Franklin eased back in his chair and smiled at his mother. It had been a long time since anyone had spoken to him in Spanish. “Yes, I remember it very clearly.” He poured them both a cup of tea and then began to explain the reason for his surprise visit. “Mother, two weeks ago Martin died. He was struck down by cancer and, although he fought it for two years, in the end it took him.”

“When you phoned me earlier, I feared that might be the case.”

Richard reached for his cup and sipped some hot tea as his mother reacted to the news.

“You know, I never really cared for him. It always felt as if there were three of us in the marriage and I could never compete with him for the Führer’s affections. As your father grew weaker, Martin’s influence over him grew stronger and he controlled all the comings and goings at El Blondi. I know he idolised you and the Führer but he always treated me with disdain, as he did most of the women in his life. Ever since we left Berlin, he manipulated every aspect of my entire existence. After John was born, you know he forced me to fake my death and change my identity, which meant I could never see my grandson.” She paused for a moment before continuing. “Richard, will I ever be able to meet him?” She stopped to look for a reaction from her son but he offered nothing in return and refused to meet her gaze. “I see. So, even from beyond the grave, he continues to control my life.”

Franklin flew back to Buenos Aires and took a taxi straight to the serviced apartment that the corporation owned and made available for directors visiting from abroad. It was in the fashionable San Telmo district, only three miles from Bormann’s home in Recoleta. Franklin had one last task to attend to before he was ready to discover what secrets Bormann had left behind.

In the last few years, he had become increasingly concerned about the relentless pursuit of high-ranking Nazis who had fled to South America after the war. It was led by Mossad and the self-proclaimed Nazi hunter, Simon Wiesenthal. Adolf Eichmann, one of the infamous three, had been tracked down and smuggled out of Argentina to stand trial in Israel and was later executed. Franklin was aware that Schwammberger and Mengele and a number of other prominent Nazis were living in constant fear of exposure and capture. They had reached out to Bormann for financial and practical help and, now he was dead, that responsibility sat firmly on Franklin’s shoulders.