Meltwater by Michael Ridpath Read Free Book Online

moment, no. I did six months covering for a pastor on maternity leave in Mjódd last year, but since November, nothing.’ The woman smiled thinly. ‘It’s quite difficult to get a job these days, even for ordained priests.’
    Her voice was clear and authoritative.
    ‘So what is your connection with Freeflow?’
    Ásta paused. Her large blue eyes held Magnus’s. ‘It has nothing to do with the Church. I am just a volunteer.’
    ‘I see. And when did you first meet Erika Zinn?’
    ‘This afternoon. When I picked her up from the airport.’
    ‘And took her . . . where?’
    ‘To a house in Thórsgata that Freeflow are renting,’ Ásta replied carefully.
    ‘Tell me about Freeflow,’ Magnus said.
    ‘I don’t really know that much about them. I’ve never worked for them before. I believe they receive leaked information and make it available to the world. Information about corruption, human rights abuses, that kind of thing.’
    ‘And Erika Zinn is their leader?’
    ‘Effectively. I’m not sure that she calls herself that, but the others all look up to her.’
    ‘By the others, do you mean the people who went up the volcano with you? Are they all working for Freeflow?’
    Ásta hesitated, and then nodded.
    Magnus turned to Vigdís. ‘Did she tell you any of this about Freeflow?’
    ‘No,’ said Vigdís, staring at the priest. ‘No, she didn’t.’
    ‘Why not?’ Magnus asked Ásta.
    ‘She didn’t ask.’
    Magnus slammed his hand on the table. Ásta jumped. ‘Oh, come on. You’re not some schoolgirl caught smoking weed in the girls’ bathroom; this is a murder inquiry. Why did you lie?’
    ‘I didn’t actually lie.’
    ‘That’s semantics. You knew it was important and you didn’t tell us. Why not?’
    Ásta said nothing.
    ‘What is Freeflow working on at the moment? Why did they come to Iceland?’
    ‘I’m sorry,’ Ásta said. ‘I’m afraid I can’t tell you.’
    ‘Aren’t you supposed to tell the truth? You know, as a priest?’
    Ásta nodded. ‘But I am also supposed to respect confidences.’
    Magnus fought hard to contain his frustration. ‘Even when it protects a murderer? Someone killed Niccolò Andreose this evening. We don’t know why, but one line of inquiry has to be that it had something to do with whatever Freeflow is working on at the moment. We can find out. We’ll search this house on Thórsgata.’
    ‘Well, that’s what you will have to do,’ said Ásta calmly.
    Magnus had hoped that Ásta would prove to be a soft touch. But he could tell she was going to be stubborn when confronted directly. Increasing the pressure would just make her dig her heels in more deeply; a new tack was required. He glanced at Vigdís.
    ‘Are you willing to help us to find the killer?’ she asked.
    Ásta nodded.
    ‘OK. Then let’s go through what you did today from when you picked up Erika from the airport, but this time don’t leave anything out.’
    Ásta’s description of events was detailed and thorough, with the exception of what it was that Freeflow was actually planning to do in the house in Thórsgata; she deftly dodged Vigdís’s indirect questions around the subject.
    ‘Tell me some more about the snowmobilers,’ Magnus asked.
    ‘There were two of them. I saw their snowmobiles at the bottom about twenty metres from where we parked, and when we arrived they were up at the volcano. I think I saw them up at the rim when we got up there. Then they were gone.’
    ‘Did you see where they went? Did they follow Nico and Erika?’
    ‘No, I didn’t see. And they were on the other side of us – I mean Nico and Erika went off to the left and they were on the right.’
    ‘What about Franz? You say you lost track of him?’
    ‘Yes – I don’t remember seeing him at all when we went up the volcano. Dúddi was a little worried about him, until we got back to the car and found him there waiting for us.’
    ‘You didn’t see him talk to the snowmobilers?’
    ‘No. But he could