2012
‘Thor?’
‘Yes, who’s speaking, please?’ The mobile phone connection crackled.
‘It’s Helgi Reykdal here again, from the police.’
‘Mm? Oh, right. Any news? Sorry, I’m in the car.’
‘Would you be able to spare me five minutes later? I can come by your office again.’
‘Actually, I’ve just left. I’m on my way to the pool in Laugardalur for a dip in the hot tub. But I can meet you at my house, in a bit over half an hour, perhaps.’
Helgi deliberated. He would prefer to speak to Thor in private, out of earshot of his wife.
‘I think it would be better if we met somewhere else.’
‘Then why don’t you come by the swimming pool? If you only need five minutes, we could take a seat in the foyer.’
‘All right, then. See you there.’
Helgi found a parking space near the pool and made a dash from the car to the entrance.
If anything, the weather was even more perishingly cold than it had been earlier.
On days like these he wondered why on earth he’d decided to return to Iceland after finishing his postgrad studies in the UK.
Of course, he’d had his reasons at the time.
For one thing, he’d wanted to be near his mother after his father died, and, for another, Bergthóra had been offered a good job in Iceland.
In practice, though, he didn’t actually see much of his mother, since she lived on the other side of the country.
Maybe it would make sense to move abroad with Aníta if they could both find suitable work.
Anything was possible and, with Aníta at his side, he was starting to realize that everything seemed brighter.
Unable to spot Thor anywhere, Helgi was briefly struck by the wild idea that the accountant might have made a run for it. He smiled at the thought.
Helgi did a circuit of the pool reception area, which smelt strongly of chlorine, and watched members of the public coming and going, thinking that he himself wouldn’t dream of venturing outside in this brutal cold in nothing but his swimming trunks.
Finally, he gave up and rang Thor.
‘I’m outside, queuing for a hot-dog. I’m nearly at the front.’
Helgi sighed. ‘OK, I’ll come and find you.’
He braced himself, huddling his coat around him, then stepped outside, where he soon spotted the tall figure placing his order at the window.
‘I’m sorry,’ Thor said. ‘I was famished. Were you looking for me inside?’
‘No problem.’
Thor had ordered a hot-dog with nothing but ketchup, and an apple juice, like a kid attending a swimming lesson rather than a seventy-year-old accountant.
‘Do you mind if we talk here?’ Thor asked. He stationed himself at a small standing table nearby.
Helgi nodded, silently cursing the cold. But this would only take a minute or two and Thor must be feeling the chill as much as he was.
‘I went to see Lovísa after we spoke this morning.’
Thor took a bite of hot-dog, looking at Helgi with his eyebrows raised enquiringly, as if he had no idea what was coming next.
‘She told me you and Elín used to be an item.’
Finally, a hint of alarm appeared in Thor’s eyes.
‘Just a minute…’ he said, wiping his mouth with a paper napkin. He was transparently buying himself time.
‘Correct me if I’m wrong,’ Helgi said, ‘but I seem to remember asking you about your relationship this morning and receiving a quite different answer.’
‘We…’ Thor paused. ‘What exactly did Lovísa say?’
‘Never mind what she said. What do you say, Thor?’
‘Well, yes, we went out with each other briefly before I met my wife.’
‘It didn’t occur to you to mention this to me?’
Thor looked simultaneously confused, ashamed and guilty. ‘I felt it wasn’t really relevant. Elín and I have never discussed it with Rut, you see. And there was no reason to drag it out into the daylight now, as far as I could tell. I do hope you understand that.’
‘Why didn’t your relationship last?’
‘I broke up with her when I met Rut, it was as simple as that.’
‘How did Elín take it?’
‘Not particularly well. We were young and in love, but I think her feelings for me were stronger than mine for her.’
‘Did she ever have another relationship of any length?’
Thor seemed to consider.
‘You know, I don’t think she did.’
Helgi smiled. ‘Perhaps she never got over you.’
Thor’s expression spoke louder than words. It seemed that Helgi might inadvertently have hit on the truth.
Helgi was glad to get back into the car. Turning the heater on full blast, he set off for home.
As he drove, he switched on the radio. It was the Radio 2 afternoon programme, a well-known politician in conversation with a female presenter.
Helgi listened for a while as they discussed a wage dispute between fishing-boat owners and crews, but he was too distracted to take it in.
It occurred to him that he himself might soon be sitting in the hot seat at the radio studio, being interviewed about the disappearance of the bestselling author.
He selected Aníta’s number on his phone, wanting to hear her voice, but she didn’t pick up. Perhaps she was still at work or had gone out for a run, as she did most days.
Most of all, though, he wanted to hear Aníta’s cheerful voice and tell her how much he was looking forward to seeing her this evening.
For some unknown reason, Elín had let Thor slip through her fingers long ago, but Helgi had no intention of losing Aníta.