“We think you may have killed a man.”
“You’re joking!” he exclaimed, half-smiling.
“No, we have reason to believe this is the case.”
“Right, then I won’t talk any more to you unless I have an attorney present.”
“It’s quite safe for you to answer a few questions.”
“No, I know your ways. I’m not answering any questions here.”
“You’ve obviously got something to hide,” Egill said, growing perturbed.
Sigurdur turned to Helgi. “Hey, mate, where can I sleep?”
“Here, in cell one,” Helgi replied. “You two can share cell two,” he told Egill and Marteinn.
“I was going to go to a hotel,” Egill said.
“Then you’d have to take the prisoner with you,” Helgi replied awkwardly. “My shift ends at midnight and the wife is expecting me home.”
Egill frowned. He knew he didn’t have another option. He’d be sleeping in a cell with Marteinn tonight.
“Okay, well, I’m off to bed,” Sigurdur said rather cheerfully, given the circumstances, and made his way to the cell.
Diary XIV
December 12, 1933. This morning there was a meeting of the Monarchy Society. Magnús and I have decided to sail to the continent in the summer. We intend to make careful preparations in advance and correspond with a number of people. I have already written a few letters today. It is a beautiful day and I am feeling well. When I look up from writing, I see the birch trees through the window. They stand there modestly in their winter slumber, while in the summer, they dress in leafy robes and give the house a warm glow in honor of my dear father’s memory…
January 20, 1934. City council elections. My wife and I voted for the Independence Party’s list of candidates…
May 1, 1934. Saw the Nationalist Party supporters marching through the town. More than 100 of them were wearing uniforms. There were standard-bearers at the front, with one Icelandic flag and two banners with swastikas. The parade stopped in front of the Midbær Primary School, where speeches were delivered. A substantial body of people congregated there, many more than for the social democrats or the communists.
June 6, 1934. On board the Brúarfoss, heading for London. This is my first trip abroad since I came home in 1920 after my long stint overseas. This goes to show to what extent the railroad has absorbed my whole attention.
June 12, 1934. Elizabeth and the children went to Leicester today, where they will stay for the next few weeks while I complete my business. I shall stay on here in London with Magnús for a few days, then we are off to Germany…
June 15, 1934. As I suspected, I have had little success in my dealings with English investors. They are willing to advance loans, if the interest is high enough, but they also demand substantial guarantees, preferably state guarantees. I have not found anyone willing to either buy or trade in our shares…
June 18, 1934. On board the train to Berlin. There is a great shortage of foreign currency here in Germany and they do everything they can to encourage foreigners to visit the country. Foreigners even get a good discount on railroad tickets. I am thrilled to be traveling by train again after all these years. I have become a little bit weary of Magnús. He has never traveled before and is completely helpless. I have to look after him the whole time. But he is paying the full cost of our journey…
June 19, 1934. Matthías met us at the station. He is looking well, and I sense that he feels comfortable here and is happy. He escorted us to our hotel…
June 20, 1934. Met Helmut Klee and his brother Björn this morning. They gave me a warm welcome. Helmut works for Deutsche Reichsbahn. He is going to introduce me to industrialists specializing in railway manufacturing. Björn Klee gave me some postage stamps with pictures of steam engines. It pleased me very much and I asked him whether he could get me some more of them, in return for Icelandic stamps…
June 21, 1934. I am finding Magnús very tiresome. He seems to think that we can invite ourselves to the mansions of the aristocracy here and advertise publicly for a potential king. I try to make him see that circumspection and a great deal of groundwork is needed for our enquiries…
June 22, 1934. Matthías introduces us to Birgir Valdal, who has lived here over the past few years and works for the Ministry of Education. He is prepared to assist us in our quest for a potential king but says he needs a good deal of time…
June 23, 1934. Order and discipline are the rule everywhere here in Berlin. The public are grateful to the National Socialist Party for having dealt with communism. The previous situation in the city was such that the violence and killings perpetrated by the communists were intolerable. Nearly every citizen had at least once experienced a life-threatening situation as a result of street fighting. This plague has now been eradicated. Though the National Socialists may have placed certain limits on the people’s personal freedom, the idea that it is forbidden to express criticism of the regime is pure fabrication by foreigners. Ill-feeling abroad toward the National Socialists is often based on the fact that they are considered to be too demanding on party members, who must be prepared to make sacrifices to help fellow party members suffering hardship. They are required to eat simple rather than elaborate meals on Sundays, and to donate the difference in price to a fund for the unemployed. This policy of assistance is not mentioned in foreign papers. The fact is also suppressed that the German government wants by all means to avoid war, a policy that is consistent with German public opinion…