he?’
‘He was. But he’s moved back to Reykjavík now.’ Ásta shook her head. ‘I try to understand and I can’t. Maggi doesn’t even try to understand what made him go that way. A bit like you and Maggi, I suppose,’ she said, looking up, her eyes shining. ‘Chalk and cheese.’
‘It’s not as if it’s a lifestyle choice, Ásta. Either you’re that way inclined or you aren’t, and Nonni is.’
‘I suppose so. Such a nice young man, his—’ she gulped. ‘His boyfriend.’
‘How did Maggi take it when he met him?’
‘He didn’t,’ Ásta said, switching off the heat under the pot while she continued to stir for a moment. ‘He made sure he was at sea the day they came here together, even though it was foul weather.’
‘He’ll come round.’
‘I’d like to think so,’ Ásta said with another shake of her head. ‘Get off your feet and give me a hand, would you?’
A row of jars had been lined up on the worktop and Logi held the funnel while Ásta deftly spooned hot jam into each one until the pan was empty.
‘That’ll do,’ she said with the satisfaction of a job well done.
Logi dropped the funnel in the sink. ‘I was going to have a quick look in the garage, if that’s all right?’
‘Sure. What are you looking for?’
‘There’s some camping stuff in there, isn’t there?’
‘I think so. It’s Nonni’s, but he’s never going to use it, and I don’t suppose he’ll mind. Not going to the Westmann Islands, are you?’
‘Hardly,’ Logi said with a laugh. ‘The festival was three weeks ago. I’m working up in Borgarfjördur next week, so I thought I’d save myself the drive back and forth and sleep on site for a few nights.’
‘Good idea. You’re staying for dinner, are you?’
Helgi was armed with photographs and a copy of Signý’s retracted statement. Crashes and bangs came from the other room, where her ten-year-old was absorbed in a computer game, while in the kitchen she looked ready to panic.
The two photographs stared up at her from where Helgi had put them on the table.
‘This one’s dead, and this one’s on the run,’ he said. ‘Signý, I know you were intimidated into backing out of pressing charges, but we need to stop these headcases.’
She chewed her lip in a way that Helgi thought made her look sexier than ever and he ruthlessly made himself stop examining her figure.
‘I don’t want any part of this,’ she said. ‘It’s all behind me, finished and over. I can’t go back to this and I’m certainly not prepared to go to court.’
Helgi scowled and sat down without being invited while Signý paced the kitchen floor back and forth, stopping at every turn to stare at the two faces looking out of the driving licence photos.
‘This one’, Helgi tapped Axel Rútur’s photo, ‘is dead. He was murdered with a hammer. He’s not going to come after you. It may well be that this guy’, he placed a finger on Stefán’s picture, ‘was the one who did it, quite possibly with the other guy’s girlfriend’s connivance. Neither of these two boneheads will be coming after you.’
‘I don’t know . . .’
‘Look, I’ll make absolutely sure your name’s kept out of any evidence. There’ll be no trail leading back to you.’
Signý stopped and stared out of the window at the quiet street three floors below.
‘I was going to go away this weekend and I wish I had now.’
‘I’ve written nothing down. Taken no notes. I won’t include your name in any report.’
Signý sighed. ‘You don’t understand. I’m frightened. Not just for me, but for him as well,’ she said, jerking a thumb in the direction of the next room, where the crashes were accompanied by whoops of triumph.
‘Not a word. Between you and me.’
‘His name’s Alli,’ Signý said suddenly. ‘I don’t know his real name. Someone where I used to work put me in touch with him. It was back before these pay-day loans you can get now, otherwise I’d have taken
‘He was. But he’s moved back to Reykjavík now.’ Ásta shook her head. ‘I try to understand and I can’t. Maggi doesn’t even try to understand what made him go that way. A bit like you and Maggi, I suppose,’ she said, looking up, her eyes shining. ‘Chalk and cheese.’
‘It’s not as if it’s a lifestyle choice, Ásta. Either you’re that way inclined or you aren’t, and Nonni is.’
‘I suppose so. Such a nice young man, his—’ she gulped. ‘His boyfriend.’
‘How did Maggi take it when he met him?’
‘He didn’t,’ Ásta said, switching off the heat under the pot while she continued to stir for a moment. ‘He made sure he was at sea the day they came here together, even though it was foul weather.’
‘He’ll come round.’
‘I’d like to think so,’ Ásta said with another shake of her head. ‘Get off your feet and give me a hand, would you?’
A row of jars had been lined up on the worktop and Logi held the funnel while Ásta deftly spooned hot jam into each one until the pan was empty.
‘That’ll do,’ she said with the satisfaction of a job well done.
Logi dropped the funnel in the sink. ‘I was going to have a quick look in the garage, if that’s all right?’
‘Sure. What are you looking for?’
‘There’s some camping stuff in there, isn’t there?’
‘I think so. It’s Nonni’s, but he’s never going to use it, and I don’t suppose he’ll mind. Not going to the Westmann Islands, are you?’
‘Hardly,’ Logi said with a laugh. ‘The festival was three weeks ago. I’m working up in Borgarfjördur next week, so I thought I’d save myself the drive back and forth and sleep on site for a few nights.’
‘Good idea. You’re staying for dinner, are you?’
Helgi was armed with photographs and a copy of Signý’s retracted statement. Crashes and bangs came from the other room, where her ten-year-old was absorbed in a computer game, while in the kitchen she looked ready to panic.
The two photographs stared up at her from where Helgi had put them on the table.
‘This one’s dead, and this one’s on the run,’ he said. ‘Signý, I know you were intimidated into backing out of pressing charges, but we need to stop these headcases.’
She chewed her lip in a way that Helgi thought made her look sexier than ever and he ruthlessly made himself stop examining her figure.
‘I don’t want any part of this,’ she said. ‘It’s all behind me, finished and over. I can’t go back to this and I’m certainly not prepared to go to court.’
Helgi scowled and sat down without being invited while Signý paced the kitchen floor back and forth, stopping at every turn to stare at the two faces looking out of the driving licence photos.
‘This one’, Helgi tapped Axel Rútur’s photo, ‘is dead. He was murdered with a hammer. He’s not going to come after you. It may well be that this guy’, he placed a finger on Stefán’s picture, ‘was the one who did it, quite possibly with the other guy’s girlfriend’s connivance. Neither of these two boneheads will be coming after you.’
‘I don’t know . . .’
‘Look, I’ll make absolutely sure your name’s kept out of any evidence. There’ll be no trail leading back to you.’
Signý stopped and stared out of the window at the quiet street three floors below.
‘I was going to go away this weekend and I wish I had now.’
‘I’ve written nothing down. Taken no notes. I won’t include your name in any report.’
Signý sighed. ‘You don’t understand. I’m frightened. Not just for me, but for him as well,’ she said, jerking a thumb in the direction of the next room, where the crashes were accompanied by whoops of triumph.
‘Not a word. Between you and me.’
‘His name’s Alli,’ Signý said suddenly. ‘I don’t know his real name. Someone where I used to work put me in touch with him. It was back before these pay-day loans you can get now, otherwise I’d have taken
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