old Volkswagen and rattled away in a cloud of dust and exhaust fumes.
It was the end of a hot day and Logi wiped the sweat from his forehead. He put his tools in the back of the pickup and walked around the site one more time. The job had been done in record time and he felt he could be proud of it. A few corners had been cut to save time, but it was nothing anyone would notice.
The black van arrived as he was ready to leave. Rafn jumped out of one side and a man who looked large enough to be two normal-sized men rolled into one stepped easily out of the passenger side. Rafn’s mirror shades were back in place and the big man crossed massive arms, blue with tattoos blurred by time, over the front of his studded leather waistcoat.
‘Hey, Logi. Finished?’
‘Yep, I think so. The ceiling’s up, the walls are finished and the electrics all work. The boys have just left.’
‘Nice work,’ Rafn said softly. ‘Shall we take a look around?’
Inside the building and out of the direct sun it was cooler, although the two big showroom windows made the place almost like a greenhouse. Rafn inspected the new walls and the big man stood in the doorway like a rock that had been carefully placed there. He swung the doors and listened to them click shut, then snapped the lights on and off again.
Finally he nodded approval. ‘Danni paid you, did he?’
‘Yep. All up to date, for once.’
‘It doesn’t happen every time, I guess?’
‘Let’s just say that Danni has his moments.’
Rafn stood for a moment in thought.
‘You know who we are, Logi?’ he asked, looking up.
Logi looked back at his own reflection. ‘Could be,’ he said, ‘but I’m not the inquisitive type.’
‘Good.’ Rafn smiled and took his glasses off. ‘Let’s keep it that way, shall we?’
‘Sure,’ Logi agreed. He wasn’t certain who they might be, although he could make some shrewd guesses.
Rafn gave Logi’s shoulder a friendly slap. ‘Let me have your number, Logi. If we need any more work done, we can come straight to you next time.’
‘You need any more done here? Looks finished to me.’
‘Maybe. We’ll see. It depends how good business is, doesn’t it? You know what this place is?’
‘I didn’t ask Danni what it’s supposed to be, but I’d guess it’s a car showroom.’
‘That’s good, Logi,’ Rafn said, taking a card from Logi’s hand. ‘That’s what we want it to be. It goes without saying that you know nothing about this place?’
‘That’s fine with me,’ Logi said. ‘As long as the taxman doesn’t hear about the money, then I won’t say a word. I’m working out of town in the next few weeks anyway.’ He fished in the pocket of his overalls and handed Rafn an envelope. ‘Here. Before I forget.’
‘What’s this?’ The question was immediately suspicious.
‘It’s the keys. Six for each lock.’
‘Ah.’ Rafn’s face cleared. ‘Just as well we didn’t forget those. Listen, the other guys, they’ll keep quiet?’
‘Yeah. The big guy’s leaving the country tomorrow anyway and Tadeusz is working with me up in Borgarfjördur for the next few weeks.’
‘Good.’ Rafn seemed satisfied. ‘Security’s always a headache. Listen, if we need any more work done, we’ll come to you.’
‘Thanks. That’s good to know.’
‘And if you ever have a problem that needs fixing . . .’ Rafn grinned and nodded towards the big man in the doorway. ‘Toggi solves all kinds of problems.’
Helgi spent an exhausting afternoon with little reward. The time-frame was exact, as far as he knew, but the problem was that no cameras were located anywhere near where Axel Rútur Karlsson lived, and not knowing where he was headed made things even more difficult. It didn’t help that the police had to rely on private- sector cameras of varying quality, and on a Saturday most of those companies were closed for the weekend.
Fortunately, an insurance company with offices in the Kringla shopping centre had
It was the end of a hot day and Logi wiped the sweat from his forehead. He put his tools in the back of the pickup and walked around the site one more time. The job had been done in record time and he felt he could be proud of it. A few corners had been cut to save time, but it was nothing anyone would notice.
The black van arrived as he was ready to leave. Rafn jumped out of one side and a man who looked large enough to be two normal-sized men rolled into one stepped easily out of the passenger side. Rafn’s mirror shades were back in place and the big man crossed massive arms, blue with tattoos blurred by time, over the front of his studded leather waistcoat.
‘Hey, Logi. Finished?’
‘Yep, I think so. The ceiling’s up, the walls are finished and the electrics all work. The boys have just left.’
‘Nice work,’ Rafn said softly. ‘Shall we take a look around?’
Inside the building and out of the direct sun it was cooler, although the two big showroom windows made the place almost like a greenhouse. Rafn inspected the new walls and the big man stood in the doorway like a rock that had been carefully placed there. He swung the doors and listened to them click shut, then snapped the lights on and off again.
Finally he nodded approval. ‘Danni paid you, did he?’
‘Yep. All up to date, for once.’
‘It doesn’t happen every time, I guess?’
‘Let’s just say that Danni has his moments.’
Rafn stood for a moment in thought.
‘You know who we are, Logi?’ he asked, looking up.
Logi looked back at his own reflection. ‘Could be,’ he said, ‘but I’m not the inquisitive type.’
‘Good.’ Rafn smiled and took his glasses off. ‘Let’s keep it that way, shall we?’
‘Sure,’ Logi agreed. He wasn’t certain who they might be, although he could make some shrewd guesses.
Rafn gave Logi’s shoulder a friendly slap. ‘Let me have your number, Logi. If we need any more work done, we can come straight to you next time.’
‘You need any more done here? Looks finished to me.’
‘Maybe. We’ll see. It depends how good business is, doesn’t it? You know what this place is?’
‘I didn’t ask Danni what it’s supposed to be, but I’d guess it’s a car showroom.’
‘That’s good, Logi,’ Rafn said, taking a card from Logi’s hand. ‘That’s what we want it to be. It goes without saying that you know nothing about this place?’
‘That’s fine with me,’ Logi said. ‘As long as the taxman doesn’t hear about the money, then I won’t say a word. I’m working out of town in the next few weeks anyway.’ He fished in the pocket of his overalls and handed Rafn an envelope. ‘Here. Before I forget.’
‘What’s this?’ The question was immediately suspicious.
‘It’s the keys. Six for each lock.’
‘Ah.’ Rafn’s face cleared. ‘Just as well we didn’t forget those. Listen, the other guys, they’ll keep quiet?’
‘Yeah. The big guy’s leaving the country tomorrow anyway and Tadeusz is working with me up in Borgarfjördur for the next few weeks.’
‘Good.’ Rafn seemed satisfied. ‘Security’s always a headache. Listen, if we need any more work done, we’ll come to you.’
‘Thanks. That’s good to know.’
‘And if you ever have a problem that needs fixing . . .’ Rafn grinned and nodded towards the big man in the doorway. ‘Toggi solves all kinds of problems.’
Helgi spent an exhausting afternoon with little reward. The time-frame was exact, as far as he knew, but the problem was that no cameras were located anywhere near where Axel Rútur Karlsson lived, and not knowing where he was headed made things even more difficult. It didn’t help that the police had to rely on private- sector cameras of varying quality, and on a Saturday most of those companies were closed for the weekend.
Fortunately, an insurance company with offices in the Kringla shopping centre had
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