Miss Iceland That's Cold

On the run for years, mobster Whitey Bulger was done in by Miss Iceland.

A beauty queen turned in the beast.

The arrest of Mr. Bulger has nothing whatsoever to do with beauty or queens or the prettiest woman in Iceland in 1974, but it does make for an attention-grabbing headline.

In reality, it's sheer coincidence.

Anna Bjornsdottir just happened to live near Whitey and his moll. She saw the advertisements that the FBI had placed where women were most likely to see them, in the middle of daytime television programmes.

It didn't take a particularly keen eye to recognize her neighbor whom she'd befriended some years back. Without thinking about her own safety, or the ability of Mr. Bulger to call in former members of his gang to avenge him, she made the phone call.

Today, she's $2 million ahead of the game, the recipient of the award for those who came forward with credible evidence.

Mr. Bulger and his sidekick are in jail, awaiting trial, and there's been not a sound heard from those who once took orders from the purported murderer. After almost two decades on the run, the gang appears to be gone and Mr. Bulger is very much alone.

The former Miss Iceland can live rather well in California on $2 million, well invested to last the rest of her days. She won't have to try to cash in on her sudden fame, but will someone accustomed to the bright lights of the pageant world be able to resist the siren song of the national news programmes when they call asking for an interview?