“Gabriel, I’m so sorry to have upset you, but thank you for sharing it with me. I should have asked you before.”

Vargas took a deep breath before continuing. “Now, why don’t I tell you a bit more about the case and see if you can come up with any ideas to help me solve it.”

The mood took a while to lift but everyone was fascinated by the titbits Vargas revealed about the infamous safe-deposit robbery. He regaled them with stories of the carpeted tunnel and Café Torino, where the thieves had based themselves for eight months, and described the sheer carnage he had witnessed in the depository. He knew it was all pretty innocuous information, but, nevertheless, they lapped up the fascinating details.

By the time he left, everyone was enjoying playing armchair detective, speculating on the motives of the thieves who were involved in the killing spree that was dominating the news.

An hour later, Vargas entered his apartment feeling mentally and physically exhausted. Hembury was already asleep and Vargas was desperate to wash away the taste of the kosher red wine, so grabbed a beer from the fridge and pulled up a stool by his kitchen worktop. He picked up his laptop and opened up the book section on the Amazon site. He typed “Hitler” into the search bar and dozens of entries came up. He worked his way down the listings and two books, particularly, caught his eye, Hitler: A Study in Evil and Martin Bormann: The Man Who Manipulated Hitler. Two clicks later, both titles were downloaded to his Kindle. He picked it up and walked into the bedroom where he flung it onto the duvet. He flopped down on the bed, knowing he had a long night of reading ahead of him.

Chapter Forty-Six

28 January 2012

Buenos Aires

Matias Paz and Alonso Núñez conducted their regular morning catch-up in the usual setting inside Recoleta Cemetery. They were totally unaware that, less than a mile away, their office was in lockdown. Vargas and Torres, supported by a team of six detectives, raided the offices of Theodor Consultants at nine thirty. There were twelve employees on-site and, surprisingly, Vargas and his team were met with no resistance.

Eleven of the staff were male operatives who were bright enough not to take on the Buenos Aires Police Department in a shoot-out, even if some of them contemplated it. They all remained silent as Torres herded them into the boardroom and took possession of their IDs, weapons and mobiles. It soon became clear that none of them were Paz or Núñez.

The sole female in the office was a young, attractive Spanish student who ran the switchboard and doubled as the receptionist. She was clearly perplexed by the unexpected police raid and was only too happy to cooperate. Vargas interviewed her separately in Paz’s office.