‘I see,’ Helgi said, taking care to put his next question tactfully, as he didn’t want to offend the woman. ‘I have to admit that the interview passed me by at the time. And I haven’t come across it, though of course I haven’t tried to track down all the old interviews with Elín in researching the background to this case. I expect it was well received, though, wasn’t it?’ He smiled at Kristín.
She shook her head. ‘No, the interview has never been published.’
‘What?’
‘Not yet, anyway.’
‘Hang on, I don’t quite follow. You took the interview, but she banned you from publishing it? Or you didn’t want to…’
‘She didn’t exactly ban me. She just set a further condition.’
Helgi leaned forwards over the table. This felt almost like being in one of Elín’s novels, in a plot she had spun.
‘What condition?’ he asked eagerly.
‘The interview wasn’t to appear until after her death.’
‘OK.’
‘That’s why I asked if the police believed she was dead when we met… because of the interview, not the inheritance. It took me a while to assimilate what had happened. And I had to do a lot of thinking before coming here today. I didn’t want to break trust. You have to tread carefully when it comes to sources, even in a case like this which doesn’t involve anonymity so much as a rather unusual condition. I wasn’t at all sure I ought to discuss it with you, but in the end I felt it was the right thing to do. I could hardly sleep last night I’ve been so worried. The interview has been preying on my mind ever since you told me yesterday that Elín had gone missing.’
‘Thank you for coming in, Kristín. I appreciate it. Finding Elín is our priority, but, to be blunt, I’m afraid she may be dead.’
The uncharitable thought occurred to Helgi that choosing this moment to break confidentiality would suit Kristín very well if, as a result, the police could confirm that Elín was dead.
First, though, he wanted to know if there had been anything potentially enlightening in the interview, assuming she was going to let him read it.
‘When she talked to you, did she reveal anythingstartling or of particular interest? I mean, can you understand what would have prompted her to make such an odd request?’
As he spoke, he became aware of the rain again. Far from letting up, it sounded as if it was intensifying.
‘Yes. She was very frank about a number of things. For example, she told me she was writing another series, under the pseudonym Marteinn Einarsson.’
‘Ah, yes.’
‘You don’t seem surprised. I thought it was a well-kept secret?’
‘I suppose that’s now’ – Helgi paused to count – ‘a total of maybe seven people who are in the know.’
‘I haven’t said a word to anyone, but I’ve always bought the books when they came out. Great stories, though quite different from the old series.’
‘Of course, that could be the explanation…’
‘Of what?’ Kristín asked.
‘The reason why she didn’t want the interview to be published in her lifetime.’
‘Well, possibly, but I don’t think so. Because that wasn’t the biggest secret.’
‘Oh?’
‘Yes. You see, she dropped a complete bombshell at the end. I’m sure that’s why she wanted to delay publication. Some secrets are too explosive to reveal.’
‘Can you tell me in spite of that? At least give me a brief account of what she said. Or let me read the interview for myself?’
‘I haven’t transcribed it; I never got round to that.There didn’t seem to be any point, since Elín was still going strong.’ Kristín sighed. ‘I have to admit that it’s been weighing on my mind. I’m not sure Elín fully appreciated how hard it is to carry around a timebomb like that year after year, my thoughts constantly coming back to her. I’ve taken great care of the recording. When she originally offered me the interview, I thought maybe she was ill, even dying, but clearly that wasn’t the case. She just rang me out of the blue, then proceeded to tell me her life story, pretty much. She was an unusual person. But she made an impression on me and I found myself sympathizing with her. A great subject for a feature interview, that’s what I remember thinking at the time. And I’ve often thought about her since then but never got round to picking up the phone.’
‘It’s often the way.’
