Read Online Chilled to the Bone by Quentin Bates - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Quentin Bates
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imagine.”
“Are you all right, chief?” Helgi asked, looking around and peering over the reading glasses on the end of his nose.
“Fine, thanks,” Gunna scowled. “What’s on the screen?”
Helgi clicked and the figure of Kolbeinn in his white shirt and black waistcoat could be seen at the bar, polishing a glass. He served a couple of customers in rapid, jerky fast forward as Helgi scrolled through half an hour in a matter of minutes. As the clock rolled over to six precisely, a bearded man in a leather jacket approached the bar and Gunna could see him in conversation with Kolbeinn, their talk continuing over the cup of coffee the barman served him; she could see a wallet being flashed quickly.
“He could have showed that lad a library card at that speed and got away with it,” Helgi grunted as the bearded man left the bar with a spring in his step. “That was pretty quick, wasn’t it?”
“Remarkably so. Let’s have a look at the lobby, shall we? He’s admitted that this guy invited him over the road for a beer, so let’s just see how fast that happened. Then you can get me a still of this deadbeat hack’s face. I’ll see if he can be tracked down and I’ll have a quiet word in his ear.”
“Enough to sow fear in any God-fearing man’s heart,” Helgi intoned.
“A NY NEWS ?”
Jóel Ingi shook his head. “Tonight, I hope.”
“I hope so. Ægir’s not going to let this go easily.”
“He’s a bastard. A real bastard,” Jóel Ingi announced in a whisper not quite discreet enough for comfort.
“Shhh. Someone could hear you,” Már scolded, stepping back and taking a closer look at Jóel Ingi. “Are you all right?” he asked eventually. “Been overdoing it?”
“Not sleeping all that well, but I’m fine. I can handle this. You wait and see.”
Y NGVI WAS IN his office, and as Gunna approached the open door she could hear his querulous protests in the face of a verbal onslaught. Stepping past the door, she was able to see through the narrow gap between it and the frame and catch a momentary glimpse of Yngvi behind his desk, leaning back in his leather office chair as a bulky man leaned with both hands on the desk.
“It’s a damned disgrace and it shouldn’t be allowed for you people to harass staff outside working hours …”
“I assure you …” Yngvi protested uselessly.
“Reprehensible,” the broad-backed man complained. “If you want to carry out your damned investigations into the disgraceful things that happen in this place, then you should do them on the premises. You shouldn’t be doing it in people’s own time and invading their privacy. It’s a damned scandal and I shall be taking this to the union. Have no fear.”
“If I can say something,” Yngvi finally managed to say as the bear of a man paused for breath—Gunna could almost hear Yngvi collecting his thoughts. “If I can say something. Look, Hákon. That’s your name, isn’t it? I’m sorry if your wife has been inconvenienced. She’s an outstanding member of staff.”
“And so damn what?” The big man wheezed. “Why’s she getting this harassment? That’s what it is,” he said in triumph, as if he had been searching for the right word. “Damned harassment.”
“Listen to me, will you? We will be carrying out an internal investigation, but that hasn’t started yet and it probably won’t be conducted until the police investigation is complete.”
“So what are you trying to tell me?” The big man demanded and Gunna stayed out of sight, also interested to hear Yngvi’s explanation.
“I’m telling you that if your wife has been harassed, it wasn’t anything to do with the hotel management. It must have been the police. It wasn’t anything I have authorized and any internal investigation here certainly wouldn’t leave the building.”
Gunna continued along the corridor slowly enough to hear Yngvi’s final comment to the man. “I suggest you speak to the police. There are
“Are you all right, chief?” Helgi asked, looking around and peering over the reading glasses on the end of his nose.
“Fine, thanks,” Gunna scowled. “What’s on the screen?”
Helgi clicked and the figure of Kolbeinn in his white shirt and black waistcoat could be seen at the bar, polishing a glass. He served a couple of customers in rapid, jerky fast forward as Helgi scrolled through half an hour in a matter of minutes. As the clock rolled over to six precisely, a bearded man in a leather jacket approached the bar and Gunna could see him in conversation with Kolbeinn, their talk continuing over the cup of coffee the barman served him; she could see a wallet being flashed quickly.
“He could have showed that lad a library card at that speed and got away with it,” Helgi grunted as the bearded man left the bar with a spring in his step. “That was pretty quick, wasn’t it?”
“Remarkably so. Let’s have a look at the lobby, shall we? He’s admitted that this guy invited him over the road for a beer, so let’s just see how fast that happened. Then you can get me a still of this deadbeat hack’s face. I’ll see if he can be tracked down and I’ll have a quiet word in his ear.”
“Enough to sow fear in any God-fearing man’s heart,” Helgi intoned.
“A NY NEWS ?”
Jóel Ingi shook his head. “Tonight, I hope.”
“I hope so. Ægir’s not going to let this go easily.”
“He’s a bastard. A real bastard,” Jóel Ingi announced in a whisper not quite discreet enough for comfort.
“Shhh. Someone could hear you,” Már scolded, stepping back and taking a closer look at Jóel Ingi. “Are you all right?” he asked eventually. “Been overdoing it?”
“Not sleeping all that well, but I’m fine. I can handle this. You wait and see.”
Y NGVI WAS IN his office, and as Gunna approached the open door she could hear his querulous protests in the face of a verbal onslaught. Stepping past the door, she was able to see through the narrow gap between it and the frame and catch a momentary glimpse of Yngvi behind his desk, leaning back in his leather office chair as a bulky man leaned with both hands on the desk.
“It’s a damned disgrace and it shouldn’t be allowed for you people to harass staff outside working hours …”
“I assure you …” Yngvi protested uselessly.
“Reprehensible,” the broad-backed man complained. “If you want to carry out your damned investigations into the disgraceful things that happen in this place, then you should do them on the premises. You shouldn’t be doing it in people’s own time and invading their privacy. It’s a damned scandal and I shall be taking this to the union. Have no fear.”
“If I can say something,” Yngvi finally managed to say as the bear of a man paused for breath—Gunna could almost hear Yngvi collecting his thoughts. “If I can say something. Look, Hákon. That’s your name, isn’t it? I’m sorry if your wife has been inconvenienced. She’s an outstanding member of staff.”
“And so damn what?” The big man wheezed. “Why’s she getting this harassment? That’s what it is,” he said in triumph, as if he had been searching for the right word. “Damned harassment.”
“Listen to me, will you? We will be carrying out an internal investigation, but that hasn’t started yet and it probably won’t be conducted until the police investigation is complete.”
“So what are you trying to tell me?” The big man demanded and Gunna stayed out of sight, also interested to hear Yngvi’s explanation.
“I’m telling you that if your wife has been harassed, it wasn’t anything to do with the hotel management. It must have been the police. It wasn’t anything I have authorized and any internal investigation here certainly wouldn’t leave the building.”
Gunna continued along the corridor slowly enough to hear Yngvi’s final comment to the man. “I suggest you speak to the police. There are
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