Cold Steal by Quentin Bates Read Free Book Online Page B

something to do with landing illegal fish outside the EU and getting it repacked with all the right certificates. There was an EU investigator enquiring about him not long ago, but I don’t think it came to anything.’
    ‘But are he and Elvar Pálsson working together?’
    ‘Probably.’ He smiled wryly. ‘It’s not a big country, you know. Iceland’s business community isn’t that large, so you can keep tabs on who’s doing what even when it’s nothing we need to take a direct interest in. The hard part is when we do have to take an interest because it gets so complex.’
    ‘Why does all this stuff have to be so complicated?’ Gunna asked, knowing that the question was a stupid one but still determined to ask.
    Björgvin shrugged and smiled weakly. ‘It’s hard to tell,’ he said finally. ‘I suppose it’s fashionable to tie things up in knots, and it keeps the accountants and lawyers in business. Let’s say that if there are many entities involved, then ownership can get very complex, with percentages of this owned by one company and a share of something else held by another, and so on. That’s one reason,’ he said and paused.
    ‘And the other?’
    ‘It’s the obvious one. It’s to discourage people like you and me from figuring out what’s really going on. The more complex the ownership, especially when foreign subsidiaries are involved, then generally the more reason there is to dig into what somebody wants to keep quiet.’ He sighed and leaned back. ‘And it’s worth keeping in mind that much of this is aimed solely at avoiding paying tax. It’s when it becomes evasion rather than avoidance that it gets sticky.’
    ‘Rather you than me, Björgvin. But could you have a look at these people, or have a trawl through the archives?’
    He rocked gently back and forth in his chair, chin in hand. ‘I’ve heard these names before, Jóhann Hjálmarsson and Sunna María Voss. Any relation to Jón Vilberg Voss, by any chance?’
    ‘I’m not sure yet, but it sounds likely.’
    ‘Ah.’ Björgvin’s face lit up. ‘I know him, slightly. He’s practically a relative, actually. His ex-wife is my cousin.’
    ‘Small world.’
    ‘In the rest of the world there are supposed to be six degrees of separation between any two individuals. That’s the theory. In Iceland, it’s something like two degrees at most. Like I said.’ He grinned. ‘It’s a small country. What’s your theory on all this?’
    Gunna splayed her palms wide. ‘The murder says payback to me. Very professional and no traces, no leads. I’m wondering if he did a deal that went sour and someone is settling a score, maybe to maintain face. If it’s anything to do with the companies that these four people owned, or still own jointly, then I really don’t want the others to be blasted on my patch.’
     
    Orri found he was sweating by the time he reached the van. His breath gradually slowed and his heart stopped racing as he wondered if almost being seen had given him the shock, or if it had been the unexpected sight of the dentist’s statuesque wife in the mirror that had given him a turn.
    He switched on the engine and listened to it hum as he conjured up the sight again in his mind; he shivered as he realized what could have been if he had been a few minutes earlier or later. He could have walked straight into the woman, or else her boyfriend could have found him on those metal stairs with nowhere to go. Orri felt slightly sick at the thought. He had been inside countless people’s houses and never took chances. His visits were careful and he made sure people were at work or on holiday when he arrived to relieve them discreetly of their valuables.
    Orri felt he had let himself down and couldn’t understand why he had gone against his instincts by breaking his own rules twice in quick succession. He slipped the van into gear and headed back to town. Shaken, he drove more slowly than usual. By the time he pulled up outside his