‘Hunting down the men who did this, or trying to. We believe there are five of them, including Spiridon’s brother, Radovan. They’re in hiding. They thought they could kill these people before retreating to Serbia, where they’d be safe from retribution, legal or otherwise. They were wrong, but the situation remains fluid. We’d like to find them before the balance tilts in their favor.’

‘You specified retribution both legal or otherwise,’ said Lackner.

‘Yes,’ said Angel. ‘We would be the “otherwise”.’

‘Does otherwise include murder?’

‘I thought lawyers never asked a question to which they didn’t already know the answer.’

‘Perhaps I do know it.’

‘Then why ask?’

‘It would have been remiss not to,’ said Lackner. ‘And you want me to collude in this?’

‘Spiridon Vuksan has been slaughtering innocents since the last century, aided by his brother. He was at Vukovar, at Srebrenica, and a whole lot of other places I can’t spell or even find on a map, but I know what happened in them, and I know the part Spiridon and his men played in it. The law has largely failed their victims so far because it has its limits. We, on the other hand, do not.’

‘Jesus.’ There was neither bemusement nor skepticism on Lackner’s face now. She was a picture of misery. ‘And my father knows where these people are?’

‘We think so. Your father has been helping the Vuksans since the Balkan wars. Without him, they might never have survived. Who else would they turn to in their time of trouble?’

‘Do you want me to ask him where the Vuksans might be?’ said Lackner.

‘Would he tell you if you did?’

‘I doubt it. I may be his daughter, but he’s still a lawyer.’

‘Well, then,’ said Angel, ‘I think we may have to find another way.’

Chapter XXXIX

Anton Frend, the subject of this discussion, was currently at Vienna International Airport, sitting in the Austrian Airlines business lounge while he waited to board his delayed flight to Belgrade. He had left home without saying goodbye to Mina, his wife, who had already departed for her regular yoga class, to be followed by an abominably healthy late breakfast with some of her abominably healthy friends. She was now absent from the house so often that Frend might almost have suspected her of conducting an affair had she not lacked the appetite or imagination for infidelity.