Hitler and Braun sat listening impassively. Bormann was now evidently bored with the conversation and keen to continue with his paperwork. “Captain, I expect you and the crew to make the voyage as comfortable as possible for the Führer. We will be boarding in two hours.”

With that, Bormann returned to his notes and Küpper realised the meeting was over.

Chapter Six

9 January 2012

Chascomús

The remote farm building Pedro had rented was located just outside the small city of Chascomús, seventy miles south of Buenos Aires. Situated on a quiet country lane, most of the property was shielded from passing cars by a large copse of jacaranda trees. The rental included a huge wooden barn, set behind the main house, accessed by a narrow stone drive. It was totally hidden from the road and backed onto twenty acres of unused farmland, which was the main reason Pedro had chosen it.

It took the thieves less than an hour to unpack the thirty large cloth bags from the back of the lorry, which they neatly laid out into three separate piles, each containing ten bags. Pedro stood behind the centre stack. For the first time in six months, he had a smile on his face.

“Sebastian, which one do you want, left or right?”

Ramos walked across to the pile situated to the right of Pedro. “I’ll take this one.”

Ricardo ran past both men and leapt on top of the remaining pile. One of the bags spilled open, revealing large wads of one-hundred-dollar bills. He grabbed a handful and threw them in the air. Moments later he was rolling on the ground, covering himself from head to toe with pristine US currency notes.

Sebastian shook his head, and a huge grin broke out on his face. “Ricky, you remind me of a giant pig, wallowing in a pile of green shit.”

Pedro ignored Ricardo’s antics, crossing the barn towards the three white vans parked against the far wall.

Six months earlier, each of them had sold their cars, or in Ricardo’s case his motorbike, and bought cheap second-hand transits. A key part of Pedro’s plan involved them stashing their own cut in a secret location and not touching the contents for twelve months. None of them would know where the others had hidden their share. The plan was to live normally for a year before going anywhere near their bounty. Pedro gestured for Ricardo and Sebastian to join him by the vans.

“Okay, let’s load up and no offence, guys, but I hope we have no reason to speak to each other ever again.”

Sebastian opened the rear doors of his van and threw the first of his ten bags inside. “Pedro, if we do have to talk, something will have gone badly wrong.”

* * *