‘Is he going to survive?’ she asked, and immediately regretted the question. At this point, nobody would be able to tell.
‘He’s lost consciousness. It doesn’t look like the injuries are too serious,’ he said, trying to turn Rafn so he could see his back. ‘But there could be internal injuries and he needs treatment as soon as possible,’ he continued, taking another look at the injury to his neck.
She went over to Gísli, still standing next to the wreck of Rafn’s car.
‘What did you pick up from in there?’
‘What do you mean?’ he asked, looking surprised.
‘Inside the car. You were looking for something.’
‘Yes, I was looking to see if there was anyone in there.’
Salka squatted down and peered inside. There was blood on the passenger door, probably from when Rafn had been thrown clear. She heard the wail of a siren in the distance.
‘Did you notice a book?’ she said, opening the glove compartment and rooting through it.
‘No. I don’t understand.’
‘Rafn said something about a diary. Marta mentioned it to me as well,’ Salka said, going behind the car and looking into the open, empty boot. She scanned the things that had been thrown from the car as it had rolled.
The sound of sirens was closer and Salka saw the ambulance appear in the distance along with two patrol cars from Leirunesti.
‘You chased him pretty hard,’ Salka said, going up to Gísli.
‘You think so?’ he said, surprised.
‘Yes. I thought you’d be aware of the rules for pursuit.’
‘I thought I did everything right.’
‘You were going way too fast. You were pushing him to go faster instead of matching his speed and staying with him. How did this chase come about?’
‘I was coming out of BSÓ, the taxi station…’
‘I know what BSÓ is, Gísli,’ she snapped in irritation.
‘Well, I was coming out and saw him getting into the car. He saw me, and I followed.’
‘Why didn’t you answer when I called?’
‘I’m sorry, Salka. I was too stressed out.’
‘You’re to go to the station now, Gísli,’ she said, not looking at him.
‘Don’t you want me here to…?’
‘No. I’ll be there shortly. I need to take a closer look at the scene.’
‘You don’t need me to help…’
‘Gísli,’ she said firmly, catching his eye. No more words were needed.
She watched as the ambulance departed, taking Rafn to Akureyri, and then asked the uniformed officers still at the scene to check the area for anything that could have been thrown clear of the car.
‘Were you looking for this?’ asked one of the officers, handing Salka a book. ‘It was in the scrub over there.’
‘Is he all right?’ Valgeir asked as soon as he encountered Salka on the police station’s second floor.
‘Don’t know. He’s been taken to intensive care. He’d more than likely have been fine if you'd given a green light to the road blocks out of town,’ she said and was about to continue to her office. She stopped and caught Valgeir’s eye. ‘I found this.’
‘What’s that?’
‘It’s a diary.’
‘Sure,’ he said, looking at the book in her hand. ‘And what about it?’
‘Didn’t anyone mention Anton’s diary when you were investigating his disappearance?’
‘Not that I recall,’ he said thoughtfully. ‘Where did you find that?’
‘It was at the accident scene. It was very important to Rafn, so it’ll be interesting to look through it. You’re sure nobody said anything about this?’
‘Never heard it mentioned,’ he said firmly.
‘Fair enough,’ she said, shutting her office door behind her.
She took a seat and opened the diary. She saw the names of Helgi, Hróbjartur and Gunnleifur flash past as she read through the dated entries. There were other names that weren’t familiar. His descriptions of the abuse he and Rafn had been subjected to were unnervingly precise. Sometimes there appeared to be improbably short intervals between sessions.
Salka’s heart jumped as she stopped at an entry that appeared to have been written three weeks before Anton’s disappearance. It described a visit to the police station to make a statement accusing the three men of gross sexual misconduct. He detailed the interview and ended the entry with a few stark words.
That bastard Valli didn’t believe a word I said.
Anton’s final diary entry had been written just five days before his disappearance.
Went to meet Gunnleifur who said he had to see me. I went to the church hall and got Rafn to wait outside for me to be on the safe side. Gunnleifur was his usual smarmy self and said he regretted everything and wanted to apologise. He offered me money and that was tempting because he offered half a million. I said no and he went crazy. Then Hróbjartur and Helgi appeared from nowhere. I managed to run for it. Those bastards were definitely going to rape me. Or kill me.
Salka turned the page to the next entry and saw that this one was different as the handwriting was unlike Anton’s. Someone else had written this, and she guessed it had been Rafn.
There were just three lines.
Face in the mirror, you don’t listen.
Farewell with a kiss.
An angel dies today!
Salka stared at the page and the first two lines that had been written on the mirrors in Hróbjartur’s and Helgi’s homes. The last one should have been for the mirror in Gunnleifur’s house, she decided.
At the back of the diary a few photographs had been stuck to the pages. One showed two boys. Salka guessed they had to be around twelve years old. She opened the drawer and took out the folder containing the case files for Valgeir’s investigation into Anton’s disappearance. There was a picture taken of Anton at around fifteen. Comparing the two, there was no doubt that he was one of the two boys, and the other resembled Rafn. The next picture was a wedding photo of a young couple. Salka felt that the faces looked familiar, but couldn’t place them. On the back had been written, Mum and Dad. They looked happy, sitting side by side, clasping each other’s hands. Salka thought there was a sadness in the woman’s eyes. The third picture was of a young girl and Salka recognised her instantly – Marta. She wondered why there was a picture of her in the book. She decided that these pictures must have been important to him, considering he kept them in the book.
She took the fourth picture, a postcard-sized image of a handsome group dressed in their best, standing on a lawn in beautiful weather, and not a coast to be seen. Children in short trousers could be seen running around with a puppy at their heels. The picture had been taken when the group wasn’t posed for the photographer. They stood chatting, some with wine glasses in their hands, others holding cups of coffee. Some held plates of cakes and pancakes. A family reunion or a birthday, Salka thought.
She examined the foreground and made out Anton’s parents chatting to other guests. A few years had passed since the wedding photo. Again the suspicion returned that she recognised these people. She scanned the faces and the further they were from the lens, the less sharp the focus became. She passed her fingertips over the photograph and the people’s faces. After passing by two individuals, she slid her finger back to them, and looked hard.
This can’t be.
She wasn’t sure if she had spoken the words out loud or not. She pulled open a drawer and rooted through the contents, but couldn’t find what she was looking for. That was no surprise. She needed a magnifying glass.
She put the picture down and used her phone to take a picture. She opened the image and spread her fingers on the screen to enlarge it.
This can’t be.
This time she was sure she had spoken out loud.
‘Hæ,’ said a voice from the doorway, and Salka jumped.
‘Hæ,’ she said, looking up at Magnús.
‘I he
ard about the excitement at Leira.’
‘Yes,’ she said absently.
‘How’s Rafn?’
‘He’s in intensive care.’
‘I see you’re busy. Just wanted to see if I could ask you to lunch.’
Salka looked at him wordlessly.
‘Hello?’ he laughed. ‘Anyone home?’
‘Ach. I’m sorry,’ she said, shaking her head. ‘I’m up to my ears in this case. Can we do a late afternoon lunch?’
‘Sure,’ he said slowly. ‘If that’s a thing, then I’ll give it a go,’ he said, leaving with a smile.
Salka returned to the pictures. The last one showed a group of children and teenagers posing for the camera. She knew the building in the background: Dynheimar. There were fifteen of them who had lined themselves up in three rows and she instantly made out Anton, Rafn and Marta, plus Anton had written their names next to each of them. It wasn’t until she saw the face and the name of the lad at the end of the back row that her heart sank.
She buried her face in her hands.
35
‘Kolla wants a word,’ Valgeir called out as Salka passed his office.
‘She’s back?’ she asked, stopping and looking in on him.
‘She is,’ he said cheerfully, and with what seemed to be a faintly malicious undertone.
Salka knocked at Kolla’s door and opened it.
‘Good morning, Salka,’ she smiled. ‘Take a seat.’
Salka was about to take a seat facing the desk, when Kolla ushered her to the better chairs in the spacious office.
‘How are things?’ Kolla asked, after placing cups on the table between them.
Salka took her in for a moment before answering. There had been none of the usual introductory small talk. The polite stuff.
‘Things are not bad. A lot has happened.’
‘That’s an understatement,’ Kolla said, smiling after having sipped her coffee.
Salka was baffled by the smile, and felt that the atmosphere was dangerously pressured.
‘What’s the real situation?’
Salka had got to know Kolla slightly before she had moved to London, and liked her. She had also heard that she was no soft touch and didn’t shy away from difficult decisions. She had a reputation for being agreeable on the surface, but tough when she needed to be.
‘It’s not clear,’ Salka said cautiously. ‘So far. Of course, Skúli was under suspicion as the likely perpetrator. As was Rafn, who is now unconscious in intensive care. I’m meeting Óttar later and I hope he has some results that could clarify things.’
‘Salka,’ Kolla said, moving closer to the edge of her seat. She looked down at her hands before raising her eyes. ‘I have had some conversations during which I have been told that the investigation is disorganised. That’s to say, that there is nobody with an overview of the case as a whole. There has been only one team meeting with everyone concerned. Is there any particular reason for this?’
‘Yes, there’s probably a good reason for that,’ Salka said after pausing for thought. ‘There are individuals here who are not inclined to be co-operative,’ she said and wasn’t sure if saying this out loud had left her relieved, or with an added concern.
‘And who are these individuals?’
‘Could I ask about these conversations concerning the inefficient running of the investigation?’
Kolla looked back at her with no expression, and Salka wondered if she had been caught up in a game, the one that she often played herself and which was reminiscent of poker, when the slightest change of expression, movement or alteration in body language could give away your thoughts.
‘Valgeir came to see me earlier,’ Kolla said.
‘Yes. Valgeir. It goes without saying that he has been complaining. I need to have words with a few individuals … and I’m wondering if we could postpone the rest of this conversation?’
Salka went to Valgeir’s office and shut the door behind her as if it was something delicate.
‘No, you’re not going anywhere, Valgeir,’ she said, as she saw him stand up and open his mouth to speak. ‘I won’t keep you long. Just a few items to run past you,’ she said, seating herself in front of his desk.
Valgeir looked back at her questioningly and lounged in his chair, which she knew was a pretence. He knew what was coming.
‘Kolla sent her regards, Valli,’ she said, the emphasis on the diminutive of his name. ‘I didn’t know people called you Valli. That’s right, isn’t it?’
‘What?’ he asked, sounding less than amiable.
‘That you’re sometimes called Valli.’
‘It’s rare. Just a few close friends call me that. Why do you ask?’
‘I was wondering if we could allow each other a little honesty. Maybe even a little respect,’ she said, sidestepping the question.
‘What are you getting at?’ he demanded, the look in his eye one intended to show self-confidence, but the opposite shone through.
‘I have been through Anton’s diary and I’d like to ask you if you imagine that there’s anything in there that might concern you.’
He stayed silent.
‘Valgeir, you heard what I said, didn’t you?’
‘Yes. I heard you,’ he said, shifting in his seat.
‘I understand your reasons for going to Kolla and complaining about me. You feel that I’m disturbing your comfort zone and you’re concerned about your position. Am I right?’
There was another silence.
‘I have zero interest in the police pecking order. I couldn’t care less where you are, where you’re heading or what happens to me. If I’m sacked today, that’s fine. The only thing I have in mind is to do my job and do it well. And I expect that those who work with me think along the same lines,’ she said, her eyes fixed on Valgeir, who stared back at her, his face stiff.
Salka stood up and went over to the window with its view over Vaðlaheiði. She turned and perched on the windowsill.
‘You tried to get rid of me today. You reported to Kolla that the investigation is going badly and that I have little or no contact with those concerned. And you told her that I don’t listen to you,’ she said, returning to the chair and sitting to face him again. ‘There’s a lot in that. I could have done better in keeping everyone informed. But are you prepared to do the same?’
There was silence yet again.
‘Valgeir, how about you say something? Answer me?’ she said in a low voice as she leaned forward over the desk. ‘I’m trying to help you. Do you see that?’
Valgeir looked as if he had been turned to stone.
‘This is a photocopy of a page from Anton’s diary,’ she said, sliding a sheet of paper across the desk to him.
Valgeir took it and placed it back on the desk after reading it. He said nothing.
‘I could initiate an internal investigation into your work and particularly in connection with Anton’s disappearance. As this shows, Anton came to you with allegations of abuse. That conversation is nowhere to be seen in the archives. Why, Valgeir? And soon afterwards, he disappeared. I’m going to hold off putting this in the right hands,’ she said, picking up the photocopied sheet. ‘Maybe I won’t do it at all. I’m also going to wait before asking you what the reasons were for conducting your investigation as you did, and what links you have to this priest and the deacon. I’m fully aware that you and Gunnleifur know each other well. You might well be close friends, which would naturally have precluded you from investigating back then. So you find all this uncomfortable and you’d prefer to prevent me from blowing the dust off this old case. But now you need to help me, Valgeir.’
‘How?’ he murmured.
‘The next step. I have an idea.’
‘Are you free?’ Salka asked, appearing in the doorway of the room Óttar had been allocated at the station.
‘Absolutely. Sit yourself down.’
‘There’s a team meeting later, and I need to ask you to do something for me.’
/>
‘And what might that be?’
‘I need to ask you to lie.’
36
Salka greeted all those involved in the investigation as they entered the meeting room. She heard Gísli say hello, but didn’t look up. She had called Magnús and asked him to join the meeting so he could provide more information about Rafn, considering he had often appeared on the police’s radar over the years.
She went through each item at a time, and it emerged that the analysis team had not been able to extract anything more from the videos. Salka was promised screenshots of the abuse victims who appeared in them. Óttar spoke, giving an overview of the main points from the crime scenes and going over the results from the biological samples and other evidence.
‘Then I think we will simply have to wait and see how things evolve,’ Salka said. ‘As I see things, taking into account the material we have, Skúli and Rafn were participants in these murders. We will have to look more closely into how they achieved this together. As Óttar mentioned, the footprints we identified on the lawn and the decking at Gunnleifur’s house match Rafn’s shoe size. We have Anton’s diary, and judging by the contents, he had strong reasons for wanting to be revenged on these men. While we can’t be certain if Skúli was also abused, we know that they used him to get what they wanted. They used him to bring them young boys,’ she said and fell silent as she looked over those present, who gazed back at her silently. ‘We continue the investigation and wait for Rafn to regain consciousness, although one of the doctors reported earlier that they aren’t overly hopeful. I’ve interviewed Gunnleifur again and nothing more has emerged that justifies continued custody. So he’ll go home later today and doesn’t need a further police presence at his house. He’s leaving the country tomorrow…’
‘Leaving the country? Is that allowable while the investigation is in progress?’ Gísli asked.
‘Yes, it’s acceptable,’ Salka said. ‘He’s in poor health and is going to Denmark for a PET scan. That’ll do.’ She stood up. ‘If there are no more questions, I suggest we get back to work and meet again tomorrow.’
The Commandments : A Novel (2021) Page 19
