When Vince arrived back, Dillon and LJ were in the living room, both had a large tumbler of whisky in their hand.
“Bloody hell, Boss. What happened to you?”
“The big German, that’s what happened.” LJ said, and pressed the towel against his cheek again.
“Where were you, Vince?” Dillon demanded.
“I’ve been over at Rob Chapmans, he’d left some of his diving equipment in the back of the car. Struth mate, I’ve only been gone five minutes.”
“Well, they must have watched you leave, knew that I was in the shower, which only left LJ’s whereabouts to worry about.” Dillon said, taking a gulp of the single malt whisky, and then added, “I’d say that they were already here, waiting for us to arrive back.”
“I agree, old son. They had the inflatable on the beach, and most likely were up here watching us come back into harbour. Malakoff is no fool, which begs the question, where is he now?”
“If I had to guess, I’d say he’s not that far away, Boss. After all, he’ll want to get his hands on that chest sooner rather than later. Wouldn’t you agree, Jake?” Vince said.
Dillon scowled, “Malakoff, has been pulling our strings ever since we arrived on this island. And now, the cheeky bastard has got what he came for without even getting wet.” Dillon walked off into his bedroom and got dressed. Five minutes later he reappeared in the hallway with a large heavy holdall in each hand, one with his clothing in, and the other containing the weapons.
“I’ve just phoned Rob Chapman and asked him to meet us down at Annabelle’s Café in ten minutes for a farewell drink.” Dillon said, dropping the canvas bags onto the carpet. “I think we should tell him what’s happened, and try to come up with a plan to get that chest back.”
“I totally agree, old son. Rob should be told. After all, he’s got as much of a grudge against Malakoff as any of us have. Now, if we’re all set, I think we should get going right away. A good stiff drink at the bar, is just what the doctor ordered.”
The three men were sitting at a table in the corner of the café. LJ was enjoying a cigar and large whisky, while Dillon had wanted to keep a clear head, and had contented himself with a mineral water. Vince was sipping from a white china mug, filled with hot chocolate and topped with thick Jersey cream.
Chapman came across the bay in his inflatable, beached it on the sand, and came up the steps and in through the double doors quickly. On seeing the three of them across the busy room, he acknowledged them with a slight nod. As he passed the bar he ordered a cold beer from the Portuguese bartender, and a moment later was sitting opposite Dillon.
“LJ, what the hell’s happened to you?” Chapman asked, and took a gulp of cold beer.
“The big German and one of his sidekicks, old son. Dillon was in the shower, Vince was over at your place, and I’d fallen asleep on the sofa. God knows how they got in, because all of the doors were locked. But they did, and were about to make off with the chest, when I woke up, and caught them red-handed. Didn’t do me much good, though. Had a go at him, but the big bastard clouted me across the side of the face with the butt of a Magnum. Bloody great thing it was too.” LJ winced as he lightly touched the swollen cheek with the tips of his fingers.
“Which direction were they heading?”
“I stood and watched their inflatable head off around the headland just past your place towards the south.” Dillon said, his voice sounded weary.
“Okay, now let me see. Who could tell us where it was heading?” Chapman flipped open his mobile phone, and dialled a number. “Jamie, it’s Rob Chapman. Yeah, I’m fine thanks. Look, I need some information on the whereabouts of a luxury power cruiser named the Solitaire. Yeah that’s the one, owned by Hugo Malakoff.” Chapman waited a minute or so, said thank you, and then hung up.
“Malakoff has been spotted about half a mile off of St. Ouen’s bay, that’s on the south side of the island. My friend Jamie works at the coastguard station at Corbiere point. The Captain on board the Solitaire has already contacted the marina at St. Helier, to inform them that they’re on their way.”
Dillon’s expression changed from one of gloom to that of someone who had just been told he’s won the lottery. “Excellent, now then you bastard, you’re going to get what’s coming to you.”
“What have you got in mind, Jake?” LJ demanded.
“The Solitaire will be at her pontoon mooring on the seaward side of the marina tonight, and if you remember, the head waiter at the Pomme D’Or, told us that Malakoff nearly always remains on board when he’s there. So it’s very simple. We’ll wait for it to get dark, and then go aboard. I reckon that Malakoff will keep the chest close by him, so it’ll make locating it that much easier, but far more dangerous to retrieve.”
“But surely, he’ll have guards posted along the pontoon and on deck.” LJ said.
“That’s where Rob comes in.” Dillon looked over the table at the archaeologist, and added, “That’s if you want to be involved of course.”
“Just you try and stop me.” Chapman replied.
“Good, I thought you might say that. Rob and I will take the power cruiser down to St. Helier. The boat’s hire company has a mooring on the other side of the marina. So we’ll take it straight there, and then make our way to the Solitaire in the dinghy. Getting on board from the water, will give us a better chance of taking them by surprise.”
“You don’t like losing, do you Jake?” Chapman said.
“No, I don’t.” Dillon said matter of factly.
“What about Vince and I, Jake?” LJ cut in.
“Vince, I want you to use whatever it takes, to knock out the power to the Solitaire, and make sure that their surveillance and security systems are disabled, or at the very least interrupted long enough for us to get in.”
“Think of it as already done. The main power is easy, marinas have power cuts all the time. But, a boat of that size will almost certainly have a back-up generator on board, which will cut in within seconds, mate. And, it will also make the security system a lot harder to crack.” Vince said, and scratched an imaginary itch on his chin.
“Why’s that?” Dillon demanded.
“Well, the problem is actually getting access into their on-board computer. If I’m really lucky, then I’ll be able to hack into it within minutes, and then tweak around with it a little without them noticing that anything’s happening. But, the real problem is that I have to break in, at exactly the same time as the main power source is cut. Otherwise, their screens will light up like a bloody Christmas tree.”
“Well I have every faith in your ability, and the fact that you have the full assistance of the boss here.” Dillon smiled.
“And, as you’ll both be positioned in the Range Rover. Please stay alert. After we’ve stirred up the hornet’s nest a little, we’re going to need a quick get away. Oh, and LJ, you’d better put Phil Allerton on standby.”
“I’ll make the call on the drive down to St. Helier.”
“Well, I’ll say this for you, Jake. You’re not a quitter, are you?” Chapman said.
“To be honest, I’ve never seen any point to it.” Dillon said amiably. Drank down the last of his mineral water, and raised his glass to the others.
Chapter Fifteen
By nine o’clock in the evening, the sun was well down. To the west the skyline was an intense candy mixture of mauve and pink, and the sun hitting the upper decks of the Solitaire, made the white painted vessel as dramatic as the sky itself.