‘Why did you ask me about Tryggvi Thór the other day?’ Magnus asked her.
Instantly, Thelma’s expression changed, from aggression to wariness. ‘Oh, I don’t know. I was just curious.’
‘I remember that when I first lodged with him three years ago, you said you didn’t know who he was. You said he was bent.’
‘You must be confused, Magnús,’ said Thelma. She turned to stalk off back to her office, her leg squeaking all the way.
But Magnus wasn’t confused. He recalled that conversation very clearly. Thelma had claimed she didn’t know Tryggvi Thór, that he must have left the police before her time. She had also warned Magnus not to stay with him, given his reputation as a bent cop. But soon after that, Magnus had spotted Thelma and Tryggvi Thór leaving a restaurant together.
He didn’t know what his boss’s connection with his landlord was, but he did know she wanted to keep it concealed.
Not a big believer in openness, was Superintendent Thelma.
His phone rang. ‘Magnús.’
‘Good afternoon. This is Mark Grayson from the DA’s office in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.’ The voice had a warm southern tang. ‘Agent Malley of the FBI in New York gave me your name. He said you spoke good English?’
‘I do,’ said Magnus. ‘How can I help you?’
‘We’re investigating a homicide from September last year. Victim’s name was Corey Henning, forty-two. Online name Cryptocheeseman. Looked like a mugging — victim was knifed in the abdomen on a street close to his house. But we found computer evidence that Henning did work for Thomocoin, which I believe you have been investigating?’
‘I have. And a couple of murders related to it.’
‘Good. We think that the homicide may have been a professional hit ordered by a guy named Krakatoa. The FBI in New York have been investigating Krakatoa, and Agent Malley believes he might be an Icelandic national named Skarp... Skarp-herd...’
‘Sharp,’ said Magnus. ‘I know the guy. I interviewed him last week here in Iceland, but he went back to London the following day. Malley put a red notice out on him, but he had skipped town by the time the British police showed up to arrest him.’
‘And gone to Panama. From where we have no chance of getting him.’
‘How much evidence do you have that Krakatoa ordered the hit?’
‘Just a few messages on Henning’s computer. Veiled threats. Krakatoa seems to have believed that Henning stole two hundred grand in bitcoin from him. He was pissed and he wanted it back. We need more.’
‘Have you found the bitcoin?’
‘No.’
‘Can’t find the key?’
‘That’s right. We need to find Krakatoa and get a look at his computer. But we don’t have hard evidence that Krakatoa is this Sharp guy, at least not yet. Do you?’
‘Not yet,’ said Magnus. ‘He’s definitely the favourite.’
‘What are the murders you are investigating?’
Magnus described Helga’s killing, and Kata’s, and agreed with Grayson to share any information he had about Krakatoa.
As Magnus was driving home to Álftanes, Árni called.
‘Sorry it’s so late, Magnús.’
‘No problem, Árni. What have you got? Did any of Kata’s relatives say they’d invested in Thomocoin?’
‘No. Her parents claim they don’t have any spare money to invest in anything and never have. But you know what these small towns are like; Kata is related to half the population, so I haven’t spoken to her entire extended family.’
‘OK. So what’s up?’
‘I’m still not sure about Gunni.’ Árni sounded hesitant.
‘I know.’
‘So I’ve been going back through the interviews. The house-to-house.’
‘Yes?’
‘And I came across something interesting. A man claims he saw someone out of his bathroom window sneaking around the houses by the church in Dalvík at about one a.m. the evening after the murder.’
‘Sneaking around? What does that mean?’
‘Precisely. He says a man was looking at the houses as he walked by.’
‘Looking at them?’
‘I know. It doesn’t sound much. But people just don’t do that in Dalvík at that time of night.’
‘OK.’
‘The thing is, that’s where Gunni lives. Near the church.’
‘Ah.’ Magnus processed the information. ‘Any description?’
‘No. Just a man. Alone. Acting suspiciously. My guess is the constable who spoke to the witness didn’t think anything of it at the time. The sighting was twelve hours after the murder.’
‘But before you found the knife.’
‘Precisely. We found the knife on the Monday morning. The witness was spoken to the day before — Sunday.’
‘So the knife was planted?’ said Magnus.
‘Maybe.’
‘Have you spoken to Ólafur about this?’
‘No. I’ve only just read the report.’
‘Do you think he’s seen it?’
‘Probably. I haven’t, but then I haven’t read through everything. It’s not surprising it didn’t register with Ólafur.’
It damn well should have done, thought Magnus. If not right away, then after the knife was found in Gunni’s shed.
‘What shall I do?’ said Árni.
‘Tell him tomorrow morning.’
‘He’s not going to like it.’
‘Well, he should,’ said Magnus.
As he hung up, he knew Árni was right. Ólafur wouldn’t like that report coming to light. It would seriously screw up his case.
Because Gunni was innocent.
Forty-Two
It was after eleven by the time Magnus got home. Tryggvi Thór was still up.
‘Brandy?’ he asked.
Magnus knew he should get some sleep so he could wake up again. But he also needed to wind down a bit.
‘Sure.’
Tryggvi Thór poured two glasses and they sat in the living room. The brandy tasted good. Magnus let the day’s events wash over him.
‘Are you working on the murdered girl?’
Magnus had known Tryggvi Thór would ask. That was, after all, why he had stayed up and offered the brandy.
He nodded.
‘Was it rape?’
‘Almost certainly not,’ said Magnus. ‘But do you mind if we don’t talk about it just now?’
Tryggvi Thór looked disappointed, but Magnus knew he understood. He understood Magnus quite well.
They sat in companionable silence, sipping the brandy.
For the first time that day, Magnus’s thoughts slipped away from poor Kata. To Thelma.
Something bothered him about Thelma.
‘My boss asked after you the other day. Thelma.’
‘Oh really? Why did she do that?’
‘I’ve no idea,’ said Magnus. ‘She asked if you were OK. With the virus. She said I should keep an eye on you.’
Tryggvi Thór bristled at this. ‘Why should she care?’
‘I asked her that. She just walked off.’
Tryggvi Thór grunted.
‘How well do you know her?’
‘Not very well.’
‘When I first moved in here, she told me she didn’t know you at all. In fact, she warned me off you. Said you were a bent cop.’
‘Everyone said I was a bent cop,’ said Tryggvi Thór matter-of-factly.
‘But I saw you two having lunch together. Remember?’
Although Thelma hadn’t seen Magnus watching her and Tryggvi Thór leaving the restaurant three years before, Tryggvi Thór had.
Tryggvi Thór was silent.
‘You were attacked back then. Twice. Nearly killed both times. Then you had lunch with Thelma. And it all stopped.’