The Banshee Palace: A Constable Petra Jensen Novella (Greenland Missing Persons Book 7) by Christoffer Petersen

Author:Christoffer Petersen [Petersen, Christoffer]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Aarluuk Press for Arctic Noir, Action Thrillers and Greenland Crime
Published: 2021-03-30T16:00:00+00:00

Part 12

Distances in Greenland can blow your mind. I knew that the next island to the south of Eqqissineq was at least ten kilometres away, but in the morning light as I hurried down the mountain path, every time I stopped to catch my breath, I felt like I could reach out and touch it. The distances were shorter in winter, as the snow settling in the cracks of the mountains acted like a winter lens, drawing you in, pulling you close – so close you could feel it. But the distances neither shrank nor expanded, and the path from the banshee palace – as I now called it – to the dump was just as long as it was on the way up, but the promise of a cooked breakfast spurred me on to the patrol car. I parked outside the Inuusuttoq brothers’ house just five minutes after reaching the car.

I speed-talked through eggs on toast, excited about my discovery inside the palace, and buoyed by the impending arrival of Tuukula and Luui, who just happened to be in the neighbourhood.

It was another case of weird Greenlandic distances, but Upernavik was the largest town between Qaanaaq and Ilulissat, and I wasn’t surprised that Tuukula was visiting a friend, and that Luui had an appointment at the hospital to check her recurring ear infections.

“We’ll come as soon as we leave the hospital,” Tuukula had said.

Which gave me several hours, as I guessed they would come by boat.

My professional edge might have dulled in my enthusiasm, but the startled faces of the brothers as we ate, reined me in, and I slowed down, nodding for more coffee. Atii would have been concerned, but I recognised it for what it was – victory! I had overcome my fears in the mountains, and now an expert was on the way to help me get to the bottom of things.

I simply forgot that finding the bottom might lead to finding Makka Inuusuttoq.

“And you can find her?” Tilli asked as Siimu buttered more toast.

“Well, I don’t know,” I said, backtracking.

“But you said you found the messages in the palace.” Tilli turned to his brother, looking for confirmation that he also heard what I said.

Gaba warned me not to stir up trouble, but in Tilli’s case, it was much, much worse. I had given him hope, and every word I said stirred it up, along with his expectations. Tilli’s eyes sparkled as he left the table, and I turned to Siimu to explain and apologise.

“But if you could find her?”

At the risk of making things worse, I pulled out my phone and opened the photo folder. I felt a rush of heat to my cheeks as I swiped past the last set of photos – selfies of Atii and me at the nightclub – and gave my phone to Siimu.

“These are photos of messages on the palace walls. There are lots, but if you zoom in, maybe you could recognise…”

“Makka’s handwriting?” Siimu said nothing for several minutes as he studied the photos.

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