Curse of Thieves: Another Major Vince Hamilton Investigation

by Patricki Slaney

  On the way home from the travel agent, I dropped into the boutique where my wife worked and took her out for lunch. While we ate our lunch, I was able to fill her in on my new assignment and my plans for the following weekend.

  The rest of the week went extremely slowly as I waited for the action to begin. I couldn't wait to get stuck into my next case, and this motivated me to spend some quality time at the gym. I spent some of the time researching the world of motor yachts and familiarising myself with some of the brands available in the market place.

  I received a telephone call from Freddie Shuttleworth on the Thursday telling me that the meeting would be in The Grand Hotel, Cannes, at 11.00am next Sunday. There would be eight of the owners attending the meeting. He asked me to come to the hotel an hour before to discuss how we should approach the meeting.

  Friday morning I took the 10.50 hours flight from Gatwick to Amsterdam where I had a reunion with Willem. After a quick lunch, we then caught the Air France flight at 14.20 hours to Nice.

  It was a magnificent sight as we made our final approach to Nice airport. The sea was a deep blue and the bright sun made the buildings and sand seem unusually white. Shortly after landing we were sitting back in the Cannes Express commuter bus heading for our hotel wishing that we had taken a Taxi because of the lack of air conditioning in the bus.

  Safely checked into the Martinez Hotel, we went for a walk to check out the different harbours. It was impressive, and a little humbling, to see the large number of extremely expensive looking motor yachts moored along the quays.

  'I have never seen such conspicuous consumption in all my life Vince,' Willem said as he looked at the boats moored in the Port Canto harbour.

  'I thought that Freddie Shuttleworth's boat would have been one of the larger ones, but I see that there are much bigger craft. Look at the size of that one over there, it's like an ocean-going liner,' I replied. There was a boat that looked like a mini cruise ship moored parallel to one of the quays. If it had moored stern on like the others, it would have blocked the entrance to the harbour.

  On our way back to the centre of town, we stopped off for a beer. Suitably refreshed, we then checked out the other major harbour, Le Vieux Port. There were even bigger motor yachts moored in this harbour, and it even contained a comprehensive repair facility where there were a number of boats on trestles towering over the people working on them.

  I noticed that the ferries out to the Ile Sainte Marguerite left from close to the harbour, and they ran at half hourly intervals if we ever needed to go out to the island. I remembered that Freddie Shuttleworth had told me that Dillon, his paid crew, had been dumped on the island the night the boat was stolen.

  We didn't feel like eating in the formal surroundings of the hotel, so we went looking for a more casual place. We found a small restaurant called Le Dauphin where we were able to eat a Pizza and sample the local wine.

  'What's your first impression of Cannes Willem,' I asked him.

  'Its mind blowing Vince. I wouldn't have believed it possible that there would be as much money around to invest in the boats that we saw in the two harbours.'

  'I am told that Monaco has even more expensive ones, and there are plenty more along the coast in other harbours.'

  'Did you notice that most of the boats had a crew on them, so I assume that to run a 100 foot Motor yacht you need a full-time crew and plenty of cash?'

  'The people stealing the boats must be highly professional as they would have to overcome the crews to grab a boat, and every crew wouldn't leave the door unlocked, when they go to bed.'

  'It might be worth finding the bar where the crews drink to see if we can find out a bit more about what is the daily routine on board the various yachts.' I suggested.

  'It's around about 9.00pm now so why don't we walk to the old port and scout around there to see if the routines are any different when the sun goes down. We might even be able to follow a crew member to a bar.'

  I paid the bill in Le Dauphin, and we headed to the old port and the quay, where the larger motor yachts were moored. I noticed that there were floodlights illuminating the stern of some of the boats and a lot of them also had notices stating that the boat was protected by an alarm. A lot of the boats were in total darkness indicating that there were no crew members on board.

  It was particularly reassuring having Willem walking with me as he is built like a tank and well able to look after himself. I remembered the time in Rotterdam; about six month's previously, when he had apprehended a thug who had been following us in the marina where Willem kept his boat.

  We were in luck. Two young crew members left a large motor yacht further down the quay and started to walk towards us. We pretended to be looking at one of the boats and allowed them to pass behind us. When they were about fifty meters away, we turned and followed them, making sure to keep a decent distance between us.

  We didn't have to go far as our targets went into a bar on the corner of a street just across from the Casino. We entered behind them and took a table close to where they had sat down. I ordered two beers in my best French. After they also had a drink in hand, I turned around to the one closest to me.

  'Excuse me do either of you speak English?'

  'Yes, we both do. It's a requirement when we sign on as hired hands.'

  'Do you happen to know a guy called Dillon Seaton who works as a crew on a boat based in Cannes?' I asked the one I was talking to.

  'Oh, you mean lover boy,' the other guy chipped in, 'why do you want to know?'

  'He used to work for a boat owner called Freddie Shuttleworth, and we wanted to talk to him about what happened when the vessel he was looking after was stolen.'

  'Well, he is over there sitting with that blonde. It might be beneficial for her if you interrupted him in his carousing.' He smiled knowingly.

  I turned back to face Willem.

  'He doesn't seem to be too popular does he,' Willem said.

  'I am beginning to have grave doubts about Mr Dillon Seaton. I wonder where he was on the night the boat was stolen,' I added. 'Let's go across and introduce ourselves to Mr Seaton.'

  Willem and I walked across the restaurant to where Dillon was sitting with his girlfriend.

  'Hi, are you Dillon Seaton?' I asked.

  'Yes, who wants him,' he said standing up from the table. He was remarkably thin, handsome to look at, about twenty-six years of age and extremely tanned from his outdoor life.

  'My name is Vince Hamilton, and this is my friend Willem van Grimbergen.'

  'And how do you know my name?'

  'I met your former boss Freddie Shuttleworth in London. He said that you were a reliable deckhand if I ever needed one. I am interested in purchasing a 35-meter motor yacht and thought that you might be able to give me a few tips. What are the chances of you crewing for me when I actually purchase one?'

  'Did Mr Shuttleworth recommend me?' He said quite aggressively.

  I was surprised with his response as he had suddenly looked unsure of himself.

  'I don't think that he would have recommended that I talk to you if he didn't think highly of you. Why; you sound surprised?'

  I noticed that Willem had started quietly talking to Dillon’s girlfriend, so I kept going with my subterfuge.

  'We had a few run-in's during my time with him, and he wasn't best pleased when Sea Office was stolen.'

  'Was Sea Office the name of his boat?' I felt a bit stupid that I hadn't asked Freddie Shuttleworth the name of his boat at our meeting in the Sherlock Holmes Hotel.

  'Yes, he named it so as when people phoned him he could say that he was at the office.'

  'Would you be able to meet us tomorrow morning and show us around Port Canto? It would be an enormous help to have you tell us as much as you can about the Port and tell us about the different boats. I don't want to interfere with your night out with your girlfriend.'

  'If I meet you at the Port at 10.00am would that be all right?'

  'Th
at would be fantastic if you can spare the time. We'll be there at 10.00am then.'

  We went back to our table to finish our beer.

  'I saw you talking to Dillon's girlfriend, Willem. Did you find out anything?

  'Yes is the answer. She is a student at a University in Monaco and stays in an apartment in Cannes because she couldn't afford to stay in Monaco. She travels by train every day to her lectures, and she also works in a small sandwich bar when she is available. She started going out with Dillon about a year ago.'

  'So she has an apartment in town. I wonder if Dillon Seaton ever goes back to her apartment at night instead of sleeping on board his employer's vessel.'

  'Perhaps we should follow him when he leaves here tonight,' Willem added.

  About twenty minutes later Dillon and his girlfriend got up from their table and left the bar. We finished off our drinks and followed them.

  As Willem had anticipated, they didn't go to the harbour but headed up into the town. It was still possible that he was walking her home before returning to his boat; however, when they reached the building where she lived he went in with her. We waited for an hour, but Dillon didn't re-emerge from the building. He was clearly there for the night. We returned to our hotel.

  'That was an extremely worthwhile evening Willem. I have a strong feeling that our Mr Dillon wasn't aboard Sea Office the night it was stolen. His story about waking up on Ile Sainte Marguerite is most likely a complete fabrication.'

  'If he wasn't on board the boat, then that explains how it was taken so easily, especially if he says that he left it unlocked.'

  We reached the reception area of the hotel.

  'I am going to bed now. I am dead beat after a long day and all that travelling,' I said.

  'It should be interesting when we meet Dillon Seaton tomorrow, should be good fun. Good night Vince and I'll see you in the morning.'

  'Good night Willem and thanks for your company this evening. Having you around gives me confidence.'

  We both took the lift up to the third floor where our rooms were side by side.

  Chapter 3

  After a typical French breakfast of croissant and baguette, accompanied by plenty of butter and strong coffee, definitely not a healthy meal, we wandered down to the farthest harbour, called Port Canto, to meet Dillon. From the events of the night before, I anticipated that he would be late for our appointment, I wasn't proved wrong. He didn't turn up until 11.40am. While waiting for him, we took the opportunity to explore the port.

  'It's much more isolated here than the main harbour beside the Casino; Vince,' Willem said.

  'It would be interesting to know if the other motor yacht that was stolen was also moored in this port,' I replied. 'I must compile a list of questions that we need to put before the owners so as we get the most out of the meeting.'

  'Do you know if the boat owners that will be attending the meeting on Sunday all moor their boats in Port Canto?' Willem asked.

  'I suspect that is the case as they are all of the smaller variety, but I don't know for certain.'

  'It would certainly make it a lot easier Vince if we only have to deal with one of the harbours and don't have to split our resources over two or more places a few kilometres apart.'

  'I assume that there will be two key tasks to carry out if I decide to take on this investigation. The first will be to try and locate Sea Office and the other stolen motor yacht. The second task will be to prevent any further motor yachts being stolen.'

  'Perhaps we could suggest that they put satellite tracking devices on board all the boats that are part of the collection that we have to protect. The devices worked exceptionally well for us before. I will be able to monitor the movements of the boats on my computer in my office, in Rotterdam.'

  'I'll write that on my list of points to bring up with the owners. That's a brilliant idea, but obviously we can't put one on Sea Office as it has already gone.'

  ‘We are about to be blessed with the presence of Dillon,' Willem pointed towards the figure of a young, drowsy looking man as he approached from the direction of Cannes centre.

  'I'm sorry that I am late. I had to go and help my girlfriend with something, and it took longer than expected.'

  If we didn't know differently, we might have believed him. He was obviously a convincing liar.

  'That's not a problem Dillon. We had a good look around the harbour while we were waiting for you,' I replied.

  'Can you show us the exact spot where Sea Office was moored on the night she was stolen,' Willem asked.

  Dillon pointed to a vacant berth near the end of one of the quays. 'She was moored over there in the third bay from the end on that quay. I will take you there now.'

  As we walked I said to him. 'It must have been an extremely frightening experience to wake up and find that you were being attacked.'

  'I woke up to find that I was being smothered. I thought that I was going to die.'

  'Where were you when you regained consciousness?'

  'I was out in the open behind a wall, and it was only later that I found out that I was on Ile Sainte Marguerite.'

  'What happened then?' Willem asked.

  'I caught the ferry back to the Old Port, and as we passed the harbour, I noticed that Sea Office wasn't on her mooring. I assumed that she had been stolen, and, as soon as I got off the ferry, I went straight to the Capitainerie to report the theft. They called the police.'

  We arrived at the empty mooring where he had told us Sea Office was usually tied up.

  'This is Sea Office's mooring, but there is not very much else to tell you about it.' Dillon added.

  'Have you any idea why they picked Sea Office Dillon out of all the Motor yachts moored in Cannes? I asked.

  'I have thought a lot about that and the only reason that I can come up with is that it is extremely close to the exit from the harbour to the Mediterranean. It was a low-risk boat to steal.'

  'The fact that there was nobody on board was probably the main reason that they took that specific boat.' Willem suggested, changing the tone of the conversation.

  Dillon's face suddenly became a lot harder, and the smile went from his lips. There was a look of panic in his eyes.

  'What do you mean?' He said in a loud voice.

  'I don't think that you were on board Sea Office the night that she was stolen. I think that you spent the night with your girlfriend in her apartment in the centre of Cannes,' I said very firmly looking straight into his eyes.

  'That's not true. I take my job extremely seriously and never sleep ashore when I am in charge of a motor yacht.'

  'When we met you last night I assume that the owner of the boat that you are now working on understood that you were sleeping on board.'

  'I just slipped out for a quick drink with my girlfriend and went straight back on board after I finished talking to you.'

  'Is that honestly what you did last night? Willem asked him.

  'Yes, I went straight back to the yacht Black Legend after I walked my girlfriend home.'

  'That's a total lie Dillon, and you know it. We followed you after you left the bar and know that you stayed in her apartment. Indirectly you are an accomplice in the theft of Sea Office. I am sure that the police will want to interview you again now that your actual movements are known.' I decided that it might be a good idea to give him a bit of a scare and let him know that we were onto him.

  'That's a load of lies,' he shouted at me. He turned around and ran off along the quay towards the town.

  'I think that we have upset him.' Willem smiled at me.

  'It is highly likely that the thieves kept an eye out for easy pickings and when Dillon started to stay ashore with his girlfriend that gave them the opportunity to pounce,' I added. 'Freddie Shuttleworth assumed that his man was staying on board and his boat was protected.'

  'Do you think that the boat was left open?' Willem asked.

  'It doesn't actually make any difference Willem. If nobody was sleep
ing on board, then they didn’t have to keep quiet and could have forced the locks.'

  'Our friend Dillon doesn't seem to be very reliable, so the chances are that he left the boat unlocked and also if there was an alarm fitted, he wouldn't have switched it on.'

  'You are probably right Willem. It's another item to put on my list of topics that I want to discuss with the owners.'

  'Have you noticed Vince that there is quite a sophisticated CCTV system in place? I wonder have they got the old tapes stored away somewhere, and who has them?'

  'We could ask at the Capitainerie, they may be able to help.'

  'My French isn't good enough to hold a conversation with the officers of the Capitainerie, so it might be better to wait until the meeting to sort that one out.'

  'One of the officers in the Capitainerie is bound to speak fluent English as there are so many English speaking boat owners in Cannes,' Willem suggested.

  'We can go and ask, and if we have a language problem, we can bring it up with the owners.'

  'Being France the Capitainerie probably closes for lunch at 12 noon, and it is 11.40am now, so we had better go there after lunch,' Willem said. 'Talking of lunch, let's go and find somewhere.'

  We walked back to our hotel in silence as we both considered what had happened in our meeting with Dillon and what we had seen at the port. In front of the Martinez Hotel, there was a restaurant below the esplanade bordering on the beach. We decided to have lunch there and put the cost onto the hotel bill to simplify the accounting.

  It was a perfect spot for watching the activities of Cannes. There was a constant movement of every type of craft across the bay, including the half hourly ferry service to and from Ile Sainte Marguerite. We even saw a Cruise liner dropping anchor off shore and ferrying the passengers to the port by an armada of small boats. It was a time for relaxation and observation, and neither Willem nor I felt the need to talk.

  We headed over to the Capitainerie just after 2.00pm and were lucky enough to find an official on duty who spoke excellent English.

  'Bonjour, vous parlez Anglais?' I asked in my best French.

  'Yes, I will be able to talk to you in English as long as it does not get too technical.' He smiled.