Part 17 (1/2)

'There is one thing we need to ask you, gentlemen,' the general said, opening his mouth at last. All eyes turned to him. He cleared his throat. 'This rescue team we want it out of there.'

He spoke brusquely, as if he had other better things to do than waste his time on diplomatic talks or making roundabout excuses like the admiral.

'What do you mean?' the prime minister asked, disconcerted. The admiral slowly closed his eyes.

'Out of there, I said. We want the team out of there. They'll ruin our exercise if they start interfering. We don't want them there. We want rid of them. Do you have a problem with that?'

The Icelanders looked at one another in silent astonishment.

'Do you have a problem with that?' Wesson repeated.

'We have no authority over the rescue team,' the prime minister replied. 'We can't simply order them to stop. In any case, I gather they were already on the glacier before our last meeting. If you had given us sufficient warning about your intentions we could have closed the area to all traffic. But as you didn't see fit to...'

'Then we can't be held accountable for their welfare,' the general interrupted. 'I'm sure they'd think twice if they received a call from the prime minister.'

'I suggest you take care who you threaten, General,' the prime minister said in an even tone. 'One man has died on the glacier, another is critically injured, so please don't insult me by saying that it has nothing to do with you.'

'May I remind you, Prime Minister, that a sizeable percentage of this country's gross national income derives either directly or indirectly from us.' The general spoke in the same flat, emotionless tone, his face impa.s.sive.

'I don't think this meeting is going anywhere,' the prime minister said, rising to his feet. 'We'll be issuing a formal protest about this matter and demanding a thorough public investigation, both here and in America, into the accident involving the two rescue team members. We will close all roads between the glacier and the base until we have full and accurate disclosure about what is going on out there. We'll apprise the media of the situation and you can imagine how they will apportion the blame. I will address the nation personally. You can talk all you like about percentages. Good day.' Gathering up his papers from the table, he replaced them in his briefcase and closed it with a snap. The justice minister followed his example.

'There's a bomb on the glacier,' the general said, unmoved, his gaze still fixed directly ahead. 'You should call the team home, if only for their own sake.'

'A bomb? What do you mean, a bomb? What kind of bomb?'

'The kind that explodes. It's German and it's old and we're trying to remove it but it's a delicate operation. We have experts on site, our best men, but the rescue team is in danger. You have the power to stop them, thereby preventing a potential catastrophe.'

'There's a bomb on board the plane? What do you mean by German?'

'The German scientists brought it with them. We believe we are dealing with a primitive hydrogen bomb.'

The prime minister was struck dumb; he could hardly believe he was hearing this.

'It's our first broken arrow,' the admiral added. 'We call them broken arrows, the nuclear weapons lost in air crashes or through other accidents. There are a small number scattered here and there around the globe and you will understand that we go to considerable lengths to control information about them. But the first, Prime Minister, is on Vatnajokull.'

'And it's still live and extremely dangerous,' Wesson added.

VATNAJoKULL GLACIER,

SAt.u.r.dAY 30 JANUARY, 2300 GMT

They were well equipped with powerful torches, good climbing boots and warm winter overalls provided by Jon but the temperature had risen after the earlier storm, turning the snow soft underfoot and making every step a struggle. The moon dipped in and out of the clouds, shedding a pale light on the rim of the glacier. The temperature was falling again.

In the end they had not managed any sleep but the rest had done them good. Before setting off, Kristin had tried once more, unsuccessfully, to reach her father, then had finally gathered enough courage to call the police. She was put through immediately to the detective investigating the city centre shooting. He listened attentively to her detailed account of the improbable events that had occurred and her explanation of why she had not contacted the police sooner. She concluded by telling him that she was now at the foot of Vatnajokull.

'So the man we found in your flat Runolfur had no connection with any of this,' the detective commented when Kristin had finished speaking. Far from disputing her account, he went out of his way to give the impression of taking what she said seriously. He did not want to risk making her hang up by arguing with her. It was late and the entire force was working round the clock on the shooting and murder.

'No connection at all,' Kristin confirmed; she had tried to give as clear and impartial an account as possible. 'In fact, I think he saved my life.'

'They told me at the ministry that you might have killed him and gone into hiding as a result. They thought it was plausible. But that, if so, you would have been acting in self-defence. They said this Runolfur bloke had been threatening you.' His voice, friendly, steady and sensible, had a calming effect on Kristin. She sensed she could trust this man and tried to put a face to the voice but somehow could not imagine what he would look like.

'That's why I didn't know where to turn. And because the men who attacked me referred to a conspiracy. They murdered a man in my flat. Don't you see, I was desperate?'

He absorbed this information. Kristin's account, crazy as it was, nevertheless tied in with what he had found out so far, and he could see no reason to disbelieve her. Her willingness to work with the police was obvious but he sensed the extreme difficulty of her situation.

'We detained the man from the Irish pub briefly,' the detective continued, 'but the emba.s.sy insisted he be moved to the US military hospital on the base. The Icelandic government conceded to their wishes, on condition that he doesn't leave the country.'

'That's insane. He'll be halfway across the Atlantic by now,' Kristin said.

'I agree. First Cla.s.s.'

'And what about the other one?'

'We know nothing about the other man. We went to the emba.s.sy which is, as you say, crawling with soldiers, and talked to a general, some kind of stand-in amba.s.sador, but couldn't prise anything out of him. We know they have something to hide; we need your help to find out what it is.'

Her manner was so convincing that he had decided to take a gamble and trust her, at least more than he trusted the Americans.

'I know what it is,' Kristin said. 'It's to do with the wreck of a plane on Vatnajokull and I'm on my way there now. I've only got a single name, Ratoff. That's all. Maybe he's in charge of the operation.'

'We've heard nothing about any plane wreck,' the detective commented.

'My brother saw it.'

There was a pause while the man on the phone thought.

'Why don't you come and see us in town and we'll try to sort it out from here.'

'It'll be too late. It would be better if you sent some of your people here. And why don't you get in touch with the rescue team on the glacier? The man in charge is called Julius. He can confirm what I've told you about Elias and Johann.'

'You know that a travel ban has just been announced for the Vatnajokull area due to a volcanic eruption alert? There have been newsflashes on all channels. They've declared a state of emergency.'

'Eruption alert? What bulls.h.i.+t! What do you think American soldiers are doing there if there's a risk of an eruption? What you mean is that the spineless, a.r.s.e-licking government has kowtowed to the Yanks yet again.'

The detective suppressed a laugh. He was beginning to like her. 'I believe the term is ”fostering positive relations”.'

'I'm on my way,' Kristin said again.

'You really ought to come in to the station and tell me more. What's this plane you keep talking about?'

'I haven't got time to go into it but there's something inside the wreckage that they're determined to hide. I don't know what. It could be anything.'

'And that's the big secret?'