public property, with Spearpoint’s holding quietly transferred somehow, which would look good at any rate, he thought idly, and caught himself as his thoughts drifted back to Sigurjona.
Maybe it was time for a change, a quiet parting of the ways and a smooth divorce? But he knew that, with Sigurjona, nothing was likely to be quiet or smooth. A husband in government was a major asset to her that she would be unlikely to let go easily.
He sympathized with her. Spearpoint had been doing extraordinarily well on the basis of her undoubted personal skills and their combined access to the right people. They both felt they had worked hard to get this far. But Sigurjona was certainly hard work. A sweet little thing who would do as she was asked, give him a brood of children and not spit venom every time he lit a cigar would also be nice.
And what about her lunatic sister? Bjarni Jon groaned to himself out loud. The stewardess with the magnificently toned behind looked at him with momentary concern as she delivered his brandy with a flashing smile, and he smiled wanly in return. No rings on her fingers. He quickly considered asking for her phone number but decided against it.
But Erna, bloody hell, what a mess. Two out-of-control kids, two failed marriages, numerous smashed cars and a discreet spell in rehab, not to mention bailing her out of a cell once or twice after screaming matches in the street. Bjarni Jon was fully aware that Sigurjona and Erna were close, but the woman was a liability he could do without. So where the bloody hell had she got to this time? It wasn’t as if she hadn’t disappeared for a day or three before, but this time Sigurjona was clearly more worried than usual. Hell, he’d worry about it when he got home, he thought, allowing his eyes to drift back to the stewardess’s buttocks as she backed down the aisle with the trolley of drinks yet again.
Harde opened his eyes. The sun was higher in the sky than it had been when he had closed them. His mind was calm. The dusty surface of the road told him that nobody had passed while he had thought.
The time he had spent concentrating on every breath, guiding his attention back to counting each slow inhalation whenever his thoughts wandered, had cleared his mind.
He picked up the mobile phone that he had switched off at the
InterAlu compound and opened it. He deftly lifted out the SIM card, dropped it out of the car’s window into the grass at the roadside and replaced it with another that had been wrapped in a twist of paper in his wallet. He switched on and scrolled to one of only a few numbers in the directory.
‘Horst,’ the gravel voice answered.
‘Harde.’
‘Problem?’
‘Not sure. I need an alternative route off this island.’
‘You are mobile? Car?’
‘For the moment. I may have to get rid of the car soon.’
‘Call me back in twenty minutes. I’ll have something for you,’ Horst said, ending the call abruptly.
She watched Sigurjona sit defiantly in the back of the squad car, handed the keys of the house to Edda for safekeeping and shut the door behind her. Pacing Sigurjona’s gravelled path with a Camel, Gunna returned Snorri’s missed call.
‘You called. What is it, lad?’
‘Harde, I think. There’s a pair of seats booked on a flight to Madrid at five thirty this afternoon. Names of Erna Danielsdottir and Gunnar Hadre.’
‘Madrid? Erna as well? You know she’s been reported missing?’
‘Maybe she’s not that missing after all.’
‘Obviously not,’ Gunna pondered. ‘It might be a smokescreen of some kind. I don’t like it. The man knows he’s being looked for. I want a team up there to grab him if he does show up for this flight, but I want surveillance up there straight away. Get on to the airport force, will you? Tell them what’s happening.’
‘Yeah, of course, chief.’
‘Is Vilhjalmur about?’
‘In his office, I think.’
‘OK. I’ll call him there.’
She dialled again and listened to the ringing tone with impatience.
‘Vilhjalmur,’ announced the expected measured tone.
‘Gunna. There’s plenty going on and now I need you to do your bit.’
‘Ah, Gunnhildur. Making progress, I assume? Excellent—’
Gunna cut him off abruptly. ‘Vilhjalmur, listen. Sigurjona Huldudottir’s in custody at Hverfisgata.’
‘What? The Minister’s wife? You’re certain?’ he demanded through a sharp intake of breath.
Gunna could feel the tremor of fear in the voice on the other end. ‘Of course I’m bloody sure, and I can find grounds to hold the miserable cow if she makes a fuss. Now, listen, and you’d better write this down. I want you to get on to Reykjavik now, straight away. I need a car in Mjosundsvegur with at least two officers before I get there.’
Vilhjalmur was silent, but she could hear the scratch of his fountain pen.
‘Mjosundsvegur. Number?’ he asked to her relief.
‘Don’t know. It’s a guesthouse at the top end by the church. That’s where our man’s been staying. I doubt he’s there, but I don’t want to chance it alone.’
‘Quite right,’ Vilhjalmur replied. ‘I’ll get it fixed for you right away.’
‘Ask forensics to get there as well. If there are any prints, I want them. As soon as I’m done there, I’ll be on the way out to Keflavik again. Things are happening at the airport, I reckon, so I want you to get on to the most senior officer there and brief him. Snorri can tell you more. All right?’
Vilhjalmur Traustason had the fleeting feeling that Gunna had been promoted over his head.
‘Nine five five zero, zero three five five.’
Gunna’s communicator buzzed and she pressed the button on her headset to reply.
‘Zero three five five, nine five five zero.’
‘Olli here. The phone company just got back to me. The number is an ordinary pay-as-you go SIM card that was never registered. It’s the sort you can pick up at petrol stations. Nothing special about it and no hope of identifying the user.’
‘Not to worry. It was worth a go.’
‘Hang on. It’s been switched off for about two hours.’
‘Any idea where?’
‘The last connection was through the mast at L?kjarbakki.’
‘Outside Hvalvik?’
‘That’s the one.’
‘Two hours ago?’
‘Last connection was 10.05.’
‘OK, thanks, Olli. Make sure the number’s monitored in case it comes up again, and will you ask the phone company to call me direct if there’s any activity?’
‘Will do. We checked Erna Dan’s house as well, all quiet, no sign of anything unusual and the intruder alarm says it’s active.’
‘Good,’ Gunna said. ‘Sounds like nobody home there.’
They were back around the incident room table, ignored computer screens lighting the room with their dim glow. There was a chill in the room now that the sun had travelled far enough west by midday for its rays to leave their side of the building in shadow.
‘What do we have?’ Gunna demanded, without bothering to greet anyone and hauling off her jacket as she sat down.
‘I went to the Gullfoss like you said,’ Bara began. ‘Tracked down a doorman who saw Harde leave with Erna at about two in the morning. They left on foot and he didn’t see them take a cab or get in a car.’
Vilhjalmur shimmered silently in. Gunna looked up at him inquiringly, but he held both hands up palms
