My Soul to Take: A Novel of Iceland by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir

irrelevant back into the old boxes, but took all the photographs regardless of what they showed, since she couldn't tell what she might find when she took a look at them in a better light.
    There weren't many, but one in particular aroused her interest— it was in a beautiful old frame and showed a teenage girl whom Thora was fairly certain was Gudny Bjarnadottir from the old farm. The girl was sitting on a hillside with her legs folded under her, smiling prettily into the camera. She was wearing a lowcut white blouse with a large bow at the front. The blouse somehow emphasized that this was a young girl and not a woman, but Thora was fairly sure the girl had intended it to have the opposite effect. She put the photograph on her bedside table. It was hard to make it balance, because the stand had been damaged in storage. Taking a long look at the picture, Thora prayed that Soldis's story about incest on the farm was pure fiction. If not, she was almost certainly looking at the victim.
    Thora's stomach rumbled. A glance at the clock told her that it was well past twelve. She phoned reception and found out that the kitchen was open until half past one. She'd have to be quick. She hastily washed her hands and combed her tangled hair. Being in the basement hadn't made her look her best, but she wasn't about to let dirty clothes stop her from reaching the dining room before it closed. She could always turn up dressed to the nines that evening to make up for being scruffy now.
    There was only one other guest in the dining room when Thora entered. It was the elderly man whom she had taken for an accountant or lawyer at breakfast. He didn't look up or make any attempt to greet her, just stared sadly out through the window, oblivious to the fact that the number of diners had doubled. Where had she seen him before? Thora chose a table a good distance from him.
    She was barely seated when a young man with a professional smile came over and handed her the menu. After thanking him, Thora ordered a glass of sparkling water to begin with. While the waiter fetched it, she read the lunch menu and chose an omelette with salad. According to the description, the salad was supposed to contain dandelion and sorrel, and she selected it more from curiosity than any other motive. The waiter appeared with her drink at the very moment she put the menu down and he praised her for her choice when she ordered. Thora suspected he would have done just the same had she ordered raw pork, if it had been available. He did not give an impression of great sincerity.
    "Is there any news about the body that was found?" she asked as he filled her glass with water.
    Startled by her question, he splashed a little water on the cloth. "Oh, sorry. I'm so clumsy," he said as he took a linen napkin from the next table.
    "That's okay." Thora smiled. "It's only water." She waited for him to finish mopping it up. "So is there any news?"
    The waiter wrung the damp napkin between his hands and prevaricated. "Um, it's all a bit embarrassing. I really don't know what I'm allowed to say. The owner's holding a meeting with us later to outline what we should tell the guests. We don't want to start rumors that could cause you unnecessary stress. People come here to rest."
    "I'm not a regular guest. You can tell me anything. I'm working for Jonas. I'm his lawyer, so I'm not just being nosy."
    The waiter looked dubious. "Oh. I understand." He clearly didn't, because he said nothing else.
    "So you don't know any more about it? Has the victim been formally identified?"
    "No, not officially. Everyone agrees that it's Birna, the architect." He shrugged. "But it may turn out to be someone completely different."
    "Did you know her?" asked Thora.
    "Slightly," replied the waiter. Thora found his face hard to read. "She was here a lot, so I couldn't help having dealings with her."
    "You don't sound as though you thought much of her." Thora sipped her fizzy drink and felt the dust from the