Outrage (19 page)

‘Good. I’ve had a touch of flu recently. So you’ve been looking for me?’

‘Yes, actually, we have. As I said, a man with a leg brace was seen near a house in Thingholt where a man was murdered. We thought that might indicate a physical disability, so we contacted an orthopaedist, who mentioned polio as a possibility. We looked back at the records of the Isolation Clinic and compiled a list which includes your name.’ Elinborg decided not to mention at this stage the line of enquiry about tandoori cuisine.

‘Yes, I was at the Isolation Clinic, that’s right. I caught polio in the last epidemic here in Iceland, in 1955, and this is what I got out of it,’ said Konrad. He patted the brace. ‘I never regained full strength in my leg. But you must know all this, of course.’

‘You were unlucky. The immunisation programme started the following year.’

‘Yes, that’s true.’

‘So you were in the Isolation Clinic for a while?’ asked Elinborg. She sensed that he was slightly uneasy. ‘Can’t have been much fun for a young lad.’

‘No,’ replied Konrad politely. ‘It was a difficult experience. Really quite difficult. But that’s not why you’re here.’

‘I’m sure you must have heard about what happened in Thingholt,’ said Elinborg. ‘We’re trying to gather as much information as we can, from all possible sources. You were there, weren’t you?’

‘Yes, I was, but I didn’t go anywhere near that house, the one on the news. I’d parked my car nearby earlier that evening and I was reluctant to leave it there overnight. It was a Saturday and my wife and I had gone out for the evening. Then I went to fetch the car. I might have had one too many - we’d been to a number of bars. I know you’re not supposed to drink and drive, but I really didn’t want to leave my car where it was.’

‘It’s a bit of a walk from Thingholt into the centre of town, isn’t it?’

‘I suppose I wanted to be sure that the car wouldn’t be vandalised. It can be a bit dodgy downtown from that point of view - nothing seems to be safe unless it’s nailed down.’

‘Oh, yes, there are plenty of vandals about,’ said Elinborg. ‘So you went out for a few drinks, did you?’

‘I suppose you could put it like that.’

‘And then you went to get the car?’

‘Yes.’

‘Couldn’t your wife have gone? You’re the one with the bad leg, after all.’

‘She’d had more to drink than me,’ replied Konrad, with a smile. ‘I preferred to go myself. Please don’t get the idea that this is something we make a habit of. And it wasn’t far. We stayed near the centre, on Bankastraeti and Laugavegur.’

‘And you walked back alone to collect the car?’

‘Yes. Did someone see me hobbling along, then?’ Konrad smiled as if he had said something amusing. Elinborg noticed that he smiled a lot. She wondered if his smile was a mask, intended to deceive. Should she tell him about the Asian food shop and the tandoori pot, the shawl smelling of Indian cuisine that had been found at the scene of the murder? She decided to leave that line of questioning for now. Elinborg did not enjoy interrogating witnesses. She disliked misleading people, catching them out in their lies. She was quite certain that most of what Konrad had told her was a carefully constructed fabrication, and that she would have to trick him into admitting whatever it was that he was striving to conceal. If she asked random and irrelevant questions she might be able to trip him up and induce him to reveal something important that would give her a handle on the case. She saw her interrogation technique as being like one of those party games in which questions had to be answered without using the words
yes
or
no
,
black
or
white
, and so on. If her instinct was correct, both she and Konrad knew there were certain things he must not say, and as the game progressed she would make it more and more difficult for him to maintain his focus.

‘It’s a small world,’ said Elinborg, evading his question. ‘Didn’t you think to get in touch with us, given that you were in the neighbourhood when the crime took place?’

‘I didn’t really think about it,’ answered Konrad. ‘I suppose I would have done if I’d believed I could help you in any way. But I’m afraid I haven’t anything to contribute.’

‘So you just strolled calmly along towards your car, did you?’

‘Yes, I think so. I don’t know what your witness saw. I’d be interested to know. I was trying to be as quick as possible, because of my wife. She rang me when I was on the way.’

‘So she’s the person you were speaking to on the phone?’

‘Yes, I was on the phone to her. Is there something particular you want to know? Some specific questions you want to ask me? I didn’t realise this was all going to be about me.’

‘I’m sorry,’ said Elinborg. ‘We have to check the reliability of all witnesses. It’s just procedure.’

‘I see,’ said Konrad.

‘And please bear in mind that anything could be important, even if it seems to you to be quite insignificant. What time was it that you were there?’

‘I didn’t notice exactly. It was about two when we got home.’

‘Did you notice anyone else around, someone we might be able to trace?’

‘No, I didn’t. I didn’t see a soul. The street lighting around there isn’t all that good, and I wasn’t parked very near the place where I understand these terrible events occurred. I was quite some distance away, in fact.’

‘We may be looking for a young woman in connection with the murder.’

‘So I’ve read in the papers.’

‘So you didn’t see any young woman around that night?’

‘No.’

‘Or a young woman with a man?’

‘No.’

‘She could have been alone. We don’t have a precise time of death, and it’s entirely possible that the crime was committed around two.’

‘All I saw was a deserted street as I was hurrying along it. I’m afraid I didn’t notice anything in particular. No doubt I’d have been more observant if I’d known I would be a witness in this case.’

‘Where exactly did you park?’

‘It wasn’t on the street you’re interested in. I took a short cut. The car was in the next street down the hill. That’s why I can’t help you. I was never on the road where the murder happened.’

‘Did you hear any noises? Anything unusual?’

‘No, I don’t remember anything like that.’

‘Are these your children?’ asked Elinborg, changing tack abruptly. On a small table three photographs of young people at their high-school graduations were arranged: two young men and a young woman, all smiling into the camera.

‘Yes - those are my boys and my daughter,’ replied Konrad. He seemed relieved at the change of subject. ‘She’s the youngest, always competing with her brothers. The elder boy went into medicine, the younger into economics, like me, and my daughter’s doing engineering.’

‘A doctor, an economist, and an engineer?’

‘Yes, they’re good kids.’

‘I’ve got four children,’ said Elinborg. ‘One of my boys is at the Commercial College.’

‘My daughter’s at the University of Iceland. Our doctor son is about to finish his training in San Francisco and he’ll be coming home next year. He’s specialising in cardiology.’

‘San Francisco?’ asked Elinborg.

‘He’s been there three years. He’s very happy there. We …’ Konrad fell silent.

‘Yes?’ asked Elinborg.

‘No, nothing.’

Elinborg smiled. ‘Everyone says San Francisco’s a wonderful city. I’ve never been,’ she said.

‘It is,’ said Konrad. ‘Yes, indeed.’

‘What about your daughter?’

‘What about her?’

‘Did she go with you?’

‘Yes, she did, actually,’ answered Konrad. ‘The second time we visited. She came with us and fell in love with the place, just as we did.’

Outside Konrad’s home, Elinborg’s phone rang. It was Sigurdur Oli.

‘You were right,’ he said.

‘So Runolfur did call on her?’ asked Elinborg.

‘According to the records, he went to her home about two months ago, on two consecutive days.’

20

Elinborg was in no hurry. She did not contact Konrad to arrange a second interview until the following day. He answered the phone himself and said she was welcome to call on him around midday - he was not planning to go anywhere. He asked why she found it necessary to speak to him again, but she simply said she had a few more questions. He sounded quite calm. Elinborg had the impression that he knew what to expect.

She did not tell Konrad that she had made arrangements to ensure that neither he nor any member of his immediate family could leave the country. She doubted whether it was strictly necessary but she did not want to take any risks with the case she was building. Elinborg also ensured that Edvard would be apprehended if he tried to flee.

During the night she lay awake for a long time, thinking about a conversation with Valthor. When Elinborg had come home she had entered his room and sat down. Teddi had been asleep, as were Theodora and Aron, but Valthor, as usual, had been at his computer. The television had also been on. When Elinborg had said she needed to talk to him he said nothing.

‘Are you OK, dear?’ she asked.

‘Yeah,’ he replied brusquely.

Elinborg was worn out after a long day. She knew Valthor was a good boy at heart. Over the years they had been close, but as a teenager he had entered a rebellious phase of ferocious independence and his hostility seemed to be directed mainly at her.

After several attempts to get a response, Elinborg switched off the TV. Valthor stopped what he was doing.

‘I want to talk to you for a minute. How can you be on the Internet and watch telly at the same time?’

‘Easy,’ answered Valthor. ‘How’s the hunt going?’

‘All right. Look, I don’t want you blogging about me. I don’t want you writing about our private business. This family’s private business.’

‘So don’t read it,’ he snorted.

‘Whether I read it or not, it’s on the net. Theodora’s uncomfortable with it, too. You go too far on your blog, Valthor. You write about things that are nobody’s affair but ours. And who are these girls you’re always writing about? Do you think it’s any fun for them to read that stuff about themselves?’

‘Jesus,’ said Valthor. ‘You just don’t get it. Everyone does it, it’s no problem. Nobody thinks anything of it - it’s just a joke, no one takes it seriously.’

‘You could write about something else.’

Valthor suddenly changed the subject: ‘I’m thinking of moving out.’

‘Moving out?’

‘Kiddi and me thought we’d rent a place together. I told Dad earlier.’

‘And where will the money come from?’

‘I’ll get a part-time job.’

‘What about your schoolwork?’

‘I’m going to see how it goes. I know I won’t have any trouble finding work. And Birkir moved out. He went all the way to Sweden.’

‘You’re not Birkir.’

‘No.’

There was a note in his voice Elinborg did not like. ‘What do you mean,
no
?’

‘Oh, forget it. You don’t want to hear it, anyway.’

‘What don’t I want to hear?’

‘Nothing.’

‘I told Birkir that if he wanted to meet his natural father, that was absolutely fine. Of course it was. But it was an awful shock when he suddenly decided to go and live with his father. In Sweden! I thought we were his family but he obviously didn’t agree with me, or with your dad. In the end Birkir went his own way.’

‘You forced him to leave.’

‘That is just not true, Valthor.’

‘That’s what he says. And he’s dropped out of touch. We hardly hear from him, and he never speaks to you. You think that’s OK, do you?’

‘Birkir was at a difficult age, just like you are now. Do you really believe it’s all my fault? I hope he’s changed his opinion now that he’s older.’

‘He told me he never felt like one of the family.’

Elinborg was dumbstruck. ‘What?’

‘Birkir felt the difference.’

‘What difference?’

‘You never treated him the same as the rest of us. He always felt he was in the way. As if he was just a visitor.’

‘Did Birkir say that? He never said anything about it to me.’

‘Do you think he’d say something like that to
you
? He told me when he left, and said I must keep my mouth shut.’

‘But that’s nonsense. He has no right to talk like that.’

‘He can say what he wants.’

‘Look, Valthor, you know perfectly well that Birkir was always one of the family. I know it was hard on him, losing his mum. It wasn’t easy for him to come here to live with his uncle - and with me, who he didn’t know at all. And then you kids came along. I always understood the position he was in and I always, always did my best to make him happy. We never treated him any differently from you three. He was one of our children. You can’t imagine how much it hurts to know that he says that about us.’

‘I wish he hadn’t left,’ said Valthor.

‘So do I,’ said Elinborg.

Elinborg lay in bed, wide awake. She glanced at her alarm clock: 02.47.

She started counting down: 9,999. 9,998 …

She really must sleep.

Konrad led her into the living room, as he had done the day before. He limped ahead of her, apparently quite calm and unruffled. Elinborg was alone; she was not expecting any trouble. She had been delayed slightly at the station when the DNA results for the hairs found on the shawl and in Runolfur’s bed came in.

‘I thought I’d told you everything I know yesterday,’ said Konrad once they were seated.

‘We’re always receiving new information,’ answered Elinborg. ‘Perhaps I could start by telling you about a man …’

‘Would you like coffee?’

‘No, thank you.’

‘Quite sure?’

‘Yes. I just want to tell you about the man who was killed in Thingholt,’ she said. Konrad nodded. He placed his bad leg up on a footstool and listened. She told him the known facts. Runolfur had been born in a little coastal village just over thirty years ago. His mother still lived there, while his father had died in an accident several years before. The community was dying: the young generation were all moving away, and Runolfur himself had left as soon as he had the chance. He did not have a close relationship with his mother, who had a reputation as a harsh woman and a strict disciplinarian and, on the rare occasions that he returned, he barely visited her. He settled in Reykjavik where he trained at technical college, and once he was qualified he started work as a telecoms engineer. He did not marry or have children and his only known relationships with women were one-night stands. He lived in rented flats and apparently moved quite frequently. Through his work he came into contact with a lot of people, in their homes and workplaces, and was invariably regarded as hard-working and reliable. He seemed to have had an interest in comic-book and film superheroes. Nothing was known of any other interests.