‘I don’t recall anything like that.’
‘She speaks well of you,’ said Elínborg. ‘You dropped her off at the shops. She was going into Reykjavík. I can’t see why she would invent it.’
‘I don’t remember that at all.’
‘She was a student at the college.’
Edvard offered no response.
‘Lilja disappeared on a Friday, a day when you got off early and drove back to Reykjavík. You finished at midday, apparently. You weren’t asked at the time — but did you go straight back to Reykjavík? That lunchtime?’
‘Are you alleging that I killed both that girl and Runólfur? What’s the matter with you?’
‘I’m not alleging anything,’ Elínborg replied. ‘Answer the question, please.’
‘I don’t see why I should answer such ridiculous questions,’ Edvard retorted. He was pulling himself together, trying to show that he would not be bullied.
‘That’s up to you. I have to ask these questions. You can answer now, or you can answer later. Did you see Lilja in Akranes that Friday, when you left for Reykjavík?’
‘No.’
‘Did you offer her a lift to town?’
‘No.’
‘Do you know anything about Lilja’s movements that Friday?’
‘No. Please leave now. I’ve no more to say to you. I don’t know why you won’t leave me in peace. I knew Runólfur, that’s all. He was a good friend of mine. Does that make me a guilty party in all these cases of yours?’
‘You made contact with a known drug dealer and bought drugs for Runólfur.’
‘So what? Does that make me a killer?’
‘That’s your word, not mine.’
‘Why do you keep coming here? It’s not my word at all!’
‘I haven’t said anything about you harming either of them,’ said Elínborg. ‘You’re the one who keeps going on about it. I’m simply asking you whether you gave Lilja a lift into Reykjavík on the day she disappeared. Nothing else. You had a car. You commuted by car. You knew who Lilja was, having taught her. Are my questions at all unreasonable?’
Edvard did not answer.
Elínborg stood up and put her phone away in her pocket. Edvard was not going to be a problem. He seemed more taken aback than anything else, and came across as edgy and neurotic by nature. Elínborg could not decide whether he was lying.
‘Lilja may well have gone to Reykjavik that day, and disappeared there,’ she said. ‘That’s one possibility. I thought you might know something about her movements. I haven’t been implying anything about your role in her disappearance. You’ve drawn your own inferences.’
‘You’re just trying to confuse me.’
‘You taught Lilja science — you said she wasn’t an outstanding student.’
‘That’s right.’
‘Her mother says that she was especially good at science, and that maths was her favourite subject.’
‘Is this relevant?’
‘If she was a good student, then you might have noticed.’
Edvard was silent.
‘But you kept quiet after she disappeared — you probably didn’t want to attract attention from the police.’
‘Leave me alone,’ said Edvard.
‘Thank you for your help,’ said Elínborg.
‘Leave me alone,’ repeated Edvard. ‘Just leave me alone.’
24
Formal questioning of Konrád and Nína began early the following morning.
Elínborg was in charge. Nína was brought first into the interview room where the detective was waiting. Her father would be questioned afterwards. The young woman appeared composed when she greeted Elínborg. She had been to the rape-trauma centre for tests and had been offered counselling.
‘Did you manage to sleep?’ asked Elínborg.
‘Yes, a bit. The first time for days,’ answered Nína, who was accompanied by her lawyer, a middle-aged man. ‘How about you? How did you sleep?’ she asked sarcastically. ‘My father didn’t do anything wrong, you know. He just came to help me. He’s innocent.’
‘I hope so,’ replied Elínborg. She did not add that she had indeed slept well, having taken a sleeping pill. She did so very rarely, and only as a last resort since she disliked using any kind of medication. But she had slept badly for several nights in a row and had been struggling to work on minimal rest. She knew that she could not go on like that, so when she lay down in bed she had placed a little tablet under her tongue — and slept blissfully until morning.
As before, Elínborg started by taking Nína through the events leading up to her encounter with Runólfur. Nína’s account was entirely consistent with what she had said previously. She spoke clearly and confidently, as if she was finally prepared to deal with everything that had happened, her present situation, and the court case that lay ahead. She seemed less depressed than the day before, as if the half-remembered nightmare, the denial and the fear had given way at last to a reality that had to be confronted.
‘When your father — Konrád — came to help you, as you said, how did he get into the flat?’ asked Elínborg.
‘I don’t know. I think the door was open, or unlocked. He just appeared.’
‘You didn’t let him in?’
‘No, I didn’t. I don’t think so. I don’t remember. I was caught up in this horrific experience. I’m sure he can tell you how he got in.’
Elínborg nodded. According to Konrád, the door had been ajar when he arrived. ‘Perhaps you’d got out of bed before he arrived, and opened it?’
‘I don’t think so.’
‘Maybe you intended to run away, and changed your mind when you got to the door?’
‘It’s possible. I remember I found my mobile and rang Dad.’
‘Do you think it was Runólfur who opened the door?’
‘I don’t know,’ said Nína, raising her voice. ‘I swear, I can hardly remember anything that happened. He’d drugged me — with a drug that affects the memory. What do you want me to say? I can’t remember anything!’
‘Do you think you might have managed to ring your father before Runólfur was dead? Perhaps your father defended you by attacking Runólfur?’
‘No.’
‘How can you be sure?’
‘I told you: I woke up alone in the flat, and went into the other room, and there was Runólfur lying on the floor. That’s when I rang Dad. Why won’t you believe me? That’s all I remember. I must have attacked Runólfur and …’
‘There’s not much evidence of a struggle in the flat,’ Elínborg pointed out. ‘The murder was neat and tidy, so to speak — except for all the blood, of course. So you would have had to creep up on him and slash his throat quite skilfully. Do you think you’d have been capable of that?’
‘Maybe. If I’d had no alternative, if I’d had to defend myself. If I’d been drugged.’
‘But there was no blood on you, according to your mother.’
‘I don’t remember anything about that. I took a shower when we got home, although that’s not clear in my mind either.’
‘After you got to Runólfur’s place, did you see him drink anything — or take any pills?’
‘I seem to be saying the same thing over and over again. I don’t remember arriving there. I remember a little bit about walking home with him, and my next memory is of coming to in his bed.’
‘Did you give him Rohypnol before he died? So that it would be easier to kill him?’
Nína shook her head in confusion, as if she did not understand the question.
‘Did I give him …?’
‘We know that before he died he’d taken the same drug he used on you. The Rohypnol would have made him incapable of defending himself. So there’s something you’re not telling us. Something you’re still concealing. Maybe you’re covering for your father — or perhaps for someone else? But you’re still hiding behind your parents and playing games with us. I think you’re covering for your father. Am I right?’
‘I didn’t drug that man. I’m not covering for anyone.’