Michael Ridpath - 66 Degrees North

‘Jeez. Are you arresting Ísak?’

‘I expect so. Haven’t told SO15 yet, I thought I’d give you a heads-up first. They are going to go crazy over there. Oh, and we finally got the ID through from the French woman in India. It was Ísak she saw asking for Óskar’s address.’

‘Big surprise. Thanks, Sharon. Before you go, I’ve been thinking. Seems to me that Ísak and Björn were both acting as point men for someone else. The guy who actually pulled the trigger. Ísak in Kensington and Björn in Normandy.’

‘Who’s the guy?’

‘No idea. But I bet he’s an Icelander. And I’d guess one who doesn’t speak English.’

‘Worth a thought. I’ve got to go now, Magnus.’

Magnus hung up and ran into the Commissioner’s office building. The Commissioner’s office itself was guarded by a secretary. As she picked up the phone to tell her boss about Magnus, he pushed past her and burst in, Vigdís trailing behind.

There were four people in the office: Baldur, Thorkell, the Police Commissioner and a silver-haired man whom Magnus recognized as the Prosecutor, the senior lawyer within the Police Department.

Snorri Gudmundsson glared at Magnus as he entered. ‘What the hell do you think you are doing?’

‘I’ve had a call from London. Björn Helgason has been identified in Normandy the day before Julian Lister was shot. And Ísak Samúelsson asked an intern who worked in the British treasury about Lister’s vacation plans. I’m sorry to barge in, but I thought you ought to know before the British police call. Or the French.’

Snorri breathed in. Thought for a moment. ‘Is it a firm ID of Björn?’

‘Not yet. But it will be once we send a photograph.’

‘You can’t be sure of that,’ said Baldur.

Snorri raised his hand to quieten his inspector. ‘This changes things. Baldur, I want Björn and Sindri arrested immediately. And Harpa Einarsdóttir.’

‘On what charge?’ said Baldur.

‘Gabríel Örn’s murder for now,’ said Snorri. ‘Once they are in custody we’ll see if we can expand it to the other two cases. I need to be up to speed for when the British call. Magnús, you stay here.’

Magnus stayed as Baldur left with Vigdís. He took Baldur’s chair. Thorkell and the Prosecutor were listening closely.

‘OK, Magnús. If there was a conspiracy to shoot Óskar and Lister, and I emphasize the word if , what does it look like?’

‘Assuming Frikki’s story is correct, a group of five of them all met at the demonstration in January. That’s Sindri, Björn, Harpa, Ísak and Frikki. At that stage they were all strangers and they were all fired up over the kreppa and who caused it. They drank a lot, Harpa lured out her ex-boyfriend Gabríel Örn, they beat him up and killed him. Probably accidentally, but we need to establish that. They planned a cover-up to dress up the death as suicide. That worked.’

Snorri was listening closely.

‘Now, later, we don’t know when, some of them got together and decided to take things further. Having killed once, they wanted to kill again, once again people they thought were responsible. Óskar Gunnarsson. And Julian Lister.’

‘So who was involved at this stage?’

‘Of the original five, probably just Björn, Sindri and Ísak, who was in London. But I’m convinced that another conspirator joined them. The guy who actually pulled the trigger.’

‘And who is that?’

‘We have no idea. My bet is that he’s an Icelander who doesn’t speak any foreign languages, but that’s just a guess. Ísak speaks English, I wouldn’t be surprised if Björn does too, and I think they prepared both hits.’

‘And is it just the two targets?’

‘I think there’s another. A, um, contact of mine spoke to Sindri.’

‘By contact you mean girlfriend?’ said Snorri. ‘Baldur told me.’

‘Yes,’ Magnus admitted. ‘They were both drunk, but Sindri suggested that there is another target, someone he called Ingólfur Arnarson.’

‘The first settler?’

‘I thought one of the Viking Outvaders.’

‘I see what you mean.’

‘And even if we pick up Björn and Sindri, the assassin, whoever he is, will still be at large. So they are in danger.’

‘You think we should warn the Outvaders?’

‘I do.’

‘Which ones?’

‘All of them. Or at least the highest profile ones.’

Snorri blew through his cheeks as he thought through the consequences of all this. ‘These men are terrorists. Icelandic terrorists.’

Magnus could see the impending national shame. ‘Seems to me they are criminals,’ he said. ‘A bunch of three or four individuals, not a political movement. We’re talking nutters here, not terrorists.’

Snorri gave him half a smile. ‘Maybe. But if we are not very careful this is going to get caught up in the Icesave negotiations.’

‘We don’t have to cooperate with the British,’ said the Prosecutor. ‘We could force them to make a formal application for assistance. And of course the Lister shooting is in French jurisdiction.’

‘We should cooperate,’ said the Commissioner. ‘Magnús, leave the politics to me, I’m going to have to speak to the minister. For now help Baldur arrest these people and find out who their accomplice is. The man who pulls the trigger.’

Snorri’s phone rang. He answered it. It was his secretary. ‘Put him through,’ he said. He switched to English. ‘Good morning, Chief Superintendent Watts. How can I help you?’

WHEN MAGNUS GOT back to the Violent Crimes Unit, Baldur had the whole team in a meeting. Magnus strode into the conference room and took a seat. Baldur acknowledged his presence with a quick flick of his eyes.

‘Árni, I want you to arrest Harpa,’ the inspector commanded. ‘Do you know where to find her?’

‘She’ll be at the bakery, I expect. Or her home. I have both addresses.’

‘Vigdís. Take a couple of uniformed police officers and arrest Sindri. Magnús, you’ve been in touch with the Grundarfjördur police?’

Magnus nodded.

‘Get them to arrest Björn right away. And bring him down to the station here.’

‘I got a result from Icelandair,’ Árni interrupted.

‘And?’

‘Björn was on a flight from Reykjavík to Amsterdam on Friday. Returned on a flight Saturday evening.’

‘In time to get back to Grundarfjördur for Sunday when I saw him,’ said Magnus.

‘And when Julian Lister was shot,’ said Baldur. ‘Sounds like he was preparing the ground for someone else.’

‘What about Ísak?’ Magnus asked.

‘Aren’t the British arresting him now?’

‘Probably,’ said Magnus. ‘Shall I call them to make sure?’

Baldur thought a moment. ‘No. Better to leave all communications with the British police to the Commissioner from now on. This could get delicate.’

Magnus understood that.

‘OK, everyone move,’ Baldur said. ‘And when you get them all back here, we’ll start asking them questions. Like who is Ingólfur Arnarson?’

‘We need to warn the Outvaders,’ Magnus said.

‘I’ll talk to the Commissioner and Thorkell about that,’ said Baldur.

‘Do you mind if I interview Sindri?’ Magnus asked Baldur after everyone else had left the conference room.

‘I’ll do that with Vigdís. I’d like you to be available, though.’

‘Be available?’ Magnus was frustrated. He knew Baldur was the boss, but Magnus was the one who had the case clearest in his mind.

‘Look, Magnús. We all have a lot to do. You can start by getting in touch with Grundarfjördur.’

Magnus went back to his desk and called Constable Páll, telling him to arrest Björn for the murder of Gabríel Örn Bergsson and bring him to police headquarters in Reykjavík as soon as he could. Magnus got the impression that Páll had been expecting his call. He was a good man: Magnus was sure he could trust him to arrest his friend.