Ashes to Dust Read Free Page A

to wait for a very long time for the chief inspector,
who now sat before them. He’d clearly taken his time in the basement, had
wanted to see the evidence with his own eyes before speaking to them. ‘My
name is Gudni Leifsson. I’m almost retired,’ he added, ‘after
a career of nearly forty years.’ He clasped his hands together. ‘I’d
like to see others do better.’ Thóra did her best to appear
interested in his remarkable career, with limited success; what she wanted most
was to ask what time it was, since she couldn’t miss the last plane to
Reykjavik. What a waste of time this was.
    ‘But that’s the way things
go.’ The police inspector shook his head slowly and clicked his tongue.
‘I have never seen anything like this.’ He smiled wryly.
‘Maybe it’s fate playing games with the authorities in
Reykjavik?’
    Thóra raised her eyebrows.
‘What?’ she enquired, although she had no desire whatsoever to
prolong this conversation. ‘How do you mean?’
    ‘I’m not surprised you have to
ask. A lawyer from Reykjavik could hardly be expected to keep up to speed with
what happens out here in the sticks.’ The old man looked at her
reproachfully, but Thóra ignored him. ‘It’s only been a
short time since the detectives we had stationed here were moved to the
mainland in order to cut costs. The trivial crimes committed here didn’t
justify the expense.’ He smiled broadly. ‘Until
now.’ He looked at Markus meaningfully before continuing:
‘Three bodies and one head.’ He tutted again. ‘You were always up to mischief as a boy, Markus, but isn’t this
taking it a bit too far? It’s quite a leap from stealing rhubarb to mass
murder.’
    Markus leaned forward, his expression open
and sincere. ‘I swear that I know nothing about these bodies.
They’re nothing to do with me.’ He sat back again, seemingly satisfied,
and brushed dust off the arms of his jacket.
    Thóra sighed deeply and decided to
interrupt Markus before he got the chance to say that he’d only had
something to do with the head. ‘Before we go any further, I would like to
ask where this is going. Is this a formal interrogation?’ She thought
— but did not say - that if it were it would be ridiculous to interview
Markus and Hjortur together. Their interests were completely at odds. ‘If so, I wish to state that as Markus’s lawyer, I
question your procedures.’
    Inspector Leifsson pursed his lips and sucked
air through his teeth as if trying to clean between them. ‘It may be that
you work differently in Reykjavik, Madam Lawyer,’ he said coldly.
‘There, you presumably go “by the book”, as they say,
although one never actually knows which book they mean. Here, on the other
hand, I’m in charge. If I want to speak to you, as, for example, I do
now, then I shall do so. It can’t hurt anyone,
can it? Least of all your client, Markus.’ He
smiled at Thóra, but it did not reach his eyes. ‘Unless you think
he’s got something on his conscience?’ He looked at Markus.
‘The bodies appeared to be quite old. Perhaps he killed all of them, back
when he was a spotty teenager?’ He paused, regarding her levelly.
‘But my heart tells me it isn’t so. I think we’ll find some
sort of logical explanation for this mess, which I was hoping we could just
clear up without having to go through formal channels. And I’m happy to
take the blame for that.’
    Thóra placed a restraining hand on
Markus’s shoulder. ‘I wish to speak with my client before we go any further, and afterwards we will go by this famous
“book”, so that everything is above board.’
    Gudni shrugged. He seemed to be in good shape
for a man his age, as far as Thóra could tell; fairly trim, and with a
good head of hair. She couldn’t shake the impression that he looked like
Clint Eastwood, and she had an overwhelming desire to stick a toothpick in the
corner of his mouth to get the full effect. He stared at her for a moment as if
he knew