66 Degrees North

your life in a French jail or a British one. It’s just a shame I can’t find a space for you in Cedar Junction back home. You’d enjoy that.’

Magnus saw the fear in Sindri’s eyes.

He let him go. ‘We’ll be back,’ he said.

It was a short distance from Sindri’s flat to police headquarters, which was at the eastern end of Hverfisgata opposite the bus station. Magnus was driving.

‘That’s not normally the way we conduct interviews here in Iceland,’ Vigdis said.

‘Maybe you should,’ said Magnus.

‘The Grand Rokk is a bit of a dive, isn’t it?’

‘I don’t go there often.’

They drove on in silence.

‘If you have a problem, I know people you can talk to,’ Vigdis said.

‘Why is it that if a guy has a drink on a Tuesday night, he’s an alcoholic, but if he gets totally shit-faced on a Friday, he’s just being sociable?’

‘I’m just saying,’ said Vigdis.

And that was all either of them said until they were back in the station.

Harpa served Klara, who was a regular customer, and partial to Disa’s vinarbraud. She was well into her seventies, and came in at about the same time every day for a slice. She liked to take her time over the purchase and usually Harpa was happy to chat, but this time she was distracted, only half listening.

She was pleased with how firm she had been with Frikki. But the more she thought about it, the more she worried that the kid might have a point. She was sure that Bjorn wasn’t involved in any way with Oskar’s death, or with Lister’s. She had no idea about Isak. But Sindri?

For years the man had publicly espoused violence to defeat capitalism. But then for years he had done nothing about it, as far as Harpa had heard. Icelanders loved to talk politics, to complain, to demand change, but they didn’t resort to violence, even the anarchists. Harpa guessed that the big man was all talk.

But perhaps having been involved in one killing it became easier to kill again? There was no doubt that there was a possible link between Oskar and Julian Lister, and Gabriel Orn for that matter, and that was responsibility for the kreppa. And maybe there would be another death soon.

No. It was nothing to do with her. She should do what she had told Frikki to do, keep quiet and forget it.

Klara finally left and Harpa busied herself with rearranging the pastries under the counter. Forget it? She couldn’t forget it. She felt guilty enough about the death of Gabriel Orn. Frikki was right, she wouldn’t be able to face the guilt if someone else was murdered and it turned out that the murderer was Sindri.

Perhaps she should speak to Bjorn. But she already knew what he would say. He would discourage her, urge her to keep quiet, keep a low profile, just as she had urged Frikki.

At least she could trust him. There was no chance that he had shot Oskar or Julian Lister. The Polish woman was being ridiculous. What did she think, that he had left her house the previous week and gone straight to the airport instead of back to Grundarfjordur? Ridiculous. He’d need passport, tickets, money for a start.

Suddenly she couldn’t breathe. Her ears begin to sing. She felt faint and slipped back against the wall, dropping the tray of pastries she was carrying with a clatter.

No. No, no, no, no, no! She couldn’t believe it. She simply couldn’t believe it.

‘What is it Harpa? Are you OK?’

She scarcely felt Disa’s hand on her shoulder, or heard her concerned voice.

She was thinking about what she had noticed sticking out of the pocket of Bjorn’s light blue coat when he had stayed with her that night.

An electric-blue Icelandic passport.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

MAGNUS HAD JUST got back to his desk when his phone rang. ‘Magnus, it’s Sharon.’

‘Did you get the photo?’

‘Yeah. I got a good shot. I’m on my way to the station to print off a copy to show to Gunnarsson’s neighbour.’

Magnus’s pulse quickened. Matching a description was one thing, but a positive ID would be the first real evidence of a link between Oskar’s murder and Gabriel Orn’s death.

‘If you don’t get a good print, we’ve probably got a mugshot in our database here. Did you ask Isak where he was yesterday?’

‘That’s why I am calling. I’m at the chaplain’s office in the Icelandic Embassy, checking out Isak’s story. He said he was at the Icelandic Church service in the morning. The chaplain confirms it.’

‘Damn.’

‘Yes. Although it was the first time Isak has attended. Made a point of coming up and talking to the chaplain. Which makes me think-’

‘He was setting up an alibi?’

‘Maybe.’

Magnus thought about it. He knew they were in danger of manipulating the facts to fit the theory. ‘That’s stretching it a bit.’

‘Yeah. Perhaps. We’ll see what the neighbour says.’

‘Do you know anything about the investigation in Normandy?’

‘Only what I’ve seen on the news. I’ve kept my nose well out of that one, like you asked me to.’

‘Thanks, Sharon.’

‘No problem.’

But Magnus couldn’t help noticing the lack of enthusiasm in her voice. She did have a problem with his request: there was no doubt about it. Tough.

‘Explain to me why you aren’t at the police college?’ Baldur demanded, glaring at Magnus.

Magnus exhaled. ‘Vigdis found some new evidence on the video of the January protest the day Gabriel Orn was killed.’

‘I thought I told you that case was closed?’

‘Yes, I know. But listen to what we’ve got.’ Magnus described the identification of Sindri on the video and most of his interview, missing Sindri’s reference to Magnus’s own presence at the Grand Rokk.

He summed up. ‘So Harpa, Bjorn, Sindri, Isak, they are all linked. Harpa, Bjorn and Sindri all met on the day Gabriel Orn was killed. Isak started a fight with Harpa that evening in a bar at about the time Gabriel Orn died. And he fits the description of the Icelandic courier who was looking for Oskar’s address in London a few days before the murder. Harpa is connected to Oskar – Oskar was her son’s father and we know she met him in London in July. Bjorn and Harpa are in a relationship. And Sindri, well Sindri is an anarchist who believes in using violence to overthrow capitalism.’

‘None of that is hard evidence,’ Baldur said. ‘The only real link between all these people is that you are suspicious of them.’

‘That’s right,’ said Magnus. ‘We need to go in and get the hard evidence.’

‘What are you suggesting?’

‘Set up a tail on Sindri. And Bjorn. Get warrants to search their apartments and their computers. Take a look at the phone company records – see if they’ve been talking to each other. Get a positive ID on Isak and get the British police to arrest him.’

Baldur shook his head. ‘We’re not doing that.’

‘Why not?’ said Magnus.

‘Because that will turn this case into a full-blown hunt for an Icelandic terrorist cell.’

‘Which maybe it should be,’ said Magnus.

‘No!’ said Baldur, slapping his hand on his desk. ‘No. Not without evidence.’