I was flattered by her attention and it did something for me when she hugged and kissed me. She was a very attractive woman and I was a red blooded male. If the situation arose, I might be tempted so I must make sure that the occasion didn’t arise. If necessary, I would have to talk to her and tell her that I was not interested in an affair or a long term relationship.
With less investigative work I had more time on my hands so I must follow-up my interest in getting involved in some charity work to absorb some of that time. My desire was to volunteer to work with a Rehabilitation organisation that was helping young drug addicts. Having met Rod Charlesworth in Melbourne, and seen the great work that he was doing, I had promised myself that I would get involved when I got back to the UK. To date, I had done nothing about it. I took an immediate decision to find an organisation that I could help. That would give me less time on my hands, reducing the risk of getting involved with Carol.
By the time I reached her house, I had mentally sorted out my life and had a clear path mapped out. I had also taken a decision not to get involved romantically with Carol.
When she opened the door, she threw her arms around me and gave me a kiss full on the mouth. I returned her hug and then moved away from her.
‘Would you like coffee Vince while you tell me all about my son’s crazy activities?’
‘I’d love some coffee. I am starving after my early morning start.’
‘Can I make you some toast or would you like a boiled egg?’
‘Just toast would be perfect.’
A few minutes later she put the toast and coffee on the table and she sat down opposite me.
I told her the full story of her delinquent son while I ate my toast. She was very relieved that Alex was safe even if he had been foolish.
I heard a noise on the stairs and Nick came into the kitchen.
‘What are you doing at home Nick?’ I asked him. ‘Should you not be in school?’
‘With Alex going missing, Mum thought it better if I didn’t go to school today.’
‘I’ll take you there now if you want?’ I suggested.
He gave me a glare.
‘It’s too late to go in now, and Mum has told them I won’t be going in today.’
‘Your Mum spoils you, Nick.’ He smiled back at me and hung onto his mother.
‘Off you go Nick, Uncle Vince wants to finish off telling me about what Alex got up to.’
‘But I also want to hear what happened to Alex,’ Nick whined.
‘I’ll tell you later; now, off you go.’
A very reluctant Nick left us to go up to his room.
I finished telling Carol the tale of her son and how the panic was now over. I emphasised that she just had a very adventurous son who wanted to go fishing and there was nothing sinister about his disappearance.
‘I’m sorry that you had to go all that way this morning Vince. I seem to be going from one crisis to another.’
‘It was no problem and it was better that I was there when he was found otherwise the punishment might have been a lot more.’
‘Was he caned?’
‘I don’t think so, but I don’t know. There was a closed door session in the headmaster’s study that I wasn’t a party to. Alex didn’t say anything.’
‘I didn’t even know that he liked fishing.’ Carol exclaimed.
‘It was just an adventure – bunking off school and going fishing with his best friend. It’s all a bit Huckleberry Finn’ish which just happened to be the book that they were reading in English class.’
‘Anyway Carol, you will see Brian and Alex tomorrow when you go to Tonbridge to look at the house.’
‘Do you think that I should still go?’
‘Yes just pretend that nothing happened. Go and have a good day out with your boys.’
‘Please, will you come with me, Vince?’
‘I can’t Carol, I have given you a lot of my time this week and I must spend the weekend with my family.’
‘But your wife doesn’t even love you or appreciate you. She doesn’t deserve you.’ Carol raised her voice.
‘Whether she does or does not is beside the point. I will sort out whatever problems I have with Daphne in my own good time. I certainly won’t discuss it with you.’ I went into a very defensive mode as I didn’t like my shortcomings in my marriage to be discussed in the open.’
‘How do you expect me to manage without you, Vince? I need you and the boys also find you very supportive.’
‘Carol, please understand that I only helped you sort out the problems caused by Clive getting put in prison because I knew you from our days back in Rainham. I have no amorous feelings for you. You may, in fact, have interpreted my sympathy as something else because I felt emotional about your predicament.’
‘I thought that you loved me, Vince. I didn’t realise that it was just sympathy. I don’t want anybody’s pity; I can get on with my own life. I don’t need to be helped by anybody.’ Her face had become rigid and she looked as cold as ice.
‘So do you not want me to help you anymore?’ I was upset at her throwing my efforts to help her back in my face.
There was a pause as she collected herself.’
‘I am sorry Vince. I have been stupid. I greatly appreciate what you have done for the boys and me. To be honest, I was hoping that you would give me the love and touch that I am craving for. I now realise that I was dreaming and you are happily married to your wife. In fact, she is probably very jealous of as you spend so much time with me.’
‘I think she is, but she has been very supportive over the last few weeks when I have spent so much time with you.’
‘I appreciate that and perhaps you could thank her for me.’
‘I will, but I must also tell her that you will be handling the situation yourself from now on and my involvement will be minimal.’
‘I understand Vince, and again, I apologise for monopolising your time,’
‘I’ll telephone you on Sunday to see how you got on at the house in Tonbridge.’ I said as I stood up to leave. ‘Hopefully, there won’t be any further alarms over the weekend.’
She let me out and I walked to the Underground station.
I had escaped her clutches without any embarrassing incidents. Nick being at home had definitely helped. Perhaps she would leave me alone from now on.
On my way back to Putney I telephoned my wife and told her I would meet her for lunch. I needed to bring her up to date on my early morning adventure.
After an uneventful weekend, I contacted a local Drug Rehabilitation centre on Monday and made an appointment to see the head man for the following day. On the phone, he told me that they were always looking for volunteers to help in the running of the centre. He would welcome my involvement especially as I had a military background.
I had talked to Carol on the Sunday and she had told me that the boys had liked the house in Tonbridge and also that there was a firm offer on her own house in St John’s Wood. Also, she hadn’t had to drop the price to get the sale. She would get a balance of three million pounds from the sale of one house and the purchase of the other. A very satisfactory conclusion to the transactions.
My only task for the week associated with the investigation into the luxury cars was to see Reggie to brief him on what I expected from him when he arrived in Mombasa. After his poor performance in Bulgaria, I wasn’t going to take any chances. Of comfort to me was the fact that he would have one of Inspector Baird’s men with him. Between the two of them, they should be able to manage.
I also needed to make the travel arrangements for my own trip to South Africa; I planned on being there shortly after Reggie arrived in Kenya so as I could prepare for the arrival of the containers. I would also try and get a guy I knew who lived in Johannesburg to help me. His name was Dale Fortuin and I had managed to have him cleared of a murder charge in one of my previous cases. He had been shaken up by his experience, and, as far as I knew, he was still not working.
He told me that he would appreciate some paid work. A lesson I had learnt, in my first case, was not to do investigative work on my own. I needed another pair of eyes and somebody to watch my back. Dale, although inexperienced, was ideal for the role and being South African, he knew the country.
Reggie was delighted to meet me for lunch at our usual pub in Putney. The experience that he had gained in Bulgaria had proved more instructional than any words that I could say to him in a pub in London. He apparently now understood how difficult it would be once he was on the ground in Mombasa and also the inherent danger in the role I was giving him.
‘Is it likely that the containers could be going to somewhere else in Africa?’ he asked me.
‘I read that Mombasa is also the principal port for Uganda, so the containers could be going to Kampala,’ I suggested.
‘Should I hire a car in Mombasa?’ Reggie asked me.
‘Definitely, and make sure that you rent the biggest and most robust 4 x 4 that is available. If somebody tries to ram you, or stop you in some other way, you need to be able to resist.’
‘Surely they wouldn’t do that, whoever they are.’ He looked alarmed.
‘Yes, they would. It has happened to me on three or four occasions, so, to be on the safe side, make sure you get the sturdiest vehicle available.’
‘It sounds quite exciting.’ Reggie’s face lit up with the thought of what he was about to get involved in.
‘Do you have a gun Reg?’
‘I have a small pistol; what do you have?’ he asked me.
‘I have a Glock 17, which is ideal for the job as it has good stopping power. I also have a silencer for it,’ I explained.
‘I think that I will change mine to a Glock as the one I have is not that reliable. It keeps jamming.’
‘The other piece of equipment that you should take with you is an electronic listening device. When you point the device at somebody talking a few hundred metres away, you can clearly hear what they are saying. It is also possible to record what they are saying.’
‘Where can I buy the listening device?’
‘I need to get a new one for myself so I will buy one for you at the same time,’ I suggested.
‘Will I have trouble getting my gun onto the plane?’ Reggie asked me.
‘Since you are flying to a Commonwealth Country and will be with a serving police officer you should have no problem, I explained. ‘You will have to hand it in at Heathrow and then pick it up at whatever airport you land at. I will also get Detective Inspector Baird to issue you with a special permit.’
‘I’ll phone up John Griffiths and make an appointment to see him so as I can get to know him and see what he suggests.’ Reggie said.
‘That sounds like a good plan. Have you got your flight booked?’
‘Yes, we are flying out to Nairobi next Sunday evening at 19.00 hours.’
‘There is only one other thing that we need to arrange Reg.’ I said. ‘You will have to keep in touch with me to let me know how you are getting on and if you have encountered any problems.’
‘Can I not just phone you on your mobile?’
‘We are both going into Africa and there may not be a signal if we move outside the major cities,’ I explained.
‘Can we phone each other at the hotels we will be staying in?’
‘Reg, do you know the name of the hotel you will be staying at in Kenya or Uganda?’
‘I have no idea even where I will be.’ I could see the penny was starting to drop.
‘It will probably be better to use email as there is bound to be an internet connection wherever we are. I imagine that there will be Internet Cafés. All we have to do is give the telephone number of the hotel we are staying in and we can then phone each other,’ I suggested.
‘So I need to contact you by email every day at the very least,’ Reg said.
‘That’s right; if I don’t receive an email from you on a daily basis, I will assume the worst and that you are in trouble.’
‘That seems to be a good plan. I will assume the same about you if I don’t hear from you.’
Are you happy now that you know what you are doing?’ I asked Reggie.
‘Yes, I think that you have covered everything.
‘If you’re confident that you know what you are doing, I will order another pint Reg to celebrate your new role.’ I smiled to reinforce my point.
The rest of the week could be classified as a normal period in my life without any further alarms. I managed to keep Carol at a distance as there was no need for us to meet. I visited the Rehabilitation Centre in Hammersmith and got on well with the head man who went by the name of Geoff Simpson. He had also been an officer in the military having been a Captain in the Welsh Guards and was around my own age. He was quite a strong personality so it was likely that we would either get on very well or clash because we were both self-opinionated. He asked me to come in on a trial basis the following week which was fine with me as I didn’t head off for Africa until the following weekend. Geoff told me that he would expose me to various aspects of the work and introduce me to the other volunteers in the operation.
I went to Heathrow on the Sunday to see Reggie off to Mombasa. I also wanted to meet John Griffiths, the police officer travelling with him. I gave them both a final briefing before they set off stressing that they must keep in touch on a daily basis. I was delighted that they seemed a good match, and I felt confident that they would be able to cope.
‘I just hope that Reggie will be able to manage, and you won’t have to hare off to Uganda at the first sign of trouble.’ Daphne said to me as we settled down with a glass of wine after I got home.
‘They are going to have to manage on their own as I will be heading off to Johannesburg next Saturday and I won’t have time to go to their assistance,’ I replied. ‘The ship they are planning to meet will arrive in Mombasa on this coming Wednesday.’
‘Is that the same ship that will arrive in South Africa?’ Daphne asked me.
‘Yes, when it leaves Mombasa it will travel to Maputo in Mozambique, then Durban and finally East London which is a port in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa.’
‘I thought that you said that you were flying to Johannesburg?’
‘I will go their first as the company that is handling the shipment is based there. I need to see what their setup is so as I know where the cars’ final destination is.’
‘Do be careful Vince. You know what your record is like in trying to find out the finer details. You have a habit of getting ambushed and shot.’
‘Hopefully, I have learnt my lesson. I will be very careful, and I am bringing my Glock pistol with me for extra protection.’
‘Please keep in touch with me on a regular basis. You know how much I worry when you are off on one of your crazy trips.’
‘Yes dear, I will do my best.
We finished our wine and went upstairs to bed.
Chapter 19
After two weeks carrying out my fatherly duties and pottering around London, I was finally taking off into the skies over London on my way to Johannesburg. It had been a stressful few weeks at home, not because I was involved in investigative work but because I was expected to behave as a family man. I found it all very strange to be home every evening and not to have any mental or physical challenges.
Carol had behaved herself and had coped very well. She no longer expected me to spend time with her every day and be at her beck and call. I was able to keep in touch with her and solve her problems by 'phone. The distance I could now maintain between the two of us helped my conscience. A contract had been drawn up for the sale of her house in St John’s Wood, so she had been able to go ahead and purchase the house in Tonbridge.
She had already started to pack up her belongings and prepare for downsizing which was keeping her occupied.
Peter Taylor was in the final throes of selling Clive Newsome Luxury Car Sales and had managed to achieve a price of two point seven
million pounds inclusive of the stocks of cars and spare parts. The business would be maintained as a going concern. It turned out that the purchaser was Julian Curtis himself. He had evidently been looking for a new company as he wanted to hand over his existing dealership to his son Frank. The staff were delighted as they were all being kept on.
Reggie and the police officer, John Griffiths, had landed in Nairobi and had travelled on to Mombasa. The Johannes Maersk had docked and was being offloaded at this very moment. Hopefully, they would have more news for me by the time that I arrived in Johannesburg. I was going to stay at the Holiday Inn in Sandton and I had given Reggie the telephone number of the hotel so as he could leave a message for me.
I had ended up working in the drugs Rehab Centre for only four hours a day. Geoff Simpson, the Director, couldn't spend more time training me as he had his other duties to carry out. During my week with him, he suggested that when I returned from Africa, he would like me to take over the day to day running of the centre. My involvement would free him up to deal more directly with the patients. I was interested that he called the inmates patients. He explained to me that drug dependency was just like any other illness and had to be treated as such. I was looking forward to getting involved on a full-time basis when I returned in two weeks.
My relationship with Daphne had improved considerably as she saw that I was much more committed to my family. She had got quite got used to having me around and I must say that I felt less like a visitor and more like a permanent resident. The family seemed to like the new arrangement.
As I leant back and drank a glass of red wine, I felt very content. Perhaps I had at last got my life into balance.
'Are you on holiday or a business trip?' the man sitting beside me asked, bringing me back into the world.
An African Adventure (Vince Hamilton Private Investigator Book 4) Page 17