by Paty Jager
They exited the elevator and walked along a short hall and into a room set up with tables and a long buffet filled with food. “Stay with me so you can point out the women,” Hawke said in a low voice.
“If you aren’t my date, I can do as I please.”
He heard the mischief in the woman’s voice. “You are welcome to cling to any man you want after you point the women out.”
She scrunched her face and began plucking food from the buffet table.
An elbow in his side almost caused him to drop the plate he’d been filling. “What?”
“That’s Nancy, over there at the table in the corner. And just sitting at that table is Carmilla.”
Hawke studied the two. “Let’s get a table, and I’ll go have a chat with them.”
“If your runnin off after other women, I’m not goin to sit at a table waitin for you to prowl on back.” She strode over to a table that had Carlton and the Tanaka family.
He noted there was one more open chair. Hawke walked over and placed his plate in that spot. “Be right back,” he said to Carlton’s raised eyebrows.
At the table with the two women, who also sat with four other women, Hawke directed his attention to the two he was interested in. “Nancy and Carmilla, could I have a word with you?”
They both showed shock that he knew them. They glanced at one another and then around the table.
“I just have a quick question about Tuesday night.”
Nancy stood and motioned for Carmilla to follow her. He took the two off to the side of the room where there was less traffic.
“Why do you need to talk to us about Tuesday night?” Nancy asked.
“I’m helping the Reykjavik Police with the homicide of Jón Einarsson. I understand you were in Kevin Largess’s room on Tuesday night.”
“He did not kill anyone!” Carmilla said, louder than he liked.
“I know he didn’t. I need information about the people who were in his room that night.”
Nancy peered at him. “Do you think the killer was in the room? We were all women.”
“Women do commit eleven percent of murders.”
Carmilla now glared at him. “We did not kill anyone.”
“I’m not saying you or anyone in the room did. I just want the names, please.” He pulled his phone out and opened a text app.
Nancy glanced at his phone and started, “Hilda—I don’t know anyone’s last name except Carmilla. We’re rooming together.”
Hawke nodded, his way of saying that’s okay and go on.
“Hilda, Carmilla, me, two black women. Rowena, she sounded British, and Kanika, she wasn’t British or American. Not sure where she was from. I think they are rooming together. Mayta, the Australian woman. And an Icelander.” She turned to Carmilla, “Do you remember her name?”
“It was like cigarette,” the Italian said, making the motion of puffing on a cigarette and blowing out the smoke.
Hawke had a suspicion he knew who that Icelander was. “Could it have been Sigga?”
Nancy pointed her finger at him. “That’s who it was.”
“And she didn’t leave when the rest of us did.” Carmilla’s narrowed eyes and pout expressed she had wished to stay after with the rock-climbing instructor.
“Thank you. You were both helpful.” He turned off his phone, shoved it into his shirt pocket, and headed back to the table where his food was getting cold.
“Did they remember who the other woman was?” Mayta asked.
“Yeah.” He was beginning to wonder if Chief Inspector Sigga Eiríksdóttir had been helping to hide the real murderer. He knew she didn’t kill Nonni. She’d been on the bus and with the group the whole time. But had she stolen a rental car key for someone else?
He dug into his meal, barely listening to the conversation going on around him. Sigga had said she was staying in the hotel during the conference. Was it to meet up with Kevin? They had given off strong sexual interest for one another when they were all walking back to the bus.
Hawke raised his head and scanned the room. Neither were eating dinner. “Was everyone supposed to come to this dinner?” he asked Carlton.
“No, it isn’t mandatory. It is paid for with your conference fee. And they put on a good spread.” The man held up a forkful of firm white fish, dripping in a sauce.
Hawke rose.
“Where’re you goin’?” Mayta asked.
“I have some phone calls to make.”
“Don’t you ever relax?” Carlton asked.
Hawke stared at the man, then the woman, and finally the Tanaka family who had been quiet. “I can’t relax until I’ve figured out the motive and who killed Nonni.”
“Mr. Hawke, you will miss a nice dessert by leaving,” Riku said, quietly.
He glanced at her but couldn’t tell if she wanted him to stay to talk to him or was just mentioning the dessert in order to keep him here.
“Thank you, but I need to talk to someone.” He excused himself and headed to the elevator. Standing in the small closed-in area of the elevator, he studied his reflection in the stainless-steel wall. His hair was standing up, most likely from the stocking cap he’d worn. Which reminded him, he’d left his Stetson in Sigga’s car. Now he had a good reason to look her up at the Marina Hotel.
Chapter Ten
Hawke walked the short distance to the other hotel. The clerk from the night before stood behind the desk.
“Could I have Sigga Eiríksdóttir’s room number and Kevin Largess’s room number please? I know they are both on the second floor.”
The woman looked them up on the computer and rattled off the numbers to him.
“Thank you.” He stepped into the elevator and hit the number 2. The trip was barely long enough to sort out which room to visit first. He came to Sigga’s first. Knocking on the door, he listened while surveying the hallway. There was a surveillance camera in the middle and at the end of the corridor. He pulled out his phone and texted a message to Böðvarsson to request the surveillance tape for Wednesday afternoon and evening. If they got a look at who placed the key under the door, that would help them find the murderer.
He knocked one more time and moved on down the hall to Largess’s room. Music softly played. Jackpot.
Hawke knocked on the door, louder than he had the previous door. Muffled voices on the other side of the door had him grinning. He knocked again.
“Just a minute!” Largess called out.
Hawke stepped to the side, making it hard for the man to recognize him if he looked out the peephole.
The door opened slightly. Largess’s head and shoulder the size of a bowling ball were visible. “What do you want?”
“I need to talk to Sigga.” Hawke crossed his arms and waited.
“Why would you think she’s here?” The rock climber didn’t open the door any further.
“The way you two were cuddling as we walked back to the bus. She’s not in her room. And you neglected to name her as one of the women in your room on Tuesday night.” Hawke put a hand on the door and gave it a shove. “Care to explain that?” He walked into the room.
Largess had a sheet around his bottom half. Sigga sat in a chair, wearing a robe and her hair all messed up.
“There’s nothing to explain. I know she didn’t steal my key so why say anything?” Largess sat on the bed closest to where the woman sat.
Hawke stared at Sigga. “When you knew why I wanted to question Kevin, why didn’t you tell me you had been here? You could have told me the names of the others.”
She shook her disheveled head. “I don’t remember who was here. I came in after they were all in the room.” She narrowed her eyes at Largess. “I saw Kevin’s door open and came down to see what was happening. Turned out he had women in his room. They were all trying to get him to give them an invitation to stay.” She smiled and ran a finger down his arm. “I commented he was mine for the night and they all hastily left.”
Hawke glanced at the glass c
ounter with fishing lures and knots under the glass. “This is where you left the keys?” A set of keys with the car rental fob sat on the glass top.
“Yes. Just like that.”
“And you didn’t notice they were missing until they showed up under the door?” Hawke wondered that the man didn’t realize they were gone. They were easy to see on the top of the glass.
“I was busy when the others left and hurried to my seminar the next morning.” Largess crossed his arms.
“What time did you notice them under the door?” It would help to nail down the time the keys were returned.
“They were on the floor when I opened the door after dinner last night.”
“And that time was...?”
“I came back to the room about nine. We were questioned by police, then I went to dinner, had a couple beers, and came back here.” He glanced at Sigga. “I tried calling her room, but she didn’t answer.”
“I know where she was.” Hawke held in the smugness he felt as the other man gave Sigga a proprietary glower.
“We were going over all the interviews and what to do next on the case.” She quickly added, “Ari was there, too. In the conference base of operations room.”
He wondered at the two being so close and fiercely guarding one another. Glancing between the two of them he asked, “And neither one of you had any problem with Nonni or heard of him having any problems with anyone associated with this conference?”
“I told you earlier. He was a good kid. I have one dinner with his family when I’m here. I wouldn’t hurt him and had no reason to.” Largess stood, his face growing redder with each word and his voice huskier.
“I thought of Nonni like a younger brother or cousin. He gave me no reason to wish him dead.” Sigga also took affront to his asking.
Hawke eased toward the door. “Any chance I can get my hat from you tomorrow?”
Sigga stared at him open-mouthed as if she were ready to cuss him out.
“I’ll bring your hat to conference headquarters,” Largess said.
Hawke nodded and left the room. He knew the time frame to study the surveillance tape when they received it tomorrow. Other than that, he couldn’t think of anything else that he could do tonight.
Walking back to his hotel, his phone buzzed. A text from Riku. Join us at the Bergmál.
He was tired and didn’t want to go to a bar, but Nonni’s friends might inadvertently say something that could shine a light on the young man’s death.
<<>><<>><<>>
Hawke shoved the stocking cap into his coat pocket and ran his hands through his hair before entering the bar on the ground floor of the Harpa. He found the group. The same four Icelandic friends and Riku. The extra young woman from the night before wasn’t with them.
He took the empty chair on the end of the booth where the group sat. Sindri and Katrín and Bragi and Riku seemed to have paired off. Leaving Ásta as the fifth wheel in this case.
“You asked me to join you,” he said, sitting down and motioning for a waitress. When she appeared, he ordered a beer and returned his attention to the group of young people.
Ásta leaned toward him. “Have you figured out who killed Nonni?” Her wide blue eyes held hope and sorrow.
“We’re still working on it.” He paid the waitress who had returned with his beer. Taking a sip, he studied each one. They all seemed deflated by his announcement.
Setting the bottle down, he said, “You can’t think of anyone who would want to harm him? Even if it was just something small. The right person can make something small into something much larger in their minds.”
“He would make fun of people, but not hurtful, more to make them see the humor in themselves.” Ásta peered around the table at the others. “There was one boy, I think he was here four years ago. Remember, he was from America. He came with his father.”
“Billy Boy, yes!” Sindri joined in. “He thought he was special because his father was high in the police force in a big city.”
Katrín laughed. “He was so full of himself you could have filled the Friðheimar hot houses with his hot air.”
“What did Nonni do or say that upset Billy?” Hawke took another sip of his beer, refraining from taking notes.
“He told him to use his hot air for something useful, like keeping the people parachuting in the air.” Sindri laughed.
Hawke didn’t understand. “What do you mean about people parachuting?”
“One of the classes that year was parachuting into hard to land places. Billy’s father had been in the military and was teaching the parachuting class even though he hadn’t used it for search and rescue where he lived.” Ásta studied her hands. “They almost had an accident with the class.”
Hawke still didn’t understand. “Someone was hurt?”
“No, they discovered the fault before anyone jumped but it was Billy’s father’s instructions that could have caused several to be injured.” Ásta peered at him. “Nonni was the one who discovered the mistake.”
“Billy came in here that night and wanted to tear Nonni’s head off for making his father look bad,” Bragi said.
“Do any of you remember Billy’s last name?” He pulled out his phone and added Billy, four years ago, father taught parachuting, US.
They all shook their heads. It was a bit of a lead.
“Has anyone seen him here this year? Either Billy or his father?”
They again shook their heads.
“What about here? Local people?”
“No. We understand humor here and jest with each other all the time.” Bragi put an arm around Riku. “Riku and Wanza fit right in last conference.”
Hawke studied the two. They seemed friendly, but he didn’t see any sparks coming off either one of them. Not like he’d witnessed with the older couple Sigga and Largess. “Were you two an item then?”
They both shook their heads.
“I fell for Wanza. Something about making her sadness go away.” Sadness drooped Bragi’s eyes.
“Did you two stay in touch?” Hawke glanced at the others. They understood their friend’s sadness.
“I tried. Three months after she went home, she stopped texting. I didn’t have her address or remember the name of the town where she lived.” Bragi removed his arm from Riku and downed the rest of the drink in his glass.
“She stopped replying to my texts as well,” Riku said. Her gaze flit from person to person around the table ending on Hawke. “We all have wondered what happened to her.”
Hawke added Wanza to his list of people to remind Einar about in the morning. “Thank you for inviting me and giving me more information about Nonni.” He stood.
“You will let us know if you learn anything?” Riku asked.
Ásta’s gaze flicked over Riku before she stared at him.
“Yes.” He walked out of the bar and across the street to his hotel.
In his room, Hawke wrote down the information he’d put in his phone and what the young people had told him at the bar.
He had three days left to find Nonni’s killer before the conference attendees spread around the world.
Chapter Eleven
Dani called at 5 am to ask Hawke about the weather and how the conference was going. They’d visited for half an hour when Dani decided the call was over because she needed to go to bed. He chuckled. She’d woken him up and she wanted to go to sleep.
He ended the call, dressed, checked his notes, and headed to the Harpa, hoping they had coffee and muffins set out in the conference base of operations. The room was empty when Hawke arrived. The scent of coffee filled the air, and he found a pump pot of coffee and a basket of baked goods. Sitting down at a table with the coffee and muffin, he started making notes in the sidebar of his notebook.
“Good morning,” the woman who had been in this room the day before when he’d talked to Einar said, as she entered the room.
“Morning.” He watched her start up the two computers in the ro
om and walk over to get a cup of coffee. “What do you do for the conference?”
She smiled. “I keep the website up and running, gather the registrations, and set up the classes.”
“All of that is before the conference. What do you do now, while it’s running?” Hawke stood, stretched, and walked over to refill his cup.
“I make sure the tech people get the right equipment in the right rooms, record the courses that are being recorded, and help people remember what they signed up for.” She sat down at the larger of the two computers.
“How long have you worked for the conference?”
“Eight years.” She tapped keys and several screens came to life.
“Could you get me information on some people from past conferences?”
She stared at him. “With Einar’s permission.”
“When will he arrive?” Hawke returned to his seat and sipped his coffee.
The woman glanced at her watch. “In about an hour.”
An hour to sit here and twiddle his thumbs.
“You could call and ask him for permission.” The woman hadn’t looked up from the computer. Had he made a sound that gave away his frustration?
“His number?” Hawke held his phone in his hand.
She dictated the numbers, Hawke dialed, and Einar answered.
“Halló?”
“Einar, this is Hawke. I would like you to give permission to the woman in the conference headquarters to give me names and phone numbers of some past attendees.”
The man sputtered. “Past attendees. What would that have to do with Nonni’s death?”
“Possibly nothing. I visited with his friends last night and learned of an altercation four years ago with someone named Billy—”
“That was nothing. It all blew over.” Einar protested too much.
“I would still like to talk to this Billy. And a young woman who was here last year. Wanza?”
“I don’t see that either of those could have anything to do with who murdered my son now.” Einar’s stubbornness caused Hawke to wonder what either of these might have to do with the death.