House of Evidence(70)
“Have you seen this picture before, sir?” Halldór asked. All eyes were now intently on the last Kieler male.
There was a long pause before Matthías replied. “No.”
“What about this key, then?” Halldór said.
“May I see it?” Jóhann asked, taking the key from the desktop. He went over to the gun cabinet and tried the lock; the key fit.
“This will need further examination,” Halldór stated, scanning the ammunition on the desk. “Jóhann will do that in the forensics lab.”
Matthías stood up. “With your permission, I shall take the diaries into safekeeping.”
“No, that will not be possible,” replied Halldór, taken aback. “They are important for our investigation of the case.”
“But my brother’s wishes are clear,” Matthías said firmly. “He wanted to protect these books from unauthorized access.”
Halldór bristled a bit and then said emphatically, “I can assure you that they will be treated in strict confidence; one of my team will read the diaries, and all that is not relevant to the present investigation will remain private.”
Matthías turned to the marshal.
“Do I have to put up with this?” he asked sharply.
“Yes, the law is unequivocal.”
Matthías looked at each of them in turn, and then left without saying good-bye.
Wordlessly, Halldór watched him depart, and then, turning his attention back to the contents of the safe, transferred all of it to the cardboard box. The marshal had them each countersign the record of their meeting, and they left, locking the door behind them. On the front steps of the house they met a man dressed in a parka and carrying a toolbox, “Is there a lock here that needs opening?” he asked, after removing a half-smoked cigar from his mouth.
Diary X
March 27, 1927. AT LAST, AT LAST! The Althing has passed a government bill granting the Hydroelectric Company a franchise to build a railroad between Reykjavik and Thjórsá River. The state treasury will contribute 2 million krónur on completion of its construction, and the Hydroelectric Company will provide the balance, 6 million krónur, with capital from abroad. Compared with the cost estimates for the power station at Urridafoss, this is relatively cheap. The state will be in charge of operating the railroad on its completion…
March 30, 1927. I met the agent of the Hydroelectric Company. He now has all the data on the railroad, and we shall be having further talks before long. He has every confidence that construction of the railroad will start this coming summer. It will require 200 laborers, and we shall probably hire experienced men from Norway; we shall endeavor to select respectable, temperate, and hard-working men…
April 11, 1927. Made an agreement with Kristján for me to employ him on a permanent basis. He is a skilled draftsman and admirably capable when we are surveying…
June 14, 1927. I still have heard nothing from the Hydroelectric Company. This is becoming inconvenient, as I have turned down other projects. I have discussed this with the Employment Minister, as I felt sure that the government will have assumed that the passage of the bill into law was sufficient to ensure commencement of the works…
July 5, 1927. I am not getting any replies to my letters to the Hydroelectric Company. I am becoming very worried about this…
November 15, 1927. I have not been able to do anything today, and hardly even managed to pick up this book to write these lines. The short days of fall sit heavily on me.
November 16, 1927. I am ill. I feel as if my head is burning.
November 17, 1927. I am ill.
November 19, 1927. Got up around noon and went outside briefly. The weather is bright and there is sunshine, albeit a little cold.
November 20, 1927. I felt well today and was able to work. Elizabeth is happy; she has been worried about me…
Earlier that morning Halldór had made an appointment to see Thórdur, Jacob Senior’s erstwhile assistant. And despite the fact that it was Saturday, Thórdur said he’d planned on being at his office. Halldór went straight there after the safe opening at Birkihlíd, the picture of the railway train tucked firmly under his arm.
Thórdur’s engineering firm was housed in a new building on Sudurlandsbraut. This was clearly a sizable operation, with a spacious reception area and, beyond it, a large room containing many drawing boards, where a number of people were hard at work. Halldór was shown into a large, well-furnished office.
Thórdur was in his sixties, with gray hair and long sideburns. He was dressed in a woolen jacket with leather patches on the elbows. The office smelled of tobacco smoke, and several pipes hung from a rack on the desk.