‘Hi Vince, they say that they just pulled you out of the river. Are you alright?’
‘Yes, I am much better now. I am just feeling extremely lucky to be alive and very thankful that you had the divers placed here.’
‘Listen Vince, I am on my way there so don’t go off anywhere. Is there anything that you need?’
‘Inspector it would be fantastic if I could get some dry clothes. My bag is still at the house I was held in and I am obviously soaked through having been in the river.’
‘I’ll bring something with me although they may not fit too well.’
‘Thanks Inspector, I’ll see you soon.’
I finished the call and returned the phone to the diver.
‘Wrap yourself in these while you are waiting.’ The police diver gave me two blankets, which I wrapped around me after I had taken off my outer clothes.
‘Take this mug of tea and get it down you. I have put some whiskey in it for you, which we carry for medicinal purposes,’ another of the divers put a mug into my hands.
‘We’d better get back to our spot on the island just in case they decide to throw anybody else in the river,’ one of my original rescuers said as they got an inflatable ready to take them to the island.
‘I’d run the engine of the van and let you get warm, but we still need to keep as quiet as possible,’ the officer in charge said. ‘Noises travel so far at night that the people in the house might get suspicious.’
‘I’ll be OK until the Inspector gets here and he brings me some dry clothes,’ I commented.
Chapter 46
About an hour and a half later I heard the sound of a car approaching. There were no headlight beams lancing up into the night sky as the driver had obviously had the lights off.
The car pulled up, and the Inspector got out. He climbed into the back of the van and handed me a bag.
‘Put these on Vince, and I also brought you a couple of towels which you can use to dry yourself off. We’ll leave you in peace while you change.’
They all got out of the van and shut the door leaving me in privacy to change.
The clothes fitted quite well as the Inspector and I were of similar build. I made the assumption that these were his clothes.
Dressed in dry clothes I felt a lot better. The only part of me still in pain was my face, and more specifically my eyebrows, where they had been damaged when they ripped the tape off.
I joined them outside in the dark.
‘Do they fit Vince? From what I can see they don’t look too bad.’
‘They will do for now Inspector, and they are a lot better than my wet clothes. I am starting to feel normal again.’
‘We’d better get out of here Vince. I can tell you the latest developments in the car while we travel back to Hampstead.’
I bundled my wet clothes into the boot, got into the passenger seat, and we set off. He kept the lights off until we were on the main road, and also didn’t start talking until we were well out of Henley-on-Thames.
‘I have some good news for you Vince that should cheer you up.’
‘What’s the good news?’
‘I got one of my blokes, who speaks reasonable French, to telephone the police in La Rochelle. He found out that Willem van Grimbergen is alive and well and should be released from the hospital tomorrow.’
‘Now that is fantastic news. I am so relieved to hear that he survived and is recovering. I felt dreadful abandoning him at the marina.’ What a weight had just been lifted off my shoulders. If he had died, it would have been on my conscience for the rest of my life.
‘The second piece of positive news is that he was able to clear your name with the French police. They are no longer looking for you.’ The Inspector was smiling at me, obviously quite pleased with himself.
‘That’s also terrific news. I didn’t like the feeling that the whole of the French gendarmerie was after me.’
‘You had better tell me now what happened after you got off the train at Victoria and when you ended up at the house in Henley-on-Thames,’ the Inspector asked me changing his tone to a more serious note.
I filled him in on all that had taken place, from the time that I got off the boat at Dover until I ended up being thrown into the river and being rescued by the police divers.
‘What made you put a team of police divers on the island Inspector?’ I asked him.
‘Well it certainly wasn’t to rescue you Vince. I was afraid that if we closed in on the house, they would throw the drugs and the diamonds into the Thames, and all our evidence would have gone.’
‘I never would have thought of that Inspector, but I am very very grateful that you did; otherwise I wouldn’t be sitting here.’
‘You can imagine that I was quite surprised when the officer in charge of the group of divers phoned me up and said that they had pulled a man out of the river. When they described the person they had rescued, I realised that it was you.’
‘What’s the plan now?’ I asked the Inspector.
‘Well we want them to continue to believe that you died in the River Thames this evening. You must vanish for a day or two until we have them all under lock and key. I have a safe house that I use from time to time, and I will take you there now. You can get cleaned up, have some food and then get some sleep.’
‘When are you expecting the Casino Royale to arrive at Mr Pendleton’s jetty?’
‘Well I imagine that they will leave at dawn or just before dawn, so they should get here by 3:00 p.m or so tomorrow. We will track the boat using the transponder you cleverly asked us to put on board.’
‘I forgot to mention that when Ronald Pendleton talked to me, when I was a captive in his house, he mentioned the names of Harold Fortiscue and Edward Crawford. He was boasting that he is able to control both of them as a result of the large amounts of money they owe him.’
‘He obviously felt safe telling you about those two gentlemen as he was about to throw you into the Thames. Now of course you can testify against him.’
‘He was sure of himself when he was talking to me, and kept telling me how smart he was, and how easy it was to make money using other people to do his dirty work for him. He is not a very pleasant gentleman.’
‘You know Vince that until you mentioned his name, I hadn’t tied him into the murders or into the smuggling, but it all makes sense and fits together when you realise that he has been pulling all the strings.’
‘Yes; and those thugs who abducted me at Victoria Station are probably the ones that killed Brian Fortiscue and John Power, and God only knows’ what else they have been involved in.’
‘You are probably right Vince; so it is vital that we get the whole lot of them when we spring the trap tomorrow. I am very hopeful that either Harold Fortiscue or Edward Crawford, or with a bit of luck both, will be at the house when we close in.’
‘Should I telephone Sir Montgomery and bring him up to date Inspector?’
‘Absolutely not Vince; his son is in the middle of all this and blood is thicker than water as the saying goes. You died last night Vince, so please stay dead until I tell you that you can come alive again.’
I got the message. The Inspector was obviously now in full operational mode.
He dropped me off at the safe house, made sure that I got in and then left to return to the Hampstead police station.
I heard a noise upstairs, and the next thing I knew a head peered around the corner of the stairs and a sleepy lady spoke to me.
‘Are you hungry and can I get you something to eat?’
The Inspector hadn’t told me that there would be somebody in the house, so I was startled by this apparition.
‘Who are you?’ I asked, looking at the petite lady in the dressing gown with sleep still in her eyes.
&nbs
p; ‘Sorry, Inspector Baird should have explained to you. I’m Martha, and I am here to look after whoever he brings to the house.’
‘Well Martha, to be perfectly honest with you, I am starving and freezing. I would appreciate some food after I have had a hot shower.’
‘Would bacon and eggs and toast be OK for you?’
‘That sounds perfect thanks.’
‘Well you go and have a shower or a bath, and I’ll cook up a meal for you. You can use the bedroom to the right at the top of the stairs.’
‘Thanks Martha, I’ll be down in about ten minutes.’
I went upstairs, found the bathroom and steamed in a shower for about five minutes. Feeling refreshed and clean again, I went downstairs to enjoy an early breakfast.
‘I’ll leave you to eat on your own sir, and I’ll get back to my bed,’ Martha said as I got settled at the table with the food in front of me.
‘Thank you very much for getting up and taking care of me Martha.’
‘No trouble sir, I’ll see you in the morning. Just leave your dishes and I will clean up in the morning.’
With that, she left me to it, and I had time to consider my good fortune. I suddenly felt extremely tired. The full impact of what had happened descended on me, and I felt emotionally drained. I was very lucky to be alive, solely thanks to the Inspector. If it wasn’t for his foresight, I would be at the bottom of the Thames or even stuck in one of the weirs.
I went looking for a clothes drier and found one in a utility room to the side of the kitchen. Putting any of my wet clothes that I felt wouldn’t get damaged into the drier, I switched it on. My wool jumper would dry better on a hanger. Finally, it was time for bed.
I pitched and tossed for quite a while, not being able to get rid of the memories of rolling around in the water with the scary feeling that I was drowning. I must eventually have gone to sleep because I woke up to find the sun streaming in through the window. The Inspector had told me yesterday that it was going to be a sunny day today, and it had turned out to be an perfect day for crossing the channel. Luck was on our side.
I put on a pair of trousers and went down to see if my clothes were dry. Not only were they dry but Martha had ironed them and they were waiting for me.
‘Thank you Martha. I can now wear clothes that fit.’
‘No problem sir. Do you want another breakfast when you come back down?’
‘No Martha, I’ll just have a cup of coffee and some toast thank you. I am still stuffed from my breakfast early this morning.’
‘The Inspector telephoned and said that he will pick you up at around midday,’ Martha told me.
‘Thanks Martha.’ I looked at my watch and saw that it was 10:30 a.m, so I didn’t have too much time to waste.
I went upstairs to wash and dress. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a razor so I wouldn’t be able to look as presentable as I would like. Not good for an ex-army man to look scruffy!
I was ready and waiting for the Inspector when he arrived just before midday with his clothes in a plastic bag.
‘Thanks Martha for looking after me so well,’ I shouted up the stairs as I went out through the front door.
Chapter 47
I sat down in the passenger seat, throwing the bag containing the Inspector’s clothes onto the rear seat.
‘Did Martha look after you OK, Vince,’ the Inspector asked me as I fastened the seat belt.
‘Yes she came down and made me food last night when she heard me arrive. She made me feel human again.’
‘She is used to people arriving at all hours of the night, and she never grumbles, but then again, she has the house to herself a lot of the time.’
‘Where are we going Inspector?’
‘Well the Casino Royale is closing in on Teddington Lock, so she will soon be passing into the last stretch of her journey up the Thames to her mooring. It’s time that we got to Henley-on-Thames and prepare to spring the trap.’
‘Can I be there when you go into action?’
‘Yes Vince, it essential that you are there when we move in. You are the only one who has met all the people involved. I also want to see Ronald Pendleton’s face when you appear.’
‘When is it all going to start?’ I was interested in what his plans were.
‘The boat should be moored, and the unloading started before the police marksmen move in. The focus will then be on the boat. I want Ronald Pendleton, and whoever else is in the house, to have moved outside towards the landing stage to meet the boat. I don’t want anybody to be in the house when we move in. If there are, then we would most likely end up with a siege.’
‘What do you want me to do Inspector?’
‘You just stay close to me and keep your head down. There are specially trained men who will move in, and their officers will run the show. I will only be allowed close to the action when they are sure there is no risk.’
‘Do you think that there will be shooting?’
‘The armed officers will be hopeful that Ronald Pendleton and his men will realise that resistance is futile. There will be at least fifty police officers surrounding the property, and there will be men on the island. They won’t have a hope of getting out of this one.’
‘Let’s hope that it all goes to plan.’
We travelled on in silence until we got just beyond Henley-on-Thames where we pulled into the gateway of a farm.
‘The owner of this farm has given us permission to use his farmyard so as we can keep our presence relatively secret. It is only half a mile or so from where they will take up their positions.’
I had wondered how they were able to gather on someone’s private property without causing a problem.
The Inspector started to speak into a ‘walkie talkie’ radio which he took from the glove pocket of his car. From what I could hear he was talking to someone at one of the locks.
He turned towards me; ‘OK Vince that was one of the river police. The boat has reached Marlow Lock so it should take about another hour and a half to get to here. It obviously depends on how long it takes them to pass through each of the locks.’
He went over to talk to the officer in charge of the police who would be carrying out the operation. They discussed the situation for a few minutes.
He came back over to where I was standing beside his car.
“They will be moving out in about forty five minutes to be in position before the boat arrives.’
‘I am encouraged Inspector, so far, it is all going so smoothly. Let’s hope that nothing goes wrong at the last minute.’
I sat into his car to wait while he went off to speak to other members of the team. The time passed slowly, and I was starting to get more nervous the longer I waited. Finally, the police left to take up their allotted positions. The inspector got back into the car, still communicating with the river police by way of the ‘walkie talkie’ radio.
‘OK Vince, they have now gone through the last lock, and they should be on the mooring in about ten minutes at the latest: Let’s go.’
We drove back into Henley-on-Thames and parked in the car park of a pub, just the other side of the bridge. I wasn’t able to detect a single police officer; where could fifty men just vanish to.
‘The ten minutes are almost up Vince, so they are probably mooring the boat. Give them five minutes to relax a bit, start unloading, and for the people in the house to come out into the rear garden, and then we will move in.’
To think that at one stage of my planning, I was going to do this on my own! This was a lesson that I would remember for a long time - Get the experts in when they are required.
‘OK Vince lets walk down Wargrave Road and see what’s happening. Put this on in case they start shooting at you.’ He handed me a bullet proof vest which I gladly put on.
&nbs
p; Just as we got to the entrance to the house, I heard a loud announcement.
‘This is the police - you are totally surrounded - put down your weapons and nobody will get hurt - we are moving in now.’
I heard one shot from the area near the river, but that was quickly followed by one from the island, and there was no more shooting.
The front entrance gate was forced open, and I now could clearly see masses of armed police moving in. I also could hear outboard motors revving on the river. We moved in behind the police, keeping our eyes peeled for anybody who might shoot at us.
It was all over in a matter of seconds.
The Inspector’s Walkie Talkie gave him the message that he could proceed as the site was now secure.
When we rounded the corner of the house and entered the back garden, I noticed that the Inspector’s strategy had worked. All the occupants of the house and the boat had been out in the open when the police moved in.
Ronald Pendleton stood in the middle of the garden. The two thugs, who had thrown me into the river last night, were standing beside the Casino Royale, handcuffed to two large police officers. One of them appeared to be wounded in the shoulder.
Inspector Baird walked up to Ronald Pendleton.
‘I believe that you know this man,’ he said, pointing to me. ‘Perhaps we should handcuff you and bind your feet and throw you into the Thames. What do you think?’
‘How did he get here?’ Ronald Pendleton showed genuine shock.
‘Your guys didn’t do a very efficient job did they Mr Pendleton,’ the Inspector was gloating.
‘I know nothing about what you are talking about, you will have to talk to them, I am afraid,’ Pendleton replied, putting on his best gentlemanly voice.
‘I am afraid that your excuses won’t wash anymore. You will now end up where I should have put you a long time ago.’
‘Take them away and lock them up very safely officers and preferably throw away the keys.’
The Inspector turned around and went into the house to see what else he could unearth. I looked around to see whether Caas Teifel was anywhere to be seen. There was no sign of him, so he appeared not to have made the trip from Rotterdam.
The Diamond Chain Page 26