Curse of Thieves: Another Major Vince Hamilton Investigation

by Patricki Slaney

  I was taken by police car back to the port and dropped off beside the two motor yachts. Peter Brown and Geoff Kemp came onto the quayside to meet me.

  'Is everything OK Major Hamilton?' Peter Brown asked me.

  'Yes, it is all sorted, and you are free to leave.'

  As I was talking with the owners I noticed that the policeman who had come with me was talking to the policemen who were guarding the boats. They nodded their heads and departed the scene in the police car.

  'Gentlemen you are no longer being protected by the police, so I suggest that you leave immediately.'

  'Major, you won't forget about Tommy will you?' Geoff Kemp asked me.

  'No, I am going to the hospital as soon as I leave you here. I will send you a message on Channel 16 so as you can get it while you are travelling.'

  'Many thanks although I do feel very guilty at leaving him here,' Geoff said. 'You can tell him that I will organize for him to be transferred to the UK as soon as it can be arranged, whatever the cost.'

  'Good luck gents and have a good voyage.'

  They both left me on the quayside and boarded their respective vessels. Half-an-hour later they pulled in their mooring lines and departed Rhodes.

  As I stood there watching them leave a major question was forming in my head. How had the people who had attacked the two motor yachts known the exact time that we would be there? If there was a mole in the camp then who was it?

  I couldn’t think of a credible answer. I waved down a taxi and asked him to take me to the Aquarium Hotel. This hotel was where the Inspector had stayed when he was with me in Rhodes. I didn't know of any other hotel in the town, and the Aquarium Hotel seemed to be of an adequate standard and was in a quiet area of the town.

  Although it was the height of the season, the receptionist managed to organize me a room. I slumped down on the bed, still in my clothes, and fell fast asleep.

  Chapter 42

  I was woken up by an electrical storm and heavy rain. I had gone to sleep leaving the sliding door to the balcony open. The rain was pouring into the room, and the curtain was flying parallel to the floor. I got up, closed the door and looked at my watch.

  It was 6.15pm, so I needed to get going. First on my list of things to do was to pay the hospital a visit and find out how Freddie Shuttleworth and Tommy were. Although I felt guilty at having slept all afternoon I decided to delay my visit further and have some food before I set off for the hospital. I hadn't eaten all day and was extremely hungry.

  There was a restaurant on the ground floor of the hotel where I was able to order a cup of coffee and a sandwich. Suitably refreshed I asked the receptionist to get me a taxi.

  I asked the taxi driver to take me to the hospital.

  'Which hospital do you want?' he inquired.

  Now I was stuck. It had never entered my mind that there could be more than one hospital in Rhodes town. I had never bothered to establish which hospital they would have been taken to.

  'I have no idea which hospital,' I replied. 'Which is the biggest?'

  'The biggest is the General Hospital, so I will take you there first.'

  'That sounds like a good idea,' I agreed.

  When we reached the General Hospital, I went into the main reception area and joined the queue at the information desk. The taxi driver waited outside for me.

  I eventually reached the front of the queue only to be told that they did not have two injured Englishmen in their hospital. I returned to my taxi, and he brought me to the next hospital which occupied a building in a quieter area of the town off the Kon Kavafi road.

  When I went inside, I was delighted to find that this was a much newer building and everything was of much a higher standard. At the information desk, I was told that two Englishmen had indeed been brought in that morning. I got details of their rooms and went outside to pay the taxi driver and tell him that I had been successful in my search.

  It turned out that they were both on the second floor but were in separate single rooms. I went up to the nurses’ station and explained who I was and that I would like to find out how the two men were. She explained that they had both been operated on during the afternoon and were heavily sedated. If I liked to come back tomorrow after eleven o'clock, I would be allowed to visit them. I was disappointed that I couldn't talk to them, but at least I now knew that they were alive and making progress. I went downstairs and out of the hospital. To my surprise my friendly taxi driver was parked close to the entrance.

  I opened the rear door and got in.

  'I decided to wait for you Sir as I knew that you would need a lift back to your hotel.'

  'Thank you, I am very glad that you did.'

  Back at the hotel I bought myself a beer and went to my room. I had some very important telephone calls to make.

  The UK was two hours behind Greece so it would be a great time to phone my wife. She would be home from work.

  Michael answered the phone, so I talked to him for a while and got his news. He then gave the phone to his sister, who, after giving me her news, passed me on to my wife. She informed me that her mother was still staying in our home, and suggested to me that I should spend some time sorting out the mother's affairs when I got home. She asked me when I would be home. I explained that I hadn't booked a flight yet so didn't know when I would arrive or even if I could manage to book a seat in the next few days. It also depended on what I found at the hospital.

  My call to my family completed I phoned Willem in Holland.

  'How relieved I am to hear from you Vince,' Willem said once he realised that it was me on the phone.

  'I have good news and bad news for you I am afraid.'

  'Give me the bad news first Vince.'

  'When we arrived back with the two motor yachts in Rhodes earlier today, we were attacked and there was a shoot-out.'

  'Was it in the main harbour of Rhodes?'

  'Yes, we had just tied up the two boats when a car screeched to a halt on the quay and two men got out and started firing at us.'

  'You clearly weren't hit as you are talking to me now.'

  'I was still on board one of the boats, but Freddie Shuttleworth and a young guy called Tommy, who were both standing on the quay, were hit.'

  'Are they OK, Vince?'

  'I went to the hospital they are in tonight and was informed that they are out of danger. I plan on visiting them tomorrow morning all being well.'

  'So what is the good news, Vince?'

  'The operation against the Mafia base in Marmaris went off very successfully and it has been wiped out. A large collection of stolen items was recovered.'

  'I take it that you recovered Splendiferous and Whispering Legend as they were the subject of the attack this morning.'

  'Yes, and they have been handed back to their respective owners.'

  'Was there much damage done to the boats during the firefight?' Willem asked.

  'There was some superficial damage to the superstructure of both boats,' I replied. 'I had kept four of the naval personnel behind, two on each boat, and they dealt with the two gunmen very speedily. If we had been on our own with just my Glock to defend us, a lot more people could have been injured.'

  'The two boats have vanished off my screen, so I presume that you have disabled the tracking devices.'

  'They took off all the trackers in case the boats were being monitored by the syndicate. After the hiatus in Rhodes harbour, they are now both headed for Heraklion in Crete in the control of their genuine owners. Nick has gone with them to help out, and he is on Whispering Legend replacing the injured crew member.'

  'What about you Vince, where are you heading for, now that all the action is over?'

  'I haven't decided exactly when I will head for home. I will take a decision after I have been to the hospital tomorrow morning. If the two injured men are not too bad, I will try and get a flight tomorrow evening. In fact, I may take a chance and just book a flight.'

  'Do you know how th
e rest of the operation that was being dealt with by Interpol went?'

  'I haven't had a chance to talk to the Superintendent yet, so I have no idea.'

  ‘Is there anything else of interest?’ Willem asked.

  ‘No, not that I can think of.’ I wasn’t going to tell Willem of my feeling that somebody had tipped the syndicate off that we would be in Rhodes harbour at 11.00am this morning. It might have just been a coincidence although I didn’t believe in such things.

  'It sounds as if you have your hands full Vince. Perhaps you can give me a call when you get anymore news.'

  'I will do Willem and thank you very much for all your help. I owe you a very large beer.'

  I terminated the call to Willem and went downstairs to try and book a flight back to the UK for tomorrow.

  The receptionist was able to put me through to a travel agent who was available out of normal business hours. Much to my relief I was able to get a seat on a flight that was departing for Gatwick at 02.55 hours on Tuesday morning. The flight would arrive at Gatwick just after 5.05am. I would miss another night's sleep, but I would get home a day earlier than I had anticipated. What a bonus.

  I informed the receptionist that I would be checking out the following day, and I went out to my favourite Rhodes restaurant to get some decent food inside me.

  Suitably wined and dined I went for a walk around the town before heading back to the hotel and a decent night's sleep.

  The following morning I had a leisurely breakfast and then took a taxi to the hospital. I took the lift to the second floor and approached the nurses' station. I explained that I would like to visit the two English patients who were admitted yesterday. The nurse who had greeted me said that she would go and get the sister as she couldn't give me permission to visit the two men.

  Having given my details again, and how I was connected with the two men, I was informed that I could only spend ten minutes with each patient. I decided to visit Freddie Shuttleworth first. I knocked on the door and entered the room.

  Freddie Shuttleworth was sitting up in bed looking a lot better than I had expected. I approached his bed.

  'Good morning Vince,' he said. 'Thank you for coming in to see me.'

  'How are you Freddie, you look better than I thought you would?'

  'I was very lucky Vince and received the bullet in the fleshy part of my thigh.'

  'So it didn't damage the bone or break anything?'

  'No, it made a bit of a mess of the top of my leg, but they have done a good repair job.'

  'Have they said how long they will keep you here?'

  'They reckon that I should be able to be moved by the end of the week.'

  'I am relieved to hear that. I don't suppose that you want to stay here more than you have to?'

  'My wife is flying out to Rhodes this afternoon. She will stay with me until I am fit enough to return home. She is rather naturally very alarmed by what happened.'

  'Would she be able to keep an eye on Tommy as well? I want to return home, and I don't want to leave him on his own,' I said.

  'That is a good idea and will give her something to do other than fuss around me.'

  'That is a big weight off my mind. I need to get home but didn't want to abandon the two of you, especially Tommy.' I could now catch my flight with a clear conscience.

  'Was anybody else injured, and did the two boats get away safely?' Freddie asked.

  'Thankfully only you and Tommy were injured. The quick action taken by the guys from the navy saved the day. The two gunmen were eliminated before they could do more damage.'

  'Talking of damage Vince, were the boats badly damaged?'

  'There was some damage to the superstructure but it should be easy to repair. Both motor yachts are currently on their way to Heraklion in Crete and should now be safe.'

  'Well done Vince, I am impressed with what you have been able to achieve. Make sure that you get your final bill to me, and I will transfer the money into your account as soon as I am home.'

  'Freddie, the last thing on my mind at the moment is getting paid. The most important thing now is that you get better and onto your feet. I can wait to get paid.'

  A nurse stuck her head into the room and notified me that my ten minutes were up.

  'I'll have to leave you now as I am only allowed ten minutes with you. I am delighted to find that you are getting on so well. Touch base with me when you finally return to the UK.'

  'Thanks for coming to see me Vince and have a safe journey back home.'

  I left him to it and went to find Tommy.

  The nurse showed me his room. I knocked and entered.

  Tommy looked in a lot worse shape than Freddie. He had been hit in the stomach and had all sorts of tubes attached to him. He was obviously heavily drugged as his eyes were closed, and he looked distinctly dazed.

  'Tommy, can you hear me,' I asked.

  There was no answer, but I did detect a slight movement in his face.

  'Tommy, it is Vince Hamilton here. I don't know if you can hear me, but I am going to sit with you for a while to keep you company and let you know that you haven't been abandoned.'

  I knew from my days in the army that although the patient was seemingly unconscious that they sensed when somebody was with them.

  When the nurse came back to tell me to go, I told her that I would just sit there for a while.

  I stayed a further two hours. On a few occasions during those hours, he opened his eyes slightly and looked at me. I felt that I was doing some good.

  Before I left I gripped his hand and squeezed it. He responded, so he obviously knew that I was there. It was very sad that, having arrived in Rhodes on an adventure, he had ended up in a hospital bed far from his family and friends. I was hopeful that Freddie's wife would keep a motherly watch on him. There was nothing more that I could do.

  I spent the remainder of the day going over in my mind all that had happened in the short space of the past twenty-four hours. I headed off for the airport at midnight and was checked in and through security by 1.00am. I then had to wait for nearly two hours before I could board the aircraft. The incoming flight was delayed, so the flight departure time was also put back. Tiredness was starting to afflict me, so I wasn't in the best of moods to endure the delay. I was grumpy, to say the least, and I was starting to get a severe headache behind my eyes from sheer exhaustion.

  We finally took off an hour and a half late. A few minutes after take-off, I was fast asleep.

  I was woken by the stewardess shaking me to tell me that we were about to land, and I must fasten my seat belt.

  Chapter 43

  I was going in the door of my home at 8.30am, just in time to greet my wife Daphne before she went to work. The boutique she worked at was ten minutes' walk away in Putney. The kids had already left for school, so I missed them. Mother in Law was in the kitchen clad in her dressing gown. As soon as she saw me come in, she headed up the stairs to the spare room where she was sleeping. My sudden arrival had caused havoc.

  'Gosh, you are back sooner than I expected,' my wife said.

  'I managed to get on a flight that left Rhodes early this morning. It meant going another night without sleep, but I wanted to get home,' I replied.

  'Are you finished with the investigation relating to the boats and the cars?'

  'I hope so, but I won't know if it is complete until I get an update from Superintendent Tedding of Scotland Yard.'

  'That reminds me,' my wife interrupted me. 'There was a message yesterday evening from the Superintendent; he wanted you to phone him as soon as you got home.'

  'Did you tell him when you were expecting me to return?'

  'I told him you were due to arrive late on Tuesday or maybe first thing Wednesday.'

  'That's great; I will phone him later as I don't feel like talking to anyone until I have had some sleep. I have had a headache for the past twenty-four hours caused by anxiety and lack of sleep. When I was in the army, I could survive for
a few days on cat-naps and still be moderately active. I find that I am out of training now, and I can't keep going as I used to.'

  'I must go to work otherwise I will be late. Will you come and meet me for lunch? You can bring my mum, and we can go to the pub on the embankment.'

  'I'll take two Paracetamol and go straight to bed now. If I wake up in time, I'll come over and pick you up around one o'clock. I'll bring your mother if she is not doing anything else.'

  'OK, I'll see you then,' my wife replied.

  She gave me a kiss and went off to work. I went up to get a few hours' sleep.

  I woke up to find my mother in law calling to me from the door.

  'Vince there is a man on the phone for you, and he says that it is urgent. He insisted that I woke you up.'

  I struggled awake and reconnected the extension that was on the bedside table. I had unplugged it when I went to bed to avoid being woken.

  'Hello,' I mumbled into the phone.

  'Hi Major Hamilton it is DCS Tedding here, I am sorry to wake you up but I need to arrange a meeting with you.'

  'Where do you want to meet me? Should I come to Scotland Yard?'

  'No, I would like you to come to the Royal Free Hospital in Pond Street, Hampstead. Inspector Baird is being looked after there, and I would like him to hear what we have to say. Can you be there at 5.00pm?'

  'Yes, I could make it by five. Where do I go when I get there?'

  'Meet me in the entrance lobby on the ground floor, and I will take you to his private room on the third floor,' he said.

  'There is one other thing Superintendent that you should be aware of. Just before the motor yachts left Rhodes there was a firefight on the quayside. We were attacked by two gunmen.'

  'Did that happen on Sunday and was anybody injured?'

  'Yes it occurred on Sunday morning and two people were shot. I visited them in hospital yesterday and they both should make a full recovery.'

  'What happened to the two gunmen who attacked you?' The Superintendent asked.

  'They were both shot dead by the naval crewmen who were on board.'

  'Thanks for letting me know; you can tell me all the details when you meet me later.'