The rain poured down on Erlendur and Sigurdur Oli as they hurried out of their car, ran up the steps to the apartment block on Stigahlid and rang the bell. They had contemplated waiting until the shower ended, but Erlendur got bored and leapt out of the car. Not wanting to be left behind, Sigurdur Oli followed. They were drenched in an instant. Rain dripped off Sigurdur Oli’s hair and down his back and he glared at Erlendur while they waited for the door to open.

At a meeting that morning the policemen who were engaged on the investigation had considered the possibilities. One theory was that Holberg’s murder was completely without motive and the attacker had been prowling around the quarter for some time, possibly even for days: a burglar looking for somewhere to break in. He had knocked on Holberg’s door to find out if anyone was at home, then panicked when the owner answered it. The message he had left behind was merely intended to lead the police astray. It had no other immediately obvious meaning.

On the same day that Holberg was murdered, the residents of a block of flats on Stigahlid had reported that two elderly women, twin sisters, had been attacked by a young man in a green army jacket. Someone had let him in the front entrance and he had knocked on the door to their flat. When they answered he burst in, slammed the door behind him and demanded money. When they refused he punched one of them in the face with his bare fist and pushed the other to the floor, kicking her before he finally fled.

A voice answered the intercom and Sigurdur Oli said his name. The door buzzed and they went inside. The stairway was badly lit and smelled unhygienic. When they reached the upper floor one of the women was standing in the doorway waiting for them.