Bright lights came on. I heard voices. One of my pursuers had a powerful lantern which he was sweeping around, it was like a searchlight. Despite my gammy leg, I covered the distance to the fence at the far side of the field extraordinarily rapidly. Once over I was protected from the light beam, but I still kept going, putting distance between myself and the searchers.
Of comfort was the fact that there was little likelihood of them finding my car as I had parked it well away from the building. If they did happen to find it, there was nothing in it that would give me away.
I stopped and looked back, my Glock at the ready. The person with the torch was now in the middle of the field that I had just crossed, but he didn't seem to be too enthusiastic about his search. The others, who were still in the yard, called out to him, and they all retreated to the house from which they had come. My pursuer shone his light around the field, and then also gave up and returned to his mates. Luckily there hadn't been much rain recently, so he wouldn't have been able to see my footprints. With a bit of luck, they would put it down to the wind as there was quite a gale blowing.
My pursuers safely back in their house; I took a wide circuit back to my car. Soon I was joining the M2 motorway heading back to London and bed. It had been an excellent day. I now was certain where the cars were being brought to have their number plates changed, and I also knew that the Aston Martin had been re-sprayed in a sophisticated paint facility completing its new identity. Progress at last.
Chapter 17
First thing on Friday morning I contacted Avis to arrange for them to come and pick up the rental car. Around mid-morning, I received a call from Inspector Baird.
'Good morning Vince; the Aston Martin is moving again and is on its way to Dover on the M2.'
'Are your guys following it?'
'No, they have handed it over to the motorway police. They can monitor it without arousing any suspicion.'
'What is the next step? Is there something that I can do to help?'
'No, I don't think so. We will just track the car and see where it goes. It looks as if their aim is to get a ferry to France at Dover. Where they go after that is in the lap of the gods.'
'Can I come in later and perhaps talk to the person tracking the car? I'd like to see the process in action so I can feel more comfortable.'
'Come in around three o'clock this afternoon. I'll get somebody to take you over to the monitoring centre.'
'Thanks that would be perfect. I'll see you later.'
I then telephoned Willem in Rotterdam.
'Good morning Vince, what can I do for you this fine morning?' a strong Dutch accent confirmed it was Willem.
'I just want to know that everything is in order with the tracking devices on the boats.'
'They have done a marvellous job this week, and all the owners' group of boats now have two devices fitted.'
‘If my analysis of the previous thefts is correct then the syndicate could steal another motor yacht tonight.'
'I am well aware of that Vince. One of my staff has agreed to monitor the tracking system for the whole of tonight. If a boat moves, he will see it.'
'Have you heard from any of the owners?'
'Yes, I received emails from four of them stating that their boats will not be in Cannes tonight, they have travelled to Monaco for some sort of special shopping event that is being held there this weekend.'
'I will contact Nick Knowles in Cannes after talking to you just to get him on the front foot. He can keep an eye out for any unplanned activity.'
'I think that we have covered it as well as we can. All we can do now is wait,' Willem sounded confident and in complete control.
'Let me know if a boat moves.'
'I will. Have a good day.'
'You too Willem. I'll talk to you later.'
I finally phoned Nick in Cannes just to make sure that he was on his toes for what might happen tonight. He assured me that he would be keeping an extra special lookout and would call me if anything happened. He also said that he would make a second tour of the boats during the night. I warned him not to try any heroics as they had guns and wouldn't be afraid to use them.
There was nothing else that I could do now but wait. I had mixed feelings about whether I wanted another boat to be taken or not. I knew that it was impossible to find out the boats ultimate destination without another boat being taken, but I was also extremely concerned that I could lose it again if they switched off both the tracking devices.
I spent the rest of the morning tidying up the house as Daphne would be coming home tomorrow, and she wouldn't be too impressed if the house was in a mess.
It was with mixed feelings that I took the tube across to Hampstead for my appointment with the Inspector at 3.00pm. When I asked for the Inspector at the desk, the duty sergeant said that another Constable called Dan would escort me to the communications centre as the Inspector was busy.
Five minutes later a Constable came to collect me. I assumed that this was Dan.
Dan was about six feet five inches tall with a large stride, so I had considerable difficulty in keeping up with him. Luckily the monitoring centre was quite close, so I didn't get too far behind.
The communications section was housed in an ordinary office block. It occupied the whole expanse of the second floor, about three hundred square meters. The man tracking the Aston Martin was situated in a corner at the other end of the room from the door we came in through. Dan introduced me to the operator and left me to it.
I was looking at one of the largest computer screens that I had ever seen. There was a full map of Kent showing, with the roads clearly delineated. He pointed to the 'blip' on the screen that was now situated on the quayside in Dover.
'I contacted the harbour police, and they have confirmed that he is definitely there,' he added.
'But surely the tracking device is showing where he is?' I asked.
'Since the car is about to leave the country I thought it would be better to check that they hadn't switched the device from one car to another. If they had found the tracking device when the car was in Ham Green, it would have been a simple task to transfer it to another car, just to confuse us.'
'I never thought of that, but of course, you are right.'
We sat there watching the stationary 'blip' and then suddenly there was movement. His telephone rang. I could obviously only hear one side of the conversation, and he listened more than he spoke. The conversation was very short.
'That was the harbour police confirming that he is now boarding. They also said that they have managed to take a print out from the CCTV camera, so they have a picture of the driver.'
'What will happen when the ferry gets to France?'
'We will still be able to monitor the signals coming from the device and will follow it wherever it goes. The signal comes to us via satellite, so we are not limited to specific countries.'
'Are you sure that you won't lose it.' I still wasn't convinced.
'The only way that we will lose it is if they find the device and disable it.'
'I find it very hard to trust the transponder as we are totally blind to what is happening on the ground. I have this strong feeling that we are going to lose it.'
'There is a plain clothes policeman on board the ferry keeping an eye on things, but once the ferry docks in Calais, we will lose personal contact.'
'Let's just hope that everything goes as planned. I don't want to lose an expensive luxury car.' I said with a little panic in my voice.
'I have every confidence in the technology. Just relax and let the tracker do its job.'
We watched the 'blip' travel across the Channel, and ninety minutes later it arrived in Calais. It moved extremely slowly for about half an hour, presumably as they unloaded the cars and went through Customs. It then started to move much quicker. The telephone rang on the operator's desk.
He talked quietly to the person on the other end. Again, he mostly listened and just grunted in ag
reement from time to time. When he put the phone down, he turned to me.
'That was the officer who travelled on the ferry to France. He told me that the driver who took the car off the ferry in Calais was a different person to the one who drove the car onto the ferry in Dover. They must have switched drivers on the ferry.'
'They seem to be exceptionally well organized,' I said.
'He also informed me that the original driver is on the next ferry back to the UK as a foot passenger.'
'It shouldn't make any difference having a different driver as it is the car that is the main item in all of this.' I said more in hope than in a convincing voice.
We watched as the car left Calais and motored down the A26 heading south. Around Arras, it joined the A1 in the direction of Paris. It was fascinating watching the progress of the stolen Aston Martin, and I didn't notice the time going. As the car entered Paris, I looked at my watch and found that it was after 7.00pm. If something was going to happen in my other case, involving the boats in Cannes, it could happen soon. I had better get home as soon as possible. France being one hour ahead of the UK meant that it was now after eight there.
I made my apologies and headed for the tube and home. I would catch up later on what happened to the Aston Martin in Paris. The operator had given me his telephone number, although he said that his shift ended at 10.00pm when he would hand over to a night operator.
Chapter 18
I made it through my door at home at around nine o'clock. I had enjoyed my afternoon tracking the car in the police monitoring centre. It was a mesmerising experience and surprisingly, not boring at all. I made a mental note to ask Willem tomorrow what was involved in setting up a monitoring station in my home. I switched on the television, cooked some food, and waited for the phone to ring.
Hour after hour went by, but my mobile stayed silent. Eventually, I must have dropped off as I woke up at 4.00am with the TV blaring and a chronic stiff neck. Clearly there would be no action tonight as, with the time difference, it was now 5.00am in France and long after sunrise. I could go to bed and sleep in comfort.
I was woken from a deep sleep at 8.30am by my mobile ringing.
'Good morning Vince.' It was Willem. 'Nothing happened last night, so your theory needs reworking. The thieves aren't as predictable as you thought.'
'I only predicted that there might be another theft last night based on when they stole the previous boats.'
'Well, we can all stand down for today as they aren't going to take one in daylight hours. How is the car chase progressing?'
'I spent yesterday afternoon at the police monitoring station and was fascinated by the exercise. During the time that I was watching, the car reached Paris. I, unfortunately, had to leave as it was getting late, so don't know what happened next.'
'It is not as much fun monitoring stationary boats,' Willem added. 'It's much more fun when they start to move.'
'What must I do to install a tracking system on my own computer? I would like to be able to keep an eye on what is going on when I am at home.'
'Obviously you would need to load the necessary software on your computer, and you also need the specific call signs of the devices, after that it is easy.'
'Where would I get the software from?'
'Your best bet is to contact the company that did the installations in the cars. They should be able to sort you out at a good price as you bought a few devices from them.'
'Thanks for that; I will contact them on Monday. In the meantime, I will just have to rely on the communication centre and you.'
'I must go Vince. Magda has a shopping trip planned for me, much to my disgust. I would far rather play golf.'
'I will phone you later. Have a good shopping trip.'
I made a call to the policeman on duty in the communications centre to see how the tracking of the cars was going.
'Have you any news for me?' I asked the operator.
'Yes there is one significant development.'
'What's the major development?'
'The car was tracked to the centre of Paris last night. It stopped at number 25 Rue de Savoie, for about two hours. We have investigated that address and found that a private art dealer operates a business from there.'
'Well done, that is fascinating news.'
'The car then travelled for the remainder of the night and ended up in Nice, in the South of France. It stopped, and is still stationary at a location where there is a hotel. The driver obviously decided that he needed a break after his eight-hour drive from Paris.'
'Is the car still in Nice?'
'Yes, it is still there at the hotel. I suspect that they may wait till darkness before they move again.'
'From what you have told me it appears they are heading towards Italy.'
'I agree with you. They are now close to the Italian border. We will text you on your mobile as soon as it starts to move again.'
'I'd appreciate that. Thanks for updating me.'
All the telephone calls completed; I did some more house tidying in preparation for the return of my wife.
The family arrived, tumbling through the door, just before lunch that cheered me up considerably and helped to pass the afternoon. We took a trip into Leicester Square in the evening and had a meal at the kids' favourite KFC restaurant. My sacrifice for the kids as I don't enjoy bread crumbed chicken.
I got a call from the communications centre at around 9.00pm, letting me know that the car was moving again. Everything was under control, and I was feeling in top form with my family around me.
By the time that we got home it was time for bed, and I slept remarkably well having my wife beside me.
I was woken from a deep sleep a few hours later when my mobile phone rang.
'Vince, Willem here, I am sorry to wake you up, but the thieves have stolen another boat. Can you phone Nick and see what is happening.'
'You are sure that it isn't being taken out by the owner?'
'Well, they haven't notified me that they would be taking it out.'
'I will give Nick a call as soon as I stop talking to you.'
I terminated the call, went downstairs, where I wouldn't disturb Daphne, and phoned Nick.'
He answered immediately.
'Hi Major Hamilton, I was about to phone you. Another motor yacht has been stolen.'
'Yes I know Nick, Willem spotted the movement and phoned me.'
'The two crew members who were on board were attacked and put to sleep, using Chloroform. They were then dumped on the Quay. They are in quite a bad way.'
'How did you find them?'
'I decided to do another inspection at 2.00am and I stumbled across them lying against the wall that runs along the back of the quay. I, obviously, also saw that Whispering Legend had left its mooring.'
'I will telephone Freddie Shuttleworth and ask him to contact the owner. Will you please talk to the crew when they are fit enough to communicate? I will try and phone you later, just in case they give you some information that might be of use to me.'
'Have you got any suggestions as to what I should ask them?'
'I will leave that up to you. We need to know if they saw anything or heard the thieves talking.'
'I'll do my best, but I am not good at that sort of thing.'
'You'll be fine. I will talk to you later.'
That call over I rang Willem again.
'Hi Vince, did you find out any details about what happened?'
'Yes, the two young guys on the boat were attacked and neutralised using Chloroform. Nick found them out cold on the quay.'
'What is the name of the yacht that was stolen?'
'It's called Whispering Legend.'
'Shortly after they left Cannes they must have found one of the tracking devices because it has been disabled, but the other is working like a dream.'
'Are they going along the coast towards Sete?' I asked him.
'No, they appear to be heading straight across the Mediterranean, but
it is too early to tell. They could still turn to the west and head in the direction of Sete.'
'I'll call you in the morning and get an update,' I said.
'Talk to you later then Vince.'
I now had a car on the move in Italy, and at least two boats loose in the Mediterranean. I felt totally helpless as there was nothing I could do that would contribute to the chase. I just had to hope that the trackers would do their job and wait for favourable news.
I took the decision not to call Freddie Shuttleworth until the morning, so I went back to bed to see if I could get more sleep.
Chapter 19
As I lay in bed trying to get to sleep, my mind was going round and round at a hundred miles an hour making sleep an impossible exercise. I tossed and turned until morning finally came.
Who to call first? I decided to phone the police operator in the communications centre.
'Hello,' the phone was answered after the third ring.
'Good morning, Vince Hamilton here, can I please get an update on the whereabouts of the Aston Martin.'
'No problem; it has reached Venice and is parked at the Annia Park Hotel beside Marco Polo Airport which is the main airport for Venice.'
'What time did it get to Venice?'
'Looking at the log here, I see that it left Nice at 9.00pm and arrived at the hotel in Venice at 3.00am this morning.'
'It is 8.30am now, so it has been there for five and a half hours,’ I said. ‘It will be interesting to see where it goes next as there are a number of options?
'I will telephone you as soon as he moves. I expect that he will follow the same pattern as yesterday, he probably will sleep a lot of the day, and travel at night.' It was a great relief to know that the tracker on board the Aston Martin was still operational and we hadn't mislaid a very expensive car.
'Thanks for the update; I look forward to getting an update later.'
I now needed to find out where Whispering Legend was, so that meant phoning Willem. After that, I would have to phone Freddie Shuttleworth.
Before I could select Willem's number, my mobile rang.
Curse of Thieves: Another Major Vince Hamilton Investigation Page 12
