An African Adventure (Vince Hamilton Private Investigator Book 4)

by Patrick Slaney

'You're right. I was so tied up in the operational detail that it hadn't occurred to me that he must have received a tip off.'

  'If you remember, we were heading back into Sandton at around 7.50pm, when we were told that Mr Joubert was on the move. It can't have been one of his own people as the action in Midrand didn't start until ten minutes later.'

  'Whoever contacted him gave him the chance to put his well-developed escape plan into place. From then on he was playing with us. It was a very smart strategy. Keep us occupied at the front of the building while he escaped over the roofs. He had, at least, half-an-hour before we realised what had happened. Let me just check something.'

  The Inspector made a telephone call.

  'Could I please talk to the duty controller please?' He put his hand over the microphone and spoke to me.

  'I am 'phoning the air traffic controller at Lanseria airport,' he told me.

  The controller came on the line.

  'This in Chief Inspector Nel of the South African Police drugs squad, can you please tell me what flights have left Lanseria in the past hour.'

  There was silence as he got the response.

  'Thank you, that's been very useful.'

  He put the 'phone down.'

  'I am afraid that our bird has flown. A small plane took off about twenty minutes ago. The flight path was registered as being Mozambique. There was a pilot plus four passengers.'

  We sat quietly for a few minutes taking in the full impact of that piece of news.

  'Can you please take me to the Kyalami depot to see what we can rescue from there?' I asked Johan. 'With a bit of luck I will get all the cars back, and you will get the drugs.'

  'Good idea; perhaps that will reduce the depression I feel at the moment and make the failure to capture Mr Joubert less galling.'

  We left his office and went to get his vehicle.

  Chapter 26

  'Do you fancy something to eat on the way, Vince,' Johan suggested. 'I haven't eaten all day, and I'm starving.'

  'I wouldn't say no, in fact, it is an excellent idea,' I concurred.

  We stopped off at a Pizza Perfect Take-Away, which was located not far from the police station. We devoured the pizza and then continued on our journey to Kyalami.

  The excitement of the siege a thing of the past, I was in a less anxious state. Or I was until I spotted the 4 x 4 with the Eastern Cape registration plates, that I had hired in East London, parked by the side of the road. It was close to the depot on the Kyalami industrial estate.

  'Hold on a minute Johan, I think that is the vehicle that I hired from Hertz in East London. I left it parked at the Holiday Inn, Sandton,' I exclaimed. 'What the hell is it doing here?'

  Johan pulled up suddenly and reversed back to where I had seen it.

  'Yes, it is definitely the registration number of the vehicle I hired,' I confirmed.

  'How could it have got here?' the Inspector inquired.

  'I left the keys for Reggie Talbot at the Holiday Inn reception desk, so the only explanation I can come up with is that he must have driven it here, but where is he?' If his curiosity got the better of him and he came to have a look at the action, he should have been back at the hotel by now. It was over three hours since the raid on the depot. I immediately feared the worst.

  'I'll ask one of the police officers who were left here to monitor the site,' Johan suggested. 'They will know what happened and where your man is.'

  We drove to the container depot, a journey of not more than two hundred meters.

  There was still a significant police presence and no sign of any of the armed guards that had been guarding the property. An officer approached us, still wearing his protective gear.

  'Good evening Inspector, how did your end of the operation go?' The officer asked. I recognised him as being the man who had been in charge of the raid and who I had seen at the meeting we had attended at the Douglasdale police station earlier in the day.

  'We had a bit of a disaster I am afraid,' Johan replied. 'Mr Joubert had an effective escape plan, and it worked. He got away. How about here?'

  'After an initial alarm everything went perfectly, and the objective was attained without any shooting,' the officer explained.

  'What was the initial alarm,' Johan asked.

  'Just before zero-hour, a man came sauntering down the road in full view of the guards in the depot. He was dressed in body armour and was holding a pistol. One of the security men guarding the depot opened fire and hit him.'

  'Was he severely injured?' I blurted out. I knew with all certainty that the man, whose actions he was describing, must have been Reg.

  'He was hit in the right leg and also on his body armour and was losing a lot of blood. Luckily we had the medics standing by, and they took care of him until the ambulance arrived. He was then taken to Sunningdale Hospital.'

  'What happened after he was shot?' Johan inquired.

  'I decided to commence the raid immediately, so I used the megaphone to let the defenders know that they were surrounded, and they should give up before anybody else got injured or even killed.'

  'You told me earlier, on the radio, that they gave up without a fight,' Johan said.

  'That's right; they weren't interested in putting their lives in danger. It was over soon after it began.'

  'The man who was shot is a colleague of Major Hamilton,' the Inspector said. 'Can you organize for one of your men to take the Major to the hospital' He turned to address me. 'I take it, Vince, that you would like to go and see how he is.'

  'Thanks, Inspector that would be very helpful. I will probably kill him myself when I see him after what he did. What a bloody fool?'

  'It could be worse Vince,' Johan added. 'He might have been killed.'

  'If he had done as he was instructed and stayed around the hotel, none of this would have happened. His stupidity could have screwed up the whole operation.' After the initial shock of hearing that he was wounded, I was now furious.

  'Vince, they will take you back to your hotel after you are finished at the hospital,’ Johan suggested. ‘I will come and pick you up in the morning around 8.00am. It will be easier to inspect all this in daylight.'

  ‘Thanks, Johan; I will see you in the morning. I can only apologise for what Reggie Talbot did; I am just thankful that he didn't compromise the raid or get himself killed.'

  'As it turned out, no harm was done, except to his leg.' Johan smiled a tired smile.

  The hospital was only three kilometres away, so it didn't take us long to get there.

  'I'll wait for you here Sir,' the driver offered.

  'I shouldn't be too long as I don't intend staying. I'll just find out how bad his injury is and then rejoin you.'

  'No problem sir, I am not going anywhere.'

  I went into the hospital and located the information desk. There was no one on duty, but there was a 'phone that could be used.

  The person who picked up the other end told me that the casualty had been brought to the Emergency Department, and he was still there.

  I followed the signs and located the reception desk in the Emergency area which was manned.

  I explained who I was and told the lady that I would like to see Captain Reggie Talbot. Her eyes lit up, and she took a greater interest in me.

  'Sir, are you a close friend of the Captain and are here on holiday with him? I gather he is English' she asked as she looked at a form that presumably had his details on it.

  'I am a close friend,' I replied.

  'How is he going to pay us as we can't start his treatment without a deposit or confirmation from his insurance company that they will pay for him?'

  Luckily, after other trips abroad on investigations, I had insured both of us before we travelled to Africa. I was able to give the details of our medical insurance to the receptionist. She picked up her 'phone and rang the twenty-four hours helpline of the insurance company. After a bit of toing and froing, she seemed satisfied. They appeared to give her a ca
se number that she wrote down on the form.

  She placed the form in front of me and asked me to sign it. I also had to sign another document that was a commitment to pay for any disputed amounts in case the Insurance didn't cover everything. I don't know what they would have done with him if I hadn't arrived. Later I was told that he would have been dispatched to Johannesburg General, which was a public hospital.

  'So what happens now?' I inquired.

  'He will be admitted into the main part of the hospital, and they will start his treatment. You can come back and see him tomorrow around midday.' She got up and went off to tell the nursing staff that they were now able to treat Reggie. I was apparently dismissed and no longer part of the scene.

  I went outside to where my driver was waiting, and he took me back to the hotel.

  It was now close to midnight, so it was too late to start 'phoning people, like Inspector Baird in London. I needed to update all the interested parties on the state of the investigation. I did, however, call Dale on his mobile as I knew that he would be anxious to find out how the night's action had panned out. I decided to tell him that Reggie had been wounded.

  'So, does that mean that you will be leaving South Africa tomorrow?' Dale asked me.

  It all depends on how Reggie is after his operation. If he is well enough to leave, I will probably go as I want to get home.'

  'I can visit him in the hospital for you if you like,' Dale suggested. ’There is not much you can do for him during his recovery.’

  'Thanks, Dale, but I will most likely not leave tomorrow, it is better that I fly out on Monday. 'Perhaps we can meet tomorrow evening for dinner,' I suggested. 'I don't have a car at the moment as Reggie must still have the keys. It is one of the things I need to sort out tomorrow.'

  'Thanks for letting me know Vince; I appreciate it as you must be exhausted.'

  'That's fine Dale; I will contact you Sunday.'

  I suddenly felt shattered. I had been running on adrenaline which was now switching off. A long sleep was badly needed. I lay back on the bed in my clothes and immediately conked out. Waking in the early morning, I undressed, and climbed back into bed, having booked a wake-up call for 7.00am.

  The Inspector picked me up as planned and we drove to the Kyalami Container Depot. It looked entirely different in the daylight and was not the sinister and dangerous place it had been last night. My 4 x 4 was still sitting in splendid isolation on the road close-by, reminding me of what had happened to Reggie.

  'What's going to happen with your vehicle?' Johan asked me.

  'Hopefully, I will recover the keys from Reggie this morning. If not, I will get Hertz to supply another key or another 4 x 4.'

  'I'll get one of my men to sort it out for you. It will save you a lot of hassle if we get Hertz to deliver another hire car to the Sandton Holiday Inn and tell them to pick up this one.'

  'Thanks, that certainly would be a lot easier.'

  We parked outside the entrance to the depot and went to have a look at the containers that were still being processed.

  The senior police officer present gave us a guided tour.

  'This is the biggest haul of illicit drugs we have ever made,' he explained. 'It is worth millions.'

  'Have you unloaded the luxury cars yet?' I asked him.

  'No, we are concentrating on getting the drugs collected first as we want to destroy them.'

  'Do you mind if I check the cars out?' I wanted to be able to contact Julian Curtis, in London, and give them the information. It might compensate for the fact that the boss, Hansie Joubert, had escaped and was still free to conduct his trade.

  'No, you go ahead. While you are doing that, I will show the Chief Inspector the haul of drugs that we have collected.'

  It was easy to check the containers that were open; however, three of them were still sealed. When I requested, help, they opened them for me.

  I checked all the cars and found that they were all in perfect condition. No damage had been caused to them in the process of shipping them from the UK to Midrand. The containers had all been modified with brackets being welded to the floor of each container. The cars had then been fixed to these by chains so as they couldn't move. They certainly knew what they were doing.

  There was no way of taking the cars out of their temporary home as the doors couldn’t be opened fully. The containers would have to be moved to a spot where there was more space. In the meantime, they were secure and couldn't be damaged.

  When I was finished, I looked at my watch. It was 11.15am, so I needed to get going to the hospital to see Reggie.

  Johan had finished his inspection, so he offered to drive me to the hospital. He gave instructions to the senior officer to not let any of the drugs out of his sight until they were destroyed and left them to it.

  'Are the cars all in good shape?' he asked me once we were on our way.

  'They are in mint condition and all recoverable,' I replied.

  'What will happen to them now?'

  'That thankfully isn't my problem. I will report back to the Chairman of the Luxury Car dealers in London, and they will have to sort something out.'

  'Vince, when do you plan flying back to the UK?'

  'I will see how Reggie Talbot is and then take a decision. If he is not too bad, then I will leave Monday evening. I have had enough of Johannesburg for the time being.'

  'We can keep an eye on Reggie for you if you want to leave. He will be in good hands.'

  'Thanks, Johan. Dale has also said that he will visit him, so Reg should be well cared for.'

  The two of us went into the reception area where, unlike last night, there was a lady on duty behind the desk.

  'Can I help you?' she asked.

  'Yes, I am here to visit Reggie Talbot. He was brought in here last night.'

  She looked on her computer screen.

  'He is in ICU as he was operated on this morning,'

  'Can I see him?' I pleaded.

  'I can't take that decision here; you will have to go and talk to the Sister in charge of the ICU. It is on the first floor. Just follow the signs when you get out of the lift.'

  'Leave the talking to me Vince as I may be able to use my position with the SA Police to get the information. You, not being a relative, may have a problem.'

  We went to the nurses' station in the ICU and Johan asked to speak to the Sister. A few minutes later a mature lady with a kind face came up to us.

  'I gather that you are here to visit Mr Talbot. Are you family?'

  'No were not family, but I am a Chief Inspector in the South African police, and he was injured helping us on a raid last night.'

  'Well Inspector, he was operated on in the early hours of this morning, and he hasn't come round yet from the anaesthetic. All I am permitted to tell you is that he came through the procedure satisfactorily and is doing well. He will not be allowed any visitors other than close family until tomorrow.'

  'Sister, is he out of danger?' I asked her.

  'I can't discuss the specifics of his case with you, but I am able to inform you that he is not at any significant risk. He will most likely be moved out of the ICU, later on, today. By tomorrow, he should be sitting up in bed in much better form unless something untoward happens.'

  'Thank you, Sister; we won't take up any more of your time.'

  I was very relieved but also keen to get out of the hospital environment. It evoked disturbing memories of the six months I had spent in hospital after my encounter with an IED in Iraq. I was badly affected by the smells and sounds of a hospital environment.

  'I need to get some rest, Vince, as I have had two nights on the go. I will take you back to your hotel as there is nothing else we can do today.'

  'I appreciate your help at the hospital; once you told the Sister, who you were, she was much freer with her information.'

  'That's one of the perks of the job, Vince.'

  Twenty minutes later he dropped me off at the Holiday Inn, so I had the re
st of the day to catch up on my telephone calls and my sleep. There were a number of people who I needed to update.

  Chapter 27

  I went up to my room, showered, changed my clothes and then went to the bar for a well-earned beer. I had my trusted notebook with me with the intention of creating a list of what I needed to do to wrap up this case. Old habits die hard, and I still felt happier with a written plan in place.

  First on my list was to cancel Reggie's room in the hotel and have his bags transferred into my room for safe keeping. I would then bring his suitcase and overnight bag to him in the hospital before I returned home. I could do that when I visited him tomorrow. There was no point in paying big bucks for a room at the Holiday Inn that he wasn't in a position to use.

  In fact, I decided that there was no time like the present. Leaving my notebook and pint, I went over to the receptionist and cancelled the room. They offered for one of the house-staff to pack up his clothes and other bits and pieces and put them in my room. I gladly accepted their offer as I didn’t fancy packing up his stuff.

  Job done, I went back to my pint and notebook.

  I sat there sipping beer and chewing a few nuts, casting my mind back over the past six weeks.

  The cases involving the motorbikes and the luxury cars hadn't been the most successful in my short life as a private investigator. I had failed to recover the motorbikes, and now the brains behind the luxury car thefts had got away. On top of all that Reggie Talbot had been wounded on my watch. I felt distinctly uncomfortable about the whole situation. Perhaps once I left South Africa I would feel better.

  I felt powerless to do anything further about either the motorbikes or the luxury cars. I was up against powerful criminal organizations. The Georgia Mafia was in total control of what was going on in Varna in Bulgaria. Short of going in with a military style operation, as we had done in Marmaris, Turkey, there was no way of arresting them and breaking up their sophisticated operation. The military operation in Turkey had been possible because it was carried out under the auspices of NATO. Bulgaria wasn't a member of that organization.

  I had a similar problem in Africa, although here, I did have the assistance of the police. They had been very willing and, on the surface, had appeared to know what they were doing. Unfortunately, they had used brawn rather than brains and had been easily outwitted by the astute Hansie Joubert. The confiscation of the large amount of drugs, which had come into the country in the containers, would obviously dent his operation considerably; however, his supply line of drugs would be re-established once he had set-up a new route into Johannesburg. Clearly the problem in Hillbrow wasn't going to vanish overnight. There was still a high demand for any drugs that could be brought into the country. The specific challenge of hunting Hansie Joubert down had become a personal objective for me. Realistically, however, it was a job for another day, and I would have to carry out a lot of preparatory work before I went after him.