‘No. The bank’s not paying for this. I’ve told you before, if it’s not a client, you pay for your own lunch.’
He stared at the young banker as he returned the paper into his hands, unsigned.
‘But-’
‘I’ve been very clear,’ Gudmundur said.
The banker took back the paper and left the office without another word.
Gudmundur shook his head. ‘Some of these people don’t realize the world has changed. Now. Where were we?’
‘You were saying Oskar was popular. He didn’t have any enemies in the bank?’ Magnus asked.
‘Not that I am aware of. He may well have outside. I mean he is one of the gang of young bankers that has ruined the country, and people blame him for that, along with the others.’ Gudmundur shook his head. ‘They just didn’t have the
Magnus detected as much pleasure as pain in Gudmundur’s reaction to the comeuppance of the whippersnappers. ‘We understand that Oskar was under investigation by the Special Prosecutor for market manipulation. What was that about?’
‘Lending money to clients and friends to buy shares in the bank, and doing it secretly. At least that is what the allegation is.’
‘Were any of these clients Russians?’
Gudmundur’s frown deepened. ‘I don’t
‘Presumably some of these offshore companies were owned indirectly by Oskar?’
‘Yes. The main holding company is OBG Investments. As well as Odinsbanki it has holdings in a major chain of hotels and some retailers in Germany and Britain. And that’s just what is public knowledge. The company is run by Emilia Gunnarsdottir, Oskar’s sister. Their offices are right here on Borgartun.’
Magnus asked some more questions about the bank and Oskar, and Arni took copious notes, although Magnus got the impression that he wasn’t really following what was going on.
Just as they were about to leave, Arni asked his own question. ‘Didn’t Gabriel Orn Bergsson work here?’
‘Yes he did,’ Gudmundur replied. ‘That was another sad case. It is unfortunate that two senior members of staff died in such awful circumstances, no matter how much damage they did to the bank.’
‘Did Gabriel Orn do much damage?’
‘Yes,’ Gudmundur sighed. ‘Most of the bad loans the bank made were in his department.’
‘What about Harpa Einarsdottir?’ Arni asked.
‘I didn’t know her well; she left the bank just after I arrived,’ Gudmundur replied. ‘She worked with Gabriel Orn. I think she was his girlfriend. She had a good reputation within the firm, but she was too young. Too optimistic. No sense of what might go wrong.’
‘Was there any connection between them and Oskar?’ Arni asked.
‘Well, yes, obviously. Gabriel Orn was in charge of the leveraged lending group which was an important department. I’m sure that he and Oskar knew each other well. I have no idea about the relationship between Harpa and Oskar, but once again she was a fairly senior executive. And Oskar used to socialize with his staff. You must have read all about the parties in the newspapers.’
Even Magnus was aware that the Icelandic press had had a great time describing the excesses of the bankers, Oskar prominent among them: the parties, the private jets, the apartments in New York and London. To Magnus’s jaundiced eye it seemed nothing beyond the regular corporate excesses which you would expect in the boardrooms of America. It might not be in the Icelandic tradition, but it was certainly in the tradition of Wall Street.
‘What was all that about?’ Magnus asked Arni once they had left the CEO’s office. ‘Who the hell is Gabriel Orn?’
‘A banker who killed himself in January, a few months before you arrived in Iceland. Harpa was his ex-girlfriend who used to work for him. I interviewed her afterwards.’
‘Why did he kill himself?’
‘We’re not absolutely sure. He only left a brief text message as a suicide note. But he was responsible for bankrupting a bank. A few bad days at work, to put it mildly.’
‘And do you think there is a connection with Oskar’s murder?’
‘Um, no.’
‘Are you sure?’
Arni waited for the lift doors to close behind them as they headed down to the lobby.
‘Yes, I’m sure,’ he said.
Magnus looked at him closely. He didn’t believe him.
CHAPTER SIX
EMILIA GUNNARSDOTTIR HAD poise. She was in her mid-thirties, slim, with her dark hair tied back. She was wearing an elegant black trouser suit and expensive but discreet gold adorned her ears and neck.
The offices of OBG Investments took up one floor of a five-storey building a hundred metres along Borgartun from the Odinsbanki headquarters. Magnus saw from the directory in the lobby that the other occupants were firms of lawyers and accountants, plus the odd enigmatic financial company, like OBG itself. It was obvious when they had reached OBG’s floor: the reception area was dominated by a life-size sculpture in bronze of a Viking in full warrior gear riding a Harley Davidson.
Emilia led Magnus and Arni through to her office: thick white carpet, black leather armchairs and sofa, a broad black desk, uncluttered with papers, but bearing a sleek computer screen. The contrast with Gudmundur’s office was stark. ‘I am very sorry about your brother,’ Magnus began.
For a moment, a second or so, the poise cracked. But then with a purse of the lips it was back. ‘Thank you,’ was all Emilia said. ‘Sit down. I hope you don’t mind waiting a couple of minutes. I’ve asked my lawyer to be present. She works in this building so she won’t be long.’
Magnus was surprised. ‘I don’t think there’s a need for a lawyer, Emilia. You are not a suspect.’ Or not yet, he thought. Asking for a lawyer this early in proceedings certainly raised alarm bells.
‘Not for this crime, perhaps. But don’t forget that our company is under investigation.’
‘I’m not interested in the Special Prosecutor’s case,’ Magnus said. ‘I just want to find out more about your brother.’
‘Which I will tell you once my lawyer is here. Would you like some coffee?’
Just then the door opened and a woman came in.
A woman whom Magnus recognized. He couldn’t keep the shock from registering on his face. The woman seemed just as surprised herself.
‘This is Sigurbjorg Vilhjalmsdottir, my lawyer,’ Emilia said. ‘But it seems that you know each other already.’
There was a brief pause as both Magnus and the lawyer struggled for something to say. ‘Yes,’ Magnus said, eventually, clearing his throat. ‘We do know each other. Sigurbjorg is my cousin.’ He hesitated and then stepped forward to kiss her on the cheek.
‘Oh, I see,’ Emilia said, unsurprised at the connection. This was Reykjavik, after all. But she could tell there was something strained between them, although she could not possibly know what. ‘Is there any reason why you shouldn’t advise me on this matter, Sigurbjorg?’
‘No,’ said Sigurbjorg. ‘No, there will be no problem.’
‘We aren’t close,’ said Magnus, and then regretted it. While true, it sounded unnecessarily rude.
‘OK,’ said Emilia. ‘Well. Let’s begin, shall we?’
‘Can you tell me a bit about Oskar?’ Magnus asked. Arni pulled out his notebook, a look of intense concentration on his face as he prepared himself for more financial gobbledygook.
‘He was a very special person.’ Emilia hesitated. It was as if the simple question threatened to unleash
