Behind his brother, Radovan Vuksan exhaled loudly through his nose. He objected as a matter of principle to the manner of Andrej Buha’s death and the long failure to punish those responsible. He did not, however, regard the world as a poorer place for Buha’s absence; the man’s savagery had only increased as the years went by, and humanity could afford to lose a sadist or two without ever being in danger of running short. But then Radovan was no killer, although he had profited from the deaths of others. Spiridon liked to taunt him about this when Radovan counseled against acts of violence unless absolutely necessary. Radovan, in turn, would invariably counter that, while Spiridon’s actions might have contributed to the fear in which the Vuksans were held, it was he, Radovan, who was responsible for their wealth. Fear brought power, but money secured it.

Spiridon turned to scowl at his brother.

‘Is this too strong for your stomach?’ he said.

‘Not at all,’ said Radovan. ‘Indulge yourself.’

Spiridon returned his attention to De Jaager.

‘Then,’ Spiridon continued, ‘after we took Srebrenica, Andrej became curious about the mechanics of crucifixion and its potency as an instrument of terror. He discovered that a man crucified with his arms fixed above his head will survive for half an hour at most, but often for as little as ten minutes. I think his interest in crucifixion was partly a consequence of his spiritual convictions. Andrej was intensely religious, with a particular devotion to Saint Joankije of Devič. I don’t suppose you knew that. You probably think of us all as beasts.’

‘I’ve tried,’ said De Jaager, ‘not to think of you at all. But I was unaware of a patron saint of rapists. I can only suppose that my spirituality is of a different aspect to your own.’

Spiridon tapped De Jaager on the knee.

‘That’s very clever,’ he said. ‘Of course, everyone acquainted with you says that you’re a clever man. I’ve been hearing that for years. But if they could see you now, what would they say?’

‘We will never know.’

‘You won’t, but I’ll be sure to listen in your absence.’

There came a clicking from nearby. Radovan was tapping his watch.