Michael Ridpath: Where the Shadows Lie

Ingileif put a hand to her mouth, her brow knitted in anguish. ‘I can’t believe it,’ she said. ‘So you were the elf the old sheep farmer saw?’

‘Elf?’ Petur frowned.

‘Never mind.’

Petur smiled at his sister. ‘It’s true. I killed Dad. But it was a mistake. A dreadful, horrible mistake. If Hakon were alive he could tell you that.’ He took a step forward. Took his sister’s hands in his. Looked in her eyes – horrified, shocked, confused. ‘Can you forgive me, Inga?’

Ingileif stood stunned for a moment. Then she backed off.

‘It wasn’t murder, Inga. Surely you understand that?’

‘But what about Aggi? And the pastor? Did you kill them as well?’

‘Don’t you see, I had to?’

‘What do you mean, you had to?’

‘As you know by now, Hakon took the ring. When Agnar went to see him, he guessed he had it. He accused Hakon of killing Dad and taking the ring. Hakon threw him out, of course, but then Agnar approached Tomas, tried to get him to act as an intermediary. He tried to blackmail Hakon through him.’

‘But what did all this have to do with you?’

‘Hakon had been good to me. He had kept me out of the police investigation completely. Until then, I had no idea what had happened to the ring, I had tried so hard not to think about it, or to ask questions about it, but it didn’t exactly surprise me that Hakon had taken it from Dad. So, in the end, Hakon called me. He explained what was going on, that it looked like he would have to tell the truth about what had happened to Dad, unless I did something.’

‘Did what?’

‘He didn’t say. But we both knew.’

‘Oh, my God! You did kill Aggi!’

‘I had to. Don’t you see, I had to?’

Ingileif shook her head. ‘Of course you didn’t have to. And then you killed Hakon?’

Petur nodded. ‘Once his son was in jail and the police were after him, I knew the truth would come out.’

‘How could you?’

‘What do you mean, how could I?’ Petur protested, with a flash of anger. ‘You were the one who insisted on putting Gaukur’s Saga up for sale. If it hadn’t been for that, all would be well.’

‘That’s bullshit. Yes, I made a mistake. But I had no idea what would happen. It was you! You who killed them!’ Ingileif took a step back. ‘OK, maybe you killed Dad by accident, but not the other two. Hang on – did you kill Sigursteinn as well?’

Petur nodded. ‘You have to admit he deserved it after what he had done to Birna. I flew back from London, met him in Reykjavik, bought him a few drinks.’

‘And he ended up in the harbour?’

‘That’s right.’

‘Who are you?’ Ingileif said, her eyes wide. ‘You’re not my brother. Who are you?’

Petur closed his eyes. ‘You’re right,’ he said. ‘It’s this.’ He took his hand out of his pocket. Showed her the ring on his finger. ‘Here. Take a look.’

He slipped it off and handed it to her. It was his last chance. Maybe the ring would corrupt his sister just like it had corrupted him, his father, Hakon and all the others.

Ingileif stared at it. ‘Is this it?’

‘Yes.’

She closed her fist around it. Petur felt an urge to grab it, but resisted. Let her have it. Let it do its evil magic with her.

‘So, what are you going to do?’ Petur asked.

‘I’m going to the police,’ Ingileif said. ‘What did you think I would do?’

‘Are you sure?’ said Petur. ‘Are you absolutely sure?’

‘Of course I am,’ Ingileif said. She glared at her brother. In addition to fear and shock, there was hatred there now.

Petur’s shoulders slumped. He closed his eyes. Oh, well. The ring was going to have its way. He had been foolish to think that this could end any other way.

He took a step forward.

Magnus passed a tour bus on its way out as he screeched into the parking lot. It was almost deserted. Two cars were parked next to each other – a big SUV and a much smaller hatchback, with a third a few feet away.

‘That’s Ingileif’s,’ said Jubb, pointing to the hatchback.

‘Stay here!’ shouted Magnus, as he leaped out of the car.

He ran across the parking lot and down some wooden steps. The waterfall opened up before him, a cauldron of roaring water. The path went to a ledge with an observation point halfway down the waterfall.

Nothing. No one. Just water. An unimaginable volume of water.

He looked up at the falls. The path stopped just short of them, all pretty much in his view. But downstream were more steps, a path, another parking lot, a gorge. Plenty of places to hide out of view.

Magnus ran down the steps towards the gorge.

‘Pesi? What are you doing?’ Ingileif’s eyes widened, but anger over-came fear. Petur knew he would have a struggle on his hands. His sister wouldn’t go quietly. He wished he had to hand a rock or some other blunt instrument to hit her with first. If he hit her hard enough with his fist, he might knock her out.

He swallowed. It was going to be very hard to strike Ingileif.

But… But he had to.

He took another step forward. But then he saw some movement out of the corner of his eye. A couple with a tripod appeared over the lip of the hollow. One of them, a woman by her size and shape, waved. Petur didn’t acknowledge her but turned back to Ingileif, who hadn’t noticed.

He would have to play for time, until they had gone.

‘Do you want me to turn myself in?’ he asked his sister.

‘Yes,’ she said.

‘Why should I?’ said Petur.

For two minutes they continued a halting conversation, with Petur watching the couple through his peripheral vision. He saw them set up the tripod, move it, and then take it down. Whether they had taken a picture of the falls or decided against the shot, Petur didn’t know. But he was relieved to see them disappear back over the rim of the hollow.

He took another step towards his sister.

Jubb didn’t stay in the car. He looked around the car park, and then made his way to the information office. A middle-aged woman inside wished him a good afternoon in English, having sized him up as a foreigner.

‘Have you seen two people here?’ Jubb asked. ‘A man and a woman? The man is bald, and the woman is blonde. Icelanders.’

‘No, I don’t think so. I did just speak to a German couple. The man had a woolly hat so I couldn’t see if he was bald. But the woman had dark hair, I am sure of it. They were going to take photographs of the falls.’

‘But no Icelanders?’

‘No, I am sorry. Of course, I don’t have a good view of the car park from here.’

‘Thank you,’ said Jubb.

As he stepped out of the information centre, he saw the German couple the woman had mentioned, walking down into the car park from the hill above, huddling together against the weather. The man had a tripod slung over his shoulder.

Jubb trotted over to them. ‘Hello?’ he called. ‘Do you speak English?’

‘Yes, I do,’ said the woman.

‘Have you seen a man and a woman up there? The man is bald and the woman is blonde?’

‘Yes,’ said the woman. ‘Just over the top of this hill here.’

Jubb thought for a second. Should he run up there himself, or should he get Magnus?

Get Magnus.

He ran down from the car park towards the falls.

Petur decided against hitting Ingileif, at least right away. He turned and sauntered over towards the edge of the gorge.

‘Where are you going?’ Ingileif called after him.

‘To look at the falls.’

‘Are you listening to me?’

‘Yes, I’m listening.’

As he had hoped Ingileif followed. She was still arguing with him, pleading with him to give himself up. But she was keeping her distance.