Meltwater (Fire and Ice)

breakthrough was actually widening out the
possibilities, not narrowing them down. ‘I’ll talk to Matthías. We are going to need serious cooperation from the Italians on this.’
    He called Matthías, an inspector at the International Liaison Bureau in the Police Commissioner’s Office, which acted as the Interpol National Central Bureau for Iceland.
Communications within Interpol had to go from National Central Bureau to National Central Bureau: a clumsy system at the best of times. Matthías was a mild-mannered man with a wispy blond
beard and glasses and a facility for languages, who prided himself on his speed. Foreign police forces were amazed at how quickly the Icelanders could respond to requests for information. The same
could not usually be said for the Italians, although they had been cooperative so far.
    Magnus explained that he needed the police in Milan to seize Nico’s home computer right away, with no delays over paperwork that would give someone more time to tamper with the machine
before they got to it. If it hadn’t been tampered with already. He also wanted a list of known contract killers in Milan to cross-reference with the manifests of flights into Iceland the
previous week. If Baldur was right and Teresa had hired someone to off her husband, it would probably be a local guy.
    Matthías promised to get right on to it, and was optimistic that he could get the Italian police to move that day. Magnus passed on the information about Nico to his team, or those of
them who weren’t already out interviewing Italian tourists.
    Should he break the news to Freeflow, or hold it back? Magnus could imagine that Erika would be devastated, especially given what he knew about her affair with Nico. Perhaps she would finally
talk to him straight. But somehow he knew she wouldn’t. And the other members of the team would follow their leader.
    Except for one, perhaps.
    He turned to his computer and called up the file named Freeflow Secret Leaks. Nothing new had been left there by his mysterious correspondent. He began to type.
    I have some news for you. It turns out that Nico was a plant. He was an old friend of a man named Giovanni Panunzi who worked for Roberto Tretto.
     Nico’s wife is pretty sure that Nico was encouraged by Panunzi to infiltrate Freeflow.
    Did you or anyone else at Freeflow suspect that?
    If the people who killed Nico were related to Tretto or Gruppo Cavour in some way, do you have any idea why they might want to kill him? Had he spoken
     to anyone at Freeflow about his real agenda?
    Any help you can give us is much appreciated. We are on the same side in this.
    Magnus
    PS What’s your name?
    Magnus was frustrated that he would have to wait several hours or perhaps days until whoever had broken into the police system checked it again. He was just about to close the file when he saw
text appearing in front of him: i don’t believe it! are you sure? and you can call me apex.
    Magnus began typing: Not one hundred percent sure, but pretty close. And thanks for your help, Apex.
    He waited, staring at the screen.
    After two or three minutes, letters began to appear: i had no idea, and i am quite sure no one else at ff did either. there are things i can check though. i will be back.
apex.
    Magnus switched off his computer and prepared to leave for Thórsgata. Just as he was putting on his jacket, his cell phone rang.
    ‘Magnús.’
    ‘Is that Sergeant Magnús Ragnarsson?’ The voice was deep and mellow.
    ‘It is. Who’s speaking?’
    ‘My name is Jóhannes. Jóhannes Benediktsson. My father grew up at Hraun, in Helgafellssveit.’
    Magnus went still. It was almost as though a voice from the dead was calling him. He sat back down in his chair.
    ‘Oh, yes?’
    ‘My father became an author. He was murdered in 1985.’
    ‘I know,’ said Magnus.
    ‘I am planning to write a book about his life. I have just been up to Stykkishólmur to see my aunt Hildur. And a woman named Unnur, whom I think you know.’
    ‘Yes,’ said Magnus. ‘Yes, I do know her.’
    ‘Well, she said that you had been asking about my father, and your grandfather. I have some information you might find interesting. And some questions to ask you. Would you like to
meet?’
    ‘Yes,’ said Magnus. ‘Yes, I would.’
    ‘Lunch today?’
    ‘Um. I’d like to, but I’m in the middle of a case.’
    ‘I’d really like to see you as soon as possible,’ the man said.
    Magnus hesitated. There was no