‘But the Vuksans are also taking money from people who don’t mean anyone any good, not unless you’re in the market for a holy war. Once these men get to Europe – and some of them may be returning after a few years in Iraq, Syria, or Afghanistan – they vanish, and we don’t hear about them again until they blow themselves up on a bus or train, drive a truck through a crowded market, or turn a shopping mall into a shooting gallery.

‘And they’re not even the worst. The ones that really frighten us are those who will never get close to a gun or bomb. They’re the organizers, the recruiters, the moneymen. They were Al-Qaeda, then ISIS, and soon they’ll mutate and reappear with a new name but the same ideology. Meanwhile, the Vuksans and those like them are banking one hundred thousand dollars for every piece of delicate terrorist cargo landed safely, and that’s just the starting price. For a high-value target, and therefore high-risk, the Vuksans will ask for, and receive, a quarter of a million, sometimes more.’

‘So why doesn’t someone do something about it?’ said Louis.

‘There’s a rule of law, even down in the dirt.’

‘I know of some dead Stasi who might express a different opinion, if bones could talk.’

‘Suspicions aren’t sufficient cause to add a black tag to a file, and last time I checked, our European allies objected to drone strikes on Paris and London.’

‘Maybe so,’ said Louis, ‘but even if you kill the Vuksans, someone else will take their place.’

‘Possibly,’ said Ross, ‘and indeed the word is that the Vuksans are retiring from the game, although I’m not sure retirement is really in Spiridon Vuksan’s nature.’

‘So why bother with them at all?’

‘As punishment for past crimes, and a warning to those who might be of a mind to follow in their footsteps: If you do this, we will find you, and we will make you pay.’

Louis finished his martini and signaled for another.

‘Are you asking me to do the US government’s dirty work?’ said Louis.

‘I’m not asking you to do anything. Unless I’m misreading the runes, you’re going after the Vuksans one way or another. What I’m saying is that we may be in a position to facilitate your efforts.’

‘With “we” being …?’

‘Concerned citizens.’

‘The worst kind. And how would these concerned citizens facilitate me?’

‘Well, my first thought was that a clean phone might help, so I considered offering you one, but then I realized you probably wouldn’t be very comfortable carrying around a cell phone provided by law enforcement.’

‘You know,’ said Louis, ‘I wouldn’t be very comfortable with that at all.’

‘Great minds. I went with an alternative plan instead.’

‘Another crooked legat?’