Far North - Michael Ridpath [92]
Suddenly she couldn’t breathe. Her ears begin to sing. She felt faint and slipped back against the wall, dropping the tray of pastries she was carrying with a clatter.
No. No, no, no, no, no! She couldn’t believe it. She simply couldn’t believe it.
‘What is it Harpa? Are you OK?’
She scarcely felt Dísa’s hand on her shoulder, or heard her concerned voice.
She was thinking about what she had noticed sticking out of the pocket of Björn’s light blue coat when he had stayed with her that night.
An electric-blue Icelandic passport.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
MAGNUS HAD JUST got back to his desk when his phone rang. ‘Magnus, it’s Sharon.’
‘Did you get the photo?’
‘Yeah. I got a good shot. I’m on my way to the station to print off a copy to show to Gunnarsson’s neighbour.’
Magnus’s pulse quickened. Matching a description was one thing, but a positive ID would be the first real evidence of a link between Óskar’s murder and Gabríel Örn’s death.
‘If you don’t get a good print, we’ve probably got a mugshot in our database here. Did you ask Ísak where he was yesterday?’
‘That’s why I am calling. I’m at the chaplain’s office in the Icelandic Embassy, checking out Ísak’s story. He said he was at the Icelandic Church service in the morning. The chaplain confirms it.’
‘Damn.’
‘Yes. Although it was the first time Ísak has attended. Made a point of coming up and talking to the chaplain. Which makes me think—’
‘He was setting up an alibi?’
‘Maybe.’
Magnus thought about it. He knew they were in danger of manipulating the facts to fit the theory. ‘That’s stretching it a bit.’
‘Yeah. Perhaps. We’ll see what the neighbour says.’
‘Do you know anything about the investigation in Normandy?’
‘Only what I’ve seen on the news. I’ve kept my nose well out of that one, like you asked me to.’
‘Thanks, Sharon.’
‘No problem.’
But Magnus couldn’t help noticing the lack of enthusiasm in her voice. She did have a problem with his request: there was no doubt about it. Tough.
‘Explain to me why you aren’t at the police college?’ Baldur demanded, glaring at Magnus.
Magnus exhaled. ‘Vigdís found some new evidence on the video of the January protest the day Gabríel Örn was killed.’
‘I thought I told you that case was closed?’
‘Yes, I know. But listen to what we’ve got.’ Magnus described the identification of Sindri on the video and most of his interview, missing Sindri’s reference to Magnus’s own presence at the Grand Rokk.
He summed up. ‘So Harpa, Björn, Sindri, Ísak, they are all linked. Harpa, Björn and Sindri all met on the day Gabríel Örn was killed. Ísak started a fight with Harpa that evening in a bar at about the time Gabríel Örn died. And he fits the description of the Icelandic courier who was looking for Óskar’s address in London a few days before the murder. Harpa is connected to Óskar – Óskar was her son’s father and we know she met him in London in July. Björn and Harpa are in a relationship. And Sindri, well Sindri is an anarchist who believes in using violence to overthrow capitalism.’
‘None of that is hard evidence,’ Baldur said. ‘The only real link between all these people is that you are suspicious of them.’
‘That’s right,’ said Magnus. ‘We need to go in and get the hard evidence.’
‘What are you suggesting?’
‘Set up a tail on Sindri. And Björn. Get warrants to search their apartments and their computers. Take a look at the phone company records – see if they’ve been talking to each other. Get a positive ID on Ísak and get the British police to arrest him.’
Baldur shook his head. ‘We’re not doing that.’
‘Why not?’ said Magnus.
‘Because that will turn this case into a full-blown hunt for an Icelandic terrorist cell.’
‘Which maybe it should be,’ said Magnus.
‘No!’ said Baldur, slapping his hand on his desk. ‘No. Not without evidence.’
‘But what if I’m right? What if another banker is killed tomorrow?’
Baldur cupped his hands over his face and closed his eyes. Magnus let him think. ‘So, what’s the motive?’ the inspector asked eventually.
‘For