Danger Down Under: Another Vince Hamilton Investigation

by Patrick Slaney

  Danger

  Down Under

  By Patrick Slaney

  Registered with the IP Rights Office

  Copyright Registration Service

  Ref: 4165052596

  Cover design by Christophe Guyot

  Chapter 1

  I had arrived home from Rhodes in Greece that morning having endured a sleepless night on a plane. On top of that I had been woken from a deep sleep once I had eventually got to bed. By the time that evening came, I was shattered. The afternoon meeting in Hampstead with Chief Inspector Baird and DCS Tedding had also increased my tiredness level. When I eventually returned from Hampstead and staggered in through the front door of my home, I hardly knew my own name.

  'Where were you?' My wife barked at me, none too friendly.

  'I was at the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead having a meeting with Superintendent Tedding and the Inspector, who is recovering from his wounds there.'

  'What was that all about?'

  'They wanted to know the details of what happened in Rhodes and Marmaris and if there are any consequences of the action that took place there that is likely to affect their patch.'

  'Are you going to tell me what happened or is it all top secret and only for their ears?' Daphne asked me with a hurt tone in her voice.

  'It's not top secret, but do you really want to hear about it?'

  'Vince, I have been here with my mother for the last week worrying about where you are and wondering whether you are in any danger. Of course, I want to hear what was going on.'

  'Let me go up and see Michael and Victoria now as I haven't seen them since I got home this morning. Can we sit down with a glass of wine after dinner and I will tell you what happened.

  'That's fine, provided you don't try and wriggle out of it once dinner is over. We need to have a serious chat about your future and your new role as a Private Investigator.' I was shaken and surprised by her attitude as she normally didn't want to know the details of what I was up to when I was on a job.

  She turned her attention back to cooking the dinner. Her mother, who was staying for the time being having recently lost her husband, miraculously appeared to give her hand. I got the impression that she had been hovering, waiting for our heated conversation to conclude.

  Escaping the scene, I went upstairs to see my son and daughter.

  I knocked on Michael's door.

  'How is it going Michael and are you getting on well in school?'

  'It's going OK, Dad. Schools school, same as it always is.'

  'Do you enjoy this school now that you have had a chance to settle in?'

  'It's OK.' He grunted. 'How was your trip?' He changed the subject.

  'It went well and I am now back here for a while.'

  'Will you come to school with me on the tube in the morning?'

  'If I wake up in time I'll go with you. What time do you have to leave? The idea of getting up early to take my son to school hadn't been on my list of things to do, especially as I needed to catch up on my sleep.

  'I like to get the eight o'clock tube from East Putney station, so that means leaving the house at 7.45am.'

  'I'll do my best, but I am making no promises,' I replied. 'I need to go and see Victoria now.' I left him to his homework and went across the landing to Victoria's room. I knocked on her door. There was a fragile, 'Come in,' in response.

  She got up and gave me a hug as I entered the room.

  'How are things Poppet?' I asked her.

  'They're fine Dad. How long are you home for now?'

  'I hope that I will be here for a long time. I have nothing planned at the moment.'

  'Will you walk with me to school tomorrow morning?'

  'No-can-do I am afraid. Unfortunately, I have just promised Michael that I will go with him to his school tomorrow morning. I will definitely come and pick you up when you finish tomorrow afternoon.'

  'Oh Dad, why did you promise him first. I so wanted you to take me.'

  'I'm sorry, but I will escort you the following morning, and that is a promise.'

  'I suppose that will have to do. Can we come home via the sweet shop tomorrow afternoon?'

  'Yes, we can take a short detour via the sweet shop.' It was a small price to pay to make her feel that I wasn't putting Michael first in the kids ranking list.

  'Can you help me with this homework Dad? I haven't a clue what Miss Bryant wants.'

  I spent the next half-an-hour trying to interpret the mind of Miss Bryant and was only able to escape when we were called to dinner.

  After dinner, the kids and Grandma did the dishes while Daphne and I went to sit in the quiet of the front room. I was exhausted, and my brain still wasn't working on all its cylinders. I was also in some trepidation as to what my wife wanted to talk about. She was totally family focused and, in her eyes, my work was something that just kept me busy and out of the house.

  I had served in the army most of my life having reached the rank of Major by the time I was demobbed after being severely injured by an IED in Iraq. I had then taken up the role of a Private Investigator, which had taken me all over the world. I was seldom at home, and the family were used to me being an absentee father and husband. In fact, I had bought the house in Putney so as the kids would have their schools within easy commuting distance, and my wife could handle being on her own. In fact, I felt in the way when I did spend time with them as they were so independent.

  My wife's mother had recently been widowed, which was the reason she was staying with us.

  'I don't want you getting involved in another case Vince,' was my wife's opening statement as we sat down.

  I was stunned. I was totally unprepared for such a definitive comment.

  'Why don't you want me doing another case?'

  'It is far too dangerous and you are not trained for the work. I am worried sick every time you go off on some wild goose chase.'

  'My army training and life in the military have prepared me for the situations I find myself in as a Private Investigator,' I replied.

  'When there wasn't a war on, which was most of the time, you were in no danger and, even though, you weren't here, I didn't worry about you. Now you are out there on your tod and are up against some pretty evil and dangerous people. Every time the phone rings I am expecting it to be bad news concerning you.'

  'But, what would I do if I wasn't a Private Investigator. I am not qualified for other jobs,' I protested.

  'What do other people who have retired from the army do when they leave? There must be plenty of work for people with your experience. For instance, the Bursar in Michael's school is ex-army.'

  'I suppose you are right. I only picked up the role of a Private Investigator by accident when I was offered the job flying back from Iraq. I have been so busy since that I haven't looked around much to see what else is available.'

  'It is not as if you need the money as you have a good army pension,' she continued. 'Why don't you play golf and enjoy yourself. You don't need to work.'

  'I'd go mad if I was at home all the time and I enjoy being an Investigator,' I added.

  'Michael has got to the stage where he needs his Dad at home. He hinted to me last week that he is getting bullied at school, and I don't know where to start in trying to resolve that situation.'

  'That may be the reason he has asked me to go to school with him tomorrow; perhaps I can see his housemaster when I go with him in the morning.'

  Both our glasses were empty, so I went to the kitchen and refilled them with Chardonnay from the fridge. It also gave me a chance to do some thinking before I returned to the
sitting room.

  'I haven't interfered with your life much in the years of our marriage,' Daphne started up again. 'I hope that you will consider what I have said and retire gracefully from your role as a Private Investigator. You are lucky to be still alive as are Willem van Grimbergen and Inspector Baird. The next person to be shot on one of your investigations will be killed, and it is most likely to be you.'

  Willem had been shot in La Rochelle when we had finally found the diamond smuggling ring offloading diamonds from a yacht. The Inspector had been wounded in Marmaris harbour in Turkey where we had discovered the nerve centre of a Mafia operation. Both had thankfully recovered with the Inspector being still in hospital.

  'I had no idea that you felt this way about the cases that I have been involved in,' I said in an apologetic tone.

  'Vince, you are now forty-five years of age and have a gammy leg from your confrontation with an IED in Iraq. You cannot take on an army on your own and hope to come through unscathed.' Daphne had put down her glass and was now looking at me in a confrontational way. 'In the army you had young men to do all the frontline stuff and you also had other support that you could call on. As a Private Investigator, you personally are in direct contact with the enemy.'

  'But in Turkey I had the Navy and RAF helping me out, and I had a minor role,' I offered.

  'And what happened to Inspector Baird during the operation. He was shot and severely injured. That could have been you.'

  'That was a one off incident and he shouldn't have been doing the surveillance on his own. He was very unlucky to be spotted by a sniper.'

  'So if it was a once off incident can you tell me what happened to Willem van Grimbergen in La Rochelle? Also, what happened to you when you were thrown into the harbour in Cape Town?'

  She had dismantled all my defences. I had no arguments against her summary of my modus operandi while working as a Private Investigator. It was a dangerous and life-threatening job. The truth was sinking in, and I was starting to understand how she must be feeling.

  'You are right,' I finally said. 'I have been so involved in the various investigations that I haven't looked at it from your perspective. I have been very selfish and promise that I will consider doing something else.'

  'Are you just saying that to make me feel better or are you serious about finding an alternative way of spending your time.'

  'I'll have a really good think about what I have been doing and I will review the two investigations I was contracted to solve. There may be another way that I can operate that isn't as dangerous.'

  'That's not what I am asking you to do Vince,' she said. 'I want you to abandon being a Private Investigator and become a husband and father again. I am not giving you a choice.'

  'All I can promise at this stage is that I will think long and hard about what you have just said, and I will come up with a way forward which hopefully you will agree with.'

  'Please look at it seriously. You had better go to bed now as you look exhausted, and you have to be up relatively early in the morning to go with Michael to school.'

  I retired to bed battered and bruised from our conversation. Fortunately, my severely damaged pride didn't keep me awake, and I collapsed into a deep sleep.

  I was woken up by somebody vigorously shaking me. Michael was determined that I would be up in time to take him to school.

  We left the house at twenty to eight and were in plenty of time to catch the District Line train heading towards Earls Court. The tube that we transferred to at Earls Court was less crowded as it was heading away from the centre of London. I was able to find a space where I could talk to Michael without others hearing us.

  'I gather things haven't been going so well in school?' I asked him as we settled in our seats on the train.

  'Who told you that?' He answered fixing his eyes on the floor of the carriage.

  'Mum told me that you are being bullied.' I could see his face turning red, and he looked as if he was about to cry.

  'They're all much bigger than I am and are always picking on me.'

  'Who is actually doing the bullying?'

  'A few of the bigger boys in my class who hang out together. They think it is great fun to annoy me.'

  'Have you any friends who can come to your aid when they start picking on you. How about the boy who was in your last school, can't he help?'

  'Jason is as small as me and he is afraid that they will pick on him if he comes to my defence.'

  'What sort of things do they do to you?'

  'They grab hold of my school bag and throw all my books and things on the grass or in the toilets. They also force me into one of the lockers in the changing rooms and won't let me out. I am then late for the next class.'

  I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Why hadn't the school done something about it?

  'Do you mind if I go and talk to your house master about the situation. I will make every effort to try and not make it worse for you.'

  'Dad, you can't make it worse than it already is. If they don't stop, I am going to run away or simply not go to school.'

  I put my arm around him and gave him a squeeze. 'I'll see what I can do, and if I can't sort it out to your satisfaction, then we will have to find another school for you.'

  Michael didn't answer me but just walked silently into the school.

  I found an information desk and asked a lady, who was sitting there if she could tell me who Michael's housemaster was and if I could talk briefly to him.

  The lady at the desk looked up the information on her computer and then directed me to a small reception room. She told me that Mr Morris, his form master, would join me in a few minutes.

  A few minutes had turned into half-an-hour before there was a knock on the door and an elderly man entered.

  'Mr Hamilton is it?' he asked.

  'Yes, Mr Morris. I needed to see you urgently about my son Michael and I am sorry for asking to see you without making an appointment,' I explained.

  'What is this urgent problem that can't wait?' He was clearly upset that his routine had been disturbed.

  'I am afraid that Michael is being bullied by some of the more mature boys in his class, and it has reached a stage where he doesn't want to come to school. It is affecting him even when he's at home.'

  'Are you sure that he is not just telling you a story to get your sympathy.'

  'No, I know Michael well enough to be able to distinguish between when he is spinning a line and when he is suffering.'

  'What does this bullying entail?'

  I gave the teacher the details that Michael had given me, and, to my surprise it had quite an effect on him.

  'This is as bad a case of bullying as I have come across and I am very sorry to hear that it has been taking place on my watch. Why didn't he come and see me or one of the other teachers?'

  'I suppose he was afraid that he would get worse treatment from the bullies for being a tell-tale.'

  'Well Mr Hamilton, I will go and tell the headmaster what you have told me, I will then talk to Michael and can assure that action will be taken against the offenders today.'

  'I am afraid, Mr Morris that I will have to take Michael away from the school if the situation doesn't improve,' I added.

  'Let me assure you that there will be no need for Michael to leave the school. The ones doing the bullying will be expelled if they don't behave like ordinary human beings. I can give you that assurance.'

  'That makes me feel a lot better, and I thank you for seeing me this morning. It is a great weight off my mind.' I stood up and shook the teacher's hand, leaving the situation in his care. I would find out from Michael later whether Mr Morris had kept his word or whether I would have to take alternative action.

  Chapter 2

  My journey home on the tube gave me plenty of time to think about Michael's plight. If I had been around I could probably have sorted the situation out sooner. Perhaps Daphne was right; I needed to be at home more now to support Michael in
his formative years. It was unfair of me to expect his mother to sort out all his problems as that was what fathers were for. Michael had gone through hell on earth because I wasn't around to help him through his problem. I felt guilty.

  I then transferred my thoughts onto the bruised feelings that I still had after the conversation with Daphne last night. She had been very forceful when she had told me I should consider giving up being a Private Investigator. She was insistent that I take on a less dangerous role. She had also indicated that she thought my lack of experience was a major contributing factor in Willem and Inspector Baird getting shot and very nearly killed.

  I decided to phone Willem van Grimbergen at his office in Rotterdam, as soon as I got home. I needed to get his input on my role as a Private Investigator as he had worked closely with me on both the cases I had been involved in. I hadn't been in touch with him since the conclusion of my last case. During that investigation, he had monitored the stolen luxury yachts for me using transponders on the boats and a tracking system loaded on one of the computers in his office. Willem was a diamond dealer in Rotterdam and had also been instrumental in assisting me to crack the diamond smuggling operation confronting me in my first investigation.

  He answered his mobile straight away.

  'Vince, how are you? Have you a new case that you want me to help you on?'

  'No Willem, I don't have a new case, but I do need your advice on another matter.'

  'What is troubling you so badly that you need to ask lowly me for advice?' I could detect the smile on his face on the other end of the phone.

  'My wife Daphne would like me to give up being a Private Investigator as she reckons it is too dangerous. She reckons I am likely to be killed in the very near future as I am chasing after dangerous men with very limited resources.'

  'Interestingly enough my wife Helga has had the same conversation with me,' Willem replied. 'She has only been lukewarm on me helping you ever since I was shot in La Rochelle. In your last case, when I helped you in tracking the luxury motor yachts, I was able to convince her that my involvement was confined to the input that I gave you from the office. I was therefore in no danger.'