He reached for his mobile, which was resting on the console next to the gear lever, and dialled the CEO of Theodor Consultants. Paz was working out on a cross trainer in his study at home. It was the first time he’d been there in a couple of weeks, as he’d been sleeping at the office throughout the crisis. He was slightly surprised to see Franklin’s ID flash up but jumped off the machine and grabbed his mobile.

“Sir, I’ve passed on your instructions to the men and—”

“I’ve just taken a call on our private line from a chief inspector working for the Buenos Aires Police Department.”

Paz felt a giant knot in his stomach start to tighten as Franklin began to rant.

“He asked me about Box 1321. Can you fucking believe that? How the fuck did he get my number and how does he know about the box?”

Paz felt the beads of sweat that he had worked up on the machine begin to turn into small rivers. “Sir, did he address you by name?”

“No, thank fuck. But he knows about the fucking box and, somehow, he gained access to our private line. It’s a number that only you and I have, so, the question is, how the fuck did he get it and how has he managed to connect the Franklin Corporation to the robbery?”

Franklin’s questions had given Paz the breathing space he needed to fabricate a story. If it meant hanging Luciano out to dry, so be it. He had to save his own skin.

“Sir, I think I know how he got the number. During the firefight at Ramos’s house, the guys had to make a quick exit and the man in charge left his mobile behind.”

“Why the fuck didn’t you tell me at the time, and why did he have my direct line on his contacts?”

The lie from Paz grew a life of its own. “He told me it got badly damaged in the chaos and, like mine, it was heavily encrypted, so wouldn’t offer up any secrets.”

“But why would my direct line be on his mobile?”

Paz was now almost believing this newly invented narrative. “He is my number two, and I gave him the number just in case anything happened to me and you needed a point of contact. Otherwise, you’d have been out of the loop.”

Franklin took a moment to digest this new information before coming back. “Okay, I can see the sense in that decision. What’s the name of this man?”

Paz breathed an audible sigh of relief. “Luciano Herrera. He has worked with the company for the last ten years. He is a good man and a great soldier.”

Franklin had the final word before ending the call. “I don’t care. The guy fucked up. He’s a dead man walking. Do you understand me?”