Ashes to Dust Read Free Page B

what she was thinking, before turning to Markus. ‘Is that what
you want, Markus, my friend?’ he asked the other man ,
who sat mutely at Thóra’s side.
    Markus squirmed uneasily in his chair. In
front of him sat the authority figure of his youth, who remembered him stealing
vegetables from people’s gardens, or whatever it was that the old police
officer had mentioned at the start of their conversation. ‘I
haven’t done anything,’ he muttered, glancing sideways at
Thóra. ‘Is there really any reason why we have to go through all
this official stuff?’
    Thóra drew a deep breath.
‘Markus, my friend,’ she said calmly, hoping that the words would
have the same effect on him as when the inspector had used them. ‘In the
basement you asked for my help, and now I’m giving it to you. Come out
into the corridor here with me for a moment, where we can speak privately.
Afterwards you can decide what you want to do. In other words, you’ll be
free to go home with Inspector Leifsson and let him question you at his kitchen
table, in the presence of his wife and cat.’
    ‘My wife is dead,’ Gudni said
coldly. ‘And I have a dog. No cat.’
    Throughout all of this Hjortur had been
waiting on the sidelines, quietly following the conversation. Now he finally
spoke up, but what he said made Thóra think that he was the type who
hated conflict, even as a silent observer. ‘Wouldn’t it be best for
everyone if you two went off on your own for a bit? Then I can tell you about
the things that concern me,’ he said, glancing hopefully at Gudni.
‘It would really help me if we could do this quickly. If I don’t
get back to my office soon my colleagues will think something has happened to
me. They know that I was in the house that you’ve cordoned off, and they
must have heard something’s going on there.’
    Gudni stared at Hjortur without replying.
These silences must be his secret weapon during interrogations, thought
Thóra. Perhaps he hoped that people would start speaking, to fill the
embarrassing pause. The archaeologist did not fall into his trap. There was a
brief silence, then Gudni’s face broke into a chilly smile and he said:
‘Fine. I don’t want your colleagues pulling out their pens and
writing obituaries about you, my dear Hjortur.’ He looked from the
blushing archaeologist to Thóra. ‘Suit yourselves. No one
will disturb you in the corridor outside the office.’ He waved them to
the door. ‘We’ll be here if you decide to honour us with your
presence.’ As Thóra and Markus reached the door they heard him say
to their backs: ‘But you’ll not be coming to dinner at my
house.’
    ‘What are you thinking?’ muttered
Thóra through gritted teeth, once they were outside the office.
‘You go there to fetch a severed head, and then think you can sit and
chat with the police without having any idea of your legal position. Do you
realize how much trouble you could end up in?’
    Markus looked angry for a second, then his anger gave way to resignation. ‘You
don’t know how things work here. This man is the law in the Islands. Him alone. There might be other policemen ,
but he’s the one who calls the shots. He often settles cases without
making any trouble for those involved. I think it would be best for me to just
talk to him, and after he’s heard what I have to say he’ll make
things easier. Especially since I didn’t do anything wrong.’
    Thóra wanted to stamp her foot in
frustration, but she clenched her fists and settled for knocking lightly on the
wall for emphasis. ‘This case will soon be taken out of Gudni’s
hands. Corpses and severed heads aren’t a matter for small police
departments, no matter how powerful particular officers may be in their
own jurisdictions. He might be able to solve cases his way when they concern
stolen rhubarb, but this is another matter entirely. It’s my
understanding that in the light of the seriousness of this case, and because of
the unusual