The advertisement hoardings on the outside of the Kringlan Shopping Centre were trying their best to make everything appear normal; here everyone was wallowing in cash and everything was as affordable as before. The few cars that were parked outside told a different story, and although Matthew had been watching for nearly ten minutes, no one had gone in or out of the shopping centre. He clearly remembered how the place had been buzzing with life nearly eighteen months ago, when he’d gone with Thóra and Sóley to buy Sóley some trainers a week before everything collapsed. He’d felt his heart nearly stop when he saw the price on the plain pair that she chose. The trip had been torture for him from beginning to end, and he could never be persuaded to go in there again; they’d trekked through the shopping centre, where people kept bumping into each other and no one apologized. Thóra’s mood hadn’t been much better when Sóley finally chose her shoes, which of course turned out to be the first ones they’d looked at, and she paid for them without a murmur of protest, probably considering it an acceptable ransom to be able to get out of the building. Sóley had subsequently worn the shoes only twice; in the end she’d said they were uncomfortable. Maybe they should repeat the fun and see whether Sóley would make a better choice. Who knew, maybe this time they would leave the place with comfortable trainers at a reasonable price.
Matthew looked at his watch. He had arrived too early, because he’d been afraid he wouldn’t be able to find the place where he was supposed to meet the girl. He was standing across the road from Kringlan, outside Reykjavík University, where Tryggvi’s sister Lena had asked him to meet her. She’d called him out of the blue, saying that she needed to speak to him briefly – in private. Since the offer was much more exciting than watching Thóra’s parents bicker over whether to have tea or coffee, he had immediately agreed. He’d then tried to reach Thóra, but she didn’t answer either her mobile or her office phone – and Bella didn’t answer the main number, obviously. Therefore, he could only hope that he was doing the right thing in accepting, and he now waited rather self-consciously at the main entrance, a middle-aged man staring at the young people going in and out. This is why he’d been focusing his attention on the shopping centre instead; it made him feel better than being caught staring at the students.
Suddenly the flow of people out of the main door of the university increased. Several students milled around near him, happy to be out of class and trying to light their cigarettes before huddling together to generate some shelter. It wasn’t the secondhand smoke that irritated Matthew, but the fact that the gaggle of kids were now making it difficult to see the entrance. He wasn’t so good at recognizing people that he felt he could recognize Lena from the back, and he wasn’t certain she would wait around long if she didn’t immediately see him outside. So he moved away from the group, but then ended up among the crowd of people streaming out. Half the young women could have been Lena, judging by their height, weight and hair colour, but a light tap on his shoulder freed him from having to try and look into every face.
‘Hi. Have you been waiting long?’ Lena smiled, briefly revealing her beautiful white teeth. Smoke from the cigarette of a young man standing near her in the crowd drifted into her face and she frowned and waved it away. ‘Ugh, ever since I gave up I find smoking so disgusting.’ Her clothes were dictated more by fashion than the weather, which meant no hat. The wind whipped her long hair around her head but it appeared not to bother her, and she made no effort to control it. A heavy bag hung from her shoulder, making her stand slightly crooked.
‘Who’s this?’ A young woman the same age as Lena, though not quite as stylish-looking, stared curiously at Matthew.
‘Nobody you know. Call me later, maybe we can do some coursework together tonight.’ As soon as the last word was out of Lena’s mouth she made it clear that she was done with her friend and it was as if the girl was no longer standing there next to them. Yet still she remained, with a face like thunder, then turned on her heel and disappeared into the throng of students. ‘Sorry. She’s okay, but she can be a bit intense.’ A young man bumped forcefully into Lena’s shoulder, but she didn’t wince. Her bookbag swung and bumped into her thigh with a soft thud. ‘Shall we go over to Kringla so we can talk in peace? There’s a café here in the university but it’s packed at this time of day.’
‘Fine.’ They waited to cross the street while a fleet of students’ cars passed by. Matthew had never been good at making small talk, but was grateful that Lena seemed to be an expert at it. She talked constantly, not about her brother or the fire, but about everything and nothing. All he had to do was interject with a couple of banalities every now and then, depending on what the cadence of her voice suggested was required.
He was relieved when they finally found some seats in Kringla Bar. He asked for a coffee and she ordered a Diet Coke, throwing her mobile phone unceremoniously onto the table and hanging her heavy bag on the back of the chair. As soon as the waiter was gone she started talking again, now chattering away about the price of textbooks and how her friend had had to postpone his studies because of it. ‘I’m sorry to hear that, but shouldn’t we talk about the fire and Tryggvi?’ Matthew interjected. ‘Unfortunately I’ve only got about half an hour.’ This wasn’t exactly true, but it increased the likelihood that the girl would stick to the matter at hand. He was too old to be sitting in a bar, discussing young people’s problems.
‘Yes, of course.’ She smiled sheepishly and swept back her hair. ‘Of course I didn’t want to meet you to discuss the price of books. You’ll have to excuse me – I’m just a little bit nervous about this case and I find it difficult to talk about it.’
‘No problem.’ Matthew was silent. He preferred not to have to lead the conversation, because it could take him an eternity to get out of her what she really needed to say. He’d pinned his hopes on her having some specific piece of information up her sleeve that she wanted to share. When Lena continued to look at him awkwardly, he felt he had to say something. ‘Is it the investigation that’s making you anxious, or something else? There’s nothing about it that you need to fear. We’re just exploring whether any elements of the case were misconstrued.’
‘No, I’m not afraid of the outcome.’ Lena then seemed to realize that she sounded rather unconvincing and hastily added: ‘Well, not exactly afraid, but… It’s just, you never know what’s going to come up and that’s kind of unnerving.’
‘Are you referring to your brother? Are you worried that he’s connected to this somehow?’
‘Yes, actually. I know it’s really unlikely, but I’m still worried. I don’t know what effect it would have on my mum and dad. Can you imagine how they’d feel if they had to face up to the idea that the son they’ve been mourning was actually involved in starting the fire? Responsible for his own death, and all those other people’s? Even I can hardly get my head around it, and I’m nowhere near as close to the situation as they are.’ She said nothing as the waiter brought them their drinks, but then continued once he’d gone behind the pretentiously designed bar at the back of the room. ‘But in any case, you mustn’t think that I’ve decided he’s connected to this or anything. I’m just a bit worried.’
‘No, I don’t think that.’ Matthew sipped his coffee then wiped the foam from his upper lip. ‘I can’t tell you anything about your brother’s possible role in this, simply because I don’t know if he actually did anything.’
‘Are you a lawyer?’ Lena hadn’t yet touched her drink; instead she drew stripes in the condensation on the glass.
‘No, I’m not. I’m just helping Thóra. She’s a lawyer, conducting the investigation.’