Page 87 of The Nameless Ones

‘For you, or for Spiridon?’

‘For both of us.’

‘That’s not possible.’

‘You haven’t asked me what might be regarded as an acceptable compromise.’

‘Because there is none,’ said Ciric, ‘or none that involves a return to his homeland for your brother. He is an unstable element, an agent of chaos. Even if he were somehow to be controlled, I don’t believe it would be possible to hide from Interpol the fact of his presence in Serbia. If we were discovered giving him sanctuary after what happened in Amsterdam, it would be used against us in the ongoing accession negotiations. But I was led to believe that you had convinced Spiridon to leave Europe.’

‘Where did you hear that?’

‘Your lawyer has been making certain approaches.’

Radovan sipped coffee to hide his unhappiness. Somehow, Ciric had already learned that Frend was trying to buy new passports for the Vuksans. That information could only have come from Kauffmann or one of the embassies with which she was dealing: Radovan suspected the former. Kauffmann was testing the ground, covering herself, trying to balance her greed against the Vuksans’ current and future toxicity. God preserve us, Radovan prayed, from the amorality of lawyers.

‘Distancing ourselves from Europe remains the preferred option,’ he said.

‘Do I detect a hint of ambivalence?’

‘Only regret that exile should have been forced upon us.’

‘By personal misjudgment,’ said Ciric.

‘And the ambitions of others,’ Radovan added. ‘We were not responsible for separating Nikola Musulin’s head from his body.’

‘Your expression suggests that I might have been.’

‘Not at all, but his murder was sanctioned by Belgrade, and you, Teo, also take your orders from Belgrade. Collective responsibility did not end with the death of Josip Broz. Kiš and Stajic would not have engaged in such a public act of violence had it not been cleared from above, and if it did not serve the ambitions of the state.’

‘And how,’ said Ciric, ‘would such an assassination aid us in our pursuit of accession? The last time I checked, the EU continued to display an aversion to bombings in tourist areas, regardless of the identity of the target.’

‘If a section of a rockface is likely to give way,’ said Radovan, ‘one tackles it with a controlled explosion rather than waiting for it to tumble of its own accord, or allow a fear of the threat represented by it to spread; a small sacrifice in return for a larger benefit. Nikola Musulin was soft. Had Spiridon been permitted to return to Serbia, you were concerned he might try to exert influence over Nikola, perhaps even usurp him, regardless of any assurances to the contrary – and that was before Spiridon’s revenge on De Jaager and his people. Were I an advisor to Belgrade, I might have sent word to our European neighbors, perhaps through our most influential representative to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe – which would be you, Teo, in all but title – advising them that it would be better if odd rumors about Nikola Musulin’s death were ignored, and it was accepted that a gas leak had caused his demise.’

‘Bravo, vrana,’ said Ciric. ‘You know, your father was also a good storyteller. He even managed to convince Josip Broz that he was a loyalist, right to the end.’

‘I notice you’re not denying the truth of anything I’ve said.’

‘Because whether it is true or false makes no difference.’

‘It does to me,’ said Radovan. ‘Call off Kiš and Stajic. Giving them free rein will not serve you well.’

‘Why is that?’

‘Because Stajic is an animal, and Kiš is secretly frightened of him. Were you aware that they presented our lawyer with Nikola Musulin’s head in a Belgrade restaurant?’

Ciric blanched, less at the image of the handover than the temerity of the gesture.

‘I was not,’ she said.

‘They are reckless,’ said Radovan. ‘Even if they were to succeed in killing us, they would leave a trail of evidence that a child could follow. If they were to fail – and if I were you, I would not underestimate our capacities – Spiridon would retaliate, and he would do so without any concern for the optics of EU membership.’

Ciric finished her tea in silence, and Radovan did not interrupt her thoughts. Finally, she spoke.

‘You have to guarantee that Spiridon will never again inconvenience us,’ she said.

‘You have my word, but I require something more in return.’

‘You’re already asking a great deal.’