Black Skies

53

Late that evening the phone rang in Sigurdur Óli’s flat. It was Patrekur, asking if he could drop by. Not long afterwards there was a knock at his door and he opened it to find his friend standing there, looking lost.

‘It was my fault,’ he said. ‘I’m the one who should go to prison.’

‘Come in, I was just going to have some tea.’ Sigurdur Óli showed him into the kitchen.

‘I don’t want anything,’ said Patrekur. ‘I just want to talk to you. What do you think will happen?’

‘I gather Súsanna has confessed to her part in the attack on Lína,’ said Sigurdur Óli, who had phoned the station earlier. ‘That she got Höddi to go and fetch the photos — she and her sister. While you and Hermann were talking to me, they were talking to Höddi.’

‘I had no idea.’

‘You told Súsanna that you’d slept with Lína.’

‘She completely lost it. She thought Lína was trying to destroy our marriage.’

‘And Höddi put Thórarinn on the case.’

‘Súsanna never told me what Höddi did for a living. He was just some friend from the old days. And Lína was no angel — far from it. I tried to explain that to Súsanna but she just screamed at me, said she never wanted to see me again. She blames me for the whole mess and I can understand that. She has to come to terms with having caused the death of another human being.’

‘Indirectly,’ said Sigurdur Óli.

‘That’s not the way she sees it.’

‘Her sister and Hermann must take some of the blame. You have to look at the bigger picture.’

‘She’s angriest of all with me.’

‘Look, the blame lies mainly with that lunatic Thórarinn who got carried away,’ said Sigurdur Óli. ‘Although I’m not excusing Súsanna’s foolishness. Or any of yours. Next time you feel tempted to cheat on your wife, either forget it or keep your mouth shut.’

‘What now?’ asked Patrekur eventually.

‘She’ll have to serve a prison sentence.’

‘She’s been in a very bad way lately. I just didn’t notice because I was so caught up in my own stupid affairs. I can see now that she was hardly in her right mind some days.’

‘You should try to support her.’

‘If she’ll have me any more.’

‘Well, you’ll both just have to live with it. Maybe it’ll bring you closer.’

‘I wouldn’t want to lose her.’

‘Nor would I,’ said Sigurdur Óli.

‘What about you? Are you in trouble because of us?’

‘I’ll survive,’ said Sigurdur Óli.