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

into her room. Thora thought it over on her way, but the closer she came to room 5, the more determined she became to look inside. If it turned out that Birna was the woman on the beach, this would presumably be Thora's only chance to examine her room. If the circumstances of death were suspicious, the police would seal it off. She tried to persuade herself that she had to take advantage of this opportunity, as Jonas's lawyer. Perhaps he would be a suspect. Eventually she convinced herself that she was doing nothing wrong. She simply wanted to put her head around the door and take a look. Nothing else.
    Thora stopped outside the door and looked around her. The women at reception, deep in conversation, didn't notice her. She swiped the plastic key card, opened the door, and darted inside.
    Jonas tried to act like an innocent hotelier , but was finding the role increasingly difficult. He had an instinctive dislike of the police, which had always appeared to be mutual on the rare occasions when their paths crossed. Police officers also had a tendency to look deep into his eyes while they talked to him, and Jonas had the feeling they had been trained to evaluate the truthfulness of replies from the movement of the pupils. He knew he was blinking far too much, which wasn't making a good impression.
    He cleared his throat. "As I told you, the description could fit the architect Birna, but it's much too general to say for certain. Wasn't the woman carrying any ID, a bag or something?" He stretched toward the window behind him. "Don't you find it hot in here? Should I open the window?" Jonas was afraid that sweat would start pouring from his brow to complete the picture of a guilty man.
    The police officers exchanged a look. They seemed to be keeping their cool in spite of being clad in full regalia, black uniforms with gold braid. Ignoring the stifling heat in the room, they had not taken off their jackets. They were holding their caps, however. Disregarding Jonas's inquiries about the window and the ID, they went on questioning him. "When was she last seen, this Birna?"
    "I don't know exactly," Jonas replied, searching through his memory. "She was here yesterday, definitely."
    "So you saw her yesterday?" asked the younger officer. He looked like a tough guy, and Jonas preferred the older one, who appeared to be a softer type in all respects.
    "What?" Jonas asked rather idiotically, then hurried to add, "What, yes. I met up with her. Several times in fact. She was struggling to complete the plans for the annex that's to be built here and came to me throughout the day to consult me on various points."
    The officers nodded in unison. After biting the inside of his cheek for a few moments, the older one asked, "What about today? Did she come and see you today?"
    Jonas shook his head fervently. "No. Definitely not. We were supposed to meet this morning only she didn't turn up. I've been keeping an eye out for her but haven't bumped into her or seen her. I kept calling her mobile, but it was switched off. I just got her voice mail."
    "What kind of mobile did she have? Can you describe it?" the younger man asked.
    Jonas did not need to think about that question. Birna's mobile was very distinctive. He had seen her with it many times. "It's bright red, a clamshell phone. Shiny. Quite small. I don't know the make, though. There was a big silver peace sign on the front, but I don't think it was
    a brand logo, just a decoration." The police officers darted glances at each other, then stood up together. Jonas stayed seated. He was feeling more confident after finally being able to answer one of their questions. "This woman who was found . . . did she die in an accident?"
    Neither of the officers answered him. "Would you please show us to Birna Halldorsdottir's room?"
    Thora took a last look around the room. She had not found anything significant. Admittedly it was different from other hotel rooms, because the architect had clearly moved in for