Helgi nodded, silently cursing the cold. But this would only take a minute or two and Thor must be feeling the chill as much as he was.
‘I went to see Lovísa after we spoke this morning.’
Thor took a bite of hot-dog, looking at Helgi with his eyebrows raised enquiringly, as if he had no idea what was coming next.
‘She told me you and Elín used to be an item.’
Finally, a hint of alarm appeared in Thor’s eyes.
‘Just a minute…’ he said, wiping his mouth with a paper napkin. He was transparently buying himself time.
‘Correct me if I’m wrong,’ Helgi said, ‘but I seem to remember asking you about your relationship this morning and receiving a quite different answer.’
‘We…’ Thor paused. ‘What exactly did Lovísa say?’
‘Never mind what she said. What do you say, Thor?’
‘Well, yes, we went out with each other briefly before I met my wife.’
‘It didn’t occur to you to mention this to me?’
Thor looked simultaneously confused, ashamed and guilty. ‘I felt it wasn’t really relevant. Elín and I have never discussed it with Rut, you see. And there was no reasonto drag it out into the daylight now, as far as I could tell. I do hope you understand that.’
‘Why didn’t your relationship last?’
‘I broke up with her when I met Rut, it was as simple as that.’
‘How did Elín take it?’
‘Not particularly well. We were young and in love, but I think her feelings for me were stronger than mine for her.’
‘Did she ever have another relationship of any length?’
Thor seemed to consider.
‘You know, I don’t think she did.’
Helgi smiled. ‘Perhaps she never got over you.’
Thor’s expression spoke louder than words. It seemed that Helgi might inadvertently have hit on the truth.
Helgi was glad to get back into the car. Turning the heater on full blast, he set off for home.
As he drove, he switched on the radio. It was the Radio 2 afternoon programme, a well-known politician in conversation with a female presenter. Helgi listened for a while as they discussed a wage dispute between fishing-boat owners and crews, but he was too distracted to take it in. It occurred to him that he himself might soon be sitting in the hot seat at the radio studio, being interviewed about the disappearance of the bestselling author.
He selected Aníta’s number on his phone, wanting to hear her voice, but she didn’t pick up. Perhaps she was still at work or had gone out for a run, as she did most days.
Most of all, though, he wanted to hear Aníta’s cheerful voice and tell her how much he was looking forward to seeing her this evening.
For some unknown reason, Elín had let Thor slip through her fingers long ago, but Helgi had no intention of losing Aníta.
2012
Friday, 2 November
Aníta leapt from the bus just before the doors closed.
She wasn’t at her stop yet, but she couldn’t stay on board a second longer.
