My Soul to Take: A Novel of Iceland by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir Read Free Book Online

down the corridor, feeling pleased with herself.
    There was no sign of the masseuse in the lobby. A young woman was leaning over the reception desk, deep in a whispered conversation with her colleague behind the counter. She was disturbingly thin and the snow-white tunic she wore over her matching trousers did little to conceal it. Thora stood beside her and smiled at the two women in the hope of being allowed to join in. She was far from welcome; both looked most displeased to see her, but they recovered themselves and gave her frosty smiles. For a short while she pretended to look at a poster behind the reception desk advertising a seance the previous evening with a well-known medium from Reykjavik. Then she turned back to the others, smiling pleasantly.
    "Hi," Thora said, to break the ice. Her curiosity got the better of her and she forgot the charade with the keys. "I heard about the body that was found on the beach."
    The women exchanged glances and seemed to come to a silent agreement. The thin one turned to her. "It's just awful," she said emphatically, her eyes wide. "You know the cops are here?" Removing her elbow from the counter, she stretched out her hand for Thora to shake. "I'm Kata, the beautician." Her teeth shone pearly white.
    Thora greeted her, surprised at the strength of her grip considering her size. "I'm Thora. I'm looking into a little matter for Jonas. I'm not really a guest."
    The receptionist nodded. "Oh, yeah, he mentioned it to me. I'm Vigdis, the reception manager. You're one of those lawyers, right?"
    Not knowing exactly what "one of those" meant in this context, Thora nodded. "That's right." Looking around, she saw through the glass entrance doors that a police car was still outside. "Where did the police go?"
    Vigdis pointed to the right and whispered, although no one else was nearby. "They wanted to talk to Jonas." She leaned back in her chair and raised her eyebrows conspiratorially. "He wasn't even surprised when I told him."
    "What did the police say?" Thora asked. "He might not have realized what the matter involved."
    Vigdis blushed slightly. "Well, no," she said reluctantly. "They didn't say anything to me really, just asked for Jonas."
    "So how do you know there's a body?" asked Kata, the beautician, who was clearly no fool.
    Vigdis's cheeks grew redder. "I heard them say it. I showed them to Jonas's office, and when they introduced themselves, they stated their business with him."
    Thora was certain that the woman had put her ear up to the door. "Did they say anything about how this person died?" she asked. "Was the body washed ashore, or what?"
    "And was it a man or a woman?" the beautician interjected. "Did they say?"
    "It was a woman, apparently," replied Vigdis, the flush leaving her cheeks. She clearly enjoyed holding all the cards, and when she started speaking again, she drew out every word for maximum effect. "They didn't mention the cause of death exactly, but I swear they were implying that it was unnatural." She took a deep, dramatic breath. Kata put her hand to her mouth, her colleague's theatrics clearly producing the desired response.
    "Why did they come here?" Thora pressed. "Was the body found on the beach?"
    Vigdis nodded slowly and pointed to a window overlooking the open sea below. "I don't know exactly where, but it was in this area. Down there somewhere."
    Thora and Kata looked out of the window. The weather outside was relatively calm and it was still bright daylight despite it being late. The beach itself was hidden from view because the lawn outside the window was a little above sea level.
    "How could it have been directly below here?" asked Thora, turn ing away from the window. "Surely you would have noticed if the police had been active in that area."
    Vigdis shrugged. "A huge amount of land belongs to the old farm and you can't see the whole beach from here by any means. The headland over there is one reason." She pointed to a hill through the window. "The