House of Evidence(40)

“Search for clues outside the house was unsuccessful. Inquiries have found no evidence of dispute initiated by or against the deceased.”


Several black-and-white photographs accompanied the report; the overview pictures of the parlor showed where Jacob Senior’s body lay between the large leather sofas.

“He seems to have been standing in a similar spot as Jacob Junior when he was hit,” Halldór remarked. “This is getting stranger by the minute.”

A close-up of the head of the deceased showed that the shot had hit him directly in his right eye. Hrefna was grateful that the picture was not in color, it was gruesome enough as is. The left eye had remained open, and when she covered the right eye with her finger, it looked as if he were still alive.

Next in the pile of documents was the report of the pathologist who had carried out the postmortem. Hrefna read aloud again:



“The body is that of a 169-cm tall male. It presents dressed in pajamas and a dressing gown. Much loss of blood from the head, which displays evidence of a gunshot wound. Clothing is removed, and the body shows no other signs of injury apart from the aforementioned.

“Examination of the right eye reveals a gunshot wound in the center of the socket. There is a 1-mm powder ring round the entry wound, which measures 1.0 cm in diameter. The wound and surrounding tissue is excised and placed in a glass.

“On opening the skull and removing the brain, it transpires that the bullet has passed through the eye, fundus oculi, and right-brain hemisphere, stopping at and fracturing the occipital bone. The bullet was retrieved with minimum handling, and measured at approximately 1.0 cm. The brain weighed 1,470 grams.

“The man would have died instantly from this injury. No other pathology was found.”


Hrefna continued to leaf through the file, coming to a document written in English on FBI letterhead and translated into Icelandic by a state-registered translator on the reverse side:



“September 23, 1945

Att. Chief of Police



Dear Sir,


“This examination has been conducted on the understanding that the findings are related to an official criminal investigation and that this ballistics report is to be used solely for official purposes in connection with inquiries into, or later prosecution of, a criminal case. No permission is hereby granted for the ballistics report to be used in civil court actions.

“(Signed) David Gray, Superintendent.

“Ref: Jacob Kieler, deceased, murder.

“Requested investigation: bullet Q1. Arrived sealed in government mail September 20, 1945.

“Investigation findings: The sample Q1 was shot from a weapon with five lands and grooves twisting to the right. There is some surface damage to the bullet but not sufficient to obscure the distinguishing marks made by the weapon, which are reasonably distinct and could be evidence should the weapon be found. Bullets of this type are only produced for S&W 38/200 so it is highly likely that the weapon is of that type.

“(Signed) Lee Scanlon, Detective.

“Notarized by me

“Mary Ragland,

“Notary Public in the District of Columbia.”


“It seems Jóhann was right regarding the type of gun,” Hrefna added.

“Doesn’t surprise me,” Halldór replied. “He wouldn’t have said anything about it unless he was certain. He doesn’t speculate.”

Hrefna turned to the next sheet, a report by DC Andrés, typed on an imperfect typewriter.



“On August 7, 1945, laborer H.E. came to see the undersigned, wanting to report an incident that might be a clue to the murder of engineer Jacob Kieler. H.E. said he had been employed by the army digging a trench for a drainage pipe in the military barracks area. In his group was a laborer S.J. who, according to H.E., is a well-known communist who frequently tries to agitate among his co-workers to stage protests of various kinds.

“There was urgency to completing the drainage trench, as officers in the military were about to move into the new barracks. S.J. successfully incited his fellow workers to stage a sit-down strike, demanding better terms as the job was unusually dirty. Engineer Jacob Kieler, who was in charge of the project, arrived at the site and politely asked S.J. to a negotiation meeting, where after they left the site in J.K.’s vehicle. J.K.’s assistant engineer subsequently arrived on site with a message for the workers that they would all be dismissed and blacklisted by their employers if they failed to complete the work on time. Solidarity among the workers proved weak when S.J. was no longer on site, and they resumed working. When S.J. returned on foot to the site toward the end of the working day having, as far as he was concerned, attended a negotiation meeting with engineer J.K., the job was nearly finished. S.J. became very angry and swore, in the hearing of a number of workers, that he would kill engineer J.K.; H.E. said he would be able to name witnesses to these words. On numerous subsequent occasions, S.J. had expressed his hatred of engineer J.K. and his desire to do him harm. H.E. confirms this testimony with his signature.”