out one of those. At least they only take your home away if you can’t pay up, instead of breaking your arms.’
‘An old guy, skinny?’
‘Yes. That’s right.’
‘Where did you meet him?’
‘At the Hlemmur bus terminal. Cash in a shopping bag.’
‘He was alone?’
Signý smiled bitterly. ‘No. He pretended to be.’ She put a finger on Axel Rútur’s photo. ‘But this guy was there in the background.’
Logi knocked at the door of the upstairs flat, and as the door opened the exotic aroma of some Polish dish came flooding out.
‘Is Tadeusz here?’
‘Yes. Yes. Come in.’
In the little living room four excited men and two bored-looking women were grouped around the television with the motor-racing commentary at full blast.
‘Hey, Logi!’ Tadeusz greeted him, jumping to his feet and opening his arms in welcome. ‘You want a beer?’
‘Not today, thanks.’ Logi grinned.
‘You stay to eat with us?’
‘Thanks, but my brother’s wife already invited me for dinner,’ he replied. It wasn’t a lie, but he had no intention of staying in Keflavík longer than he had to. ‘I just wanted to check you’re all right for tomorrow?’
‘Yes, yes. Pick you up in the morning?’
‘No, not me. You take the van and pick up Hassan and the other two, all right? Can you be there at eight?’
‘No problem. Start early.’ Tadeusz looked suspicious. ‘You not on the same job?’
‘Yes, I’m on the job. But I’m going up there tonight.’ He nodded his head towards the door and Tadeusz followed him out into the passage outside that doubled as a balcony. ‘I’m being looked for by someone I really don’t want to meet,’ he said quietly.
‘Something to do with . . . ?’
‘I think so. I’m going to keep my head down and stay out of sight.’
‘Stay out of Reykjavík. Good idea.’
Logi hesitated. ‘Listen, Tadeusz. What’s the score with working in your country? Could I get some work and a place to stay there?’
Tadeusz stared at him. ‘You sure? You must be in some serious trouble.’
‘For a few months. That’s all.’
‘You go to Norway, Logi. Plenty work there for people from Iceland.’
‘No. I don’t want to go to Norway. Too many people from Iceland there.’
Tadeusz nodded, eyes wide as the gravity of Logi’s situation sank in.
‘I’ll make some calls. Ask a few questions.’
Logi slapped his shoulder. Thanks, Tadeusz. You’re a real friend.’
There was no choice but to leave Aníta Sól at the station in the custody of an officer given the thankless task of taking her statement.
Gunna clicked her communicator as she got in the car-pool Polo and made for the gate.
‘Zero-two-sixty, ninety-five-fifty,’ she called and wanted to grind her teeth as Helgi failed to reply. She stopped the car in the entrance and waited. She was scrolling through to find his number on her phone when he replied.
‘Ninety-five-fifty, zero-two-sixty.’
‘Where are you, Helgi?’
‘Njálsgata. Problem?’
‘Are you on foot?’
‘Yep.’
‘Two minutes. I’ll pick you up on the corner of Snorrabraut.’
In fact it was less than a minute before she was there and rattling her fingers on the steering wheel, waiting for Helgi to appear.
‘It’s Alli the Cornershop, no two ways about it. That’s who these two jokers have been working for,’ he said as Gunna put her foot down, taking the Polo away into the traffic before taking a sharp right, lifting a single middle finger through the open window at the driver of a heavy 4x4 behind her, who brayed his horn as he passed. ‘What’s the panic?’
‘A thug answering Stefán’s description turned up at a flat on Laugalækur twenty minutes ago. There are uniforms there, but it seems he’s already been and gone. What was that about Alli the Cornershop?’
‘He used to be a loan shark until the legal loan sharks came in and more or less killed his business.’
‘What?’
‘The pay-day loan companies, the ones who
‘An old guy, skinny?’
‘Yes. That’s right.’
‘Where did you meet him?’
‘At the Hlemmur bus terminal. Cash in a shopping bag.’
‘He was alone?’
Signý smiled bitterly. ‘No. He pretended to be.’ She put a finger on Axel Rútur’s photo. ‘But this guy was there in the background.’
Logi knocked at the door of the upstairs flat, and as the door opened the exotic aroma of some Polish dish came flooding out.
‘Is Tadeusz here?’
‘Yes. Yes. Come in.’
In the little living room four excited men and two bored-looking women were grouped around the television with the motor-racing commentary at full blast.
‘Hey, Logi!’ Tadeusz greeted him, jumping to his feet and opening his arms in welcome. ‘You want a beer?’
‘Not today, thanks.’ Logi grinned.
‘You stay to eat with us?’
‘Thanks, but my brother’s wife already invited me for dinner,’ he replied. It wasn’t a lie, but he had no intention of staying in Keflavík longer than he had to. ‘I just wanted to check you’re all right for tomorrow?’
‘Yes, yes. Pick you up in the morning?’
‘No, not me. You take the van and pick up Hassan and the other two, all right? Can you be there at eight?’
‘No problem. Start early.’ Tadeusz looked suspicious. ‘You not on the same job?’
‘Yes, I’m on the job. But I’m going up there tonight.’ He nodded his head towards the door and Tadeusz followed him out into the passage outside that doubled as a balcony. ‘I’m being looked for by someone I really don’t want to meet,’ he said quietly.
‘Something to do with . . . ?’
‘I think so. I’m going to keep my head down and stay out of sight.’
‘Stay out of Reykjavík. Good idea.’
Logi hesitated. ‘Listen, Tadeusz. What’s the score with working in your country? Could I get some work and a place to stay there?’
Tadeusz stared at him. ‘You sure? You must be in some serious trouble.’
‘For a few months. That’s all.’
‘You go to Norway, Logi. Plenty work there for people from Iceland.’
‘No. I don’t want to go to Norway. Too many people from Iceland there.’
Tadeusz nodded, eyes wide as the gravity of Logi’s situation sank in.
‘I’ll make some calls. Ask a few questions.’
Logi slapped his shoulder. Thanks, Tadeusz. You’re a real friend.’
There was no choice but to leave Aníta Sól at the station in the custody of an officer given the thankless task of taking her statement.
Gunna clicked her communicator as she got in the car-pool Polo and made for the gate.
‘Zero-two-sixty, ninety-five-fifty,’ she called and wanted to grind her teeth as Helgi failed to reply. She stopped the car in the entrance and waited. She was scrolling through to find his number on her phone when he replied.
‘Ninety-five-fifty, zero-two-sixty.’
‘Where are you, Helgi?’
‘Njálsgata. Problem?’
‘Are you on foot?’
‘Yep.’
‘Two minutes. I’ll pick you up on the corner of Snorrabraut.’
In fact it was less than a minute before she was there and rattling her fingers on the steering wheel, waiting for Helgi to appear.
‘It’s Alli the Cornershop, no two ways about it. That’s who these two jokers have been working for,’ he said as Gunna put her foot down, taking the Polo away into the traffic before taking a sharp right, lifting a single middle finger through the open window at the driver of a heavy 4x4 behind her, who brayed his horn as he passed. ‘What’s the panic?’
‘A thug answering Stefán’s description turned up at a flat on Laugalækur twenty minutes ago. There are uniforms there, but it seems he’s already been and gone. What was that about Alli the Cornershop?’
‘He used to be a loan shark until the legal loan sharks came in and more or less killed his business.’
‘What?’
‘The pay-day loan companies, the ones who
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