gestures and expressions. Suddenly the name of the pub assumed significance in his mind.
"You understand that I'm her friend," Eddi said. "I give her what she wants. Sometimes she pays me. Sometimes she takes too long about it. The guy with the knee sends his regards."
"He grassed on you."
"It's difficult to find decent people," Eddi said, pointing around the room.
"How much is it?"
"Eva? Two hundred thousand. And she doesn't just owe me."
"Can we make a deal?"
"As you please."
Erlendur took out 20,000 crowns, which he'd taken out of a cash machine on his way there, and put it on the table. Eddi took the money, counted it carefully and put it in his pocket.
"I can let you have some more after a week or so."
"That's cool."
Eddi gave Erlendur a probing look.
"I thought you were going to give me some lip," he said.
"For what?" Erlendur said.
"I know where she is," Eddi said, "but you'll never be able to save Eva."
Erlendur located the house. He'd been in that kind of house before on the same business. Eva Lind lay on a mattress in the hovel surrounded by other people. Some were her age, others much older. The house was open and the only obstacle was a man, whom Erlendur took to be about 20, who met him in the doorway waving his arms. Erlendur slammed him against the wall and threw him out. A naked light bulb hung from the ceiling of one of the rooms. He bent down to Eva and tried to wake her. Her breathing was regular and normal, her heartbeat a little fast. He shook her and slapped her lightly across the cheek and soon Eva opened her eyes.
"Grandad," she said, and her eyes closed again. He lifted Eva up and carried her out of the room, taking care not to tread on the other motionless bodies lying on the floor. He couldn't tell whether they were awake or asleep. She opened her eyes again.
"She's here," she whispered, but Erlendur didn't know what she was talking about and kept on walking with Eva out to his car. The sooner he got her out of there the better. He put her down on her feet to open the car door and she leaned up against him.
"Did you find her?" she asked
"Find who? What are you talking about?" He lay her down on the front seat, fastened her seatbelt, sat in the driver's seat and was about to drive away.
"Is she with you?" Eva Lind asked without opening her eyes.
"Who, dammit?" Erlendur shouted.
"The bride," Eva Lind said. "The babe from Gardabaer. I was lying next to her."
25
Erlendur was eventually woken up by the phone ringing. It resounded in his head until he opened his eyes and looked around everywhere. He'd slept in the armchair in the sitting room. His coat and hat were lying on the sofa. It was dark in the flat. Erlendur got to his feet slowly and wondered whether he could wear the same clothes for yet another day. He couldn't remember the last time he had undressed. He looked into the bedroom before answering the phone and saw that the two girls were lying in his bed where he'd put them the night before. He pulled the door to.
"The fingerprints on the camera match the ones on the photograph," Sigurdur Óli said when Erlendur eventually answered. He had to repeat the sentence twice more before Erlendur realised what he was talking about.
"Do you mean Grétar's fingerprints?"
"Yes, Grétar's."
"And Holberg's prints were on the photo too?" Erlendur said. "What the hell were they up to?"
"Beats my balls off," Sigurdur Óli said.
"Pardon?"
"Nothing. So Grétar took the photo then. We can assume that. He showed it to Holberg or Holberg found it. We'll go on looking for the Húsavík woman today, won't we?" Sigurdur Óli asked. "You don't have any new leads?"
"Yes," Erlendur said. "And no."
"I'm on my way up to Grafarvogur. We've almost finished the women in Reykjavik. Are we going to send someone up to Húsavík when we've finished here?"
"Yes," Erlendur said and put down the phone. Eva Lind was in the kitchen. She'd been woken up by the phone ringing. She was still dressed, as was the girl from Gardabaer. Erlendur had gone back into the hovel, carried her out and driven them both to his flat.
Eva Lind went into the toilet without saying a word and Erlendur heard her retching violently. He went into the kitchen and made some strong coffee, the only solution he knew in