Part 21 (1/2)

'Yeah, the kids are fine. It's the P word. Again. You've a problem of your own in that department, don't you?'

'h.e.l.l, don't remind me,' Gunna said grimly. 'That boy of mine has really given himself a cross to bear for the rest of his life. And mine, I expect,' she added.

'What's he going to do about it? Has he actually talked to you, other than just to admit his misdeeds?'

'I don't know what the h.e.l.l he's thinking, and I don't suppose he knows either. Anyway, what P word were you thinking of? The same one as me?'

'P for pregnant,' Helgi said grimly.

'Congratulations.'

'It's not that simple, and Halla's not pregnant. Quite the opposite.'

'So what's the problem?'

'Halla's sister had a baby about three months ago and Halla's going wild, wants another one. It's driving me nuts.'

Startled, Gunna stifled a laugh. 'And that's a problem?'

'We live in a four-room apartment. Halla has a child, I have two who'll be in their twenties soon, and we have two together. Wouldn't you say that's enough? I reckon it is. But she wants one more, like completing the set or something. I'm forty-two, Gunna. I've had my share of nappies and teething. It's the second time around for me, don't forget.'

'I'd have thought so,' Gunna agreed. 'Twice was quite enough for me.'

'Fair enough, but what would you do if Steini suddenly decided he needed an heir?'

'Steini already has children and grandchildren, so there's no chance of that.'

Helgi ran a hand over his forehead. 'Yeah. But if, Gunna?'

'I guess a year or two ago I'd have thought about it for five minutes and then said no. Twice is enough and another one's not on the agenda.'

'Yeah, but Halla's not like you. She loves all that stuff, small babies, maternity things, playschool and all that. I just want to get past it all so I can play football with them.'

'But does Halla understand how you feel? Really? Have you made it absolutely plain?'

'I've tried . . . but the flesh is weak, isn't it?' he said with a small smile. 'You know, I've never used a condom in my life, but I swear I'm buying a pack on the way home tonight.'

'And if Halla finds them before you whip them out at the crucial moment, she'll a.s.sume you've been playing away from home.'

'You think so?' Helgi asked with panic in his voice.

'I do. Now. Work. Anything on that burned-out car? Was it Magnus Sigmarsson's?'

'We still don't know. We're trying to get the number off the cha.s.sis, but it wasn't the car it was supposed to be.'

'How so?'

'We managed to get the rear number plate and the registration belongs to a van that's been outside a workshop in Kopavogur for weeks. It failed its inspection two months ago and the owner hadn't got round to fixing it so just parked it outside. When he showed it to me, he was more surprised than I was that the plates had been unscrewed.'

'Someone wanted to disguise it.'

'And there was a lot of petrol,' Helgi added. 'The firemen say there must have been petrol all over the seats and the whole interior for it to go up like a firework like that. Someone wanted it disposed of, and wanted to do a decent job of it.'

Gunna rattled her fingernails on the desk. 'The last sighting we have of Magnus is when he left his girlfriend's house. Nothing at all after that. So where did he go and why? And as he'd hardly drive out to the quarter-mile track and break his own neck, who was with him?'

'That's what we'd all like to know, isn't it? But he's nowhere on CCTV, and if he went direct from her place to the quarter-mile track, it isn't more than a twenty-minute drive.'

'But if we have anything to tell us who that might be, it'll be in that car. So you'd best get down to forensics and pester them to go over it with a magnifying gla.s.s until they find something. If it's any consolation, as far as your problems with Halla are concerned, by the time you finish tonight, you'll be far too tired for anything in that department.'

Helgi smiled weakly and Gunna sensed the return of the usual good-humoured Helgi she knew and preferred.

'And then it's oskar Hjalmarsson for you.'

'Who?'

'The father of Magnus Sigmarsson's girlfriend. I want him grilled properly about his movements on the night Magnus disappeared.'

'You reckon it could have been him?'

Gunna scowled and rubbed her chin. 'No,' she said slowly. 'My guts say it wasn't him. But the man has a motive and if it wasn't him, then we need to have him properly eliminated. So take your time and make sure. He's not a pleasant character so you can make him sweat if you like.'

The round face of the blonde girl behind the desk at the Harbourside Hotel fell as Gunna walked in and smiled.

'Simon's not here at the moment. The MD's back and there's a management meeting over at the Gullfoss this afternoon.'

'That's good,' Gunna told her, 'because this time it's you I want a quiet word with.'

The girl's bottom lip protruded in a pout. 'But I don't know anything.'

'You don't know anything about what?' Gunna asked, her curiosity aroused by the instant denial.

'Anything,' the girl replied after a few moments' thought.

'Are you on your own here, or is there a supervisor about?'

'I'm the reception supervisor.'

'Is that since Magnus is no longer here? In that case, who are you supervising?'

She jerked her head towards a door behind the reception desk. 'I've got a trainee with me.'

Gunna looked past the girl and into the office where a young man with a fringe over his eyes was sitting at a computer screen.

'Hey, you.'

The young man looked up cautiously and pointed a finger at his own chest. Gunna nodded back and beckoned. He stood up, clearly awkward in the smart hotel-issue trousers that he still managed to wear as low on the hips as decency would allow.

'What's your name, young man?'

'Eggert Thor.'