I don’t mind. Panda didn’t like him.’
Eyrún opened her mouth to scold her child, but then closed it. It was too late.
Magnus watched the Mayor closely. After a moment, he spoke. ‘Would you excuse me while I check in with the station?’
He got up from the table and went out into the hallway, where Eyrún and her husband could hear him, but not the person he was speaking to. He dialled Vigdís.
‘Hi, Magnús?’
‘Anything going on, Vigdís?’
‘The journalists are still pestering us.’
‘OK. I’ll be there in a moment. And I’ll bring the Mayor with me.’
‘Excellent. See you soon.’
Magnus returned to the kitchen. There was silence as the family stared at their food, waiting for Magnus to return before they started. Eyrún glanced at Magnus anxiously, her face bright red. Davíd stared at both of them, his expression a mixture of puzzlement, anger and fear.
He knew something was wrong, but he didn’t know what.
‘Eyrún, can you come with me to the police station? We really need to talk to the press and I’d like to have you with me.’
Eyrún hesitated. Glanced at her children and her husband.
Magnus waited.
Eventually she stood up and hugged each child. Then she kissed her husband on the lips. ‘See you later,’ she said.
‘What is it, Eyrún?’ he asked.
But she left her family and led Magnus out of the house.
‘I suppose I should give you a lift?’ she said, as soon as they were outside.
‘Please,’ said Magnus. ‘Or I could get a police car to come out.’
‘Don’t worry.’ She opened the door of the Land Rover.
Magnus waited until the car had driven to the end of the street. ‘Just stop here a moment, Eyrún.’
Eyrún pulled over in the yellow pool of one of the street lights. Dead ahead of them the rock wall of the mountain rose up towards the night sky, so high that they couldn’t see the summit without craning their necks.
‘Was it blackmail?’ Magnus asked.
Eyrún nodded. ‘How did you know?’
‘I’ve just been to Gústi’s house,’ Magnus said. ‘He had a video. Of you and him together.’
‘Oh, God, no,’ said Eyrún.
‘That was you, wasn’t it?’ Magnus asked.
Eyrún nodded.
In truth the woman in the video had been impossible to identify. Gústi hadn’t set up the camera very well. There was a lot of him, prancing around naked and talking, but very little of the woman. Just an ankle, a leg. The only sound apart from Gústi’s grunting was a female groan of disgust rather than excitement. Technicians would probably have figured out who it was eventually, but it was good to have confirmation without all that hassle.
‘He made you do it?’
Eyrún nodded again. ‘Twice,’ she said. ‘But then I refused.’
‘And he didn’t like that?’
‘No he didn’t.’
‘So what was he threatening to do?’
Eyrún bit her thumbnail. ‘Tell Davíd.’
‘Tell Davíd what?’
Eyrún took a deep breath. ‘About my affair. He saw me and another man, right after I had arrived in Bolungarvík. While Davíd was still in Reykjavík.’ She turned to Magnus. ‘It was a stupid thing to do, but it was such a relief to get away from Davíd that I just took the opportunity. I stopped as soon as Davíd brought the kids up here. But it was too late. Gústi had seen us.’
Her eyes were desperate, pleading for Magnus’s understanding. ‘You saw Davíd. He was jealous enough already. If he knew that I was having an affair, it would have tipped him over the edge. It would have finished us. It would have finished him. And the children. It would have been disastrous.’
‘Who was the affair with?’
Eyrún shook her head. ‘I can’t say. It wouldn’t be fair.’
‘Wouldn’t be fair?’ Magnus said. ‘Murdering someone is hardly fair, no matter what they have done to you. Even if they have blackmailed you.’
‘And forced you to have sex with them?’ There were tears in Eyrún’s eyes. ‘He said unless I had sex with him, he would
Eyrún opened her mouth to scold her child, but then closed it. It was too late.
Magnus watched the Mayor closely. After a moment, he spoke. ‘Would you excuse me while I check in with the station?’
He got up from the table and went out into the hallway, where Eyrún and her husband could hear him, but not the person he was speaking to. He dialled Vigdís.
‘Hi, Magnús?’
‘Anything going on, Vigdís?’
‘The journalists are still pestering us.’
‘OK. I’ll be there in a moment. And I’ll bring the Mayor with me.’
‘Excellent. See you soon.’
Magnus returned to the kitchen. There was silence as the family stared at their food, waiting for Magnus to return before they started. Eyrún glanced at Magnus anxiously, her face bright red. Davíd stared at both of them, his expression a mixture of puzzlement, anger and fear.
He knew something was wrong, but he didn’t know what.
‘Eyrún, can you come with me to the police station? We really need to talk to the press and I’d like to have you with me.’
Eyrún hesitated. Glanced at her children and her husband.
Magnus waited.
Eventually she stood up and hugged each child. Then she kissed her husband on the lips. ‘See you later,’ she said.
‘What is it, Eyrún?’ he asked.
But she left her family and led Magnus out of the house.
‘I suppose I should give you a lift?’ she said, as soon as they were outside.
‘Please,’ said Magnus. ‘Or I could get a police car to come out.’
‘Don’t worry.’ She opened the door of the Land Rover.
Magnus waited until the car had driven to the end of the street. ‘Just stop here a moment, Eyrún.’
Eyrún pulled over in the yellow pool of one of the street lights. Dead ahead of them the rock wall of the mountain rose up towards the night sky, so high that they couldn’t see the summit without craning their necks.
‘Was it blackmail?’ Magnus asked.
Eyrún nodded. ‘How did you know?’
‘I’ve just been to Gústi’s house,’ Magnus said. ‘He had a video. Of you and him together.’
‘Oh, God, no,’ said Eyrún.
‘That was you, wasn’t it?’ Magnus asked.
Eyrún nodded.
In truth the woman in the video had been impossible to identify. Gústi hadn’t set up the camera very well. There was a lot of him, prancing around naked and talking, but very little of the woman. Just an ankle, a leg. The only sound apart from Gústi’s grunting was a female groan of disgust rather than excitement. Technicians would probably have figured out who it was eventually, but it was good to have confirmation without all that hassle.
‘He made you do it?’
Eyrún nodded again. ‘Twice,’ she said. ‘But then I refused.’
‘And he didn’t like that?’
‘No he didn’t.’
‘So what was he threatening to do?’
Eyrún bit her thumbnail. ‘Tell Davíd.’
‘Tell Davíd what?’
Eyrún took a deep breath. ‘About my affair. He saw me and another man, right after I had arrived in Bolungarvík. While Davíd was still in Reykjavík.’ She turned to Magnus. ‘It was a stupid thing to do, but it was such a relief to get away from Davíd that I just took the opportunity. I stopped as soon as Davíd brought the kids up here. But it was too late. Gústi had seen us.’
Her eyes were desperate, pleading for Magnus’s understanding. ‘You saw Davíd. He was jealous enough already. If he knew that I was having an affair, it would have tipped him over the edge. It would have finished us. It would have finished him. And the children. It would have been disastrous.’
‘Who was the affair with?’
Eyrún shook her head. ‘I can’t say. It wouldn’t be fair.’
‘Wouldn’t be fair?’ Magnus said. ‘Murdering someone is hardly fair, no matter what they have done to you. Even if they have blackmailed you.’
‘And forced you to have sex with them?’ There were tears in Eyrún’s eyes. ‘He said unless I had sex with him, he would
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