Dori's face went bright red again. 'I don't want to discuss that,' he retorted.
'Why not?' Matthew asked. 'Who knows, it may have led to Harald's death.'
Dori's knees bounced up and down as he tapped his feet on the shiny veneered floor. 'He didn't die like that,' he said in a half whisper.
Thora spoke. 'How would you know that?'
The beat of Dori's feet grew faster. He remained silent. Neither Thora nor Matthew said anythingthey just stared at the young man and waited. In the end he gave in, took a deep breath, and spoke. 'Fuck knows what this has to do with anything, but yes, I knew Harald did that a bit.'
'And you know this from whom?' Matthew asked sharply.
Dori's feet stopped tapping. 'He told me. He suggested I try it.' He said no more, his eyes flicking from Matthew to Thora.
'And did you?' she asked.
'No,' he answered firmly, and Thora believed him. 'I might do some crazy things but that's the craziest shit I've ever seen.'
'Seen?' Matthew repeated.
Dori's blush grew even deeper. 'Not exactly seenI didn't mean that. Been involved with is more like it.' He looked down at the floor. 'It was this autumn. I'd passed out on the sofa here after a party and I woke up in the night to this awful gasping noise.' He looked up at Matthew. 'I don't know how I was lucky enough to come roundnormally I'm right out of it when I'm in that statebut anyway, I woke up and went to check it out and saw Harald who was literally in his death throes.' Thora thought she noticed the young man shudder at the recollection. 'I undid a belt that was tied really tight around his neck. It wasn't easy, because he'd tied one end to the radiator in his room. Then I managed to bring him around with CPRonly just.'
'Are you sure he wasn't trying to commit suicide?' Thora asked.
Glancing at her, Dori shook his head. 'No, it wasn't a suicide attempt. Believe me. I'd rather not go into details about the state I found him in.' Now it was Thora's turn to blush, which seemed to cheer Dori up when he noticed. He went on, emboldened. 'Then I talked it over with Harald and he freely admitted what he'd been up to. He even suggested that I try ithe said it was far-out. But he'd been in danger and was fully aware of the fact. He was scared to death.'
'So you don't think he gave up the habit after that shock?' asked Matthew.
'I bet he didn't,' Dori answered. 'Though I don't know for surehe was scared shitless.'
'Do you remember when this was?' Matthew asked.
'The early hours of the eleventh of September,' he said without a moment's thought.
Matthew nodded pensively. He looked at Thora and said in German: 'He changed his will ten days later.' Thora nodded too, convinced now that the young man in front of them was the Icelandic heir named in the will. He had just saved Harald's life days before the will was altered; it was unthinkable not to mention him in it.
'I understand German, you know,' said Dori, grinning slyly.
His expression equally malicious, Matthew did not respond. Instead he said: 'Hugi told us that Harald was sometimes nasty to you in front of the othersin fact, he humiliated you, if I remember correctly. Didn't that upset you?'
Dori snorted. 'What's he going on about? You know Harald wasn't like normal people. He could wind me up, but he could be a real laugh too. Most of the time he treated me great, especially when there was just the two of us. But when we were with the others he could be a bastard every now and again. It didn't bother meHugi can tell you thatand Harald always apologized afterward. It didn't make any difference, just a drag while it lasted.'
Thora didn't think it took much intelligence to see through this statement. Surely he must have found it unbearable. But there was little point in probing him for details. 'So what can you tell us about Harald's research?' she asked. 'Can you describe what form your help took?'
Dori answered immediately, happy to change the subject. 'It was nothing special. I really only helped him with translations, with a bit of resource work too. He went all over the placeI couldn't see the connections, but I'm not a historian so that's not saying much. He sort of wandered from one thing to the nextin the middle of reading a passage I'd translated from Icelandic into English, he would suddenly ask me to read something else, and so on.'
'Can you cite any examples of articles or topics he was interested in?' asked Matthew.
'Er, I can't give you a complete list. When it started I was mainly translating passages from Olina Thorvardardottir's Ph.D. dissertation on the era of witch burnings, then he became interested in Skalholt because of a text about sorcery by some of the students at the school there, and a book of witchcraft that was in circulation. He also had an old letter in DanishI wasn't so great at translating that but I did my best. It was about an emissary and something I didn't understand properly. When he got that he suddenly changed tack, stopped wondering about witch burnings so much and shifted back a century or so.
'I remember translating a passage for him from a description of Iceland by Bishop Oddur Einarsson from around 1590. It was about Hekla and I remember an account in it of a man who went mad after climbing the mountain and looking down into the crater. And he was fascinated by the eruption of Hekla in 1510, and Bishop Jon Arason and his execution in 1550, and Bishop Brynjolfur Sveinsson. Yes, then suddenly he wanted to know everything about the Irish monks. So you could say he was still going back at the time of his murderto the time before Iceland was properly settled.'
From this recitation of dates it was obvious that the young man had a cast-iron memory. Not surprising that he could do his courses in spite of all that partying, Thora thought. 'Irish monks?' she asked.
Dori nodded. 'Yes, the hermits who were here before the Vikings arrived.'
'Okay,' said Thora, uncertain what to ask next. Then she remembered poor old Gunnar, who had set up the meeting with Harald's friends. 'That old Danish letterdo you know where it came from or where it ended up?'
Dori shook his head. 'I have no idea where he got ithe had other old letters that he was comparing with it. They were in a leather wallet, but the Danish one wasn't. It's bound to be around somewhere.'
'Do you recognize the name Mal?' Matthew asked, out of the blue.
Dori looked at them and shook his head. 'No, never heard of him. Why?'
'Oh, no reason,' said Matthew.
Dori was about to say something when his mobile rang. He took it out, looked at the screen, pulled a face, and put it back in his pocket.
'Your mom?' Matthew asked Dori, grinning.
'Right,' he replied bitterly.
A text message alert bleeped in his pocket. Since Dori made no move for his mobile, Thora fired her next question. 'Do you know anything about a visitors' book that Harald may have owned or talked about? The visitors' book of the cross, or something to that effect?'
Dori looked baffled. 'The visitors' book of the Cross? You mean the religious sect, the Cross?'
'No, not that,' replied Thora. 'So you never heard any mention of a visitors' book?'
'Nope.'
Matthew clenched his fists. 'Tell us about the raven Harald was trying to buy.'
Dori's Adam's apple leaped in his throat. 'Raven?' His voice had risen an octave.
'Yes,' Thora chipped in. 'We know he was trying to buy a raven. Do you know why?'
Dori shrugged. 'No. But I can appreciate him wanting to own a raven. Interesting birds.'
Thora was convinced that he was lying, but could not work out the best response. Matthew took over before she decided. 'Do you know anything about a trip that Harald made to Holmavik to see the sorcery and witchcraft exhibition?'
'No,' said Dori, clearly lying again.
'What about Hotel Ranga?' Thora asked.
'No.' Another lie.
Matthew looked at Thora. 'Holmavik, Ranga. Maybe we should do a bit of traveling?' Dori's expression did not suggest that he approved of this idea.
