‘Yeah,’ said Magnus.
‘Of course, it was a worse week for Rósa. You know she told me she was going to die?’
‘What!’
‘Yes, yesterday. We had done some really bad takes, and Suzy had called it off for the day. I was sitting on the hill overlooking Brattahlíd, talking to Professor Beccari, and then Rósa showed up and sat herself down right next to me. She said she was going to die soon and I could have Einar. She meant cancer — apparently her breast cancer has come back with a vengeance. But maybe she knew someone would kill her.’
‘Did she seem afraid?’
‘Of the cancer? Or of someone else?’
‘Of either,’ Magnus said.
‘No,’ said Eygló. ‘No; she was a brave woman. She seemed determined, though. I told her I didn’t want Einar, but I don’t think she believed me.’
‘You told Inspector Paulsen all this, presumably?’
‘Oh yes,’ said Eygló. ‘I’m getting pretty experienced at giving interviews to the police.’ She sipped her drink. ‘At least this time no one thinks I killed anybody.’
‘Ah,’ said Magnus. His automatic response was to justify his and Vigdís’s suspicions as being an inevitable part of a professional investigation. But he knew it was no fun being a suspect in a murder inquiry. ‘Sorry,’ he said. ‘We got that wrong.’
At least his interview with her in the classroom that afternoon had been short and straightforward.
Eygló nodded, accepting his apology. ‘You know, I was afraid myself when Rósa showed up on the plane at Reykjavík.’
‘What were you afraid of?’ Magnus asked.
‘Einar had told me that she knew about us spending the night together in Ólafsvík. What an idiot!’
‘You or him?’
‘Good question. Both of us. I shouldn’t have let him stay. I’m too soft on Einar, I always have been. And he definitely shouldn’t have told Rósa about it. For someone who is naturally so sneaky he does have these fits of random honesty, especially where she is concerned.’
‘And you thought she was jealous?’
‘I knew she was jealous. The question is what she would do about it. I didn’t know whether she had somehow killed Carlotta, or got her killed. Have you figured that one out yet?’
Magnus hesitated before replying. ‘I’m not sure.’
‘Well, I thought she might do the same to me. And then it was her that wound up being killed. Which makes me feel bad.’
‘Why?’
‘You know. Thinking bad thoughts about her. I suppose the Greenlandic police think Einar killed her?’
‘He was wandering around somewhere in Narsarsuaq when she was murdered, and the rest of you were at Brattahlíd.’
‘Do you think Einar killed her?’
‘It’s certainly a possibility worth exploring,’ said Magnus. ‘And he may well have killed Nancy Fishburn as well.’
‘Oh, you’re such a policeman!’
‘I try,’ said Magnus with a smile.
‘Well, I know he didn’t kill Rósa.’
‘Oh yes?’
‘He loved her too much.’
‘They had had a long and emotional argument. People sometimes lose their heads after those. Especially with people they love. I’ve seen it many times, sadly.’
‘Yes, but not the way Einar loved her. She loved him too.’
‘She seemed like a tough woman to me.’
‘That’s a big part of why he loved her. Einar manipulates women: he manipulated me. But she was different from the others; he never could control her. He would escape her for a bit, but then she would reel him back. Always. She was in charge; her power over him gave him a sense of security that he couldn’t get from another woman. Look, if they hadn’t loved each other so much, they would have split up years ago.’
Over the years, Magnus had cleared up several murders in Boston where a man had killed his wife. Marital tension, a loss of temper, drink. Mostly the husbands had had a violent past, but not always. Often they loved their wives. But it was true; they weren’t really like Einar.
He didn’t answer.
‘And if he knew she was going to die soon, why murder her anyway?’
‘I don’t know,’ said Magnus. Because he didn’t.
Eygló sipped her wine thoughtfully.
‘I expect it doesn’t matter much now,’ she said. ‘But there is a Greenlandic archaeologist working at a site in the next fjord west of here, Anya Kleemann. She was on the dig with me and Einar and Carlotta in 2011. She told me that Carlotta had been in touch with her recently asking about the wampum. Very recently, like in the last couple of months or something.’
‘Really? Did she say what Carlotta was worried about?’
‘No. I changed the subject. Suzy was there and I didn’t want to stir things up. But you might want to go talk to her. To Anya.’
‘I might,’ said Magnus. Then a thought struck him. ‘Why were you so concerned about stirring things up?’
Eygló was silent for a while. The sun was setting over a mountain to the west, a golden streak glinting off the grey waters of the fjord.
‘I was scared. I’m still scared.’
‘Why?’
‘Isn’t it obvious? Carlotta. Then Rósa. Why not me?’
‘But if Einar killed Rósa because she killed Carlotta, and we have Einar in custody, then there is nothing to be scared of.’
‘Yeah, but I don’t believe Einar did kill Rósa. Which means someone else did. The same person who killed Carlotta.’
‘OK, I can see how you were scared of Rósa. But she’s not a threat any more. So who else is there?’
Eygló glanced at Magnus. She shrugged.
‘Tom?’ Magnus suggested.
Eygló’s eyes widened. ‘Tom?’ she said, with an attempt at innocence.
Magnus felt a flash of anger. At this point he expected honesty from Eygló.
Eygló seemed to understand. ‘Sorry. Yes, Tom. I’m afraid of Tom. How did you know?’
‘Ajay overheard him threatening you back in Iceland. Hinting that you might suffer the same fate as Carlotta. And I saw the way you looked at him at Brattahlíd earlier today.’
‘It was more than a hint.’
‘Do you think he was implying he killed Carlotta?’
‘I don’t know. I assume so.’
‘Could he just have been taking advantage of Carlotta’s death to scare you?’
‘Yes, I’ve thought of that; he could. But he’s such a creep. I thought his strong-silent-type act was almost cute, but now it weirds me out. I mean, it’s all very well being a loyal employee, but that’s loyalty bordering on obsession.’
‘So what exactly is Tom’s relationship with Suzy, do you think?’
‘I don’t know. They are clearly a good team and she respects him as a cameraman. I doubt they have a sexual relationship, if that’s what you mean. But he seems to idolize her. And there’s something creepy about him. Who knows what’s going on inside his head?’ Eygló shuddered. ‘Ugh.’
‘Was he definitely at Brattahlíd all day today?’
Eygló nodded. ‘Yes. We were filming, and he’s the guy with the camera, so nothing much happens without him. We had a break for lunch, and he went off by himself like he often does, but that was only half an hour, tops.’ She sighed. ‘Actually the filming today went pretty well, especially compared to yesterday. I was rubbish yesterday.’
‘So we know Tom couldn’t possibly have killed Rósa today,’ said Magnus. ‘On the other hand, Einar could.’
‘Einar didn’t kill her,’ said Eygló. ‘And I’m still scared. I don’t know what’s going on.’ She looked at Magnus with something close to pity. ‘And I’m not sure you do, either.’