An African Adventure (Vince Hamilton Private Investigator Book 4)

by Patrick Slaney

  'So what are you going to do while you wait for them to arrive at their destinations Vince?' Reggie asked.

  'Be a good father and get back into my wife's good books,' I replied. 'My marriage is at an all-time low at the moment, so I need to work on it.'

  'Good luck with that; you aren't really the stay at home type, Vince.' Reggie smiled knowingly at me.

  We both got off the train at East Putney station; Reggie then headed for his home and I for mine. I was feeling better knowing that I didn't have to abandon the family and fly off to some hostile foreign spot in the immediate future. Even if I ended up having to travel to a foreign destination, I wouldn't have to go for quite a long time as the container ship would take weeks to get there.

  I was home before Daphne, although the kids were there before me.

  The first person to greet me was Victoria.

  'Dad you didn't come and walk me home from school today, and you took Michael this morning. It's not fair.'

  'I'm sorry but I was at a meeting in North London and couldn't make it home in time,' I replied. 'I will take you tomorrow morning, and that is a promise.'

  'OK Dad, I'll hold you to that.' She took her glass of milk upstairs to her room.

  I followed her up the stairs to talk to Michael.

  Knocking on his door, I entered his room when told to come in.

  'How was your day Michael,' I asked him.

  'I had a great day and have been picked as twelfth man on the Under 14 cricket team.'

  'Well done, that is fantastic.' I was about to offer to go and watch him play when I realised that I might be out of the country again chasing containers.

  'Dad, can you please take me into Putney to buy some credit for my mobile?'

  'When do you want to go?'

  'Can we go now?'

  'I suppose so, but please change out of your school uniform before we go.'

  'Oh Dad, do I have to?'

  'Yes, you do. I'll wait for you downstairs.'

  As I passed Victoria's door, I told her that we were going to the shops to get Michael some credit for his phone. She put in her usual order for sweets.

  As we were walking along the street, my mobile rang. It was Willem. As there was a lot of traffic noise, I told him I would phone him back in about half-an-hour.’ Also on the street, I had no way of writing down what he, hopefully, was about to tell me.

  The task of purchasing mobile credit complete, I put a call through to Willem’s mobile.

  'Vince, I have all the details you need. It was as easy as picking tulips to get the information.'

  'It didn't take you long. I'm impressed.'

  'Take this down - all the containers are due to be loaded on a ship named the Johannes Maersk.’ He spelt it out for me. ‘The vessel sails from Rotterdam in two days' time. Three of the containers are going to Mombasa and the other five to East London in South Africa. It will take seventeen days to travel to Mombasa in Kenya, five days to Maputo in Mozambique and then two days to Durban in South Africa. East London is about one day more, and its arrival date will depend on how quickly it is processed in Durban.'

  'Are they all on the same ship and do you have a list of which containers go to each place?'

  'They are, and I will send all the intricate details in an email to you.'

  'Willem, that is fantastic. I greatly appreciate your help.'

  'No problem Vince, I'll talk to you the next time that you need help.'

  Clearly I could relax; there was no urgency in travelling to any of the destinations. I would organise for Reggie to fly out to Kenya to cover Mombasa, and I would handle the South African end. I knew South Africa fairly well from the time that I was chasing after diamonds in a previous case. It was twenty-three days before I personally needed to do anything. That would give me plenty of time to sort out Carol and build credibility with my wife. I felt a weight lifting off my shoulders.

  I phoned Reggie to let him know that I would need him to fly out to Mombasa in Kenya in around sixteen days' time. I explained that I would like him to get there a few days before the ship so as he could scout out the land. He was pleased with my suggestion as he hadn't been to that part of the world and he was afraid of letting me down again..

  Next I phoned the Inspector. He was still hard at work at his desk in Hampstead. I gave him all the details that Willem had supplied me with and told him that, if he agreed, I would send Reggie to Kenya. I also suggested that I would go to South Africa. Luckily he agreed with both my suggestions.

  'It is interesting to learn that three of the containers are heading for Kenya,’ the Inspector added. ‘We have a working arrangement with the police in that part of the world as it is a Commonwealth country. I will be able to send one of my men along with Reggie.'

  'Do you want me to tell Reggie that we don't need him?'

  'No, leave it the way it is. It's ideal to have an ex-military man going along with my inspector who is relatively new to the job. Two heads are better than one.'

  'Does your working arrangement with Commonwealth countries make it easier for me to bring my gun with me?' I would feel much more confident if I was able to take my Glock.

  'Yes, you should have no problems if I issue you with a special permit. By the way, do you have the name and address of the shipping agent who is on the manifest for the shipment?' The Inspector asked me.

  'Sorry, I don't; but presumably, it will be easy to get those details. I am stupid; I never thought of asking Willem for that critical piece of information. I will contact him in the morning.'

  'I'll talk to you tomorrow Vince. Have a good night.' There was silence as he terminated the call.

  'Are you heading off on your travels again Vince,' Daphne asked me when I sat down beside her in the living room.

  'No, as I promised you, I will be around for the foreseeable future.'

  'I thought I heard you on the phone saying that you were going to go to Kenya and South Africa.' She had apparently been listening to my side of the conversation I had just had with Inspector Baird.

  'I was just telling him that the containers plus luxury cars are being shipped from Rotterdam to Mombasa in Kenya and East London in South Africa. It will take a minimum of seventeen days for the ship to get to Mombasa and a further seven days to get to Durban via the port of Maputo in Mozambique.'

  'So are you going to have to fly out to Kenya or is Reggie going.'

  'I don't plan on going to Kenya myself. Reggie will travel in my place, and a young police Inspector will accompany him.'

  'And what is going to happen in South Africa?' She asked me.

  'I haven't decided yet. Once I get more information, I will work out if I need to go.'

  'What about the motorbikes, do you have to go chasing off to Bulgaria again.'

  'No, my involvement in that operation has come to an end. The police are going to arrest the local criminals who have been stealing the bikes, and hopefully, the thefts should cease.'

  'I don't believe what I am hearing Vince. You have actually taken a step back from the front line action.' For once she sounded pleased. I decided to keep quiet about the promises that I had made to Carol and how I would be helping her to sort out her money problems.

  Daphne worked every day from nine to six, so I could do all my caring for Carol during the daytime. I would try and be back each day in time to walk Victoria home from school. Michael usually got home around four o'clock each day, unless he had cricket practice, so I would be there for him as well. My performance as a father was, at last, matching my wife's expectations. Perhaps I was finally realising what was expected of a father in civilian life. I was also finally getting a better balance in my life. Let's hope that Carol behaved herself, and I didn't end up with complications there. The atmosphere in my home had definitely improved.

  The following morning I got up at a leisurely pace. Daphne accompanied Victoria to school dropping her off on her way to the Boutique; I was allocated the task of picking her up that
afternoon. Michael went off at his usual time, 7.45am, to catch the tube. I wandered around the house in my dressing gown in no hurry to get anywhere.

  As I was drinking my first cup of coffee of the day, my mobile rang. It was Willem from his office in Rotterdam,

  'Good morning Vince, I have that information for you. Do you want me to email it?'

  'That would be best Willem; I will then have a copy of the data that I can print out.'

  'OK, I will also include the details that I gave you last night. You should have it within the next five minutes.'

  'Many thanks for getting me the information so quickly.'

  'No problem Vince; I will talk to you later.'

  True to his word I received an email shortly afterwards.

  The name on the manifest handling the shipment of the containers, had a South African ring to it, Hansie Joubert; his company was given as Natal Shipping Agents, and his main office was located in Sandton, Johannesburg. I passed this information on to the Inspector in an email.

  I had a quick shower, dressed and headed for East Putney tube station to travel to Carol's house in St John's Wood.

  I was very relieved to find that she wasn't on her own. Nick, the youngest son, wasn't feeling well and hadn't gone to school. I would have protection from her amorous advances.

  'Will you have a mug of coffee if I make a pot?' Carol asked.

  'Yes, please. While you make it, I will sit at the kitchen table and compile a list of outstanding tasks.' I needed to have a checklist that we worked to in case we missed something.

  I wrote down:

  1. Contact Chesterton’s, the estate agents re the house sale.

  2. Contact Julian Curtis re the sale of the business.

  3. Contact Peter Taylor reference the business accounts.

  4. Contact an estate agent in Tonbridge to get the wheels rolling there.

  5. Try and find out whom to pay the loan money to.

  6. Sort out the bank accounts and open a new account to put the cheque into.

  7. Review the current situation to ensure that Carol had cash to live on.

  Once the coffee was ready, Carol plonked herself down beside me. Nick was making a nuisance of himself and hanging on to his mother. He was politely, but firmly, told to go and watch TV in his room or play with his Nintendo.

  I showed Carol my list.

  'What order do we do it all in, Vince?'

  'My suggestion is that this morning we go to the bank first, and then we go and visit Chesterton’s, the estate agent. Can you tell me what bank you use?'

  'Barclays in Wellington Road, which is only a short walk from here,' she replied.

  'As far as I can remember the estate agents, Chesterton’s, is close by in the High Street. We should be able to cover those two places this morning,' I added.

  'I will go upstairs and tell Nick where we are going,' Carol suggested. 'He should be safe on his own while we are out. I will tell him not to answer the door.'

  She was back in the hallway in a few minutes, and we set off for the bank.

  'Once we had explained to the bank official her situation they took a very sympathetic and helpful approach to her problem. She lodged the cheque she had received from Clive into her own private account and also informed them that all other accounts in Clive's name should be closed, but only when she gave the instruction. I explained that there was an account with two point three million pounds in it and that needed to be kept open. I also issued a directive that no transactions were allowed on this account by anybody other than Carol.

  By the time that Carol left the bank, she had enough money in her personal bank account to survive for a few months. Next stop the Estate Agents.

  As we were walking to Chesterton’s I asked Carol for the name of the agent that was looking after the sale of the house. She had no idea who she had talked to and who we needed to ask for. She was able to tell me that they had come to the house to take photographs but hadn't put up their board yet because she had been away.

  I told the receptionist who we were and the address of the house we were trying to sell. She asked around and found out that it was an agent named Jonathon Kane who was handling the sale. We were invited to sit down facing him at his desk.

  He shook our hands and smiled a salesman's silky smooth smile at us.

  'Good morning Mrs Newsome, I take it that this is Mr Newsome.'

  'No, this is certainly not Mr Newsome; this is Major Hamilton, a friend of mine.'

  He gave us a knowing look!

  'What can I do for you?' he asked us.

  'We want to tell you to go ahead with the sale of the house as Mrs Newsome is now back in London and will be available to assist in whatever way you require,' I explained.

  'So we can now arrange to show people around?'

  'That's right; we want you to go flat out to sell it,' I emphasised.

  'We haven't agreed on a price,' the agent said.

  'You are the experts so what do you suggest?

  'The market value is around three point six million pounds; however, if you want to sell it quickly, I suggest that you go in a bit lower.'

  'How about if it is listed at three point four million but that we instruct you to accept anything that is above three point two million,' I suggested.

  'That is an excellent strategy and should shift it quickly. Do you agree Mrs Newsome?'

  'I don't really know, but I trust you, and we need to sell quickly, but at the best price,' Carol replied.

  'I already have the names of some potential buyers who are looking for a four bedroom property in the St John's Wood area. Properties in your specific category are like hen’s teeth and are very much in demand.' Jonathon sounded very confident which was encouraging. 'I will contact them today to see if they are interested in viewing it. In the meantime, we will advertise the property next weekend and put our board up outside.'

  'Thank you Jonathon; we look forward to good news from you.' He gave us each a business card; we shook his hand and left him to sell the property.

  As we walked back to the house, Carol had a smile on her face.

  'Perhaps my luck is changing Vince. If I could sell the house quickly, for a decent price, it would make a big difference to my financial situation and my state of mind.'

  'As soon as we get in I will contact Julian Curtis about the sale of the business.' I was also starting to feel a lot more positive about Carol's situation.

  My hope was that I could see Julian Curtis later that day. When I contacted him, he asked me to come and see him at the InterContinental Hotel the following morning.

  Carol made Nick and I lunch, which we ate in the kitchen.

  'Uncle Vince, are you going to come and live in Tonbridge too when we move?'

  'Do you want me to live close to you?'

  'Well, Mummy is a lot calmer when you are around and doesn't get so cross with me.'

  'I am afraid that I won't be able to move to Tonbridge, Nick. I have my own family to look after,' I replied.

  'Uncle Vince has been a friend of mine for a very long time, and that is why I asked him to help sort out the mess that your father created for us,' Carol explained. 'We lived beside each other in Rainham in Kent while we were growing up.'

  'You should have married him and not Daddy,’ Nick blurted out. ‘He wouldn't have done the stupid things Dad has done and got himself put in prison.'

  'I wish life was as simple as that Nick. Uncle Vince went off to the army, and I hadn't seen him since my youth until he turned up the other day to tell me about your father.'

  'Are you worried about moving to Tonbridge, Nick?' I asked him.

  'It will be very lonely for me there as we are moving away from our grandparents and all my friends from school,' Nick added.

  'I wouldn't worry about being lonely you will make new friends in the school you go to. Also, Brian and Alex will be home every night as they won't be boarding.'

  'That'll be even worse as they will push
me around and treat me as their little brother.'

  'Oh Nick, it is all so terrible,' Carol mocked him. 'You will be okay. Anyway, I am sure that Uncle Vince will come and visit us and perhaps bring his children to meet us.'

  'Thank you for lunch Carol.' I said when I was finished. 'I need to make some telephone calls now to progress a few of the other items on the list I compiled this morning.'

  'Do you have Peter Taylor's telephone number?' I asked her.

  'It will be in Clive's study. You can also use the phone in there if you want.'

  She accompanied me into the study and found his number.

  'I'll see you later Vince when you have finished the calls.' She left me to return to the kitchen and tidy up.

  I phoned the accountant.

  'Hi Peter, it is Vince Hamilton here, I wanted to ask you a question; however, I would be very surprised if you have the answer.'

  'You can try me. If I know, I will tell you.'

  'Clive borrowed a colossal sum of money. Under the terms of the loan, he had to pay back two hundred thousand pounds a month. Do you know if he paid any of the loan back, and, if he did, who he paid it to?'

  'I am not aware of any large sums of money being received or being paid out in the recent past. Clive did transfer one point seven million to the business during the last six months, but I don't know where he got it from.'

  'Did he get other loans for the business in former years?'

  'Yes, he got a loan from the agent for the Maserati car Company, who is based in London. I think the man's name was Luigi Bandarella although the loan was repaid to a different company. I would have to look that up for you.'

  'I suspect that you have given me the information that I was after as I know that Luigi Bandarella was the person who loaned him the four million pounds. Many thanks for your help Peter I think that we have hit the jackpot. Can you contact me on my mobile when you work out what account the money was paid to?' I gave him my mobile number.

  'Where is the rest of the four million pounds as he only put one point seven into the business account?' Peter’s accounting mind was apparently tying up loose ends.