Nobody knew what John Franklin’s next move would be, so it was agreed that time was of the absolute essence and Amanda would prepare a news package that would break the story within the next forty-eight hours. Taylor agreed he would put his reputation and career on the line to substantiate the authenticity of the materials that had been hidden away for the last sixty-seven years. Botting chartered a private jet to take everyone back to Washington. It allowed them the freedom to work non-stop on the story during the twelve-hour flight and, more importantly, they could take the materials on board and keep them safe.

As soon as they hit Washington, Amanda decamped into a small edit suite, deep in the bowels of the BBC news studio complex. She hooked up with Roland Thompson, a brilliant news editor she’d known for most of her career. She trusted him implicitly and the two of them set to work on creating a one-hour package. Carter had called him a few hours earlier from the Learjet to explain she needed his help on what would undoubtedly be the biggest story of their respective careers. He asked her if she’d discovered Elvis was still alive and was stunned when she replied that the story he was about to cut was a hundred times bigger.

She insisted Hembury and Vargas stay at her two-bedroom apartment in Georgetown, as she planned to remain in the edit suite until the piece was ready to go live. The detectives spent the following few days debriefing each other and writing up the reports that they knew would be requested by their respective superiors as soon as the story broke. They worked through the night, methodically processing the sequence of events, starting with the bank raid and ending with Franklin’s suicide.

“Troy, I never asked you. How did John Franklin react when he saw his old man blow his own brains out?”

“It was strange. He let out a primitive-type scream and then, almost instantly, he seemed to regain his composure. He picked up the pistol, which was coated with blood splatter, and began to clean it with a white pocket handkerchief as if it were a precious jewel. I tried to speak to him but he ignored me as if he were in some kind of weird trance. Finally, he put the gun back down on the desk and turned to eyeball me. Nic, it was the most chilling stare I’ve ever experienced. I thought he was going to speak but all he did was hold the gaze. I realised, at that moment, I was looking into the eyes of a monster.”

Chapter Fifty-Six

6 February 2012

Washington D.C.

At midday Eastern time on Monday, February 6, 2012, BBC World News did something it had never done before. Without any warning whatsoever, it ditched its rolling news coverage. Amanda Carter appeared on-screen and delivered an opening piece to camera that shook the nation to its core.