‘Did she talk to you about her fear of the dark?’
‘Only a little. We discussed the fact that fear of the dark is a psychological fear like any other and that it is possible to overcome it with cognitive therapy and self-discipline.’
‘She didn’t tell you what caused her fear?’
‘No. But then, I’m not a psychologist. Judging from our conversations, I could well believe it was connected somehow to her father’s death in an accident. It’s not hard to imagine that it must have had a huge impact on her as a child.’
‘Has she… what do you say… appeared to you – María, I mean – since she took her life?’
‘No,’ Andersen said, smiling. ‘It’s not that simple. I think you have some rather odd notions about psychics. Do you know anything about our work?’
Erlendur shook his head.
‘I gather María had a special fascination with life after death,’ he said.
‘That’s self-evident; she wouldn’t have come to me otherwise,’ Andersen replied.
‘Yes, but more of a fascination than is quite normal, more like a mania. I understand she was completely obsessed with curiosity about death. About what comes afterwards.’
Erlendur wanted, if possible, to avoid having to refer to the recording that Karen had lent him and hoped the medium would oblige him. Andersen gave him a long look as if weighing up what he could or should say.
‘She was a seeker,’ he said. ‘Like so many of us. I’m sure you are, too.’
‘What was María searching for?’
‘Her mother. She missed her. Her mother was going to provide her with an answer to the question of whether there is life after death. María thought she’d received that answer and came to me. We talked. I think it did her some good.’
‘Did her mother ever make contact during your meetings?’
‘No, she didn’t. Though that’s not necessarily significant.’
‘What did María think about that?’
‘She went away satisfied.’
‘I gather she suffered from delusions,’ Erlendur said.
‘Call them what you like.’
‘That she had seen her mother.’
‘Yes, she told me about that.’
‘And?’
‘And nothing. She was unusually receptive.’
‘Do you know if she went to see anyone else, talked to any other mediums?’
‘Naturally she wouldn’t tell me something that was none of my business. But she did phone me one day to ask about another medium, a woman I didn’t know and had never heard of. She must be new. One tends to know most people in this business.’
‘You don’t know who this woman was?’
‘No. Except her name. As I said, I don’t know of any psychic by that name.’
‘And what was her name?’
‘María didn’t give any second name – she just referred to her as Magdalena.’
‘Magdalena?’
‘I’ve never heard of her.’
‘What does that mean? That you haven’t heard of her?’
‘Nothing. It doesn’t necessarily mean anything. But I called a few places and no one knows this Magdalena.’
‘Mightn’t she just be new, as you say?’
Andersen shrugged.
‘I assume that must be it.’
‘Are there many of you in this business?’
‘No, not so many. I can’t give an exact number.’
‘How did María find out about her, this Magdalena?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘Isn’t what you said about fear of the dark rather a strange attitude for someone who makes a living from making contact with ghosts?’
‘What do you mean?’
‘That fear of the dark is a psychological fear, not caused by a belief in ghosts.’
‘There’s nothing malign about the spirit world,’ Andersen said. ‘We all have our ghosts. You not least.’
‘Me?’ Erlendur said.
Andersen nodded.
‘A whole crowd,’ he said. ‘But don’t worry. Keep looking. You’ll find them.’
‘You mean him,’ Erlendur said.
‘No,’ Andersen said, contradicting him and standing up. ‘I mean them.’
23
Erlendur had once developed a condition known as cardiac arrhythmia. At times it was as if his heart took an extra beat, which was very uncomfortable; at others as if his heart rate was slowing down. When, instead of improving, the condition grew worse, he leafed through the Yellow Pages, stopping at a name that caught his fancy in the ‘Heart Specialists’ column: Dagóbert. Erlendur took an immediate liking to the name and decided to make him his doctor. He had hardly been in the doctor’s surgery five minutes before his curiosity got the better of him and he enquired about his moniker.
‘I’m from the West Fjords,’ the cardiologist said, apparently used to the question. ‘I’m fairly resigned to it. My cousin envies me. He got landed with Dósótheus.’
The waiting room in the medical centre was packed with people suffering from a whole range of ailments. A variety of specialists worked there, including ear, nose and throat doctors, a vascular surgeon, three cardiologists, two nephrologists and one eye specialist. Erlendur stood by the entrance to the waiting room, thinking that each of these specialists should be able to find something to suit them in there. He was worried about barging in on his doctor without having made an appointment months in advance. He knew the cardiologist was extremely busy and was presumably booked up far into next year, and that his visit would increase the waiting time of some of the people in here by at least a quarter of an hour, depending when the doctor could fit him in. He had already been standing here for around twenty minutes.
The doctors’ surgeries were on a long corridor off the waiting room, and after forty-five minutes had passed since Erlendur had announced his presence a door opened and Dagóbert came out into the waiting area and beckoned to him. Erlendur followed him into his surgery and the doctor closed the door behind them.
‘Has the problem come back?’ Dagóbert asked, inviting Erlendur to lie down on the bed. His file was open on the desk.
‘No,’ Erlendur said. ‘I’m fine. I’m sort of here on official business.’
‘Really?’ the doctor said. He was a fat, humorous man, dressed in a white shirt, a tie and jeans. He might not have worn a white coat but he did have a stethoscope slung round his neck. ‘Won’t you lie down anyway and let me listen to your chest?’
‘No need,’ Erlendur said, taking a chair in front of the desk. Dagóbert sat down on the bed. Erlendur remembered their previous meetings when the doctor had explained how the electrical impulses that controlled his heartbeat had been disrupted. The problem was generally caused by stress. Erlendur understood little of what he had said beyond the fact that the condition was not life-threatening and would get better in time.
‘Then what can I…?’ Dagóbert asked.
‘It’s a medical matter,’ Erlendur said.
He had been struggling with the wording ever since it had first occurred to him to consult the cardiologist. He didn’t want to talk to anyone involved with the police, such as a pathologist, because he didn’t want to have to explain anything.
‘Well, fire away.’
‘If one wanted to kill a person, but only for a couple of minutes, how would one go about it?’ Erlendur asked. ‘If one wanted to revive him immediately so that nobody could see any sign of what had happened?’
The doctor gave him a long look.
‘Do you know of such a case?’ he asked.
‘Actually, I was going to ask you that,’ Erlendur said. ‘I don’t know of any myself.’
‘I’m not aware of anyone having done it deliberately, if that’s what you mean,’ Dagóbert replied.
‘How would one go about it?’
‘That depends on a number of factors. What are the circumstances?’
‘I’m not sure. Let’s say, for example, that it was done at home.’
Dagóbert looked at Erlendur gravely.