Meltwater (Fire and Ice) by Michael Ridpath Page B

and, way over to the north-west, the white cap of the Snaefells Glacier floating above the sea.
    The Commissioner, Snorri Gudmundsson, was an energetic man in his late fifties, short with thick grey hair brushed back in a Soviet-style bouffant. Magnus had a lot of time for him. It was he,
after all, who had requested Magnus’s presence in Iceland. Although Magnus had had some successes over the last twelve months, they had not been trouble-free, and Snorri had stood by him. He
was perhaps too concerned with politics for Magnus’s tastes, but that’s what you expected from a police commissioner.
    As he entered the Commissioner’s office, Magnus prepared himself for the inevitable bawling out.
    The Commissioner looked stern. ‘I’ve had Viktor Símonarson on the phone,’ he began.
    ‘I guessed as much,’ said Magnus.
    ‘He says Detective Árni assaulted him.’
    ‘Is he pressing charges?’
    ‘No. Is it true?’
    ‘Partly.’
    ‘Tell me what happened.’
    And so Magnus did. The Commissioner listened closely, wincing at the word ‘nigger’ .
    ‘Magnús, you let things get out of hand. Viktor is a troublemaker, but an extremely well-connected troublemaker. He has many friends in the government.’
    ‘Yeah, I figured that,’ said Magnus.
    ‘We are going to have to launch a disciplinary inquiry into Árni’s actions.’
    ‘I don’t think you should do that, Snorri.’
    Magnus would much rather call the Big Salmon ‘Commissioner’ or, at the very least, ‘sir’: the Icelandic custom of using first names, however important the person, was
hard to get used to.
    ‘We can’t just stand by while our officers assault parliamentarians.’
    ‘No. And I will speak to Árni. What he did was unacceptable. But he was standing up for a fellow officer. That kind of racism cannot be left unchallenged, in my opinion. If you
discipline him you will be condoning it.’
    ‘That’s absurd. Árni broke the rules. He should get punished.’
    Magnus realized he had gone a bit too far. ‘OK, frankly sometimes he’s an idiot. But Árni took a bullet for me a year ago. He stood up for Vigdís last night against
someone much more powerful than him. I admire the guy.’
    The Commissioner shook his head.
    Magnus didn’t give up. ‘If Viktor was pressing charges I agree you would have to do something. But he’s not. And there’s a reason for that. He knows he’s in the
wrong.’
    The Commissioner smiled. ‘OK, OK. But have a word with Árni. And as for you, Magnús . . .’
    ‘Yes?’ Here it came. Magnus wondered if he would get by with a ticking off, or whether he was in for something worse. He had already got a result with Árni, though.
    ‘I want you to lead this investigation. Reporting to Chief Superintendent Kristján.’
    ‘What?’
    ‘You look surprised, Magnús?’ The Commissioner was smiling.
    ‘Actually, I am,’ said Magnus. ‘What about Baldur?’
    ‘The crime was not committed in the Metropolitan area, it’s in Hvolsvöllur’s jurisdiction. Chief Superintendent Kristján is a very capable man – I think you
and he will work well together. And this is exactly the kind of case for which we have you here. Baldur will support you with any inquiries you make in the Reykjavík area. My understanding
is that this Freeflow group are staying in town?’
    ‘Yes. On Thórsgata.’
    ‘I have every confidence in you as an investigating officer, Magnús,’ the Commissioner went on. ‘But so far I haven’t been impressed by your political
sensitivity.’ The Commissioner’s blue eyes twinkled. ‘I’m sure you know what I mean. You do need to tread carefully here. Viktor could make life very difficult for you. For
all of us.’
    ‘I understand,’ said Magnus. His instinct was to burst into the house on Thórsgata, preferably with the ‘Viking Squad’ SWAT team breaking down the doors, and cart
everyone off to the cells until they broke down and told him everything. But even he realized that