The Darkness Knows

20

The next day, Konrád was waiting in Marta’s office when she stormed in with Leó in tow and closed the door firmly behind them. Leó took up position by the door, his arms folded, his face knotted with rage, totally ignoring Konrád. He and Marta had obviously had a heated exchange and were both still seething as she sat down behind her desk and pointed a finger at Konrád.

‘Not a word of what we say leaves this room, understood?’

‘Has he admitted to lying?’ Konrád asked.

Although it was only lunchtime, the sky was rapidly darkening outside and flurries of snow blew past the window. The last few days had been mild, sunny and autumnal, but now the mercury was dropping, the mornings were frosty and the nights were drawing in. Konrád had had to scrape the windows of his car before coming out. He didn’t like this time of year. If he had his way, it would be warm and sunny every day.

Leó was a thickset man in his early sixties, with white hair and a neatly trimmed goatee, regular features and small, flinty grey eyes that never missed a trick. He was a well-regarded figure in the force, with a reputation for caring about his fellow officers and being dedicated to improving their welfare. He and Konrád had worked together a great deal at one time but their friendship had long ago cooled.

‘I don’t have to listen to this bullshit,’ Leó said, turning to open the door and walk out. He had been on unpaid leave for some time as the result of a drink problem.

‘For Christ’s sake, stay where you are!’ Marta barked. ‘And you shut up, Konrád.’

‘That poor old bugger Steinar’s completely lost his marbles,’ Leó said. ‘I can’t understand why you’d listen to a word he said.’

He addressed this remark to Marta, as if Konrád weren’t in the room.

‘You know what this means, Marta,’ Konrád said. ‘If what Steinar said is true, none of the investigations this man has been involved in can be taken at face value. Not a single one. Ask yourself, what else has he lied about? What evidence has he planted? What other witness statements or confessions has he extracted by force or threats?’

‘Shut the fuck up,’ Leó snapped.

‘Shut up yourself,’ Konrád retorted.

‘Steinar’s... he’s telling lies about me,’ Leó said. ‘Come on, it’s obvious. And it wouldn’t be the first time either. He’s got it in for me, that’s why he’s saying it. I don’t understand why we’re even discussing it.’

‘But why?’ Konrád asked. ‘Why would he do that when he’s dying? If he wanted to get you into trouble, why wait all this time?’

‘Hjaltalín always denied having threatened Sigurvin in the car park,’ Marta said, her eyes resting on Leó.

‘Well, what else would you expect?’ Leó said. ‘Of course he did. You can’t be serious? He’d hardly have admitted threatening to kill a man who’d vanished straight afterwards.’

‘Leó organised the whole thing, right down to the smallest detail,’ Konrád said. ‘He used us. Used me. And I don’t suppose for one minute that it’s the only time he’s done something like that. If it wasn’t for him, we could have pursued a different line of inquiry.’

‘I cannot believe this,’ Leó said. ‘It’s total crap. If we have to listen to every lowlife who tries to get one over on us, we might as well shut up shop.’

‘You should take a formal statement from Steinar before it’s too late,’ Konrád said. ‘Get it documented, signed and—’

‘Yes, right. That’s the problem,’ Marta interrupted. ‘No can do, I’m afraid. He died last night, shortly after you left him.’

Leó uttered a bark of laughter. ‘A visit from you was obviously the last thing he needed,’ he said to Konrád. ‘You must have bored him to death.’

‘Hjaltalín spent months in custody because of you.’ Konrád rose to his feet and walked right up to Leó until their faces were almost touching. ‘He went through hell thanks to you. You’re a disgrace to the police. You always have been.’

‘You prick,’ Leó said, shoving him away. ‘Are we done?’ he asked, turning to Marta. ‘I very much doubt the old man said those things about me. It’s just Konni here putting lies in his mouth to get at me. He’s the one who’s a disgrace. I’ve had it up to here with this shit.’ He tore the door open and charged out, slamming it behind him.

‘He’s right, you know,’ Marta said. ‘Steinar could have been lying about him, or you could be making it up to get back at Leó.’