Far North - Michael Ridpath [20]
‘And do you think there is a connection with Óskar’s murder?’
‘Um, no.’
‘Are you sure?’
Árni waited for the lift doors to close behind them as they headed down to the lobby.
‘Yes, I’m sure,’ he said.
Magnus looked at him closely. He didn’t believe him.
CHAPTER SIX
EMILÍA GUNNARSDÓTTIR HAD poise. She was in her mid-thirties, slim, with her dark hair tied back. She was wearing an elegant black trouser suit and expensive but discreet gold adorned her ears and neck.
The offices of OBG Investments took up one floor of a five-storey building a hundred metres along Borgartún from the Ódinsbanki headquarters. Magnus saw from the directory in the lobby that the other occupants were firms of lawyers and accountants, plus the odd enigmatic financial company, like OBG itself. It was obvious when they had reached OBG’s floor: the reception area was dominated by a life-size sculpture in bronze of a Viking in full warrior gear riding a Harley Davidson.
Emilía led Magnus and Árni through to her office: thick white carpet, black leather armchairs and sofa, a broad black desk, uncluttered with papers, but bearing a sleek computer screen. The contrast with Gudmundur’s office was stark. ‘I am very sorry about your brother,’ Magnus began.
For a moment, a second or so, the poise cracked. But then with a purse of the lips it was back. ‘Thank you,’ was all Emilía said. ‘Sit down. I hope you don’t mind waiting a couple of minutes. I’ve asked my lawyer to be present. She works in this building so she won’t be long.’
Magnus was surprised. ‘I don’t think there’s a need for a lawyer, Emilía. You are not a suspect.’ Or not yet, he thought. Asking for a lawyer this early in proceedings certainly raised alarm bells.
‘Not for this crime, perhaps. But don’t forget that our company is under investigation.’
‘I’m not interested in the Special Prosecutor’s case,’ Magnus said. ‘I just want to find out more about your brother.’
‘Which I will tell you once my lawyer is here. Would you like some coffee?’
Just then the door opened and a woman came in.
A woman whom Magnus recognized. He couldn’t keep the shock from registering on his face. The woman seemed just as surprised herself.
‘This is Sigurbjörg Vilhjálmsdóttir, my lawyer,’ Emilía said. ‘But it seems that you know each other already.’
There was a brief pause as both Magnus and the lawyer struggled for something to say. ‘Yes,’ Magnus said, eventually, clearing his throat. ‘We do know each other. Sigurbjörg is my cousin.’ He hesitated and then stepped forward to kiss her on the cheek.
‘Oh, I see,’ Emilía said, unsurprised at the connection. This was Reykjavík, after all. But she could tell there was something strained between them, although she could not possibly know what. ‘Is there any reason why you shouldn’t advise me on this matter, Sigurbjörg?’
‘No,’ said Sigurbjörg. ‘No, there will be no problem.’
‘We aren’t close,’ said Magnus, and then regretted it. While true, it sounded unnecessarily rude.
‘OK,’ said Emilía. ‘Well. Let’s begin, shall we?’
‘Can you tell me a bit about Óskar?’ Magnus asked. Árni pulled out his notebook, a look of intense concentration on his face as he prepared himself for more financial gobbledygook.
‘He was a very special person.’ Emilía hesitated. It was as if the simple question threatened to unleash emotion, which had been Magnus’s intention. But once again she was back in complete control in an instant. ‘Very bright. Energetic. Funny. People liked him. People loved him. Especially the people who worked for him.’
‘What about his enemies?’
‘He didn’t have any enemies.’
‘Oh, come on, Emilía. How could someone like him not have enemies?’
Irritation flared in Emilía’s eyes. She didn’t like being contradicted.
‘Well, there were business rivals, I suppose. But they didn’t hate him. The press loved to gossip about him, but they needed him for their copy. During the demonstrations some of the speakers were asking for his head, but they didn’t really know him.’
‘Clients of the bank? Depositors? Shareholders? A lot of people must have lost money when