Curse of Thieves: Another Major Vince Hamilton Investigation

by Patricki Slaney

  'OK Superintendent, I'll see you at five.'

  I would still have plenty of time to have lunch with my wife as it was now only 12.15pm.

  Daphne's mother was waiting for me when I had showered and dressed. We walked into Putney together for lunch making polite conversation on the way.

  To get to the hospital, I had to travel to Hampstead Heath tube station, which, funnily enough, was the same station that I used to go to when I visited the Inspector at his office. After lunch, I got a tube from East Putney, getting to Hampstead at 4.30pm. It was raining so although I was early, I decided to wait in the reception area of the hospital.

  The Superintendent didn't arrive until twenty-five minutes past five by which time I was quite agitated as I hate waiting in hospitals. After my serious injury in Iraq, I had spent a considerable time in hospitals and the smells and clinical environment brought back memories of those horrible days.

  'Sorry to keep you waiting Major, I came by car and the traffic was horrendous. Let's go up to the third floor to see the Inspector.' He shook my hand.

  Having reached the correct floor, the Superintendent went up to the nurse's station to announce our arrival to the Sister on duty, and to ask that we not be disturbed.

  We knocked on the door and entered.

  I was surprised how well the Inspector looked. He had made a remarkable recovery.

  We both shook his hand and sat down on the same side of the bed so as he could keep both of us in his sight without having to turn his head.

  'How are you Inspector?' I asked him. 'You are looking remarkably good considering what you have been through.'

  'I am feeling much improved, and the pain is a lot less, thank you.'

  'Let's get down to business as I am under pressure to get back to my office to tie up a few loose ends,' the Superintendent said in a brusque manner. 'Major, can you start by bringing us up to date on what went on in Rhodes and Turkey.'

  I commenced my report by telling them how I had been involved in developing the plan in Cyprus. I also gave them details of how we had been taken by RAF helicopters to Marmaris to gather information for the plan so as we could ensure that our plan would work. I took them through the operation step by step until we arrived back in Faliraki on the island of Rhodes. They were particularly interested to hear the details of the gun battle that had taken place on the quayside in Rhodes.

  'You said that two people were injured in the shooting,' the Superintendent said. 'Who were they?'

  'The two men injured were Freddie Shuttleworth, who is the Chairman of the Cannes owners' group, and a young guy called Tommy who was a crew member on one of the motor yachts.'

  'Are they badly injured?' The Inspector inquired.

  'I went in to see them both yesterday and Freddie doesn't seem too bad, but Tommy seemed to be a lot worse as he was shot in the stomach.'

  'Is the hospital they are in up to standard Vince? The Superintendent asked.

  'They were brought to the newest hospital in the area, and it seems to be extremely good. Freddie's wife arrived yesterday, and she will keep an eye on the both of them,' I replied. 'If she hadn't been arriving I would have stayed on a few more days.'

  'Let's get back to the Marmaris attack,' the Superintendent suggested.

  'Are you sure that the complex was destroyed so as it can't be used again,' the Inspector asked.

  'All I can tell you is that explosive charges were placed in strategic places inside the network of caves and passages,' I replied. 'They were set to go off at 6.00am on Sunday morning, well after we had left the area. I must assume that they went off as planned.'

  'I can confirm that there were reports of muffled explosions early on Sunday morning. I think that we can safely assume that the place was blown to pieces,' the Superintendent said.

  'So, the derelict buildings that the tourists can see from Green Sea Bay, have not been demolished?' the Inspector asked.

  'No, they are still there. From the bay, where the tourists' boats drop anchor, the place will look exactly the same.'

  'How about the police post on the road in from Icmeler, has anything happened to it?' The Inspector continued with his questioning.

  'I don't know if you remember the large lump of rock that extended out over the road, close to the police post, but that has also been blown up. The road should now be closed by a large mound of rock.'

  'Yes I remember that overhang. We wondered at the time if explosives could be used to cause it to fall on the road. What did you do with the policeman guarding the road?' The Inspector commented.

  'He was tied up, and the dogs were temporarily silenced using doctored hunks of meat brought along for the purpose. The dogs should have recovered about four hours after we left.'

  'How about all the items from the various heists, were they all recovered,' the Superintendent inquired.

  'I saw four of the luxury cars being driven from the site by REME drivers, and they were going to take a ferry with the cars from Bodrum to the island of Kos. There were a lot of paintings recovered, and these were loaded onto both the motor yachts we captured. There was also a large amount of jewellery found in the caves, and it has been taken away as well.'

  'Did you capture many of the Italians?' the Inspector asked.

  This time the Superintendent replied.

  'I was in touch with Captain Moffatt in Cyprus, and he told me that they had the local big chief Antonio Moretti plus five other members of the Mafia. I gather Major that you were involved in Moretti's capture?

  'Yes, thanks to the information that you gave to me Inspector, we were on the lookout for the Heist Boss. I arrived in Icmeler on Saturday morning with five other SAS personnel, and we spent the day locating the leader and his villa. In the afternoon, he was spotted coming out his gate and going to Green Sea Bay. You had told us to look out for a black Mercedes S600.'

  'So did you get him while he was on that trip and out in the open?' the Inspector asked.

  'No, we had to wait until the attack was launched at midnight. We didn't dare go in earlier as we didn't want them to know that we were in the area. If we had tried to capture the leader earlier, they would have been on their guard when we finally attacked the complex. Surprise was our best weapon and, in fact, at no stage did they suspect that they would be attacked. We met very little opposition.'

  'Did you come up with a Trojan Horse?' The Superintendent asked.

  'Yes and it worked better than expected,' I replied.

  'What on earth are you talking about Major?' The Inspector looked puzzled.

  'You are aware of the story of the siege of Troy in Greek mythology and how they used a Trojan Horse to win the battle,' I said.

  'Of course, I am aware of the story,' the Inspector replied. 'So what was your horse?'

  'We had a delivery of cigarettes and booze delivered to the police guard at the entrance. A large bribe was also provided for the policeman, which he would only receive if he made sure that the delivery got through to the men in the complex. By the time, our guys went in at midnight the occupants were all drunk and outside the caves in the fresh air. Even better they had left all the doors open. It was like taking candy from kids.'

  'That was brilliant of somebody to think that one up,' the Inspector commented.

  The Superintendent continued my interrogation.

  'Was anybody injured in the attack?'

  'Unfortunately one of the SAS men, Private Ferguson, who was standing guard with the Sergeant on top of the mountain, was shot in the leg, but he is not too bad. They were held captive for a few hours, but Corporal Cooper and I rescued them. They are back with the main party in Cyprus by now.'

  'Sounds as if you had a very successful time Major; let me tell you my side of the story and what else has been happening,' the Superintendent continued.

  'I am interested to hear what the Interpol operation turned up,' I said.

  'The art dealer in Paris has been arrested and the stolen pictures in his possess
ion removed by the French police. From what I have been told so far it looks as if the paintings came from a horde created by the Nazis during the Second World War.'

  'Do the paintings found at the scene of the murder in the wood beside Lake Annecy come from the same group of stolen artworks,' I said.

  'The experts are convinced they do. Anyway, let me continue,' the Superintendent said testily. 'There were two stolen high-performance sports cars making their way from England to Athens and these two cars, plus their drivers, were picked up. We also found some more jewellery and paintings in these cars.'

  'Did both these cars have trackers fitted to them Sir?' I asked.

  'One did and one didn't. The boatyard in Bizerte, Tunisia was raided, and another boat found there. The Italians who were working on the boat were arrested. Finally in the UK we raided both the garage in Battersea and the car painting facility in Ham Street. All the men at both properties were arrested.'

  'So is that everybody Superintendent?' I was starting to wonder why this was all taking place in a hospital with the Inspector and me in attendance.

  'Well, I want to know from you two whether we have missed anything.' The Superintendent looked at the two of us, and I, in turn, looked at the Inspector, who was scratching his chin.

  'There are still a few loose ends Sir,' the Inspector finally said.

  'What have you got in mind?'

  'We may have removed the local head honcho in Turkey, but we haven't found or arrested the people who were controlling the London operation,' the Inspector said. 'We have disrupted their present revenue earning machine, but how long will it take them to set up a new one? Obviously it would have taken them a long time to establish the whole network of operators between here and Turkey. A lot of bribes would have been used to smooth the way, and they created a very efficient and smooth process. You may bet your last pound on the fact that they are already looking at a new process. They have the money and muscle.'

  What the Inspector was saying made a lot of sense. Having felt very elated at what we had achieved, I now felt as if we had only won a battle, and gained a temporary respite. The war was still being waged by the criminal fraternity.

  'I am also worried at the timing of the attack on the two motor yachts that occurred in Rhodes,' I said. 'How did they know that we would be there at that exact time?'

  'Do you think that there was a tip-off, Vince? The Inspector asked.

  'If there was, then it could have only been Peter Brown or Geoff Kemp, or somebody close to them, as, other than Freddie Shuttleworth, they were the only ones who knew about the rendezvous,' I replied.

  'It may be a mystery that you will never know the answer to, Vince.' It was another of the Inspector's wise sayings.

  'I have to agree with you Inspector,' the Superintendent said. 'But I am very hopeful that we will be able to get some useful information from Mr Antonio Moretti, which may help in arresting other leaders and perhaps even the mole will be exposed. In fact, I am due to fly to Cyprus on Wednesday to interrogate him.'

  'With the greatest of respect Sir, I think that you are wasting your time,' the Inspector commented.

  'I must agree with the Inspector,' I said. 'During this investigation I realised that I was up against a very well organized and ruthless organization. They tried to kill me a few times. And, as we saw at Annecy Wood in France if anyone goes against them they eliminate them immediately, wives, children, anybody.'

  'Don't be too despondent gentlemen. We have smashed this particular money making racket, and it will take them a very long time to create a replacement. We just have to be vigilant and spot the next racket when it emerges,' the Superintendent sounded energised. 'Major, in your new role of a private investigator it sounds as if these people will keep you in employment for a few years to come.'

  'I am not too sure that I want to be chasing down this particular crowd. I want easier pickings, perhaps marital disputes and cases like that,' I said.

  'The Inspector and I will keep you in mind and recommend you if we feel you can be of assistance in any case.'

  'Thanks Superintendent, with the finalisation of this case I am officially out of work. I will take a well-earned holiday to recharge my batteries. I think this particular case is at an end to the satisfaction of my clients. We will just have to wait for whatever may develop.'

  'You can leave us now if you want Major. I want to talk to the Inspector for a few moments about another matter.'

  I got up and shook both their hands.

  'I'll get in touch with you Vince as soon as I get out of here,' the Inspector said. 'Perhaps we can have a beer together, and you can fill me in on all the details of what took place in Turkey that you don't want the Superintendent to hear!' He smiled.

  'I look forward to that. Get better quickly,' I said.

  I left them to it and headed home at last, starting to relax.

  BOOKS BY PATRICK SLANEY

  Historical Romance

  The Smiles and Tears of Love

  Family/War

  War Brothers

  The Tirpitz Legacy

  Vince Hamilton Crime Mysteries

  The Diamond Chain

  Curse of Thieves

  These books are all available from Amazon in book or electronic format.

  Keep up to date with books by Patrick Slaney on the website www.patrickslaney.com

  I would also appreciate it if you would take some time to complete a review of this novel. Thank you.