New aspects of Ísafold’s disappearance began to take shape in Áróra’s mind as the officer continued her questioning, and it occurred to her that she was hardly the right person to be doing this, as she was unable to answer the questions properly. In reality she had no idea what Ísafold’s life had been like recently.

It was just as well that Daníel had been able to join in and 151explain things, telling the officer that the initial investigation, as he put it, had been done already. He also mentioned Björn – the fact his statements didn’t add up, and the domestic violence – and the picture on Facebook; the faked picture. As they left the police station, he offered to call her mother and explain the situation to her. Áróra was so relieved she longed to throw herself into his arms, but withstood the temptation. Then they sat side by side on the steps outside the police station, and she listened to his measured voice as he went through the situation with her mother, urging her to travel to Iceland, describing the situation as ‘serious’.

Áróra filled the basin with cold water for a final rinse and swirled her underwear around in it. There was still some foam, but she had had enough. Her fingers were numb with cold, and she felt so tired, she was about to collapse. She knew very well that this was the come-down after the day’s emotional switchback, but was still taken by surprise by her own reactions.

She retrieved her knickers from the water, squeezing them in a bundle rather than twisting the water out of them and damaging the lace, and lined them up in a row on the heated towel rack. She would have to buy herself some clothes now that her stay here in Iceland had been extended, and she would have to find a place to stay for herself and her mother, whose flight would be arriving that evening.

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Áróra could see the worry etched into her mother’s face the moment she appeared through the doors at the airport, and immediately her own worries seemed to become lighter. She’d have to be strong and support her mother. The same thing had happened when her father died. Back then she had been the one who provided the strength and support, finding her own solace in the role, as if she had transferred her sorrow to her mother and shouldered the burden of making sure everything was done. As she hugged her, Áróra sensed that her mother would worry enough for both of them about Ísafold. Her body seemed to have shrunk to little more than skin and bone, and Áróra heard a delicate tremor in her voice.

‘I’ll go straight to Daníel’s place,’ she said as Áróra took her suitcase.

‘What?’

‘He offered me his guest room,’ her mother said.