Arnaldur Indridason - Oblivion

Silja hung up and Erlendur phoned Svava, Dagbjört’s aunt, and asked if she remembered her brother’s next-door neighbours: a Danish woman and her son — name of Rasmus. Half Danish. His father was Icelandic but didn’t live with them.

‘Do you remember them at all?’ asked Erlendur. ‘The mother died years ago but the son still lives there.’

‘Not really,’ said Svava. ‘As far as I know, they kept themselves to themselves, the mother and son, and my brother didn’t have much to do with them.’

‘You never heard him complain about them?’

‘Not that I can remember off the top of my head.’

‘Not about the man, Rasmus?’

‘No — or only that my brother thought they didn’t look after the garden properly,’ said Svava, ‘didn’t take care of it at all, just let it go to seed. The mother may’ve been a bit odd. Not that I want to judge anyone. But now you come to mention it...’

‘Yes?’

‘My brother once fell out with her because she claimed he’d killed her cat. Which was absolute rubbish, of course. My brother would never have hurt a fly. He couldn’t bear to see anything suffer. The woman obviously doted on the animal because she actually rang the police and sent them round to my brother’s. He had a terrible time with the old bat.’

‘What happened to the cat? Did it ever turn up?’

‘Yes, it did. My brother said it probably just needed a break from her. Why are you asking about them?’

‘No real reason,’ said Erlendur, to deflect suspicion from Rasmus. ‘I was checking who lived next door at the time and wondered about those two, that’s all. Do you recall the other neighbours at all?’

‘No, no one in particular. It was a good area. There was nothing wrong with it. As far as I know they were decent types, the people who lived there.’

They quickly wrapped up their conversation after that, then Erlendur dialled the number Silja had given him. After several rings the phone was answered, by a teenage boy, Erlendur thought. He introduced himself and asked to speak to the boy’s mother, Rósanna. Erlendur heard him call her and she picked up the phone almost immediately. He introduced himself again and Silja was right, she had been expecting to hear from him.

‘This is about Dagbjört, isn’t it?’ she said, the wonder apparent in her voice.

‘Yes, that’s correct.’

‘Are they still investigating her case?’

‘No, there’s no real investigation, I’m just taking a look at it for Dagbjört’s aunt.’

‘It must be twenty-five, twenty-six years ago?’

‘Yes. I hear you have — or had — a cousin who used to work on the base in those days and could supply this and that — records, for example.’

‘What about him?’

‘Is it right that he used to help out with that sort of thing?’

‘Well... I... I’m a bit uncomfortable discussing this over the phone,’ said Rósanna. ‘You couldn’t pop round, could you? It’s not that late.’

‘I’m afraid I’m rather tied up,’ said Erlendur, thinking of Caroline. He needed to stay by the phone in case she or Marion called.

‘Well, what about tomorrow, then?’ said Rósanna. ‘No, come to think of it, I’m quite busy tomorrow, and after that it’s my son’s birthday...’

‘Maybe I will come over, if that’s all right,’ said Erlendur, unwilling to lose this chance. ‘It won’t take long.’

‘Right, good,’ said Rósanna, and gave him the address. ‘See you soon, then.’

Acting quickly, Erlendur told reception that he was expecting a phone call and wanted it forwarded to the place where he was going. It was absolutely vital. Then he ran down the stairs, drawn to this encounter with the past, a past that had got its hooks into him so tightly that everything else had to take second place.

Marion surveyed the bar known as the Zoo. Things were unusually slow, if the nickname was anything to go by. A few tables and bar stools were occupied by enlisted men in uniform or men in civilian dress, some with a beer glass in front of them, others with something stronger. Country music was playing quietly from invisible speakers. Cigarette smoke curled up from the tables. All the customers looked American to Marion; one was actually wearing a cowboy hat. The only women were the two waitresses, one blonde and one brunette, who were chatting to the older guy behind the bar. He cracked a joke and they shrieked with laughter, then quickly scanned the room in case anyone needed a drink.

Marion sipped at a beer: it tasted like watered-down Pilsner. Either the entrance policy was unusually lax or they didn’t take the need for an American escort seriously here. At least there was no doorman and no one had asked for a sponsor. The bartender probably assumed Marion belonged to the horde of civilian contractors, inspectors, engineers and technicians who worked for the army and lived on the base for a while. More likely he simply couldn’t be bothered with an interrogation, though no one could have failed to notice that Marion stuck out like a sore thumb from the regulars.

Marion had asked the blonde waitress about Joan and learned that it was her evening off. The woman turned out to be acquainted with Caroline too and said she dropped in from time to time. Apparently she was a red-hot bowler and belonged to the number-one team on the base. That explained her choice of venue for her meeting with Marion the other day. The waitress was also able to supply the information that Caroline was single, not very open or chatty, and a bit of a loner.

A man rose from one of the tables and walked over to the bar, casting a glance at Marion as he did so. He was fleshy, wore a workman’s checked shirt, jeans and sneakers, and his dark hair and skin gave him a Latino appearance. He grinned at some comment of the blonde’s, then approached the table where Marion was sitting.

‘You Icelandic?’

Marion admitted as much.

‘Mind if I take a seat?’ he asked, and without waiting for an invitation pulled up a chair. ‘Haven’t seen you around here before. Do you work on the base?’

‘I’m waiting for a friend,’ said Marion.

‘You mean Caroline?’

‘Yes.’

‘I know Caroline,’ said the man with a grin. ‘The name’s Martinez. Carlos Martinez, from New Mexico. Me and Caroline go bowling together. They told me at the bar you were asking questions about her. How do you know Caroline, if you don’t mind my asking?’

‘She’s been helping us with our inquiries in connection with a man who used to work here,’ said Marion. ‘I’m with the Icelandic police.’

‘She doesn’t talk about work much. We heard about the death... that you think the Icelandic man whose body was found in the lava field was killed here on the base. Is that true?’

‘The matter’s under investigation and we can’t—’

‘No, sure. I understand. Been here before?’

‘No.’

‘How do you like it?’

‘I feel as if I’m in Texas,’ said Marion. ‘Though I’m only fifty kilometres from home.’

Martinez laughed. ‘This is the liveliest bar,’ he said, grinning. He seemed a very good-natured, talkative man. ‘I don’t go anywhere else if I can help it.’

‘Do you get many Icelanders in here?’ asked Marion.

‘Yeah, sometimes. I know a few. They’re usually pretty fun, lively guys and I have to say you have some real good bands who come and play in the clubs. Real good musicians.’

It soon emerged that Martinez had been on a duty tour in the Philippines before coming to Keflavík; he’d been in the marines for three years, eight months of which had been spent in Iceland. He knew nothing about the country other than it was cold, bleak and remote; still hadn’t ventured outside the military zone and wasn’t sure he wanted to. He’d been very happy in the Philippines and couldn’t imagine two more different countries. It had been warm and sunny there; good weather every day, beautiful girls, friendly locals. Here it was freezing and dark and the wind never stopped howling. Coming from a hot climate himself, Martinez couldn’t take the arctic temperatures. It hadn’t been his decision to come to Iceland: he’d been posted here.