstead and worked out what I was going to discuss with Inspector Baird. I would need his assistance in London, especially in tracking the Pendleton boat. I would have to convince him that it would help him solve his murder inquiries by getting involved.
At 2:00 p.m exactly I announced my arrival to the desk sergeant, who, as usual, told me to go and take a seat in the waiting area. I heard him notifying the Inspector of my arrival. This time I didn’t have long to wait before he came for me and we went into his office closing the door behind us.
‘First things first Vince, here is your gun licence it just needs you to sign there,’ he pointed to where I had to sign. ‘I will take the duplicate for our records and you are all set to go.’
“Thanks Inspector. I hope that I won’t have to use a gun, but it helps my confidence considerably to know that I will be able to defend myself if I ever need to.’
‘Is there anything else that you want me for Vince. It is getting close to when the diamonds will arrive in Europe, and you will be able to close the net.’
‘Yes Inspector, I would like your help in tracking the arrival of the diamonds.’
I then told the Inspector what I had found out about Ro
nald Pendleton, and my hunch that they would be transferring the diamonds from Rotterdam to London on his boat Casino Royale. I also told him how ideal the Pendleton property at Henley-on-Thames was as a drop off point. To capture the Inspector’s attention, I told him that Mr Pendleton could be the brains behind the whole operation, and also might be the person who ordered the killing of Brian Fortiscue and John Power. That certainly got his attention.
‘So Vince, you think that Ronald Pendleton is in charge of the smuggling racket, and he will be sending his boat to pick up the diamonds in Rotterdam early next week. Where do Caas Teifel, Harold Fortiscue and Edward Crawford fit into all this?’
‘I believe that Caas Teifel is purely the supplier and the gateway through which the goods come into London; however, I also know he was involved in the murder of Phillip Fortuin.
‘OK, that takes care of Mr Teifel. What about the others?’ the inspector interrupted.
‘Harold Fortiscue owes Ronald Pendleton a lot of money through his gambling debts. Edward Crawford was bank rolled by Ronald Pendleton for his business, and for the purchase of Charlton Football Club, so he owes him big time. The fact that Ronald Pendleton is the Chairman of Crawford’s company, Charlton Diamond Traders, shows he is also in control there.’
‘How do you want me to help Vince?’ the Inspector asked me, sitting further back in his chair and revolving his pen with both his hands. ‘I haven’t said that I will help, mind you. I haven’t decided yet whether you are on the right track; however, just in case I agree with you, what would you like me to do?’
‘My biggest concern is that I will lose track of the diamonds after they get to Rotterdam. There are a number of possible routes from Rotterdam to London, and I personally can only cover one. If they do use the Casino Royale it will simplify everything considerably as they will be going on a predetermined route. If they don’t use the boat, people will have to be stationed at the appropriate ferry ports to try and spot them landing in the UK.’
‘Let’s assume that they do use their boat; what then?’ the Inspector was clearly starting to believe that there might be some truth in my hunch.
‘Are you able to have a transponder placed on board the Casino Royale so as it can be tracked if it travels to Rotterdam or maybe even Amsterdam?’
‘I can do anything Vince if I believe that it is going to help in my current investigation of two murders.’
‘Well Inspector, the yacht that is bringing the diamonds from South Africa will arrive in La Rochelle early next week. If the Casino Royale is the link between Holland and London, then she will have to leave her current mooring in Henley-on-Thames either next Sunday or Monday at the latest. If she doesn’t leave on either of those days, or before, then we have come to the wrong conclusion, and we will have to look at other options.’
‘OK Vince, what you are saying makes sense. I will arrange for a transponder, to be placed on the Casino Royale as soon as possible. I will also alert the river police to look out for the boat as it travels downstream. She will have to travel through a number of locks to get to the main part of the river so there will be no problem picking her up when she moves.’
‘That sounds fantastic Inspector and lifts a great weight off my mind. Let’s hope that she moves and we aren’t wasting our time chasing after shadows.’
‘If she doesn’t move Vince, we have another problem, but let’s deal with that as and when the situation arises.’
‘I will contact you next Monday Inspector to give you an update on the whereabouts of the Belle Diamant and to hear what has happened with the Casino Royale.’
‘Thanks for coming in Vince, just don’t go shooting too many people with your gun,’ he smiled as he shook my hand.
‘I’ll only use it as a last resort, but I feel more confident having it in my possession.’
I left him and travelled to Mayfair to pick up my gun and ammunition before heading for East Putney and home.
The following morning I phoned Willem to get a location for the Belle Diamant and also to update him on my successful meeting with the Inspector.
I had an unexpected bit of welcome news on the following Sunday. As I was travelling down through the South of England on Eurostar heading for Paris, my mobile rang.
‘Vince Hamilton here.’
‘Vince, Baird here. I’m sorry to call you on a Sunday morning, but I have some good news for you?’
‘That’s OK Inspector; I am actually on the Eurostar train to Paris. What’s up?’
‘Well your hunch proved correct Vince. The Casino Royale is on the move. I have just had a call from the river police, and they have told me that the boat left Henley-on-Thames at the crack of dawn and caught the first lock this morning. They are monitoring it closely until it gets to Greenwich. They will then track it using the transponder.’
‘So you managed to get the transponder on board the boat?’
‘Yes, the experts confirmed to me that they had placed one on board as early as last Thursday.’
‘That’s terrific news Inspector and thank you for letting me know. I will phone you tomorrow, or as soon as I know when the Belle Diamant is arriving in La Rochelle.’
‘Talk to you then Vince.’
What fantastic news, and thank goodness the police are involved. They have the resources to keep track of what is going on in London while I am involved in La Rochelle. I would tell the Inspector about the drugs as soon as the yacht arrived in France, and that probably would get him even more involved.
The good news I received travelling through Kent was counterbalanced by disappointing news that I got on the French side of the tunnel. My mobile went off again.
‘Vince Hamilton here.’
‘Good morning Vince, it is Willem here. Are you on the train?’
‘Yes, I am on Eurostar between Calais and Paris.’
‘I have some unfortunate news I am afraid. They have switched off the transponder on Belle Diamant, or it has stopped working. I went into to the office, to plot its position, only to find that there is no signal.’
‘Could it simply be your computer Willem?’
‘No, all the connections seem to be perfect, and it was working up to 7:00 a.m this morning.’
‘Do we still assume that they will head for La Rochelle Willem?’
‘Yes Vince, I think that is all we can do, and we already know roughly when they will arrive, so it is probably not a significant problem.’
‘Well I have just had some excellent news to counteract what you have just told me Willem.’
‘What’s your good news?’
‘Mr Pendleton’s boat left its mooring this morning and is on its way down the Thames. Inspector Baird phoned me to give me the news.’
‘So it is all starting to fall into place now Vince. We must make sure that we don’t screw it all up in La Rochelle after all your hard work.’
‘I’ll see you tomorrow in La Rochelle, Willem. I will book us into the same hotel so as you know where to find me.’
‘That’s great Vince, I’ll see you tomorrow.’
We had found one boat and lost the other, but we were still in control of the situation.
Chapter 42
Arriving at the Gare du Nord in Paris, the terminus for Eurostar, I transferred to Gare Montparnasse where the train for La Rochelle left at 3:15 p.m. Three hours later the TGV was pulling into La Rochelle station, where I took a taxi to the hotel we had stayed at on our last visit. Even though it was summer and the height of the tourist season they had space. I booked a room for myself and also one for Willem from the following night. The exact day and time the Belle Diamant arrived would determine how long we would need the rooms. Initially I booked us in until Thursday, but I expected to be gone before then as I was hopeful that we wouldn’t have to wait around for most of the week.
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The following morning I phoned the local Hertz office to book a van and have it delivered to the hotel. I ordered a Mercedes Vito V6 panel van, which was the fastest van that they had. It had one way windows that made it ideal as an observation vehicle. We could look out from the inside, but nobody could look in.
The plan that Willem and I had agreed on, was that he would be the one to follow any car or van they used to transfer the diamonds to Rotterdam; however, if anything happened to Willem, I would have to do the tracking. In case of that eventuality, I had to be sure that the van was fast enough to keep up with them. The Mercedes van was the only one Hertz offered that could do the job.
They didn’t have a Mercedes van at the local office, so I had to wait while they had one sent up from their Bordeaux depot. It wouldn’t arrive until the afternoon. In fact, Willem and the van arrived about the same time, around 3:30 p.m.
While I was waiting, I walked over to the Port des Minimes marina just to confirm that nothing had changed since our last visit. The only difference I noticed was that there seemed to be a lot more people about, and there was more activity on the pontoons. It was probably to our advantage that there were more people around as our van wouldn’t look out of place.
While I had the time, I phoned Inspector Baird to bring him up to date.
‘Baird,’ he barked when he answered. It must be one of his off days again.
‘Good morning Inspector, Vince Hamilton here.’
‘Hi Vince. How are things in La Rochelle?’
‘Quiet, I am pleased to say. I am expecting my colleague from Holland this afternoon, and I am also waiting for my ‘observation’ van to be delivered, so I am not active yet.’
‘Do you know where the yacht is?’
‘Unfortunately, they have switched off the transponder, so we can only estimate when it will arrive, and we can’t track it.’
‘Talking of transponders; the one on Casino Royale is working remarkably well and you can give yourself one hundred marks out of one hundred as she is now sitting in a marina in Rotterdam.’
The Diamond Chain Page 23