Page 14 of The Nameless Ones
And she did not.
Chapter XIV
It was just past 8 a.m. when Louis heard from Hendricksen.
‘There’s no sign of De Jaager at his home or usual haunts,’ said Hendricksen, ‘and Anouk and Paulus haven’t been seen since yesterday. Obviously, my police contacts are reluctant to go breaking into the residences of private citizens without due cause, particularly ones like De Jaager. They don’t always want to know exactly what he’s up to, because if they did, they might have to do something about it. He’s also a man who lives what could politely be described as a clandestine existence, and so occasional unexplained absences are to be expected. What goes for De Jaager goes for Paulus, too, it seems. Meanwhile, I don’t know Anouk well enough to comment either way.’
Everything that Hendricksen said made sense to Louis. De Jaager was a secretive individual, and that desire, even need, for concealment affected all those around him, but especially Paulus and Anouk. While De Jaager rarely went anywhere without the former, Anouk took care of all kinds of incidental details, including catering for De Jaager’s more demanding guests, of whom Louis had recently been one. There was no reason for her to be absent as well, not unless all three had gone to ground for their own security, which was, Louis supposed, a possibility. No one could live as long as De Jaager, and move in his unusual circles, without accumulating enemies, Serbian or otherwise.
‘What about the Vuksans?’
Hendricksen didn’t answer immediately. Louis pressed him.
‘I asked you a question.’
‘They’ve gone dark,’ said Hendricksen. ‘They weren’t under constant surveillance by the Korps – that level of manpower just isn’t available – but they were being monitored regularly. At the moment, there’s no trace of them or their people.’
‘I detect an unspoken “but” somewhere,’ said Louis.
‘But,’ Hendricksen conceded, ‘it seems a flurry of activity occurred a few hours ago, involving one Zivco Ilic. Ilic is to Spiridon Vuksan what Paulus is to De Jaager. He made a series of pickups, probably cash and easily transportable assets, from a number of businesses and apartments linked to the clan. The Criminal Intelligence Team received a tip-off, but it came too late to target Ilic and find out what he was up to. Then again, as I informed you when last we spoke, the Vuksans are closing up shop, so some element of wealth consolidation is to be expected. The Korps are just glad to see them recede from view.’
‘I’ve heard Ilic’s name,’ said Louis. He shared with Hendricksen the entirety of the information he’d received from Ross, including the fact that the crooked legat, Armitage, had probably been in contact with the Vuksans through Ilic.
‘Maybe Ilic was a rat,’ said Hendricksen. ‘Armitage could have been using him as a source.’
‘If she was, she kept it to herself,’ said Louis. ‘When did you say you were returning to Amsterdam?’
‘You know exactly when, because I told you: tomorrow morning.’
‘Can you get back earlier?’
‘I could. There’s a KLM flight at four forty-five today that would get me into Amsterdam just before six. I have plans, though, the kind that involve a woman.’
‘She’ll understand.’
‘Is it politically incorrect to suggest that only a gay man would speak such nonsense?’
‘Probably, but I’ll let it pass.’
‘If you’ve made me give up a night of pleasure for nothing,’ said Hendricksen, ‘you and De Jaager are going to have to compensate me – and the lady in question.’
‘I don’t tend to worry without cause.’
‘That’s what I thought. Nevertheless, I don’t know what more I can do by being in Amsterdam instead of Paris. De Jaager has friends on the police, and their sources are better than mine.’
‘Not entirely,’ said Louis. ‘They don’t have me, or the address of De Jaager’s safe house.’
Chapter XV
There was no fool, Radovan Vuksan reflected, like one who believed that fate played favorites. His brother was not a fool, but he was arrogant, and that arrogance – a product, Radovan suspected, of his military background – combined with a certain undeniable good fortune, had convinced Spiridon that the cards would always fall to his benefit. It was this, as much as his bloodlust, that had led him to target De Jaager and the others as his farewell to the Netherlands, but he had overplayed his hand and now events beyond his control had left the Vuksans in peril.
The immolation of Nikola Musulin in Belgrade was a grave and unexpected setback to Radovan and his brother. The Vuksans’ original intention had been to return quietly to Serbia via Budapest, where they would be picked up by Musulin’s associates at Ferenc Liszt Airport before crossing the border near Kelebija. Radovan, ever cautious, had counseled against flying directly to Belgrade, where they would be under surveillance from the moment they arrived. While the Vuksans were not without allies in law enforcement, neither were they entirely without enemies, and Radovan felt it would be better if they reentered their homeland quietly. Musulin had assured them that everything would be taken care of, but he was, in Radovan’s experience, a man who sometimes spoke in the expectation that, by doing so, his words would become truth. But Musulin was dead and his people were biding their time while they awaited the emergence of a new order with which they could cut a deal for their survival.
The Vuksans were unusual in that their operation deviated from the traditional horizontal structures of the Serbian mafia. The Vuksan syndicate was controlled from the top down, which meant Radovan and Spiridon gave the orders, and they were followed without question. The Vuksans were allied by blood to Nikola Musulin, and fed money back to him, but their reputation also endowed his rule with a certain force and legitimacy. An attack on Musulin, therefore, was also an assault on the Vuksans.
Radovan had already been in contact with some of his old colleagues from the Ministry of Defence, who had made it plain to him that Serbia was now hostile territory. In all likelihood, any attempt to return to their homeland would lead to a move against them on the grounds that Spiridon might be in the mood to seek revenge for Musulin’s death.
But there was also talk that the Vuksans themselves might have been responsible for what had occurred, since few had believed Spiridon’s claims of retirement to begin with. Perhaps the Vuksans had detected signs of weakness in Musulin, or a wavering in his support for his uncles’ homecoming, and decided to act conclusively as a prelude to assuming complete control.