Curse of Thieves: Another Major Vince Hamilton Investigation

by Patricki Slaney

  'And why have you become involved?'

  'Well, it is a strange case. The auction house, where the diamond necklace is being auctioned, was broken into last Sunday. The strange thing is that nothing appears to have been stolen, so they asked me in to have a look and see if I could determine what is going on.'

  'Did you come up with anything Vince?'

  'No Willem, everything seemed to be in order.'

  'What you are telling me sounds extraordinarily like a case that happened in Amsterdam about ten years ago. A diamond dealer was broken into and to all appearances nothing appeared to have been touched. It was broken into a second time about five days later and again nothing was reported stolen. A very valuable diamond necklace was sold to a buyer shortly afterwards, and the break-ins were forgotten about. A few months’ later, when the purchaser of the necklace went to have the item valued for insurance purposes, they found that the necklace was a fake.'

  'So the real necklace was in some way exchanged for the fake one during the break in,' I interrupted as the realisation of what Willem was telling me hit home.

  'That's right Vince. Everybody was looking for something missing when; in fact, the thieves were just exchanging a fake necklace for a genuine one. By the time the scam was discovered, the trail was cold, and the real one was never found.'

  Willem's information gave me an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of my stomach. Had I accidentally stumbled on a solution to the mystery? If there was any chance that what Willem had just told me was happening in Alexanders, then I needed to act quickly.

  'Thank you for that valuable information. I will phone the security officer of the auction house now, and we will see if we can set a trap.'

  'Good hunting Vince.'

  I cut Willem off and immediately telephoned Peter Danford.

  He must have had his mobile right beside him as he answered immediately. I told him what Willem had just told me, and we agreed to meet at the auction house premises in an hour's time. I didn't take the risk of getting delayed on the tube so took a taxi as time was of the essence. I made sure that I had my Glock with me as if I was correct in my assumption the thief would be returning tonight to place the fake necklace in the safe. I wanted to be armed in case shooting broke out. Peter Danford didn't look the type to carry a firearm.

  When I pulled up in front of Alexanders, Peter was waiting for me.

  The first thing that Peter did was to telephone his security guard to inform him that we were about to enter the building. The guard came and opened the front door for us.

  'Let's go up to the room with the safe in it where we can make a plan,' Peter suggested.

  The three of us climbed the stairs using the light from a torch that the security guard was carrying. We decided that we wouldn't switch on the lights in case we warned off anybody who might be on the look-out for a change in the normal routine. There must be no visible change from the usual procedure.

  When we were finally in the room containing the safe, Peter asked me to explain what I felt was going to happen.

  'This could be a total wild goose chase,' I explained. 'As I explained on the phone a Dutch friend of mine told me about a robbery that occurred in Amsterdam about ten years ago. The similarity to what has occurred here was remarkable. Basically, there were break-ins at a diamond dealer's premises and, when they checked the stock they found that nothing was stolen.'

  'Exactly the same as here Vince,' Peter Danford said.

  'That's right, the Dutch police later found out that during the first break in the robbers took extensive photographs of the necklace, and, in a second break in, they replaced the genuine necklace with a remarkably convincing fake. The scam wasn't spotted until three months later when the owner decided to have the necklace insured. There is a strong possibility that the same could be happening here.'

  'So you think that there will be another break in tonight to switch a false necklace for the real one since the sale of the necklace is tomorrow.'

  'If my assumptions are correct then the answer is yes.'

  'You wouldn't think that a convincing fake could be made in the space of a few days would you,' Peter conjectured.

  'It just all seems to add up doesn't it,' I added. 'If I am right in my assumptions, then they will have to come back tonight to switch the necklaces.

  'So what is your plan Vince?'

  'I suggest that you and I wait in this room for our thief to arrive. Your security guard should remain outside the door and be ready to raise the alarm when the action starts in here.'

  'Are you sure that we will be able to handle the situation if they have guns, or there are too many of them?'

  ‘It will only be possible for one man to come through the roof at a time; the others will have to stay on the roof. I will be able to handle them one at a time. I will also tell Inspector Baird of our plans, and he can then take a decision as to whether he wants to have people on stand-by or not. Knowing him, he will support us. Get the security man to stay beside the front door in case the police arrive and want to get in.'

  'Do you have a gun on you Vince?

  'Yes Peter I have my trusty Glock with me, so we should be all right. As I mentioned, they can only enter through the skylight one at a time.'

  Peter then told the security guard what was expected of him and to go and stay beside the front door. I, in turn, telephoned the Inspector to let him know what we were up to. He agreed with my assessment of the situation and said that he would organize a team of police officers to be in the area as back up.

  We both used the bathroom and then settled down to wait for our visitor. It probably wouldn't be long before my theory was proved correct or false.

  It was with immense relief that we heard a noise at the skylight about 1.20 am. The window was forced open and then leant backwards. However, they did it; they managed to prevent the alarm from going off. A rope ladder was dropped down from the now open window covering the distance from the roof to the floor. A single burglar then descended down the ladder. In the light of the moon, I could see another man looking down through the window, but he stayed where he was and didn’t descend into the room. The man, having reached the floor, went over to the safe, switched on a light strapped to his head and in a matter of seconds the door of the safe swung open.

  It was time for action. As arranged Peter Danford switched on the lights, and the scene of the crime was illuminated. A shot rang out from the roof, and a bullet hit the wall right beside the light switch. Luckily Peter had dived for the floor as soon as he had finished switching the lights on.

  I fired a shot at the figure in the opening on the roof and heard an oath. I must have hit him. The man at the safe started rushing towards me. I took careful aim for his left knee and fired. The impact of the bullet on his knee spun him around, and he collapsed to the floor, screaming in pain. He wasn't carrying a firearm so I could forget about him for the time being.

  I could still hear noise coming from the roof so got ready for another shot from there. I saw the gun appear before I saw the shooter, so I fired up through the roof at the place where I reckoned the person would be. It worked, and I heard another expletive as my bullet found its mark.

  It was all over in about fifteen seconds.

  A white-faced and shaken Peter Danford got up off the floor where he had been lying and came over to me.

  'Are you OK Vince?'

  'I'm fine Peter. We had the benefit of surprise as they didn't expect trouble, and I am a good shot as a result of my military training. Main thing is to keep calm under fire.'

  There was a groan from the man lying on the floor with blood oozing out of his knee. He would need to get treatment soon if he was to survive.

  There was a banging on the door.

  ‘Can I come in Vince, is everything alright? It’s Baird here. I have some armed men with me.'

  Peter opened the door, and the Inspector entered the battle ground.

  'Is there just this man here or are
their others?' The Inspector asked me.

  'There is at least one person on the roof who may be dead or severely injured. Beyond that, I don't know.'

  'I have sent some of my officers onto the roof so they will deal with anything up there.'

  Just then a policeman stuck his head through the roof light. 'There is one critically injured man up here Inspector what should we do with him?'

  'I will telephone and arrange for two ambulances to be sent here, and they will take them both to the hospital. Can you take him down from the roof for me?'

  'Can you organize for the fire brigade to take him down off the roof as we won't be able to manhandle him to the ground? He is quite severely injured and is a large man.'

  'I'll call emergency services and get them to do the organizing. Get him close to the edge of the roof where the fire brigade can pick him up.'

  'Will do.' The head vanished from the opening, and they went about moving the injured man on the roof.

  The Inspector tried to talk to the wounded man on the floor but got no answers. From his mutterings, he was clearly a Cockney, but he wouldn't give his name or any other details. I tied a tourniquet on his leg to stem the bleeding. From the oaths of the man on the roof, he was probably an Italian.

  Fifteen minutes later the ambulances arrived. They transferred the injured man from the floor of the room to the ambulance using a stretcher.

  'Well Vince, you win again,' the Inspector said when the ambulances had left. Your hunches are becoming legendary.'

  'I just got lucky. If I hadn't phoned Willem in Holland this evening, I wouldn't have known about the case in Amsterdam and the necklace switch would have taken place.'

  'This is a very convincing fake Inspector,' Peter Danford said as he handled the fake necklace that the first man had been carrying.

  'It was an exceedingly cunning plan that luckily went wrong. Whoever is behind this probably had a buyer for the real necklace and would have netted a small fortune.'

  'The two men that you shot this evening will be placed under guard in hospital, and I will interrogate them when they are fit enough to testify. The one on the roof seems to be Italian, but that is all I know about them at this stage.'

  'Can you please keep me informed of any developments Inspector?'

  'I certainly will Vince. We only captured the operators tonight, the brains of the operation is still out there planning the next robbery.'

  'I am going to head home if I can get a taxi. Goodnight Inspector.' I said as I shook his hand.

  'Can you drop me off on the way Vince as it is going to be extremely difficult getting even one taxi at this time of the morning?' Peter said.

  It was about half an hour before we managed to flag down an empty taxi that was looking for business and not on their way home after a night on duty.

  By the time that Peter had been dropped off, and I reached my home in Putney it was nearly 5.30am. I crept into the house and went to bed. Despite the adrenaline still pumping, I was soon asleep.

  Chapter 7

  I never heard my wife, Daphne, getting up and I suspect that she gave a warning to the kids that I wasn't to be disturbed. I had only fallen asleep at around 5.30am after my night in the auction house. My mobile phone rang waking me from a deep sleep around midday.

  'Hello, Vince Hamilton here,' I said in a sleepy voice.

  'It's Alan Shaw's secretary here; can you take a call from him?'

  'Thank you; yes, I can speak to him.'

  There was a pause as she transferred the call.

  'Good afternoon Vince, I trust that I am not waking you. I believe you had a late night, or more accurately, an early morning.'

  'Your call has, in fact, woken me up, but it was probably about time that I rejoined the world.'

  'I want to congratulate you on what happened here last night. Peter Danford has filled me in on how your prompt action saved us from losing an extremely valuable necklace.'

  'Thank you Alan, I was extremely fortunate in the way that it all worked out. I telephoned a diamond dealer friend of mine in Rotterdam about another case that I am working on, and in the course of the conversation he told me about a similar situation that had occurred ten years previously in Amsterdam. I immediately put two and two together and made six!'

  'It was an extraordinarily cunning plan that the thieves had come up with,’ Peter continued. ‘My staff do not have the level of expertise required to tell the difference between a real diamond necklace and a very convincing fake.'

  'I would never have believed that somebody could make a fake necklace so quickly and to such a high standard,’ I replied. ‘I am just glad that we discovered what was going on.'

  'Many thanks again Vince, if I have any other similar problem in the future I know who to call on. I will also pass on your name to my business friends.'

  'Thank you for phoning me Alan.' The phone went dead, and I thought about getting up.

  As soon as I finished the call my mobile buzzed indicating that there was a message. On checking, I found that Inspector Baird had been trying to phone me. He had left a voice message, asking me to phone him back.

  'Baird,' a gruff voice answered.

  'It's Vince here Inspector.'

  'Good afternoon Vince. I hope that my message didn’t wake you up.'

  'No, I was talking to Alan Shaw of Alexanders when you left your message.'

  'I imagine that he is pleased with how it all turned out last night.'

  'Yes; he phoned me to congratulate and thank me for preventing the thieves getting away with the diamond necklace.'

  'You did a remarkable job last night Vince and prevented a major theft.'

  'I am sure that you didn't phone me to congratulate me Inspector. Is there something else?'

  'You are getting to know me too well Vince. There is something very important that I want to discuss with you. Can you meet me at around 7.00pm this evening in the King's Head pub in Parsons Green? That’s the bar that we met in before.'

  'I can come to your office before that if you want as I have nothing planned for the rest of the day.'

  'I haven't been to bed yet Vince, so I want to go home and get a few hours' sleep before I meet you.'

  'Can you tell me how the two guys that I shot are?'

  'I don't know at this moment, but I will find out and tell you this evening when we meet in the King's Head.'

  'I'll see you later Inspector. Have a good sleep.'

  Seven o'clock saw me entering the main bar of the King's Head pub. There was no sign of the Inspector. I ordered a beer and sat down in a quiet corner away from the crowd of evening drinkers.

  Fifteen minutes later the Inspector came rushing in and joined me.

  'Good evening Vince. Sorry, I am late but I got caught up in the rush hour traffic.'

  'No problem Inspector, I have been sitting here having a quiet pint and relaxing. Can I get you a drink?'

  'I'll have half a pint of Carling thanks.'

  Once we were both settled down with our beers in hand he leant across the table so as he would be able to speak to me without having to raise his voice.

  'I will firstly update you on the state of the two men that you shot last night. They are both still alive and conscious, but they are not terribly communicative. I will leave them alone for today and try and talk to them again tomorrow.'

  'Have you come across either of them before Inspector?'

  'The guy who came through the skylight is a well-known safecracker called Reggie Martin. He is one of the best in the business and is expensive to hire.'

  'Is he a local or where does he come from?'

  'He lives in the East End but has been connected with jobs all over the country. We have been after him for a long time as we know that he was involved in a number of major thefts, but we haven't been able to prove it.'

  'What about the guy on the roof who fired at me.'

  'I haven't come across him before, but he is unquestionably Italian, and, accordi
ng to the doctor who treated him, he only speaks a smattering of English. I have sent a mug shot of him to the Italian police to see if they have him on file.'

  'I am immensely relieved that I didn't kill either of them, even if they did attack me.'

  'Let me get onto the topic that I brought you here for Vince.' The Inspector drank a large mouthful of beer. 'We have been investigating a syndicate that we believe to include a number of Italians. They are stealing expensive and exclusive cars, but are highly professional, and we have been unable to catch them. They are always one step ahead of us.'

  'You are certain that the people behind it are Italian?'

  'We are reliably informed that the brains behind the operation are Italian, and, in fact, we suspect they are associated with the Mafia; however, the people they use to steal the cars are local petty criminals. The cars just vanish, and we suspect that they are being shipped out of the country in some way.'

  'How many cars are you talking about?'

  'About two or three are taken a month. They have a total value of around four hundred thousand pounds plus per month.'

  'How can they possibly do that without getting caught?'

  'That's a darned good question Vince and one that I would like the answer to. This whole scene started about four months ago, and we are no closer to finding the culprits.'

  'It's intriguing that the person who was on the roof is also an Italian. Do you think that there might be a connection between the attempted theft of the diamond necklace and the cars?' I asked.

  'Well Vince, I don't believe in coincidences. So I am starting to believe that there just might be a connection.'

  'My next question to you is; why are you telling me about this Inspector?'

  ‘I have a suspicion that there is somebody in the police network who is leaking information. I want you involved because I trust you and I know that it won’t get back to whoever is in charge. I am not worried about the men on the beat or the technical staff I am just worried about my fellow officers.’

  ‘I don’t mind helping you out if you think that I can help.’

  'We've worked well together in the past Vince. The fact that we are both ex-military men seems to make us think alike. I trust your hunches just as much as I trust my own. If you have some time available in the next few weeks, I would like to get you involved.'