The Quiet Mother

53

The operation by the police and customs authorities was considered a success — and in any case, the criminals’ plan wasn’t really worth its salt. Customs employees had received a fairly reliable tip that a crew member on board one of the cargo ships was smuggling a considerable amount of steroids and ecstasy into the country, along with cocaine. The tip came from the ship itself. A particular man was named and, following the ordinary customs inspection, he was watched as he disembarked and then tailed as he headed home, to see if he had accomplices.

Shortly afterwards, he was visited by two men known to law enforcement for their involvement in a large-scale drug importation scheme a few years earlier. They usually worked together, and both had done time for smuggling. All three were arrested right away at the sailor’s home. In a sports bag taken from the house, the drugs in question were found.

The men were cooperative. They’d been through all this before, pretty much, besides the fact that they were caught red-handed.

One of them named Hallur as an accomplice. He had said he’d make a contribution, and thereby would gain a share in the profits from the smuggling. He didn’t put his money where his mouth was, though, and when the other partners heard he’d been arrested and brought in for questioning in connection with an entirely different matter, they paid a visit to Glóey to deliver her the message that it would be best for the two of them if he kept his mouth shut about their scheme.

They immediately suspected Hallur of treachery. That, despite everything, he’d blabbed to the police about the smuggling. The men were absolutely convinced of it. They talked openly about murdering the fucking bastard.

Marta was quickly notified of this. The reason was that the men had quite an interesting story to tell about their friend Hallur and the old lady in the block of flats.

‘What about her?’ Marta asked as she sat down in front of one of the men who’d gone to see Glóey and attacked her.

‘The old lady?’ said the man.

He had a tattoo that ran up his neck and behind one ear. Marta couldn’t make out what the tattoo was supposed to be. A dragon, maybe. Typical.

‘What did Hallur say?’

‘He said she had a shitload of money, that old bird. He just needed to go and get it.’