Meltwater (Fire and Ice)

she’s wrong,’ said Bryant.
    ‘Really?’
    Bryant smiled. Good American teeth. ‘Yeah, really. It’s not the CIA. Different department. It’s actually the Diplomatic Security Team.’
    ‘Oh, right. That’s OK, then.’
    ‘Yeah.’
    ‘Where are we going?’
    ‘We are just driving around. I thought we should have a little chat.’
    ‘I’m not sure there’s any point in that,’ said Magnus in Icelandic.
    ‘What?’
    ‘Don’t you speak Icelandic? What’s the CIA doing sending a spy to Iceland who doesn’t speak Icelandic? I saw through your disguise, by the way.’
    ‘I know you’re a good detective, Magnus. And no, I don’t speak the language. I am more of a Freeflow specialist than an Iceland specialist. We have other people who work for
the government who speak Icelandic.’
    ‘Ah.’
    ‘Yes. People like you.’
    Magnus turned to the driver. They had passed the Hallgrímskirkja on top of the hill and were driving down the other side towards Snorrabraut. ‘What do you mean?’
    ‘You work for the government, don’t you?’
    ‘Not the American government. I’m attached to the National Police Commissioner’s Office in Iceland.’
    ‘Yeah, but you’re still on the BPD payroll. And you’re getting your pension contributions; I know, I checked. Come on, you’re a cop, you know it’s all about the
pension rights.’
    ‘Hey, I’m thirty-four, what do I care about pensions?’ But Magnus knew that while that was true for him personally, a lot of his colleagues in the BPD became fixated on their
earliest retirement date years in advance.
    ‘I’m just saying,’ said Bryant.
    ‘Saying what?’
    ‘That you are a US citizen.’
    Magnus sighed. ‘So what do you want?’
    ‘I want to know what Freeflow is working on right now.’
    ‘No,’ said Magnus.
    Bryant drove on. They were down to the bay now, and he turned eastwards on Saebraut. Mount Esja was free of clouds, its rocky ramparts gleaming full of sprightly spring promise. ‘Nice
town, Reykjavík,’ Bryant said. ‘Very pretty. This reminds me a bit of Maine, you know. I used to go there on vacations when I was a kid.’
    ‘More trees in Maine,’ Magnus said.
    ‘True,’ Bryant said. ‘I know it has something to do with Israel.’
    ‘You watch TV in Icelandic, then?’
    ‘I have people to do it for me. Have you been following the peace negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians?’
    ‘Not really,’ said Magnus.
    ‘Well, even if you had you wouldn’t know that they are at a crucial stage. The Palestinians have indicated that they might show some flexibility if the Israelis do. There’s a
chance that we could get an agreement in the next month or so. A real agreement. The State Department is cautiously optimistic.’
    ‘That’s good.’
    ‘It’s very good, Magnus. This is the most intractable problem in the world today. But the main difficulty that both sides have isn’t with each other, it’s with
their own people – the right wing in Israel that believes in the God-given right of Jews to settle the occupied territories, and the Palestinian terrorists who want to see an end to the state
of Israel.’
    ‘What are you saying?’
    ‘I am saying that if a leak came out that harmed the reputation and good faith of either Israel or the Palestinians, it could disrupt the negotiations at a delicate stage.’
    ‘How do you know that what Freeflow is working on would do this?’
    ‘I don’t, for sure. It’s just a guess. But the balance of probability is that a big leak would screw things up. What do you think?’
    Magnus thought of the images of those bullets from the Israeli helicopter thudding into Tamara Wilton’s body. He thought of the chuckles, the jokes. ‘I’d say it
might.’
    Bryant indicated and pulled over to the side of the road. The car behind hooted; he ignored it.
    He turned to Magnus and looked him straight in the eye. ‘If you could disrupt or delay this leak, whatever it is, it might save the peace process.’
    Magnus hesitated. ‘No,’ he said.
    ‘Why not?’ said Bryant. ‘Tell me why not. It’s your duty to your country, the United States. Plus it will help stop one of the worst conflicts of the last fifty
years.’
    ‘It’s true I am an American,’ Magnus said. ‘But I am an Icelander as well. And the job I am doing at the moment is for the Republic of Iceland. If you want the leak
disrupted, then you should speak to the Icelandic authorities. It’s up to