'Can we head back to the hotel now?' Reggie asked.
'I think that would be an excellent idea, and Dragan, you can spend the rest of the weekend with your parents. I will give you what you have earned and the money for your flight back to Sofia.'
'Thank you; it has been fascinating working with you, and my English has also improved.'
'Let's all go back to the hotel and we can say our goodbyes.' Dragan had been a great help, and I would miss his company. In fact, he had been a lot more useful than Reggie and had been a positive addition to our team.
I paid Dragan, and he left us to go to his home. I then booked two seats on the earliest flight back to London for Reggie and I. It was a Wizz Air flight that would leave Varna for London's Luton airport at 14.05 on Sunday afternoon. We would arrive at 15.45, recovering the two hours we had lost travelling in the other direction. Bulgaria was two hours ahead of England.
'Let's find a restaurant overlooking the sea and grab some lunch,' I suggested. 'We have earned it, and we have a day to waste before we can go home.
Chapter 11
Varna was a beautiful city to walk in and we passed many large and impressive buildings, including a magnificent cathedral. There was a more Eastern European look to the place than Western. After about twenty minutes walking there was still no sign of the coast, we were still in the midst of the city lost in a jungle of buildings. I went up to the first car in a line of taxis and asked to be taken to a good restaurant overlooking the sea. Surprisingly the driver drove for about ten minutes before he pulled up in front of a Hotel called the Sirius Beach. I was glad that we had taken a taxi and had not walked as we had come quite a few miles.
‘Sir, best for food,’ the taxi driver said in faltering English.
I paid him and we entered the hotel, following the signage to the restaurant where we were shown to a table with a magnificent panoramic view over the Black Sea and the local beach. The beach was populated with tables plus parasols and sun loungers - very touristy but smart and upmarket.
'This looks a fantastic place for a holiday Vince,' Reggie remarked.
'Dragan told me that Varna is a big holiday destination and during the summer months the population of the city triples,' I replied. There're not many tourists here yet and the beach is relatively empty.’
'On the way here in the taxi we passed a large Casino. I suppose it is run by the same mob that controls all the rest of the criminal activity around here?' Reggie suggested.
'Sitting here looking out over the sea it’s difficult to imagine that there is a significant criminal community operating in the area. It looks so peaceful.'
The waiter came and handed us menus which we studied for a few minutes. Fortunately, the menus were in English, so we had no problem working out what we wanted to eat. There was also a wine list which listed a lot of local wines, plus some expensive imports. I had no idea how good the local wine was as I had never sampled a Bulgarian vintage. I decided to chance a local white wine called Karatsuba.
'Should we not have reported the fact that the stolen motorbikes were being loaded on the Batumi ferry to the local police?' Reggie inquired after our starters had been placed in front of us and we each had a full glass of wine in front of us.
'I thought about it,' I replied. 'There was a police post at the port, but I remembered what Dragan said about the police being in cahoots with the mobs. I reckoned that it was too dangerous to approach them.'
'Surely they couldn't have done anything to us in broad daylight.' Reggie sounded incredulous.
'The three of us could have been taken away and locked up without anybody raising a finger to help us,’ I suggested. ‘I was particularly mindful that Dragan's life as a student could have been ruined by being arrested.'
''I don't believe you, Vince. You're talking about what happened in Chicago in the 1930's. That couldn't happen here in 2008.'
'You’re probably right Reg, but I wasn't willing to take a risk. I will contact Inspector Baird from the hotel this evening and bring him up to date. It will then be up to him to decide what to do. We have done our bit by finding out what is happening to the bikes when they arrive in Bulgaria. We are not paid to get our heads blown off.'
'Do you think that the Inspector can do anything?' Reggie asked. 'Will he not come up against the same corrupt police as we would have?'
'He will be able to operate through Interpol. With the information that we have found out, he can now make a much better case. He can also move in on the gangsters involved at the London end.'
'So can we say that this particular case is closed?'
'Yes Reg, as far as we are concerned, we can focus on the stolen cars now.'
We finished an excellent meal, took one last look at the magnificent view outside the window of the restaurant and headed for the door, feeling very relaxed.
It had been a very pleasant meal, with a few glasses of wine. The last thing on my mind was the Georgian Mafia. We ordered a taxi at reception and went outside to wait for it. Reggie and I were still deep in conversation and not taking any notice of what was going on around us. We were in a world of our own.
We automatically stepped back as a black Mercedes S600 pulled up right in front of us. Three men got out of the car and grabbed us. We were bundled into the back of the Merc and held in a vice-like grip. It only took a few seconds to get us into the car. What the hell was going on?
‘What are you doing and who are you?' I found it difficult to speak with my head forced down towards the floor.
'Keep quiet or we will hurt you,' a voice with a thick eastern European accent ordered.
I could sense that the car was going quite fast. I suppose it being a Saturday there was little traffic to slow them down.
It wasn't long before the car stopped and we were dragged out. From what I could see, we appeared to be at the warehouse where we had been that morning. The place where the motorbikes had been stored.
They frog-marched us inside, took our mobile phones off us and threw us into a dark room. They left us, and we heard the sound of the lock being engaged. We were captives with no way out.
'I'm sorry Reg I have been a bloody fool. I was lulled into a false sense of security. I assumed if we hadn't had any contact with the criminals who stole the motorbikes that they mustn't know we were after them.'
'Don't worry Vince; I am as much to blame as you. We should have been on our guard until we got out of Varna.'
'It's too late now to regret that we weren’t watchful Reg,’ I added. ‘I suspect we have been picked up by the Georgian mob.'
They hadn't taken our watches so at least we knew what the time was.
At 7.15pm the three men returned.
One of them asked in fluent English; 'which of you is the leader?'
'I am,' I answered.
'You will come with us.' They put cable ties around my wrists and took me out to the car. This time, they put a bag over my head before forcing my head to the floor. I couldn't work out where we were going. All I could hear was traffic noise.
We stopped after about half-an-hour, I sensed the car remained stationary for around thirty seconds, and then started moving again. I presumed that we had just driven through the gate of the property. I was correct in my assumption as we stopped a little while later.
They kept the bag over my head as they led me into the house. I sensed being guided to a large room.
A voice with an authoritative tone to it gave an order in a foreign language I presumed was Georgian. The bag was removed from my head. I was in a large, expensively decorated room. A distinguished-looking grey-haired man was standing quite close to me. He looked to me to be in his sixties although he was in excellent physical shape. He was dressed in a grey pair of trousers with a pale grey kaftan style shirt draped over his shoulders. He looked very distinguished.
'What is your name?' he fired at me.
'It is Vince Hamilton.' I didn't think that giving him my military title would be advi
sable.
'Why have you been spying on us since you arrived in Varna? I have also been told that you were looking for a motorbike in Pernik. Please explain to me.'
I decided to tell the truth but not to mention that I was working for the English police.
'I am a private investigator and was employed by the owner of the Harley Davison motorbike that was stolen in London to try and get his bike back. I traced the bike to Varna.'
'So you have found the motorbike, what are you going to do now?'
'There is nothing more that I can do. In fact, I have booked to return to London tomorrow as I see no way of recovering the bike. As you know, it is presently on a ferry to Georgia and is gone for good. I cannot do anymore.'
'It sounds as if you have taken a very sensible decision. If you had gone on the ferry, we would have eliminated you and your colleague.'
'I came to that conclusion myself, and that is why we decided to return to London tomorrow on the first available flight.'
'Who is the other man that is with you and is now being held at the warehouse?'
'He is a friend who helps me out by doing some of the travelling for me.'
'Well, you need to change your friend. He gave you away immediately by asking stupid questions when he was conducting his search in Pernik. You can tell him that he is lucky to be alive.'
'Why did you kidnap us?' I asked him.
''I had to find out why you were here. If you were from the British Police, I would have to treat you differently. Having listened to your answers, I feel that you do not present a long-term threat to me. I will tell my men to let you and your friend go. You are lucky I am a reasonable man.'
'Thank you, I appreciate it.' I was genuinely relieved and amazed at the course of events.
'Finally, tell me who the third man is. He was with you in Pernik and accompanied you on the plane to Varna?'
'He is just a student who I met on the street outside the University in Pernik. He acted as my translator and has now gone to his home.'
'So he is not a member of any of the security services.'
'No, as I said, he is just a student who I recruited to help me.'
'I want to give you a final warning Mr Hamilton,' the gangster boss continued. ‘If I find you on my patch again, at any time in the future; I think you already know what will happen to you.' He prodded my chest as he said this. He then barked out orders in his native tongue to his men.
They put the bag over my head and allowed me to walk out to the car. They did remove the cable ties from around my wrists so it was a lot more comfortable.
Back at the warehouse, Reggie was very glad to see me. He was, even more, ecstatic when he learnt that we were being released.
They didn't bother with the bags over our heads when we went out to the Mercedes. I suppose they reckoned that we already knew where the warehouse was, and there was no risk.
As we walked into the hotel, I suggested to Reggie that we go for a beer. He gladly accepted as he had been very shaken by the experience. As we drank our beer, I filled him in on what had transpired at my meeting with the big boss. I didn't tell him what the boss had said about him blundering around and giving himself away.
'So what you are saying Vince is that we were close to getting blown away by the mob.'
'That's right Reg; if I had told them that we were representing the police, he would have had us killed.'
'What is incredible is that we didn't know that they were observing us,' Reggie added.
'They must have eyes everywhere. I was so naïve,' I said in an apologetic tone of voice.
'What about Dragan? They would have seen him with us.'
'I was asked about him and just said that he was a student who I had paid to help us as a translator. He seemed happy enough with that explanation.'
'Surprisingly; the man you met sounds as if he was quite reasonable?'
'Once he realised that I was a Private Investigator he became a lot more pleasant. He didn't see me as a threat. We were very lucky they didn't just shoot us.'
Reggie said that he was going to have a wander around the city to see the old buildings lit up. I went to my room to update the Inspector and phone my wife. I needed to let her know when I would be home. I decided not to telephone Dragan to let him know what had happened. There was no need to alarm him. After the calls, I went downstairs to have a few more beers. Reggie joined me in the bar when he returned from his walk.
Chapter 12
Thankfully, the rest of our time in Varna was uneventful, and we boarded our flight to London's Luton airport at 2.00pm on Sunday as planned. I was going through the door at home at six o'clock.
Not unexpectedly, I received a frosty reception from Daphne. The kids were watching TV in their rooms.
'How are things dear since I have been away?' I said with a forced cheerfulness.
'Oh they're OK I suppose. Michael and Victoria are upset because you didn't make an effort to get home to take them out. They go back to school, following their half term break, tomorrow.'
My cheerfulness vanished.
'Well, I came home as soon as I could once I got my business wrapped up. There wasn't an earlier flight, and I was down on the Black Sea coast at a place called Varna.' I wasn't going to tell her that I had been imprisoned by the Georgian Mafia and, in fact, was lucky to get home at all.
'Did you find what you were looking for?'
'We did, but the stolen motorbikes were transferred to a ferry going to Georgia, and we weren't able to follow them.'
'I'm delighted that you didn't put yourself in danger by travelling on the ferry with the bikes. As far as I can remember, you nearly got killed when you followed a stolen luxury car on a ferry to Greece.' I was amazed she remembered.
'No, I had no intention of getting on another boat where I could be trapped with no possible way of escape. I am learning Daphne, and I do listen to you.'
'I wish that you would listen to me enough to give up playing around as a Private Investigator. You did promise me you would stop and retire gracefully to care for your family.'
I was now getting irritated.
'I am trying and have already reduced my involvement significantly. I will also use Reggie more and more as he learns the tricks of the trade which will minimise the amount of time I have to spend away.'
'We'll see Vince, time will tell. You can make yourself useful by pouring us each a glass of wine. I need to cook the dinner so until it is ready; you can go and talk to the kids.'
I did as I was told and went up to speak to Victoria, taking my wine with me. Having listened to all her news, I moved into Michael's room and heard what he had been up to. I found it a lot easier to talk to my children than I did to my wife. They were less accusatory and demanding.
After dinner, I decided that I had better get in touch with Carol as I hadn't talked to her since she got back from her visit to her husband in Melbourne. Her father answered the phone. He confirmed to me that Carol had indeed returned safely from Australia and was presently taking Brian and Alex back to their boarding school in Tonbridge. They had to be back at school by eight o'clock tonight. I left a message with the boys' grandfather stating that I would come and see Carol at 10.30am the following morning. I had already made an appointment to see Chief Inspector Baird at two o’clock. I decided, for my sanity, that I would not inform my wife of my Monday meetings. I didn't want another lecture.
I also contacted Reggie and told him to meet me outside Hampstead police station tomorrow just before two.
I got up early the following morning and went with Michael to his school on the tube. I was relieved when he told me that he was looking forward to meeting his classmates. The bullying was at an end, and he was enjoying school. When we got off the train at the Underground station closest to his school, I said goodbye to him and went down to the Eastbound platform. He preferred to walk with his best friend and didn’t really want me around. From there I took the tube into the city.
After a stop for coffee on the way, I arrived at Carol's house a bit early.
She opened the door looking very sprightly and with a smile on her face.
'Come in Vince and thank you for fitting me into your busy schedule this morning.'
'I got back from Bulgaria yesterday, and I didn't have anything on until this afternoon so I decided it might be a good idea to visit you this morning.'
'I am delighted that you came as I have a lot to tell you. Would you like a cup of coffee?'
'I will have one if you are having one. I stopped off on my way and went into a Costa Coffee shop at the Embankment station as I had some time to kill.'
'I'll make a pot anyway and you can have some if you want.' She busied herself in the kitchen. No instant for Carol I noticed, she used a sophisticated looking percolator.
'Where are your parents?' I asked her.
'They went home this morning; so we are on our own Vince as Nick is at school.'
Did she give me that piece of information for a reason? I would have to be careful about keeping her at a distance and not allowing the conversation to stray into emotional areas. The two of us on our own in the house was a risk. I was also emotionally damaged after the conversation that I had with Daphne last night. Carol appreciated what I was doing for her and her family, which made me feel wanted. She also didn't set restrictions on what I got up to. I realized that I was becoming far more relaxed in her presence than I was with my wife. A dangerous scenario!
She brought a tray of coffee things into the living room and put it on a table beside the settee.
'OK Carol, tell me how Australia went,' I asked her.
'Well, the first thing to tell you is that you made quite an impression down there. They were full of admiration for what you did and how you kept going despite your injury. I was very proud of you. By the way, you never told me that you were badly shot up during the search for the plane.'
An African Adventure (Vince Hamilton Private Investigator Book 4) Page 10