The Shadow Killer

36

Brynhildur Hólm coughed and asked for a drink of water. Flóvent went to the door and ordered the guard to fetch a jug. Then he took his seat opposite her again and picked up where he had left off, asking her to clarify what she had said about Felix: that he took after Hans Lunden rather than his own father, that he had a cruel streak. Brynhildur refused to elaborate: Flóvent could interpret her words as he wished. The guard returned with a jug of water and two glasses.

‘All right. Then tell me about Rudolf’s research,’ Flóvent said, pushing the papers towards her. ‘What exactly was he studying?’

Brynhildur looked at the pages in front of her. ‘If I tell you what I know, will you help Felix? Perhaps it was wrong of me to say he had a cruel streak. Because my heart bleeds for him, you know. Felix is in a bad way. He’s frightened, backed into a corner, and I’m afraid he’ll do something foolish if this goes on any longer. Afraid he’ll do something terribly foolish.’

‘I’m not sure what it is you’re asking of me,’ said Flóvent. ‘Naturally, I’ll do what I can for Felix within reason, but he’ll have to turn himself in.’

‘I’m not sure he will.’

‘Do you think he’s really in danger? Assuming Eyvindur wasn’t the target.’

‘He’s convinced of it. I want to help him but I don’t know how.’

‘Would you begin by explaining the significance of these papers?’ asked Flóvent, tapping the pile.

Brynhildur said nothing for a while, as if weighing up her choices and not liking any of them.

‘It all started with their interest in criminals,’ she said at last. ‘Rudolf knew he’d never get permission from the government to conduct this type of research. It was Hans who urged him to do it anyway, privately. Ebeneser and Rudolf were committed Nazis in those days and thought they could get away with it. I was persuaded by their theories myself, but actually...’

She broke off for a sip of water. ‘I wish we didn’t have to talk about this,’ she said. ‘We never spoke of it again. Not until...’

‘Not until the letter arrived?’

Brynhildur nodded.

‘So what was the study? What is all this?’ asked Flóvent, gesturing at the pages.

‘The idea actually came from Rudolf’s brother. Hans had been doing some research in Germany, and during his time as a lecturer at Jena he had published a short pamphlet setting out his ideas. Rudolf believed he could carry out a similar study here. No one would need to know. Iceland was the ideal place. Up here in the remote north. An isolated society. The brothers agreed about that. They were still on good terms at the time.’

‘Isolated?’

‘Yes. You see, Nazism was a growing force in Germany, and it gave rise to a variety of theories, including the notion that criminality — amorality, I suppose you could call it — is passed down from generation to generation. In other words, that criminal traits are inherited. Rudolf told me that Hans was very interested in this idea. He was familiar with existing studies on the hereditary aspect of human abnormalities such as alcoholism, homosexuality, violence, incest and so on but criminal traits were of particular interest to him because he believed it might be possible to reduce or even eradicate them. Through measures like the castration of criminals, he believed it would be possible to cut their numbers from one generation to the next. That was the gist of Hans’s theories.’

‘And?’

‘And Rudolf was convinced. He persuaded Ebeneser to join him, which wasn’t difficult. Ebeneser would have done anything for him, and at the time he worshipped almost everything that came out of Germany. I myself... Rudolf and I have... that is...’

‘Go on.’

‘After his wife died he employed me to help him with the housekeeping. I had just completed my training and was also working as a nurse, and over time we became — how shall I put it? — close.’

‘Lovers? You denied that when I asked you earlier.’

‘I... I don’t like discussing... our private life. After his accident he needed me more than ever.’

‘What happened?’

‘It was a riding accident. Out on Laugarnes Point. His horse took fright and bolted. Rudolf was left paralysed from the waist down and became terribly depressed. Understandably. He says I saved his life. That if I hadn’t stood by him through that awful time, he wouldn’t have seen any reason to go on living.’

‘I see. Tell me about the study.’

‘As headmaster, Ebeneser was in a unique position to provide Rudolf with information about his pupils’ backgrounds. He could check up on their family history and select boys for the study. Ebeneser’s a keen genealogist as well, so he was able to trace the ancestry of the offenders in question. Since I was the school nurse, I handled the questionnaires, took measurements and obtained samples. We were looking for developmental markers — both mental and physical — as well as physiological traits. Rudolf prepared the tests. We carried out our observations as unobtrusively as possible. I incorporated them into the boys’ usual check-ups. I simply increased their frequency, since it was perfectly natural that I should pay more attention to boys from broken homes, or the homes of convicted criminals.’

‘Boys like Eyvindur?’

Brynhildur nodded. ‘I don’t believe they ever realised what we were doing. Rudolf came to the school from time to time to examine them. He processed the data we provided him with and passed on reports to his brother. Hans was very enthusiastic about our work, as you can imagine, since he was engaged in the same sort of research himself. Nazism was gaining a foothold in Germany, and our observations were supposed to lay the groundwork for a larger study into the Aryan race that Hans dreamt of conducting in this country: the search for the origin of the Icelanders, of the Viking temperament.’

‘As I said, I asked a doctor to take a look at these,’ said Flóvent, tapping the papers, ‘and he told me that they are indeed physical measurements, very precise ones. Hands, feet, head shape, bone structure. Even the gap between the eyes. What exactly was it that you were looking for?’

‘The brothers were familiar with the theories of Cesare Lombroso, but Rudolf wanted to go further. I don’t know if you... You see, Rudolf wanted to study both the individual and his environment. He felt Lombroso’s theories on heredity were insufficient when considered in isolation. He wanted to understand the influence of environmental factors on heredity.’

‘Lombroso’s theories?’

‘About the links between criminality and physical characteristics,’ Brynhildur explained. ‘His theories are based on genetics and relate to the physical characteristics and physiognomy that distinguish criminals from the general population. By taking precise measurements and making careful observations, scientists believe they can predict whether the individual in question is predisposed to become a criminal later in life.’

‘Physical characteristics?’

‘Well, for example, Rudolf was looking out for a gangling frame, or a particularly powerful torso. For distinctive facial features: the position of the eyes, the dimensions of the skull, a specific head shape. A variety of these characteristics have been identified by scientists. Rudolf wanted to extend the study beyond physique and look at the influence of environmental factors on the children of criminals. That is, the influence of their upbringing and living conditions. Limited though it was in scope, he was convinced that our study would produce significant results. If we’re brought up in a certain environment, in certain conditions, isn’t there a possibility that we will behave in a certain way?’

‘You mean we learn from what’s in front of us?’

‘You could put it like that, yes. Rudolf considered these questions alongside Lombroso’s theories about physical anomalies. Felix was... Felix, he...’

‘Go on. What about Felix? Was he complicit in all of this?’

‘Yes, I’m afraid...’ Brynhildur left the sentence unfinished.

‘What did he do?’

‘Rudolf got him to befriend some of the subjects,’ said Brynhildur, and for the first time in their conversation she showed signs of shame at what she had done. ‘Felix used to report back to his father on their living conditions, family make-up and the relations between the different family members. He’d tell him what children like Eyvindur felt about their parents and their own futures, their attitudes to crime, alcohol, even sex. Some of them had already started smoking and drinking. These were boys of twelve or thirteen. Fifteen of them in all.’

‘It’s our understanding that Eyvindur was fond of Felix. He probably didn’t have many friends, so their relationship was important to him, and he could never understand why Felix had suddenly turned his back on him,’ said Flóvent. ‘Why he suddenly wouldn’t talk to him any more. He suspected that it had all been an act, their friendship. In the end he came to the conclusion that Felix had simply been using him. And, from what you say, it seems he was right: the friendship was only on his side. Felix was indeed using him. Abusing his trust.’

Brynhildur lowered her gaze to the papers and Flóvent sensed her reluctance to discuss the subject.

‘As I said,’ she went on, after a moment, ‘Felix can be very cruel when he wants to be. He was quick to gain a hold over the other boys and exploited his mental superiority over them. He knew his father had chosen them as the subjects of his research because they came from bad homes, and he picked on the weakest of them. The most vulnerable. But he managed to dominate those who were stronger than him too.’

‘How did he do that?’

‘In various ways. The goal was to see how far he could go. How easily influenced the boys would be. How they would react to his dominance and how he could manipulate them... Rudolf was... Felix was supposed to...’

‘What?’

‘It doesn’t matter.’

‘What were you saying about Rudolf and Felix? Who set him this goal?’

Brynhildur hesitated.

‘Felix didn’t come up with the idea, did he?’ said Flóvent. ‘Was Rudolf orchestrating all this?’

Brynhildur nodded. ‘Halfway through the study, Rudolf began to consider Felix’s role among the boys,’ she admitted. ‘The role of the strong leader. It was a popular concept in Germany at the time. Rudolf realised that Felix had a hold over the other boys and he... Well, he encouraged his son. Conspired with him. Even put words in his mouth. Rudolf’s a very thorough man.’

‘What happened?’

‘Inevitably, it ended in disaster.’

‘How? Between Rudolf and Felix, you mean?’

‘Yes, between them and... I’d rather not go into it. Rudolf abandoned the study, dropped it altogether and forbade us ever to mention it again.’

‘And so you two thought it had been safely swept under the carpet?’

‘Yes, until that letter came through the door and stirred everything up again.’

‘And it threatened to expose Felix’s role and the experiments unless, what did you say, certain conditions were met? What were they?’

‘The writer wanted a specific sum of money for keeping his mouth shut. Quite a large sum.’

‘And you two believe Eyvindur wrote the letter?’

‘We think it’s possible. Felix...’

‘Yes?’

‘Felix... Felix may have blurted something out on one of his sales trips,’ said Brynhildur. ‘He says he was drunk and came out with a lot of stuff that he ought not to have said. About Eyvindur. And the experiments. It made Eyvindur angry. Understandably, I suppose.’