Curse of Thieves: Another Major Vince Hamilton Investigation

by Patricki Slaney

  'What I will do is to go away and think about what you have told me. I will also telephone Inspector Baird of Hampstead CID and see if he has any suggestions. If the police are involved in this investigation, it would obviously be crucial not to go to the expense of duplicating their efforts.'

  'So do you think that I will hear from you tomorrow?'

  'I'll give you a call around this time tomorrow morning. Hopefully, I will have some suggestions.'

  'I look forward to hearing from you tomorrow then Vince. Thank you for coming in to see me.'

  We both stood up and headed for the door. He shook my hand, and I walked through the showroom and out into John's Wood. The salesman that I had met when I had arrived gave me a beaming smile when he saw me; perhaps he had just sold a car.

  On the tube home, I digested the information that I had been given. A plan was starting to form in my mind based on the experience that I had gained in using tracking devices on boats. The problem was that I couldn't put a tracking device on every luxury car in London so how would I make sure that the thieves stole a car fitted with one.

  When I arrived home, I rustled up some lunch and then phoned Inspector Baird to get his input.

  'Hi Vince; many thanks for getting back to me so quickly.' He sounded in good form and not his usual gruff self.

  'I want to pick your brains Inspector based on your involvement in the car theft case for the last few months.'

  'As long as you understand that it is a dangerous exercise to delve into my brain, go ahead.'

  'Clive Newsome outlined the method to me that is being used by the thieves when they steal the cars. I must say that I was impressed with the level of technology being used by the criminals,' I continued. ‘They can even purchase the kit on the internet.’

  'The fact that the process is so quick and discrete has made it impossible for us to get to the scene before the car has disappeared,' the Inspector said

  'If we can't stop the theft taking place then we are going to have to put tracking devices in the cars,' I added.

  'I've obviously thought of that Vince, but I haven't come up with a way of getting private owners to fit a device just in case they are the unlucky ones who have their vehicle taken. Human nature being what it is, the owners never believe that it will be their pride and joy that is stolen.'

  While he was talking to me, I had an idea.

  'Are you a fisherman Inspector?'

  'I used to be quite a keen fisherman when I was a younger man. I haven't had the time in the last few years. Why do you ask?'

  'Well, when you are trying to catch a fish you throw the bait out in the vicinity of the fish and hope they will take it. You can't see the fish; you just have to rely on the fact that they will be looking for food and, with a bit of luck, they will take your bait.'

  'So you are suggesting that we place tracking devices on a number of cars, leave them in the areas we know that the thieves operate in, and hope that they take one.'

  'That's exactly what I am suggesting. We can ask Clive Newsome to supply us with four or five different makes of cars. Perhaps, the models they have been stealing most often. We fit them with trackers and park them in strategic places. We then hope the thieves decide to steal one of them.'

  'In the absence of any other solution it sounds like a good suggestion. I would be able to supply the tracking devices and organize for the cars to be monitored on a twenty-four hour basis.'

  'Can you please make sure that your men won't make an arrest, without receiving a direct order from you? We need to follow the vehicles until they leave the country and even beyond.'

  'With the resources that I have available to me we should be able to keep an eye on the cars without having to move in and make arrests.'

  'That's great; I will give Clive Newsome a call tomorrow morning and tell him what we have in mind. If he agrees, then we will execute the plan.'

  'Phone me tomorrow Vince with an update. Let's hope the fishing plan works.'

  I hit the red button and terminated the call, feeling in high spirits.

  I telephoned Daphne in Maidstone and agreed to travel down to see them that evening. It was only just over an hour on the train that I could take from Victoria. She sounded excited that I was taking the time out to see her and the kids.

  I left my notebook and thoughts behind, bought an evening paper and relaxed on the five o’clock train to Maidstone. The family came to the station to meet me, and we walked back to her parents' house, the two children chattering away bringing me up to date with their news. Too soon the evening was over, and it was time to get the train back to London. Refreshed from my excursion, I felt totally invigorated for the day ahead.

  .

  Chapter 13

  The first task on my list for Thursday morning was to talk to Clive Newsome to outline my plan to him and get his approval.

  I telephoned him on his office phone which was answered by the receptionist. She put me through.

  'Good morning Vince. I have been looking forward to your call. I hope that you have good news for me.'

  'I don't know about good news, but I have a possible plan I want to suggest to you.'

  'I had better keep quiet then and allow you to talk.'

  'My suggestion is that we get hold of three luxury cars of the make and type that are most often the targets of the thieves. We fit them with sophisticated tracking devices and then park them in areas of London that are high risk. With a bit of luck and a fair wind at least one of them will be stolen.'

  'That sounds like a great idea. What's the next step?'

  'The police will monitor the cars twenty-four hours a day, and, if one is stolen, it will be followed. We then should be able to find out where they are being taken. The police monitoring centre will track the vehicle until it leaves the UK and beyond if necessary.'

  'Will they recover the car back as soon as it is located?' Clive Newsome asked.

  'No, it is imperative that they don't as we need to find out the full route that the car is taken on after it is stolen. There may be quite a chain of people and locations involved.'

  'I like the plan Vince, and it possibly could work. I take it that you want me to arrange the cars. I should be able to get hold of at least two of the vehicles by Saturday.'

  'I will ask the Inspector if he can arrange to have the tracking devices fitted to the cars next Monday. We can then commence our 'fishing expedition' on Tuesday.'

  'Vince, will you please tell the Inspector to call me late on Friday, and I will give him the location of the cars. Let's hope that your plan works, and we can start getting to grips with these car thefts.'

  'I am feeling extremely confident that we have a workable plan, primarily because we have the resources of the Metropolitan police working with us.'

  'Are you going to be around till next Monday just in case something goes wrong, or I need to clarify something?'

  'I am afraid not. I am due to fly to Nice on Saturday for a meeting in Cannes the following day and will be away three days in total. I will have my mobile on international roaming so you can call me if there is a problem. Other than that, you can liaise with the Inspector.'

  'I'll see you next Tuesday then. Have an enjoyable time in Cannes.' He put the phone down.

  I telephoned Inspector Baird to let him know that our plan was up and running. I also wanted to ask him if he could get the tracking devices fitted the following Monday. He agreed to install the devices on Monday and to launch the project on the Tuesday.

  Everything was now in place to try and snare the car thieves; all we required was for them to swallow one of our baited cars and lead us to their lair.

  I made myself a cup of coffee and sat down at the table in the kitchen with my diary to do some thinking. An idea had come into my head, which needed checking out. I had the dates when the motor yachts had been stolen from Cannes, and I wanted to see if there was any pattern in the thefts.

  On checking, I found out that the boats
had been stolen on a Friday evening. Also, there was a gap of about three weeks to a month between each theft. Using this information to predict the next theft, I was reasonably confident that they wouldn’t strike again for another week. The other thought I had was that the brains behind the boat thefts now knew that there was a tracking device on board. They would search the boat until they found and disabled it. The way around this problem was to fit a second device. One of them would be placed in a location where it would be easy to find, and the other would need to be well hidden so as it wouldn’t be discovered.

  When the first transponders had been fitted to the boats, I hadn't made a point of insisting that the crews weren't on board during the installation process. Based on what had happened to the Splendiferous, it would be essential to ensure that the crews didn't know where on the yacht the devices had been installed. In fact, it might be a good idea if they viewed the installation of the device we wanted the thieves to find so as they could tell them where it was if interrogated. We wanted the first device to be found so as they would think that they had found the tracking device and wouldn’t search any further for the second.

  When the next motor yacht was stolen, as undoubtedly it would be, I would not go chasing after it and scare them off as I had done in Sete. I would just get Willem to follow the stolen boat on his computer and, hopefully, we would eventually find out where the destination was.

  By lunchtime, I had sorted everything out in my mind and felt that I had a solid plan in place to catch the boat thieves and also the criminals who were taking the luxury cars.

  I rang a friend of mine and arranged to play golf with him on the Friday. Before the explosion in Iraq, I had been able to play off a handicap of twelve, but I hadn't played much recently and only struggled around in the nineties. The exercise did me good, and the fresh air cleared my head of all thoughts of the gang that I was up against.

  As I was putting out on the eighth green, my mobile rang. It was Freddie Shuttleworth confirming the meeting with the owners’ group for Sunday. Later in the round I received a call from Inspector Baird letting me know that he had been given a list of the luxury cars that were being supplied for the 'fishing exercise'. He also confirmed that he would have the first two ready by Monday evening. He would also provide the drivers.

  Everything was falling into place, and I could set off for Cannes, knowing that progress was being made.

  My flight to Nice via Amsterdam was uneventful, and I picked up a hire car that I had booked at the airport without any problems. I parked the car in Cannes and checked into the hotel.

  At 7.00pm, the receptionist called my room to let me know that Nick Knowles was waiting for me downstairs. I had told him that I would take him to a restaurant for dinner, and he should come and get me at the hotel at seven. We went to the Le Dauphin, the same pizza restaurant that Willem and I had gone to on our previous visit to Cannes. With our food in front of us, I started to pick his brain.

  'Did you have any idea Nick that the next boat to be stolen could be Splendiferous?'

  'I have thought about that since it was nicked, but I have drawn a blank. There was no prior indication or warning.'

  'Do you think that it was because there were only two crew members on board?'

  'Most of the other motor yachts in the hundred-foot size range only have two members of crew and, in fact, most have only one.

  'Was the alarm on?'

  'It wouldn't have been on as the crew were on board.'

  'Where was the boat moored on the quay? Was it close to the exit into the Med?

  'It was moored at around the midpoint of the quay.'

  'It was a Friday night when the Splendiferous was stolen; the other boats were also stolen on a Friday night. Have you any idea why they would pick a Friday?

  'A lot of the owners come to their boats for the weekend. They often leave during the night, so there is a considerable amount of boat movements on a Friday night.'

  'I have worked out that there is a strong possibility that there could be another boat theft next Friday night, but I don't want to prevent the theft, I want it to escape into the Mediterranean so as I can track it. I have to find out where they are going.'

  'I thought that you knew that they were being taken to Sete.' Nick had a look of surprise on his face.

  'They probably won’t use Sete again as we know about their operation there, but I am convinced that they were altering the Splendiferous in some way; paint job, different name etc., before they moved it further down the chain. They will now need to do the alterations somewhere else.'

  'So Sete wasn't the final destination?'

  'No, it was just a staging post. Also, as I said, they are unlikely to use Sete again since their hiding place has been discovered.'

  'Do you know the destination of the next one?'

  'The simple answer to that is No.'

  'Do you still want me to check the crews every night?'

  'Yes; nothing must change to arouse their suspicions. We don't know if they have someone based ashore in Cannes and perhaps even living on one of the boats. We must keep everything as is, to save arousing any suspicions.'

  'Is there anything else you need me to do? Nick asked.

  'No just continue to do what you have been doing for the time-being. I would like to accompany you this evening when you do your rounds of the boats.'

  'Well, it's now 9.15pm so I will be doing my rounds in forty-five minutes. Will that be all right?'

  'Do you always check the boats at the same time?'

  'Yes, at 10.00pm or shortly afterwards. The crews are all still up at 10.00. If I call later, the crews are often in bed.'

  'Well, tonight let's do it at 11.00pm just to be different. I will meet you on the quay, beside the Casino, just before eleven.'

  I paid the bill, and we left the restaurant. Nick went back to his apartment, and I returned to the hotel.

  At exactly eleven o'clock, I was at the specified meeting place. Nick was already there when I arrived.

  The first thing that I noticed was that the quay was exceedingly dark, and also, not every luxury yacht had their stern lights on.

  'So what do you do now Nick?'

  'I have a total of fifteen boats that I have to check, but some of those have the owners on board tonight, so I won't have to check them.'

  'I thought that there were only eight boats in the owners’ group?'

  'After the last theft a number of other owners joined the group, so they were added to my list.'

  'Freddie Shuttleworth didn't mention that to me. It must have slipped his mind.'

  I was annoyed. How could they have added another six boats without telling me? I wondered had they fitted tracking devices. If they hadn't, then they weren't being tracked by Willem.

  'You will meet the new owners tomorrow, and they will probably explain what has happened.' Nick added.

  'I'll stay on the quay and watch you.'

  We came to the first boat on his list and Nick went on board the boat. A head appeared, and Nick talked for a few minutes and then returned to where I was standing.

  'That's all in order. I never have a problem with him as he is one of the more reliable guys,' Nick said when he rejoined me.

  We moved along the quay to another boat where he repeated the process. At the fourth boat, we checked he didn't get any response. I could see him knocking on various portholes and doors, but there was still no response.

  He came back to me on the quay,

  'I can't get any response from this one. There doesn't seem to be anyone on board.'

  'Do you have a mobile number for a member of the crew?'

  'Yes, I do. I'll phone him.'

  Nick moved to where there was better light and made a call on his mobile. He obviously got who he was looking for as I saw him getting quite excited with whoever he was talking to.

  He finished the call and came over to me.

  'I got hold of Mark, who is the leader of the cre
w of this boat. He said that he waited for me at 10.00pm, but, when I didn't arrive, he went back to meet his friends at the bar.'

  'You see, he was used to you coming around at the same time every night. Chances are that he returned to the bar after you had checked on him.'

  'I'm sorry about that; I didn't think they would go out of their way to deceive me.'

  'Nick, unfortunately, they will get away with what they can get away with.'

  'I have learnt my lesson now and will surprise them in the future.'

  'Let's continue with the rest of the boats on your list.'

  We checked another eight boats. He assured me that any that we hadn't checked had the owners on board.

  At the last of the boats that we needed to check, I nearly suffered from my lack of vigilance. We were now close to the end of the quay, beside the exit from the port into the Mediterranean. Nick went aboard to find the crew, and I was watching what he was doing. For some reason, I looked down and saw a shiny one Euro coin lying on the ground beside the start of the gangplank. I bent down to pick it up, not knowing that my action would save my life. As I bent down, I heard the crack of a rifle and a bullet smashed into the stern of the boat I was beside, at head height.

  I threw myself to the ground and crawled behind a stack of crates. A second bullet nicked the crates close to my head. I needed my Glock, which was, unfortunately, in England. I saw Nick come towards me.

  'Stay down Nick,' I shouted.

  He dived to the deck and vanished out of sight.

  The next thing that I heard was a police car siren, and I saw blue flashing lights heading in our direction. Presumably I was safe as the gunman wouldn't shoot again and give away his position to the police. I had been exceptionally lucky. If somebody hadn't dropped a recently minted one Euro coin, which was bright and shiny, I would now be dead. I heard a powerful motorbike roar off.

  'I think that you're safe Nick,' I called out to him.

  'What was that all about,' he asked as he joined me on the quay.