Frozen Assets (35 page)

38

Tuesday, 7 October

Steam leaked from the kitchen at the back and hung in a cloud over the serving counter. The atmosphere in Hafnarkaffi was unusually lively and there was only one topic of conversation.

‘Good Lord, you'd think these people would have the decency to resign,' Stefán Jónsson held forth.

‘No shame and no morals,' someone else at the same table said.

‘Same all over. Same as the bloody government,' Stefán added.

‘Morning, boys,' Gunna offered, joining them at the table with a mug and a sandwich.

‘Ah, Gunnhildur. What does the law make of all this?'

‘What? The haddock quota? A disgrace, I reckon.'

‘No. Bloody Glitnir and the government bailing those bastards out with I don't know how many billions of our cash.'

Gunna took a long pull at her coffee to wash down the first mouthful of prawn sandwich.

‘Well, Stefán. Considering it's your money and mine, I'd be inclined to offer you my congratulations on the bank that you've just become part owner of.'

‘Well, there is that,' Albert Jónasson at the next table turned round to add. ‘But which one's next? That's what I'd like to know. Landsbanki or Kaupthing?'

‘Hi! Stína!' Stefán called out. ‘Put the wireless on for the news, would you?'

The newsreader's grave voice boomed out and as the first item began Gunna's phone buzzed.

‘Haddi. This better be important, disturbing a girl over lunch.'

She heard Haddi wheeze before he replied. ‘Going to be long? There's someone here to see you.'

‘Who is it?'

‘Dunno. Some big shot. He's come from Reykjavík to see you. Though I can't understand why anyone'd come all that way just to see you.'

‘All right.' Gunna sighed. In only a few days since the investigating team had rapidly been disbanded, life had seemed a little empty. ‘Tell him to come down to Hafnarkaffi if he's hungry, otherwise I'll be back in ten minutes,' she decided.

‘I'll tell him you'll be back in a minute. I don't reckon people like this go to places like Hafnarkaffi.'

‘Suit yourself,' Gunna replied, reaching for her soup.

‘If Haddi had said, I'd have been quicker,' Gunna said when she found Ívar Laxdal sitting in the better chair in her office.

‘Not a problem, Gunnhildur.'

‘What about Hårde? I'd love to know what went wrong.'

The National Commissioner's deputy looked as awkward as Gunna could expect a man in such an exalted position to look.

‘I can't comment. To be completely open with you, I don't know the full story myself, but,' he said quickly, indicating that he had no intention of discussing the matter further, ‘I do need to know whether or not you want to apply for this post in the east. Let me know, will you?'

‘I've decided not to apply for it. Family reasons. I'm a single parent and I really don't want to uproot my daughter before she's finished school. Didn't the Sheriff tell you?'

His face brightened. ‘Well, yes, he did. But I wanted to hear it from you. Interesting.'

Gunna was immediately puzzled that he should be pleased. ‘Why's that?'

‘Well, of course in the light of what's happened in the last few days and the uncertain economic future, we have to be prepared for different eventualities . . .'

‘You mean Glitnir going bust, all the rumours about Landsbanki going the same way and the whole country going to the dogs?'

‘Precisely. However, the National Commissioner and the Minister had already decided that we need to follow the precedent of forces in other countries and set up a dedicated serious crime unit, headquartered in Reykjavík.'

‘That's nice.'

‘We decided that if you were to turn down the Egilstadir posting, then you should be invited to apply to join the serious crime unit. You'd stay a sergeant initially, but there'd be a travel allowance and I expect you'd probably be an inspector inside a year.'

For a moment Gunna could think of nothing to say.

‘Why? I mean, why me? Surely the mess that this Hårde case turned out to be isn't much of a recommendation?'

A thin smile ran round Ívar Laxdal's face. ‘On the contrary. Between ourselves, you resisted interference that came all the way from ministerial level, ran a small team extremely well and simply stuck with it all the way. A fine job, although I couldn't possibly say that officially. You have my number. Let me know in the next few days, would you?' He smiled again, shrugging his way into his overcoat and tucking a briefcase under one arm.

‘What did our stuffed shirt want?' Haddi asked, scratching thoughtfully at the side of his nose as Gunna swept past. ‘Not leaving us, are you?'

At the back of the building, Gunna lit a Camel and tried to take in Ívar Laxdal's offer. She pulled her phone from her jacket pocket, scrolled through the numbers and pressed the green button.

‘Steini, hi, it's me. Yup, fine. Just thought you'd like to know I'll be staying after all.'