The Diamond Chain

by Patrick Slaney

  ‘Good afternoon Mr Hamilton, welcome to our mine,’ he said with quite an accent, almost as if he were Dutch.

  ‘Good afternoon Mr Polline thank you for allowing me to visit at such short notice,’ I said, trying not to wince as he squeezed my hand.

  ‘Mrs Fortuin phoned me just after I got in this morning, she said that you would like to visit the mine to see how we run our security, is that right?’ he fired at me.

  ‘Yes that’s correct. I am interested in seeing how you prevent theft and would be extremely grateful for any information that you are able to give me without compromising the security,’ I replied.

  ‘Well I don’t have time to show you around myself, but Vic, my head of security will show you what goes on.’

  He left me to go and talk to the receptionist.

  ‘Call Vic and tell him to come to reception to show Mr Hamilton around,’ he instructed. He then turned back to me, ‘I have already told him that you would be here and what you want to see. Just wait here for him. If you want to talk to me when you are finished, just ask Vic to get hold of me.’ He left me standing there and returned to his office.

  I looked out towards the mine and saw this large bull like man, coming towards the office block. I assumed that this was the head of security as he was dressed in a light blue uniform and looked the part. He went through a door in the side of the building and then vanished for a few minutes until he reappeared in the reception area.

  He came over to where I was standing.

  ‘Mr Hamilton, I am Vic Morrel, head of security. Mr Polline has asked me to show you around.’

  ‘Nice to meet you and I appreciate you taking the time to give me a conducted tour,’ I replied, making sure that I avoided another damaging handshake. Vic Morrel was another exceptionally strong and fit looking bloke; most likely from the same rugby club as Brett Polline. His shaven head and round face gave him a menacing look.

  ‘If you come with me, I will get you kitted out in a protective coverall and a hard hat,’ he said, leading me over to the door that he had just come through.

  We went through into an area where there were a number of security monitoring devices and other security equipment. I also noticed at least three CCTV cameras which were flickering away, obviously active. Vic went over to a cupboard and pulled out coveralls and a hard hat which he handed to me.

  ‘You need to put these on, and, if you have any valuables on you, please put them into this tray. They will be locked away until you get back. Put your watch, phone, wallet and any change you have in the tray,’ he instructed me.

  Kitted out, I was then instructed to go through the scanner. There was a loud beep, and the security guard in charge of the machine made me go through the scanner again.

  ‘You must have some metal still on you sir,’ he commented.

  I mentally went over what I was wearing to come up with something that I had forgotten to take off.

  ‘Sorry, I forgot this chain,’ I said taking the chain in question off and handing it to him.

  I then went through the process again and passed.

  I was surprised when another guard asked to search me. He explained that he was checking for any container or receptacle that I might be carrying that hadn’t been detected by the scanner. His body search was quite intimate!

  Having gone through the various security doors and the scanner I emerged outside the offices, with Vic Morrell beside me.

  ‘You have now seen how we check you before we let you onto the site. You can imagine how carefully we check all our employees on their return journey from their shift in the mine, prior to them going home,’ Vic said to me.

  ‘Yes, I didn’t expect that I would be checked on my way into the mine, but I can see now why you checked that I didn’t have anything on me that would set the alarms off when I return,’ I said, genuinely impressed with the level of security I was seeing.

  We walked across the area between the office block and the mine, and Vic used a key to open a door with a large notice on it - ‘No Mining Operators allowed through this door’.

  ‘All the operators must go through another door which has stringent security and cameras around it,’ he explained. ‘They will try anything to smuggle diamonds out and will even swallow them. We have to X-ray-Ray them on a random basis as part of our screening process.’

  ‘I read in the newspaper that a theft of diamonds had been detected at this mine. Is that true?’ I asked.

  ‘There was a rumour that diamonds were being stolen. It has not been proved, and the police were unable to detect any thefts,’ he replied.

  He then showed me around the mining area, explaining to me the process and also showing me the tight security applied to every aspect of the operation. I noted that all the mechanical parts, such as the bearings and couplings, were sealed in boxes that enveloped them, and these then were locked and had seals on them.

  I asked Vic as I pointed to the boxes, ‘Does every mechanical part have to be controlled by those boxes?’

  ‘Yes, a maintenance man, who wants to work on a part, must get a security guard or a supervisor to authorise it and monitor the breaking of the seal. When the job is finished it must be re-sealed, also with supervision present, and re-logged.’

  ‘Surely they can’t hide diamonds in the part Vic,’ I asked, not quite believing what he was telling me.

  ‘Yes, they will put diamonds in the grease, reseal it, and then take the item back to the workshop where they take the diamonds out. They will try anything.’

  Having started off my tour of the mine feeling that I had found the source of the illegal diamonds, I was now having serious doubts. How could anyone get diamonds out of this place without getting caught as they went into such minute detail?

  We left the mining area and returned to the Office block. This time Vic took me through the exit the miners used.

  ‘The miners are first of all screened at this monitoring station and they then have to leave all their overalls, boots etc. in these lockers,’ Vic explained to me as he took me through the various sections. ‘They then go through these showers and a second security zone before they can go to their own clothes. After all that there is a final screening area they have to pass through before they reach the outside.’

  ‘Are they all X-Rayed as well,’ I asked.

  ‘No they will be randomly selected and probably only have an X-Ray once or twice a month.’

  ‘You seem to have a full proof system in place Vic, and I must congratulate you on what seems to be an excellent process.’ I was genuinely impressed with what I had seen.

  ‘Let’s go back to the reception area, and you will be able to leave from there. Since I have been with you all the time there is no need for you to go through the full exit screening, so you will be spared the strip search and shower,’ Vic said, smiling for the first time.

  ‘I appreciate that gesture as I wasn’t looking forward to that part of the procedure,’ I replied, delighted to be avoiding the embarrassing bit.

  I returned the hard hat and the overalls and went back to reception.

  ‘Mr Hamilton, I have been asked to tell you that Mr Polline would like a quick word with you,’ the receptionist said to me as I passed her desk. ‘I will just give him a call to let him know that you are back in reception.’

  Having been kept waiting for a half an hour, Brett Polline finally came over to where I was sitting.

  ‘Mr Hamilton, sorry to have delayed you, I was on the phone. Did you get all the information that you needed?’

  ‘Yes thank you. Vic was terrific and gave me a fantastic run through your security system and how you prevent theft. It’s truly impressive,’ I replied, standing up to talk to him.

  ‘I wanted to catch you before you left. I have heard that there has been a serious acciden
t on the N1 between here and Bella Bella. It would speed up your journey home considerably if you took a different road back to Jo’burg. If you don’t, you will be severely delayed.’

  ‘Thanks for that. It is a pet hate of mine being stuck in traffic for hours. What route do you suggest I take?’

  ‘When you exit our gate turn right onto the R511 and then turn left onto the R516 which will take you back to Pretoria. The road runs parallel with the N1 and will save you a lot of time. It is all well sign posted.’

  ‘Many thanks for that, and, thank you again, for looking after me so well. You and your staff have been extremely helpful,’ I stupidly shook his hand and went out to my car with a severely crushed hand.

  Back in my car I took stock of my visit. I had been extremely anxious on my arrival and had feared how I would be received. Contrary to what I expected, they had all been exceptionally friendly and forthcoming with the information. The time had flown by, and I noticed that it was now after 6:00 p.m, and was starting to get dark. Very pleased with my visit, I started the car and headed back to my hotel, remembering of course to travel west on the R511 and not east towards the N1.

  Chapter 8

  As I turned onto the R516, I had the setting sun on my left, and what a magnificent sight it was. I had always heard about the wonderful sunsets that you get in Africa, and this was certainly an excellent example of what I had been told. The whole sky to the left of the road was a mass of colour with the predominant colours being orange and red.

  I heard a speeding car roaring towards me from behind. I slowed slightly to allow it past, keeping as close as possible into the left hand side, still enjoying the view of the sunset. Glancing in my rear view mirror I could now see that the vehicle approaching was a large black four wheel drive Toyota. It looked decidedly menacing at the speed it was going.

  As the Toyota roared past it swerved towards me and smacked into the side of my pathetically light hire car. I remember the feeling of total panic as I felt the car leave the road and there was a tremendous impact. The next thing I recall is coming to, having been unconscious for I don’t know how long. Stabbing pains were shooting across my chest and stomach. The pain in my legs was almost unbearable. Mercifully I was still alive. I managed to work out that the car was on its side with the driver’s door up in the air. The left hand door was buried in the ditch.

  It was pitch-black outside, making it impossible to see anything inside the car. The glorious sunset I had been admiring, had long gone, to be replaced by the total darkness of a highveld night. I had to get out and get help.

  My first attempt didn’t succeed. My weight was hanging on the seat belt, and it was pinning me in. With a great deal of effort, I managed to unclip the belt, and I was free. I now was able to move a little, but any movement was accompanied by considerable pain. I tried to push my door up so I could escape that way, but the door wouldn’t budge and was stuck fast. My only way of escaping the confines of the car would be to kick out the windscreen, and my legs weren’t feeling much like kicking.

  Was I going to lie there all night, and perhaps even get murdered for my valuables, or would I at least attempt to smash the windscreen? My army training surfaced, and I summoned enough energy and will power to overcome the pain and kick the windscreen out. I slithered out through the narrow opening and ended up standing on the road, but what now?

  I looked around me in the pitch black of the night and was very relieved to pick out the bright light of a farm house about two kilometres away. Would my shattered body be able to travel that far? If it didn’t, what was the alternative? I noticed blood on my shirt. In my plight of being stuck in the car, I hadn’t noticed that I had suffered quite a deep gash on my head. It was still bleeding quite badly.

  I obviously couldn’t stay where I was if I wanted to be still alive in the morning. I had to get some treatment for my injuries as a matter of urgency. I also had to get away from the scene of the crash. Whoever it was that had tried to get rid of me might come back to see if they had succeeded.

  Going cross-country was not an option. I was in no shape to climb over fences or whatever obstructions I might meet. There must be an avenue off the road I was now on. If there was a farmhouse, then there logically must be a driveway to the house. My best approach was to go along the road looking for the entrance.

  As I struggled along the road, the light that had been shining like a beacon went off. The thought now going through my head was ‘how would they receive me when I arrived at their front door in the middle of the night’? I just hoped that they wouldn’t shoot first and ask questions later.

  After about two hours, and now needing longer and longer periods of rest, I eventually arrived close to the dark shape of the farmhouse. .

  I got the fright of my life when a dog started barking extremely close to me as I passed the outhouses of the farm. I was stupid for not anticipating that they would have a guard dog and that the dog would signal my arrival. Luckily it was tied up and didn’t attack me.

  A light went on in the farmhouse, and a man holding a gun was silhouetted in the doorway.

  I tried to shout to him, but at that point, my strength gave out and I collapsed to the ground. I came to in a bed, with a lady bathing my forehead looking extremely concerned. She smiled as I opened my eyes.

  ‘Welcome back to the world whoever you are,’ she said in English, but with a particularly strong accent. ‘We were quite worried about you and wondered where on earth you had come from in the condition that you are in. Here, take these panadeine-co pain killers and perhaps you will be able to sleep.’

  I tried to talk, but the pains in every part of my body took over and all I could do was groan. She helped me take the tablets, and I settled back in the bed.

  ‘You just rest there, and we will talk to you in the morning. Andre has already found your car and towed it up here. It is hidden away from anybody looking from the road. You have nothing to worry about.’

  I couldn’t tell her then, that, in fact, I had plenty to worry about. Somebody had tried to kill me, and, if I hadn’t found this isolated farmhouse, I would probably have died of exposure in the veldt.

  A picture flashed into my mind of the last I saw of the Toyota 4 x 4 before it side swiped me. Added to the picture of the Toyota there was this image of a massive man at the wheel whom I would have expected to see among the forwards at a rugby match. Either Brett or Vic had been driving that Toyota, and it had been a deliberate attempt to kill me.

  I awoke with the sun pouring in through the open window. Through my half opened eyes I saw two intelligent young faces staring at me. They both ran off, and I could hear them speaking to their mother in what I assumed was Afrikaans. Shortly after, she appeared with a mug of tea and some tasty homemade bread, buttered and jammed.

  She sat down in the chair beside the bed.

  ‘How are you feeling this morning,’ she asked me.

  ‘I am in a lot of pain and have a bad headache. Other than that I am extremely glad to be alive,’ I said looking over at her soft, kind, face.

  ‘Andre has looked at your car this morning. He discovered black marks and dents on the driver’s side. All indications are that you were driven off the road.’

  ‘Yes, as far as I can remember that is what happened? I remember a large black Toyota approaching at speed from behind me. As it passed, it swerved into the driver’s side of the car, making me fly off the road into the ditch. Luckily I had slowed down to look at the sunset and was not going very fast.’

  ‘Do you know who would do something like that? Is there someone after you?’ She asked. ‘I don’t want my family to be put at risk.’

  I decided that if I needed her help, which I obviously did, I had better tell her enough to put her mind at rest.

  ‘I am a private investigator representing a company in London, and I am in South Africa t
o try and find out who is deliberately damaging their business,’ I explained. ‘I think that yesterday I may have found out something and those involved want me out of the way,’

  ‘You poor thing! Who could do such an act?’

  ‘Oh there is a lot of money involved. They will protect their own necks in whatever way they can. Lives don’t seem to matter to them’

  ‘My husband suspected that there was something serious involved, so he has hidden your car well out of the way of prying eyes. You can stay here until you are better and get your strength back.’

  ‘You are extremely kind, but you know you can just drive me to a hospital somewhere where I can recover without endangering your family.’ I didn’t want them putting themselves at risk.

  ‘No, you must stay here. I have called the doctor, and he will come to see you this morning. Before I married Andre I was a nurse, so I am well equipped to look after you, and, if anybody comes round to annoy you, Andre will chase them off with his shotgun as he almost did to you last night,’ she said smiling.

  The doctor gave me a very thorough examination. His prognosis was that nothing appeared to be broken, but I had suffered a lot of heavy bruising.

  ‘Well Mr Hamilton you have had a right buffeting, but I am glad to tell you that you seem to have come through the experience pretty well in-tact.’

  ‘Thank you doctor, I don’t feel very in-tact, and I am feeling a lot of pain’ I grunted.

  ‘Whoever treated the leg that you had repaired, prior to this last accident, did an excellent job, and it has survived the crash. You should be up and about in a few days. I have given Rosie Pretorius a supply of strong pain killers which will make life easier for you,’ he said as he packed up his bag and prepared to leave.

  I lay back totally exhausted by his examination, but immensely relieved that I had escaped any permanent damage.

  It was the following week before I was fit enough to leave and by that time I was firm friends with the family, including the two children. How fortunate I had been to find such incredible people who had taken such a genuine interest in me.