He finally got to his feet and dragged the case further, more by force of will than muscle power, and managed with an extraordinary effort to shove it over the edge so that it tumbled into the fissure, making dull thuds as it collided with the walls. He was too weak to stand, so he lay on his belly at the edge of the ravine and peered down. The grey case hadn’t fallen alongside the red one that contained Ísafold’s remains, but had dropped on top of it, so that only the grey case could be seen. For a moment Grímur wondered 217whether to climb down and push the grey case aside so that it would slide further down, but decided against it. It was better left as it was. Grey was less visible from a distance than red, in the unlikely event that anyone were to come this way and peer into this gap in the lava. And anyway, Ísafold was long gone, so she would hardly mind. Her soul, with its feelings and joy, and the beauty that was inside her, had forsaken this deep, dark hole long ago.

‘I’m so sorry,’ he whispered to her, all the same, before he got to his feet and made his way back to the car. Ísafold’s soul would be somewhere free and beautiful, maybe here above the lava field, or higher up, above the clouds, where the sun always shone. Wherever she was, he felt it was right to ask her forgiveness for dishonouring like this the last resting place of her earthly remains.

He sat in the car, took the engagement ring from his pocket, unhooked the chain around his neck and threaded the ring onto it. He hadn’t been able to withstand the temptation to take the ring from Björn’s pocket, before smashing his kneecaps so that he would fit in the suitcase. On his way to eternity, Björn had no use for this ring. On the other hand, Grímur would treasure the feeling of keeping the jewel Ísafold had worn close to his heart.

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Áróra steered the trolley the waiter had brought to the room and placed it like a coffee table between the two chairs. It was arrayed with a coffee pot, a milk jug, a sugar bowl, two cups and a bowl of pastries, along with a little vase containing a single tulip, everything beautifully arranged on a white cloth. She had dressed early that morning, and since then had nervously paced the room, rehearsing what she would say to the representative of the German bank who was on the way to deliver her fee.