Where the Shadows Lie (Fire and Ice)

though.’
    ‘Ingileif?’
    ‘Yeah.’ Katrín lit up a cigarette and sat down opposite him. ‘I’ve even bought some of the stuff in her gallery. That vase, for instance.’ She pointed to a small twisted glass vase with a dirty wooden spoon in it. ‘Cost a bomb, but I kind of like it.’
    ‘Do you think she’s honest?’ Magnus asked.
    ‘Is that a cop talking?’
    Magnus shrugged.
    ‘Yes, she is. People like her. Why? What’s she done?’
    ‘Nothing,’ Magnus said. ‘Do you know Lárus Thorvaldsson?’
    ‘The painter? Yes, a little. He’s a friend of Ingileif’s too.’
    ‘A good friend?’
    ‘Nothing serious. Lárus has lots of girls. You know where you are with him, if you see what I mean. No hassle.’
    ‘I think I do,’ said Magnus. It was pretty clear that Katrín knew him in much the same way Ingileif did.
    Katrín looked at him closely. ‘Are you asking that as a cop, or do you have some other interest?’
    Magnus put down his fork and rubbed his eyes. ‘I really don’t know.’ He picked up his empty plate, rinsed it off and stuck it in the dishwasher. ‘I need sleep. I’m going to bed.’

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
    B ALDUR SEEMED TO have a new lease of energy at the morning meeting as he doled out tasks to his detectives. He passed on the report from the forensics lab about the mud on Steve Jubb’s shoes, and explained that they needed to widen their investigation. Speak to everyone they had interviewed one more time. Interview new people: anyone who might conceivably have seen another visitor to Agnar, the people who sold Agnar drugs, his students, his former girlfriends, his colleagues, his friends, his wife’s friends, neighbours, everyone.
    There was some discussion with Rannveig about providing the British police with the paperwork they required to grant a search warrant for Jubb’s house and computer. The detective Baldur had sent to Yorkshire had spoken to Jubb’s neighbours. Jubb was a bit of a loner, often on the road with his lorry. His passion for The Lord of the Rings was well known. A former girlfriend, now married to someone else, said he was an intelligent man, obsessive, but not violent in the least. No help there, no leads.
    Throughout all of this, Baldur did not look at Magnus once.
    Until after the meeting, when he beckoned Magnus to follow him to his office. He slammed the door behind him.
    ‘I do not like being undercut!’
    ‘What do you mean?’
    ‘I mean that I don’t like you going to the Commissioner behind my back and telling him we should be sending people to California.’
    ‘He asked my opinion. I gave it to him,’ said Magnus.
    ‘This is exactly the wrong time to divert resources away from the main thrust of the investigation.’
    ‘When do I go?’ asked Magnus.
    Baldur shook his head. ‘You’re not going. Árni is on his way. He left last night.’
    ‘Árni! Alone?’
    ‘Yes. I can’t afford to spare more than one detective.’
    ‘What about me?’
    ‘Oh, you are far too valuable,’ said Baldur, his voice laden with irony. ‘Besides, Árni has a degree from the States. And he speaks good English.’
    ‘And what should I do?’
    ‘You can look for a ring,’ Baldur said, smiling grimly. ‘That should keep you busy.’
    As soon as he was back at his desk, Magnus called Árni. The young detective was at JFK, waiting for his connecting flight to San Francisco. Although it was very early morning in New York, Árni sounded wide awake. He was really excited. Magnus just managed to calm him down enough to suggest a line of questioning for Isildur. Threaten him with conspiracy to murder unless he explained what Steve Jubb was really doing in Reykjavík.
    Árni seemed to take it in, although Magnus had little confidence in his ability to get Isildur to divulge anything he didn’t want to.
    ‘By the way,’ Magnus asked, ‘did you check out Birna and Pétur’s alibis yesterday?’
    ‘They’re good,’ said Árni. ‘I checked with Birna’s lover and the hotel in Kópavogur. I also spoke to the managers at Pétur’s three clubs. They all saw him on that night.’
    Magnus wasn’t surprised. But he knew how important it was in an investigation to check and double check everything. ‘Well, good luck,’ he said.
    ‘Can I bring you back anything?’
    ‘No, Árni. Just a full confession from Lawrence Feldman.’
    Magnus turned to his computer and logged on. He was convinced that Baldur was wrong to downplay the importance of Isildur or