Flóvent was thrown by the man’s rudeness. Before knocking on the door he had sat in his car for a long while, trying to think of ways to mitigate the pain his visit was bound to cause. Now it seemed that he had been wasting his time.
‘Sir, I came to see you in connection with a violent crime that was committed at your son’s address,’ he said. ‘A man was murdered in his flat. Shot in the head. We thought at first that the victim was Felix himself — that he was the dead man. But it turned out to be somebody else. We’re now looking for your son in connection with the murder. We believe he may be involved in some way.’
The man in the wheelchair regarded Flóvent as if he had never heard anything so preposterous in his life. ‘Involved in a murder...?’
‘Yes.’
‘What do you mean?’ demanded Rudolf, and Flóvent saw that he had succeeded in unsettling him. But only for a moment. ‘What are you talking about?’ Rudolf went on angrily. ‘I have never heard such... such a pack of nonsense!’
‘Nevertheless, that is how the matter appears to us,’ said Flóvent. ‘The facts—’
‘How could you allow such an absurd idea to enter your head?’
‘I’m afraid those are the facts. I can understand that you’re shocked. Naturally, it’s not very pleasant news. Could you tell me where Felix is now, sir?’
‘A murder, in Felix’s flat?’ Rudolf sounded stunned.
‘I’m afraid so, yes. Do you know where your son is?’
‘How the devil...?’
‘Do you know where he was yesterday evening, sir?’
‘Who was the man?’ Rudolf asked, ignoring Flóvent’s questions as if he hadn’t even heard them. ‘Who was the man found in his flat?’
‘We don’t know yet,’ said Flóvent. ‘We haven’t managed to identify the body. But it’s only a matter of time before we do, and then we’ll be able to establish how the victim was connected to your son. I repeat, do you know where your son is?’
Rudolf was staring blankly, as if he had just been struck in the face.
Flóvent repeated his question. ‘Do you know where your son is?’
The man in the wheelchair didn’t answer.
‘Do you think he could be on the run from the police?’ Flóvent asked. ‘Could he have gone into hiding?’
Evidently Rudolf had had enough of the visit. ‘Was there anything else?’ he snapped.
‘Else?’
‘That you have to say to me?’
‘I think you misunderstand the situation, sir,’ said Flóvent. ‘I’m here on behalf of the police to seek information from you. Not the other way round.’
‘Yes, well, I have nothing to say to you,’ said Rudolf. ‘Would you please leave me alone now.’
‘I’m afraid that’s—’
‘I am asking you to leave,’ said the man, raising his voice again. ‘I have nothing more to say to you.’
‘Do you have any idea of your son’s whereabouts?’ Flóvent persisted. ‘Can you help us track him down? We need to speak to him urgently.’
‘I insist that you leave my property!’ Rudolf was shouting now.
‘Is he here with you?’ Flóvent went on doggedly. ‘Is Felix here in your house?’
‘You fool of an Icelander. You know nothing. Nothing! Get out of my house.’
‘No, it—’
‘Out of my house!’ yelled Rudolf, rolling his chair menacingly towards Flóvent. ‘Get out! Be off with you! I have nothing further to say to you. Out! Get out!’
Flóvent stood firm. The maid appeared at the door of the study. She had heard her employer shouting and was looking questioningly at Flóvent. When Rudolf became aware of her presence, he wheeled his chair round and ordered her to escort the policeman to the door: their meeting was over. He waved her away irritably when she tried to assist him, then propelled himself out of the room. Flóvent and the maid were left standing in awkward silence.
‘I imagine he’s not the easiest of people to work for,’ Flóvent remarked after a moment.
The meeting hadn’t gone at all as planned. He couldn’t understand what had happened — whether it was his fault, or Rudolf’s, or both. But it was clear that he would have to work out a different way of handling the doctor at their next meeting, and that this meeting needed to take place as soon as possible.
‘He can be... He’s had a trying time recently,’ the girl said apologetically. She stood there in the doorway, large and sturdily built, her hair neatly tied back, waiting for Flóvent to leave. He guessed she was in her twenties and suspected that she had been hired not least for her strong arms. Rudolf would presumably require help with every aspect of his daily routine and, from the look of her, she would have no trouble providing it.
‘Has he been in a wheelchair long?’ Flóvent tried to appear outwardly calm as he recovered from the extraordinarily hostile encounter.
‘I don’t know... I don’t like discussing my employer behind his back. Rudolf isn’t a bad man, sir. He’s always treated me with respect. I’d like to do the same for him.’
‘Could you tell me something about his son, Felix, then?’ Flóvent tried instead. ‘Have you met him?’
‘You’ll have to ask my employer about him, sir,’ said the maid in a low voice, then asked him to accompany her out to the hall. ‘I’ve had no contact with his son.’
‘Do you know where he could be staying, miss, if he’s not at home?’
‘No, it... You’ll have to ask my employer,’ she repeated.
‘Yes, of course. I’ll try again later. Has Felix been here recently? In the last few days? Is he here now?’
‘No,’ said the girl firmly. ‘He hasn’t been here for a while.’
‘Do he and his father have a good relationship?’
‘You’ll have to ask them.’
‘I see that Rudolf keeps a pair of crutches in his study,’ said Flóvent, venturing a quick look back into the room where the crutches were propped against the bookshelves. ‘Is he... can he...?’
‘He can get around on them, but it’s very difficult for him.’
‘Look, if there’s anything you can tell me about Felix, I’d be very grateful. It needn’t go any further. It’s vital that we find him.’
‘I’m sorry, sir,’ said the girl.
‘However trivial it might seem.’
‘Yes, I understand, but I can’t help you.’
‘Have you noticed any unusual guests lately? Any strange phone calls?’
She shook her head, then escorted him to the front door and opened it. Flóvent emerged onto the step, thanked her and shook her hand in parting, and either because she felt she hadn’t been sufficiently helpful or perhaps out of a desire to excuse her employer’s rudeness, she didn’t immediately release his hand.
‘You must forgive him, sir. Rudolf... he isn’t normally like that. He hasn’t been himself lately. Not since his brother-in-law came round the other day. They had a row.’
‘His brother-in-law?’
‘The headmaster,’ she whispered, her eyes anxious, as if she were afraid of being overheard. ‘His late wife’s brother. I heard them quarrelling and he sounded upset.’
‘What were they quarrelling about?’
‘I don’t know... some boys, I don’t know,’ the maid whispered, then slipped back inside and quietly closed the door.
As Flóvent was retracing his steps to the car, he happened to glance back at the house and spotted a middle-aged woman watching him from the drawing-room window, her face stern. Even as he watched, she pulled the curtain and vanished from view.
10
US counter-intelligence had been given temporary quarters in one wing of the old Leper Hospital on Laugarnes Point. They shared it with their British colleagues who had requisitioned the hospital building shortly after the occupation. The few remaining patients had been sent to a sanatorium in Kópavogur, the settlement to the south of Reykjavík.