After clambering out of her tilted car, which was partly perched on a snowdrift, Thóra hurried inside. There a young woman received her very warmly; she was the complete opposite of Bella, and told her that the wait would be brief. Shortly afterwards, the same smiling girl announced to her that Glódís was available. She directed Thóra in and in a moment Thóra was seated in a chair in the woman’s extremely unassuming office.
‘My schedule has opened up a bit so we’re not quite so pressed for time.’ As she spoke, Glódís removed some completed application forms from her desk and stuck them in a folder. ‘The people that I was expecting cancelled their appointment. It happens often when the roads are like this. Which means, of course, that I’ll be absolutely swamped when the weather improves again, but there’s nothing we can do about that.’ The woman was about the same age as Thóra, but was even more tired-looking than Thóra considered herself to be. Her two-toned, off-blonde hair with black roots did little for her puffy, excessively made-up face. Overall, she looked like one of those women who’d been the prettiest girl in her class as a teenager, before the unkind ravages of time had set in. ‘So, how can I help you? You said that you were working for Jakob. I don’t quite know what I can do, exactly; my acquaintance with him was rather limited, as you know.’
Thóra nodded. ‘I was asked to investigate the case thoroughly, since there seems to be some doubt that Jakob was involved. I’m gathering evidence and information with a view to the case possibly being reopened by the Supreme Court.’
The woman’s expression hardened and she struggled to keep her tone pleasant. ‘What do you mean? What sort of doubt?’
Thóra decided not to tell Glódís who had instigated the new investigation. She knew that if she mentioned the paedophile, their conversation would be finished. So she worded it as vaguely as she could. ‘After reviewing the testimonies and other matters related to the verdict in the case, it appears to me that it was poorly prosecuted. It’s also possible that Jakob’s disability wasn’t fully taken into account. He appears to have been rather erratic throughout his testimony, probably not comprehending the seriousness of the case.’
‘All of the protocols were followed to the letter.’ Glódís’s lips had thinned disapprovingly. ‘The police sought our advice and we sent them a developmental therapist who assisted in the interrogations and everything relating to Jakob’s special circumstances. I don’t believe that it could have been handled any better.’
‘Maybe not; but nonetheless, the doubts that I mentioned do exist. It may well be that later on it will become clear that everything was concluded precisely as it should have been, but until then I must acquaint myself to the best of my ability with everything that might suggest the existence of reasonable doubt concerning Jakob’s guilt.’
‘I don’t see why.’ The woman was obviously offended and made no attempt to conceal it. ‘Jakob started the fire and killed those people. He has the intellectual maturity of a child, which means it isn’t possible to blame him for malicious intent, but he still should have known better and not done it. People with disabilities are not exempt from the obligations that human society lays on our shoulders, nor do they wish to be exempt. They want to live their lives on an equal footing with the rest of us, and they should be bound by the laws of our country.’
‘Then have you formed an opinion as to why he did this? Had he displayed violent tendencies before, or other behaviour to suggest that he was dangerous?’ Thóra was very keen to avoid allowing the conversation to get too general. If she allowed it to stray off the main subject, it would deteriorate into a monologue on the woman’s pet topics, which were of little interest to Thóra.
‘He wasn’t outwardly violent, perhaps, but he was angry and scared and completely opposed to any changes in his circumstances. Almost all the other residents were delighted with the care they received, but he was the odd one out.’
‘It’s my understanding that his mother was completely opposed to him moving there. Maybe that was the reason for his unhappiness?’ Perhaps there was more to it; something that Jakob’s mother didn’t know or wished to hide. ‘Yes, true. He was unhappy about having to move but he wasn’t given the chance to express his opinion. In the end he would have been just as satisfied as the others, once he realized how much better it was to be out from under the protective wing of his mother.’
‘Weren’t there a lot of people wanting to move into the residence? Why was so much pressure put on his mother to admit him?’
Glódís ran her hand through her two-toned hair. ‘I don’t see what difference that makes. Are you trying to say we’re responsible? That this would never have happened if he’d been allowed to continue living at home?’
‘No, that’s not what I meant.’ Thóra kept her composure, telling herself not to rise to any provocation. ‘My intention is to demonstrate that he had nothing to do with the fire. If this turns out to be the case, it certainly matters where he was living.’ She allowed Glódís a moment to consider this and saw her tense shoulders relax slightly. ‘From the little interaction that you say you had with Jakob, do you think it’s possible that he took this desperate measure to get what he wanted? That he perhaps considered it the only way for him to return to his own home, by burning the place to the ground?’
‘I don’t know.’ Glódís was clearly being cautious. By far the best response, of course, was to say as little as possible. ‘My dealings with him were limited and I decided not to burden myself by going through the case any more than my job dictated was necessary. The whole thing hit me very hard; as director of the centre it caused me enormous professional shock.’ She hurriedly added: ‘As well as emotional shock, of course. I’d known many of those young people for a long time. The most disabled ones had been regular visitors at a short-term community residence for children where I worked for many years. You form relationships with your clients, even though you’re paid to supervise them.’
Thóra nodded, her expression sympathetic. ‘Naturally.’ She smiled warmly at the woman. ‘Then you’d probably agree with me that it’s important for us to remove all doubt as to who the guilty party is? I’m sure you wouldn’t want the criminal to be walking free while an innocent man is locked up.’
‘Of course not.’ Once again the woman clamped her lips shut, this time until they nearly disappeared.
‘If we let ourselves believe for a moment that Jakob is innocent, could you imagine who else might have done it? I’m not thinking exclusively about the residents; what about an outsider or a disgruntled employee who felt he had a score to settle?’
Thóra had to give Glódís her due: she did appear to think this over before she replied. As she opened her mouth, her lips turned from white to pink again as circulation was restored. ‘I must insist that I believe Jakob started the fire. Just so we’re clear on that.’ She hesitated before continuing: ‘The young men and women who died that night weren’t like ordinary people, who might have someone who wished them harm for whatever reason. They hurt no one and offended no one, except perhaps the kind of bigots who can’t tolerate anyone different from themselves. In other words, they had no enemies; there’s no list of people who bore grudges against them.’
Thóra decided to wait a little before dragging the pregnancy into the conversation, although she greatly longed to throw it in the face of this rather rude woman. She feared it would be difficult to pursue the subject, and that the conversation might end there and then. ‘Fine. What about their families, though? It’s not unheard-of for a relative to resort to drastic measures when things get tough, and might it not be conceivable that one of them started the fire so as not to have to witness his or her child suffering? Perhaps someone who might even have been breaking down under the strain and not had the strength to care for their loved one any longer? Unemployment and uncertainty sap some people of all their strength; maybe this was an act of desperation on the part of someone who had lost all hope and wasn’t in his or her right mind?’