delve into.’
‘Which is?’
The smile fell from Kolbeinn’s face. ‘Two of our closest collaborators were murdered in the last year and the perpetrator has never been caught.’
‘The Norwegian guy?’
‘That’s him. The policewoman from Hvalvik was right behind him but she was prevented from making an arrest. We have it on very good authority that a unit was deployed on orders direct from the Ministry, and actively prevented the police from arresting this man.’
‘You’re sure?
Kolbeinn nodded again.
‘Bjarni Jon? Higher up?’
‘Larus Johann.’
‘But why?’
‘God. Can you imagine the uproar if it came to court? There’s so much shit that would have come out that it couldn’t happen. So he was quietly deported,’ Kolbeinn said.
‘I see,’ Skuli replied dubiously, wondering if this might be close to the truth or a wild conspiracy story.
‘You don’t believe me, do you?’ Kolbeinn asked, his eyes gleaming maliciously.
‘Well . . .’
‘I can tell you right now that a slimmed-down Spearpoint will be up and running again tomorrow as if nothing had ever happened.’
‘You’re sure? How can you know?’
Kolbeinn tapped the side of his nose in a theatrical gesture. ‘Find out what your boss is doing today.’
‘You mean Rich Golli?’ Skuli asked.
‘Both of them.’
‘You reckon Golli’s going to be bailing Sigurjona out?’
‘It’s a done deal. Sigurjona didn’t have much room to manoeuvre. So she’s not a happy lady right now, especially as her husband’s also moved out.’
‘Really? Where to?’
‘You need to keep up with the gossip, Skuli,’ Kolbeinn admonished. ‘Officially, they’re living together, but separated. Unofficially, he’s shacked up with a political science doctoral student who probably sees him as a fast- track ticket to somewhere or other.’
Suddenly, Skuli felt that he ought to be on his way back to
‘Check in with me tomorrow,’ Kolbeinn told him as he showed him to the door. ‘You’ll see.’
Walking away from Kolbeinn’s flat, he stopped dead in his tracks and almost turned on his heel to go back, remembering that the last time he had seen the woman in the sober suit and sensible shoes she had been sitting at the Minister’s side.
38
Tuesday, 7 October
Steam leaked from the kitchen at the back and hung in a cloud over the serving counter. The atmosphere in Hafnarkaffi was unusually lively and there was only one topic of conversation.
‘Good Lord, you’d think these people would have the decency to resign,’ Stefan Jonsson held forth.
‘No shame and no morals,’ someone else at the same table said.
‘Same all over. Same as the bloody government,’ Stefan added.
‘Morning, boys,’ Gunna offered, joining them at the table with a mug and a sandwich.
‘Ah, Gunnhildur. What does the law make of all this?’
‘What? The haddock quota? A disgrace, I reckon.’
‘No. Bloody Glitnir and the government bailing those bastards out with I don’t know how many billions of our cash.’
Gunna took a long pull at her coffee to wash down the first mouthful of prawn sandwich.
‘Well, Stefan. Considering it’s your money and mine, I’d be inclined to offer you my congratulations on the bank that you’ve just become part owner of.’
‘Well, there is that,’ Albert Jonasson at the next table turned round to add. ‘But which one’s next? That’s what I’d like to know. Landsbanki or Kaupthing?’
‘Hi! Stina!’ Stefan called out. ‘Put the wireless on for the news, would you?’
The newsreader’s grave voice boomed out and as the first item began Gunna’s phone buzzed.
‘Haddi. This better be important, disturbing a girl over lunch.’
She heard Haddi wheeze before he replied. ‘Going to be long? There’s someone here to see you.’
‘Who is it?’
‘Dunno. Some big shot. He’s come from Reykjavik to see you. Though I can’t understand why anyone’d come all that way just to see you.’
‘All right.’ Gunna sighed. In only a few days since the investigating team had rapidly been disbanded, life had seemed a little empty. ‘Tell him to come down to Hafnarkaffi if he’s hungry, otherwise I’ll be back in ten minutes,’ she decided.
‘I’ll tell him you’ll be back in a minute. I don’t reckon people like this go to places like Hafnarkaffi.’
‘Suit yourself,’ Gunna replied, reaching for her soup.
‘If Haddi had said, I’d have been quicker,’ Gunna said when she found Ivar Laxdal sitting in the better chair in her office.
‘Not a problem, Gunnhildur.’
‘What about Harde? I’d love to know what went wrong.’
The National Commissioner’s deputy looked as awkward as Gunna could expect a man in such an exalted position to look.
‘I can’t comment. To be completely open with you, I don’t know the full story myself, but,’ he said quickly, indicating that he had no intention of discussing the matter further, ‘I do need to know whether or not you want to apply for this post in the east. Let me know, will you?’
‘I’ve decided not to apply for it. Family reasons. I’m a single parent and I really don’t want to uproot my daughter before she’s finished school. Didn’t the Sheriff tell you?’
His face brightened. ‘Well, yes, he did. But I wanted to hear it from you. Interesting.’
Gunna was immediately puzzled that he should be pleased. ‘Why’s that?’
‘Well, of course in the light of what’s happened in the last few days and the uncertain economic future, we have to be prepared for different eventualities . . .’
‘You mean Glitnir going bust, all the rumours about Landsbanki going the same way and the whole country going to the dogs?’
‘Precisely. However, the National Commissioner and the Minister had already decided that we need to follow the precedent of forces in other countries and set up a dedicated serious crime unit, headquartered in Reykjavik.’
‘That’s nice.’
‘We decided that if you were to turn down the Egilstadir posting, then you should be invited to apply to join the serious crime unit. You’d stay a sergeant initially, but there’d be a travel allowance and I expect you’d probably be an inspector inside a year.’
For a moment Gunna could think of nothing to say.
‘Why? I mean, why me? Surely the mess that this Harde case turned out to be isn’t much of a recommendation?’
A thin smile ran round Ivar Laxdal’s face. ‘On the contrary. Between ourselves, you resisted interference that
