Detective Erlendur Young 2 - Reykjavik Nights [Reykjavíkurnætur] by Arnaldur Indriðason

Author:Arnaldur Indriðason
Language: eng
Format: mobi, azw3
ISBN: 9781466849419
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

26

The jeweller inspected the earring intently, thought for a while, then finally announced that he had never stocked it or anything like it.

‘Not a bad piece,’ he added. ‘The gold plate’s fairly thick and it’s a nice bit of work.’

‘What about the pearl?’ asked Erlendur.

‘That’s genuine. But I didn’t make this and I didn’t sell it either.’

In his professional opinion, the earring was unlikely to be very old as the style was still in fashion. It was fairly large, made of two quite substantial linked hoops. Suspended from the lower, slightly smaller, hoop was a tiny, white pearl. Altogether it was an attractive piece, possibly bespoke; good quality, though the jeweller did not recognise the handiwork. It could have been purchased in Reykjavík or elsewhere in Iceland, but just as easily from somewhere abroad.

The earring looked none the worse for its spell under the hot-water pipe. It couldn’t have been lying there for long before Thurí spotted it glinting in the darkness of the tunnel. Her lucky charm, she had called it. It hadn’t brought her much luck so far.

Two days had passed since Erlendur acquired the earring from Thurí’s supplier. He had been carrying it around with him ever since. He had studied it minutely under his office lamp but had no idea what secrets it might hold, nor if it had any bearing on Hannibal’s story. He’d most likely come across it by chance. But it was the only piece of the jigsaw that didn’t fit; the only piece that had arrived there without explanation. The only gleam of light in Hannibal’s squalid shelter.

The jeweller handed the earring back. He was the second expert Erlendur had consulted in the hope of tracing its owner. Erlendur was employing the only strategy he could think of: to take the earring to every jeweller in Reykjavík.

‘Nice Christmas present,’ commented the man. He was wearing a white coat and had a powerful magnifying glass hanging from a cord round his neck. ‘Not too expensive, but pretty. Or the sort of thing you might give your wife for a wedding anniversary. Or a birthday. I could make another to match it, if you like.’

‘Thanks, but there’s no need,’ said Erlendur. ‘I just happened to find it and was hoping I might be able to return it to its owner.’

‘Very conscientious of you,’ the man said with surprise.

‘No harm in trying.’

‘The clip’s all right,’ the jeweller continued, inspecting it carefully. ‘Nothing wrong with it. Though clip-ons like these can easily come off. Real earrings are less likely to get lost, but lots of women don’t like the idea of having their ears pierced.’

‘How do they come loose? Would they have to be knocked in some way? Or do they just slip off?’

‘They slip off,’ said the jeweller, confirming what Thurí had told him. ‘The clips vary in quality. What did you mean by knocked?’

‘If the owner was involved in a tussle, say.’

‘Well, yes, of course. It goes without saying.’

In the third shop a young woman examined the earring carefully before announcing that she did not recognise it.

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