She sat in the car, checked her phone and saw that her mother had called twice while she had been talking to Daníel, so she called her back.

‘What does your uncle think?’ her mother asked as soon as she picked up the phone.

‘It seems he isn’t my uncle after all,’ Áróra said, and her mother snorted.

‘He’s an uncle by marriage,’ she said, and Áróra decided it wasn’t worth an argument, even though she longed to deny any kind of family link with Daníel, as if the pleasant warmth that had developed over the kitchen table would be somehow inappropriate if there were a family connection.

‘He says that Ísafold is an independent adult with every right to go where she wants and do as she likes without having to let anyone know.’

‘Yes, true. That’s right—’ her mother began.

Áróra cut her off. ‘His guess is that she has decided to leave Björn and is keeping her whereabouts secret because she’s frightened of him. He said he’s seen this loads of times in the police.’ 57

‘Yes, but—’

‘And he says that a sudden change in communication patterns is often an indicator that there’s something wrong.’

‘Communication what?’

‘Communication patterns. Meaning that if Ísafold cuts off communication with everyone she knows, such as her own mother, for example, then there’s every reason to believe something is very wrong.’

‘That’s what I’ve been saying all along!’ her mother howled, and Áróra felt a pang of pain at the desperation in her voice. When she finally found Ísafold, there would be nothing pleasant in what she would have to say to her; she would hear in no uncertain terms what she had put their mother through.

‘Björn’s brother Ebbi said that their relationship has been difficult recently, so it was no surprise that Ísafold had left him,’ Áróra said. ‘Maybe she’s gone away for a break, Spain or somewhere – a place where she has space to think things through.’ Áróra heard her mother receive this hypothesis with a reluctant sigh. ‘It wouldn’t be a surprise if she’s on a beach in the sunshine with a drink in one hand, cursing Björn and not even imagining how worried we are about her.’

She said ‘we’ not only to show she shared her mother’s thinking, but also because Ísafold’s absence had become a constant irritant, like an unpaid bill or unwashed dishes. And if Ísafold didn’t show up sometime soon, it was likely to become a genuine concern – a real fear for Áróra.