Curse of Thieves: Another Major Vince Hamilton Investigation Read online

  The Inspector looked to be very relieved when he saw me walking up the beach towards him. It had been a successful exercise, and we now could track the motor yacht wherever it went in the knowledge that the battery wouldn’t go flat.

  I went to my room, had a shower and, once dressed, called Willem in Holland and told him that an additional tracking device had been installed on Habibi. He confirmed that he had picked up the new signal and would continue to include it on the list he was monitoring. I also told him that they had re-launched Whispering Legend, and it was now called Golden Spirit. I warned him that it would be leaving Bizerte very soon so he could expect movement.

  I rejoined the Inspector, and we went through to the restaurant to have our dinner.

  'You haven't told me all the events that you have been involved in since you left London last Tuesday Vince. Can you bring me up to date while we eat our dinner?'

  'Well, the first place that I went was Bizerte in Tunisia. I managed to find Whispering Legend, the last motor yacht to have been stolen.'

  'That is the boat that you got an update on this evening, and you expect it will be under way in the next day or so.'

  'I would think so. I have told Willem that it is about to move.'

  'It will be fascinating to see where it goes from there. My best guess is that it will motor east as everything seems to be moving towards the eastern end of the Mediterranean.'

  'I agree, especially as it has an Arabic name painted on it now. We are definitely in the right place,' I added.

  'We also now know Vince that the Maserati travelled to Marmaris in Turkey.'

  'Certainly the tracking device puts it in Turkey.'

  'We obviously need to get to Marmaris as soon as possible to try and find out why the signal vanished when the car got to Icmeler,' the Inspector said.

  ‘To get back to my story,’ I continued. 'I travelled from Venice to Patra with the car and, while having a closer look and replacing the battery in the tracking device; I had a lucky escape on the vehicle deck. The driver came onto the car deck, caught me in the act and tried to kill me. I was extremely fortunate to escape and damaged my attacker in the process of getting away.'

  'Did he hurt you?' The Inspector looked genuinely concerned

  'No; I knocked him out and escaped. Then on the ferry from Piraeus to Rhodes the same man spotted me. He and the new driver came after me, and a shot was fired that, fortunately, missed.'

  'You're like a cat Vince. You have nine lives, but you have used quite a few of them.' The Inspector grinned.

  'It was quite dark inside the ship, and I was climbing a ladder to the bridge when they fired at me. I took refuge on the bridge and asked if I could see the Captain. Having heard my story, he kindly agreed to help me.'

  'How did you get off the ferry without them seeing you?' The Inspector asked.

  'When we got to Rhodes, the Captain arranged for a friend of his to take me off the ferry in his van. He drove me to the hotel here in Lindos.'

  'I can see now why you couldn't accompany the car on the ferry to Marmaris.'

  'Yes, I had to lie low here. I did go into Rhodes yesterday and got threatened by an amateur with a gun. Fortunately, I managed to escape amongst the crowds of tourists and by hiding on a boat that sold shells and sponges.'

  We had both finished our meals, so I called over the waiter, and he brought us some Irish coffees. I stopped talking until he had left us.

  'Let's write down what we know Vince so as we can work out a clear way forwards.' The Inspector suggested.

  'Will you take notes of what we discuss or do you want me to do the writing?' I asked.

  'I brought a notebook with me so I will take notes.' The Inspector took out his notebook and sat forward in his chair so as he could lean on the table.

  'When we were in London you suggested that Italians made up the majority of the gang.' I started the analytical process.

  'My assumption was based on the fact that the people that we have encountered have been speaking Italian. When you solved the jewellery theft at Alexanders, one of the men you shot was an Italian. When you met up with the men working on the boats in Sete and Bizerte, they also were Italian. We also know that Italians are involved with the theft of the luxury cars.'

  'I agree with you that Italians are the principal people involved in processing the stolen items, but the goods don't appear to end up in Italy.'

  ‘Did you get any information from the men who were hospitalised as a result of the shooting?’ I asked the Inspector.

  ‘No; they wouldn’t talk. They were terrified of reprisals if they were known to have talked.’

  ‘There appear to be many Italians involved but the final destination appears to be Turkey.' I suggested. ‘Do you think, Inspector, that the theft of the cars, boats, paintings and jewellery are all related?'

  'At this point in time we can connect the cars, paintings and jewellery together as you found all those items in the Maserati. There is no link, as yet, between the cars and the motor yachts, besides the Italian connection.'

  'If they are connected in some way, then it is an exceptionally large organization involving millions of pounds, and someone very powerful must be running the show,' I added.

  'The other notable point is that they appear to be very specific in what they are taking. It is almost as if they are stealing to order.'

  'Somebody must be collecting the orders and then passing the information down the line. So if somebody wants a low-cost Maserati they must know where to go to place their order. The person in charge can offer an exceptionally low price as they are getting the product for free.'

  'They could even afford to pay fifty percent of the money they get for the item to the gang who are delivering the goods,' I suggested.

  'Perhaps they are even using the Mafia to obtain and deliver the goods. It's a massive organization and well equipped to do the dirty work.'

  'That's a thought; it backs up the professional way they are going about their business,' I said.

  'It would also explain Vince, how they got to the art dealer who was killed with his family close to Lake Annecy so quickly. The message being that if you cross the Mafia you will be dealt with severely.'

  'Your theory about the Mafia being involved makes sense. If I had realised their involvement, I might not have gone chasing after the cars on my own.' I was starting to realise how stupid I had been and how naïve.

  'We are going to get nowhere without finding the base they operate from,' the Inspector continued. 'All we can do tomorrow is travel to Marmaris and hope that we find something there.'

  'Inspector, I don't think it would be wise to take the public ferry to Marmaris. The fact that I was threatened at gun point indicates they are looking for me. A better option would be to see if we can hire a private boat. It is not that far, so it shouldn’t be too expensive.'

  'That sounds like a better idea,' the Inspector concurred. ‘Since I am the one staying in Rhodes town, I will organize the hire of a boat. I will phone you to let you know the arrangement.'

  ‘At least you aren't on their radar so you can move around; I feel that I am under constant surveillance.'

  'I must go now as it will take me time to get a taxi to my hotel.'

  He attracted the attention of the waiter and asked him to order a Taxi. Five minutes later the taxi arrived, and the Inspector left me to return to his hotel. I had another beer and considered what we had discussed.

  The conclusion that we had come to about the Mafia possibly being involved had given me a lot of concern. I had heard and read a lot about the Mafia, and how they operated. It was extremely disconcerting to realise that I could possibly be up against that organization. Stuck out here in Rhodes, so far from the UK, I felt intensely vulnerable even though I had the Inspector with me. I was on territory that they controlled, and even the Inspector didn't have his back-up resources around him. We would have to be exceptionally careful.

  The manager of the hote
l came over to me to ask me if I had finished with the wet suit and the flippers as there was a family who wanted to use them in the morning. I fetched the items from my room and then retired to bed. Tomorrow could be a busy day. I didn’t bother to wait up to check that the crew returned to the motor yacht.

  Chapter 25

  In the morning, I decided against having my morning swim as the motor yacht was still riding at anchor in the bay. If any of the crew were up and about on the boat, they would have no problem in identifying me I went into the restaurant and helped myself to the buffet breakfast while I waited for the Inspector to phone me.

  An hour later I was still waiting for the call, so I decided to phone Willem on his mobile and get an update from his end.

  'Good morning Willem,' I said as he answered his phone. 'How’s Holland this morning?'

  'It's a beautiful day here but probably not as nice as Greece. Is there anything of interest going on there at the moment?'

  'The Inspector and I are planning on going to Marmaris today if we can manage to hire a boat to take us there. We have decided not to take the ferry as they will probably be watching that, looking for me.'

  'Is it far to Marmaris from where you are?'

  ‘It is about fifty kilometres from the main harbour in Rhodes town. I obviously have to get to the main port first where I will meet the Inspector. He is already staying in a hotel in the town.'

  'Is Splendiferous still in the bay?' Willem asked.

  'Yes it is still at anchor, and there are no signs that it is going anywhere.'

  'Oh, by the way Vince, I forgot to mention that the Whispering Legend or whatever it is called now left Bizerte at 4.00am this morning. It is now heading east along the north African coast.'

  ‘So it is heading for this part of the Med, like the ones before it,' I added.

  'I'll keep monitoring it and let you know of any developments.'

  'Thanks Willem; I'll phone you after we have been to Marmaris to let you know what we find there.'

  'Have a good day Vince, and I'll talk to you later.'

  There was a click as he put the phone down. I went to the bar overlooking the beach to have a coffee and wait for the Inspector's call.

  My mobile rang about half an hour later and thankfully it was the Inspector.

  'Sorry, it has been so long Vince, but I had problems getting hold of a boat. I finally managed to hire one but unfortunately it isn't available until tomorrow.'

  'It would have been nice to have got there today Inspector but I suppose that tomorrow will have to do.'

  'The skipper wants to leave at 7.00am and his boat, which is a Turkish Gulet, is moored in the Mandraki harbour. You need to get to the front of the Courthouse at 6.45am tomorrow morning as his mooring is on the quay opposite that building.'

  'Are you bringing your luggage with you on the boat?'

  'I think I will Vince as then we are free to go anywhere we want without having to come back to Rhodes to get our bags.'

  'OK, I will see you tomorrow morning.' I terminated the call resigned to having to spend another day in Lindos.

  I phoned my wife, suddenly remembering that I hadn't been in contact with her for a few days. With all that had been happening, especially the arrival of the Inspector, I had forgotten to phone her. I received some very sad news. Her father had passed away two days previously and she had been trying to get hold of me to tell me. She wasn't too pleased that I hadn't telephoned her before now.

  'What happened to him?' I asked.

  'You remember when the kids and I were staying with him he had a severe head cold.'

  'Yes, I remember that he was too ill to take the kids swimming when you were staying with him.'

  'Well, that head cold turned into pneumonia, and he had to be admitted to hospital. While he was in the hospital, he had a massive heart attack and, unfortunately, he didn't come through it.'

  'I am so sorry to hear the news. Are you OK? When is the funeral?'

  'Yes, I am fine. They have arranged the funeral in Maidstone for next Monday. Can you please arrange that you are back in England for it,' she asked with a note of desperation in her voice.'

  'Do you want me to fly back tomorrow?'

  'No, there is no need for that. My brother is making all the funeral arrangements and Mum has come to stay here for the time being.'

  'I'll make a plan to get back if you want?'

  'No; I'll be OK. Michael and Victoria are naturally very upset as they were very fond of their Grandpa.'

  'I will make sure that I get home by Friday.'

  'Where are you at the moment and what are your plans for the rest of the week? She asked me.

  'I am staying in a small hotel in a place called Lindos on the island of Rhodes. I plan on travelling with Inspector Baird to Marmaris in Turkey tomorrow morning, and we should be there for a few days. I will make a plan to fly back from there to the UK on Friday.'

  'Vince, please make sure that you get back here by the latest Friday night.'

  'I will, and I will telephone you from Marmaris tomorrow evening to make sure that all is well. I am so sorry that I am not there to support you at this terrible time for you.' I felt totally helpless being stuck in Lindos with my wife having to deal with the loss of her father on her own.

  That emotional phone call over, I ordered a taxi to pick me up at 5.45am the following morning. After a very restless night, I was pulling up in front of the Courthouse, beside the harbour in Rhodes town, at 6.40am. There was no sign of the Inspector, so I asked the taxi to wait until he arrived. I didn't want to stand outside on my own even though it was early in the morning.

  Shortly afterwards, a taxi pulled up beside the one I was in and the Inspector got out. I hopped out and joined him. We had a quick look around to see if there were any suspicious faces, but there was nobody around. We crossed the wide road and found the Gulet that was taking us to Marmaris. Its name, AKTAIA, was in large letters on the stern, in both English and Greek.

  The crew was made up of the skipper and two very suntanned, smiling teenagers. It turned out that one of the teenagers was the skipper's son, and the other was a friend of his.

  Without any further delay, they untied the boat and motored out through the entrance to the harbour. We were in luck; it was a beautiful morning with calm seas.

  When I got the opportunity, I told the Inspector the bad news that I had received the previous evening and how I needed to get back to the UK as soon as possible to support my wife.

  The skipper left his son on the helm and came over to talk to us.

  'What do you think of my boat?' he asked us in perfect English.

  'It is very impressive, and you look after it very well,' I answered.

  ‘I bought it new in 2007, so it is not that old. It is built in the traditional style of a Turkish Gulet. Forty-five feet long and fourteen feet wide, it will do 8 knots comfortably on its one engine. The draft is just over 2 meters so we can get close to most of the tourist sites.'

  'I thought that it would have been built a lot longer ago than 2007 as it looks a lot older,' I commented.

  'The style of the Gulet has been passed down for centuries as it is the traditional sailing vessel of this area. Most of them are constructed in timber, but there are a few made out of metal. This one is a metal boat.'

  'How long will it take to get to Marmaris?' the Inspector asked.

  'We have to rely entirely on the engine today as there is no wind, so we will be motoring at our top speed of around 8 knots. We should be there by 1.00pm at the latest. If the wind gets up a bit, we can use the sail. Using the sails will increase our speed to 10 knots, getting us there by midday.'

  'That's perfect, and it's a beautiful day to be out on the water so we can sit back and enjoy it,' I added.

  'I'll make coffee for us in about an hour's time so you can relax till I bring you some.' The owner went back to check on his son and carry out a few of the chores common to a boat.

  As soon
as we left the port of Rhodes we could see the Turkish coast. The captain brought a chart over for us to look at so we could see the route into Marmaris bay. For most of the voyage, we ran parallel to the Turkish coast.

  From quite a distance away, we could see that the land close to the coast was very mountainous, and there was an extremely steep gradient on the hills that went up from the sea. There was no access to the coast from the interior as we could see no roads. Clearly they would be unable to moor the stolen motor yachts or even drive the cars to this location.

  We started to motor through the entrance to Marmaris bay. The opening was less than a kilometre wide, and there were a few towns wherever there was a flat space at the foot of the mountains. It was a beautiful site as the mountains towered over everything.

  As we motored in, the bay opened out. The town Marmaris was spread across the head of the bay. It was an ideal place for a hideout as boats could be hidden away in any of the small bays that surrounded the larger bay. Tourist boats and small water taxis crisscrossed the blue waters.

  A fast motor launch came speeding towards us throwing up a huge bow-wave. I started to get nervous. Were we being attacked?

  'You had better get your passports out,' the skipper shouted at us. 'You will also have to pay for a visa. The boat coming towards us has the Customs officers on board.'

  The launch pulled up alongside, and a customs official jumped on board.

  The Captain and the official talked for a few minutes, and the skipper showed his licence and some other papers. The man then turned to us and asked in superb English what we were going to do in Marmaris and how long were we going to be there.

  We gave him the answers he needed; he checked our passports and stuck a visa stamp in each of them. He collected the money for the visas and then left us to it.

  'I will take you to the port and drop you off on the quay. It is only a short walk from there to the esplanade where you will have no problem finding a hotel.'