The Northern Lights Lodge

by Julie Caplin

  ‘Oh Lucy.’ With a sympathetic smile, Hekla stood up and threw her arms around Lucy to give her a big hug. ‘They made a very big mistake. You are a good manager. Already things are better. And you are a good person. I don’t believe you did anything bad.’

  ‘It wasn’t bad, just really stupid.’ Some days Lucy couldn’t believe she’d really done it. ‘Being sacked was the biggest shock of my life. I never thought that would happen to me. I was always good at my job. Always the best. So now … I’m … scared, careful. I’m sorry if I haven’t trusted you. I should have done. You are amazing. You’re the one that has kept this place going through all the staff changes. And you’ve been so kind to me. It would have been so easy to dismiss me as yet another manager and go through the motions but you never did.’

  Hekla shrugged. ‘You were different. I knew you wanted to stay.’

  ‘That was desperation.’ Lucy’s cynical laugh prefaced her quick admission. ‘But … you and your petta reddast, Elin, Brynja and Freya, you’ve made me feel part of something. In my last job, the hotel was a building, I was its custodian. Here, it’s different.’ She linked her arm through Hekla’s. ‘I’m, no, we are going to make this hotel the best in Iceland and those new owners are going to keep all the staff on, including me.’

  ‘But of course,’ said Hekla, the twinkle back in her blue eyes.

  ‘And in future, if I piss you off, you tell me instead of doing the disappearing act.’

  Hekla squeezed her arm. ‘It’s a deal.’

  ‘We’re a team and I couldn’t do this job without you.’

  Her modest head shake made Lucy smile. ‘Although you might regret it as I’m going to start doing a lot more delegating and consulting you. How do you feel about us throwing a special Icelandic banquet?’

  Hekla’s eyes widened with sudden interest and her usual glow of enthusiasm.

  Lucy explained her thinking. That it would be an event celebrating Icelandic food, where local dignitaries as well as hotel guests would be invited.

  ‘It would be a good spectacle for the film crew,’ observed Hekla.

  ‘True,’ said Lucy pulling a face. ‘It would get them out of our hair for a change.’ She turned to survey the office. ‘And I’m getting rid of all this bloody paperwork…’ Lucy rolled her eyes at the piles of paper that didn’t seem to have diminished since she’d started. ‘As of now, it’s all going in the bin.’

  The two of them filled four black bin bags of paper, which Dagur and Olafur took out to the recycling centre at the back of the hotel, after which Lucy turned her attention to another problem that had been bothering her. ‘Can you take a look at this?’ She beckoned Hekla over to look at her computer screen, bringing up a webpage. ‘Look, all these pictures, on TripAdvisor. See all the cushions, throws, ornaments. Do you have any idea what happened to them?’

  Hekla twisted her mouth. ‘It’s very odd. I was thinking about it. And then I remembered. One day everything was here, the next day it was gone. I remember Eyrun said something about the manager wanted to put them away. And the manager left around that time … and we were too busy trying to sort everything out to look for them again.’

  The little dark woman flapped her hands at Lucy as she entered the steamy laundry room and Hekla tried to hide behind her, which was laughable as the girl with her Viking genes towered over Lucy.

  ‘Hi Eyrun. I wonder if you can help me?’ Lucy stared with a big pleasant smile, even though the woman was glaring at her with enough malice to frighten off a small army.

  Eyrun shook her head as if she couldn’t understand and let rip a flood of Icelandic.

  Hekla’s alarm showed in her widened eyes and her nervous translation. ‘She’d … er erm … like us to leave.’

  ‘Tough,’ said Lucy, adopting her pleasant smile again, feeling that it might be wearing a touch thin. ‘Eyrun, would you be able to tell us what happened to the cushions and throws?’

  Hekla translated, although Lucy was pretty sure the woman understood every word.

  ‘Nrr,’ said Eyrun, with a discontented snarl as she continued to fold towels, not making any eye contact. Lucy did catch the sly dart of her eyes to the long tall cupboard in the other room, which was just visible through the open door.

  After a fruitless five minutes of questioning, Lucy admitted defeat. Even if the woman knew what had happened to the soft furnishings. There was no way she was going to admit a thing, least of all help them by having a look anywhere for them.

  ‘Is there anywhere else they could be?’ asked Lucy as she and Hekla made their way back to the office.

  ‘No,’ said Hekla.

  Lucy grinned at her. ‘Well then, we’re going to have to go on a midnight Ninja raid.’

  ‘A midnight raid?’ repeated Hekla, looking confused.

  ‘I have a good idea where we might find some of the things.’ Lucy patted her on the hand. ‘Don’t you worry. All you need to do is find me some tools.’ At Hekla’s perplexed frown, Lucy said, ‘You know,’ and mimed a hammer and a screwdriver. Unfortunately lock picking was a skill set she’d yet to pick up. It was too much to hope there’d be a handy set of keys lying in a drawer in the laundry and she’d get that lucky.

  ‘Come to my room, and when it’s quiet we’ll get to work. I still have some cherry flavoured vodka left.’

  ‘For vodka, I will come,’ said Hekla.

  Chapter 17

  ‘What are you two up to?’ asked Alex as he caught them slightly giggly trying to conceal several screw drivers under their coats.

  Where the heck had he appeared from? Lucy could have sworn he’d tidied up the bar and shut up shop at least half an hour ago.

  ‘Nothing,’ said Hekla in such a dead pan serious way that immediately gave the game away.

  Lucy rolled her eyes as Hekla’s face creased into a mischievous grin. ‘We’re breaking and entering,’ Lucy said carefully enunciating the words, which seemed a bit tricky all of a sudden. Her tongue seemed a bit wayward and loose, as if it wanted to go one way and she wanted it to go another.

  Alex’s brow furrowed into delightfully perplexed lines, that for some reason Lucy had an urge to smooth away. He really was rather cute especially with the scruffy beard which had thickened up over the last couple of days. ‘In your own hotel?’

  ‘We’re on the case of the missing accoutrements.’ Lucy said with an airy wave of her hands, feeling herself wobble slightly.

  ‘Missing accoutrements, that sounds like some crime, Detective Smart.’ Alex’s mouth quivered.

  ‘Want to join us?’ asked Lucy raising both her eyebrows in invitation, rather liking the sound of Detective Smart. ‘That’s a really good crime solving name, don’t you think?’

  ‘Have you two been drinking?’ he asked.

  Lucy’s eyes widened so far that she was worried she might give herself eye strain.

  ‘Just a wee snifter, for Russian courage,’ she said, pronouncing each consonant with great care, making it clear that she was completely sober.

  ‘Russian courage? Isn’t it supposed to be Dutch courage?’

  ‘Have you ever heard of Dutch vodka?’ asked Lucy with a superior sniff. ‘I think not.’

  Alex’s mouth twitched. Don’t look at his mouth. Don’t look at his mouth.

  It was impossible, she looked at his mouth, twitching away with suppressed laughter.

  ‘Are you coming with us or are you going to stand there, smirkling at us?’ she asked with great dignity, wondering if smirkling was even a word.

  ‘I shall stop smirkling with immediate effect Detective Smart and join your elite band of Ninja detectives. Nice outfits by the way.’

  Lucy narrowed his eyes. Was he mocking the black sock tied around her head?

  ‘We’re blending in,’ whispered Hekla, holding a finger up to her lips. ‘Sh.’ She started to tiptoe down the corridor. Lucy shot Alex a reproving look. ‘Are you coming?’

  ‘Wouldn’t miss it for the world,’ said Alex cheerfully
, falling in behind them.

  What did he have to be so cheerful about?

  The laundry was pitch black but Hekla had procured them each a torch and the beams wavered as they walked through the first room, reflecting on the glass of the huge dryers which looked like black holes waiting to suck them in. Lucy picked up her pace and scooted past them.

  They moved through into the other room, silent and still without the usual whooshing of water in the washing machines. Lucy inhaled the comforting clean smell of washing powder and fabric softener. The big white appliances sat like squat watchful sentries on the far side of the room and Lucy imagined the glass fronts like bespectacled eyes observing them, reporting back to Eyrun. Oh shit, she wished she hadn’t drunk quite so much vodka. Hekla could certainly put it away. Lucy hadn’t come anywhere near matching her, in fact, she really hadn’t had that much but on an empty stomach it had gone straight to her head.

  ‘That one,’ Lucy pointed with her torch to the tall cupboard with its double doors in the corner of the room. She fumbled with the set of keys she’d taken from the office, shining her torch on the bunch as Hekla held the beam of light steady on the lock. It was tricky juggling the torch, the keys and trying to work through them. Nothing looked vaguely like the right sort of key.

  The room was suddenly flooded with light. Both Hekla and Lucy whirled round and pointed their torches at Alex who stood by the light switch.

  ‘What are you doing?’ Lucy screeched as quietly as she could.

  ‘Seriously?’ He tilted his head, amusement bubbling in his voice. ‘Did you forget who’s in charge here?’

  Lucy drew herself up with an attempt at dignity which was a bit difficult when Alex was starting to sway a little, or maybe it was the room. ‘Well of course not … it’s just …’

  ‘She’s scared of Eyrun,’ piped up Hekla helpfully, which wasn’t helpful at all.

  ‘Scared is a bit strong,’ protested Lucy. ‘Sensibly wary would be a better way of putting it.’ Saying sensibly was quite tricky. ‘Sensibly,’ she repeated, feeling her lips stick together on the final syllable.

  ‘Right,’ nodded Alex.

  She wished he’d keep still, it was so difficult to focus at the moment.

  ‘Yes, so cupboard.’ She turned to look at the tall white cupboard. ‘I don’t think any of these keys are going to fit. Bugger.’ She looked at Hekla. ‘Now what?’

  ‘We could force it open with the screwdrivers,’ said Hekla, leaning back against the wall and starting to slide down it.

  Lucy nodded, her head drooping as she followed Hekla’s progress. ‘We could but then what if there’s nothing in there. How do we explain it to Eyrun?’

  ‘We had an … an mergency,’ suggested Hekla hitting the floor with a sudden thump, her legs shooting out in front of her, stiff and stilt-like, reminiscent of an old-fashioned wooden doll.

  ‘What sort of … mergency?’ Lucy asked, frowning. Speech was getting harder.

  ‘Washing emergency, loss of spillages on tablecloths.’

  ‘Yes, thas good.’ Lucy nodded wisely. ‘We needed stain remover. Lookin’ for stain remover, thas right and we couldn’t find it in the other cupboards on account of I can’t read Icelandic. You were never here. She likes you. We don’t wanna spoil your cover. So, ish was me. I wash looking for stain remover to do a big load of washing, lots of washing, very quickly, and we wash looking for stain remover.’

  ‘Oh, dear God,’ muttered Alex, rather rudely to Lucy’s mind. It wasn’t as if he was invited on this mission.

  He stepped in front of her to take a good look at the cupboard. ‘Give me the screwdriver,’ he said gently wresting it from her hand.

  ‘You going to jemmy it?’ asked Lucy. ‘Our hero,’ she grinned up at him. Gosh he was lovely looking. That dark slightly too long hair and the dark chin, he hadn’t shaved in a few days and she rather liked it. It made him look like a dangerous pirate who could carry her off any time he liked.

  Oh God, he was saying something to her. She blinked at him, smiling with a dopey sigh.

  ‘No,’ he rolled his eyes. ‘I’m going take the hinges off one of the doors.’ He pointed to the shiny brass hinges top and bottom of the doors. ‘And remove the door.’

  ‘Thas so clever,’ said Hekla admiringly tilting her head up still propped up by the wall. ‘Isn’t that clever, Lucy?’

  ‘Genius, I’d never have thought of that in a million Sundays. Why do they say that? Why not million Mondays. Would be aliter … aliter … aliterthingummy.’ Lucy gave up.

  ‘You really are plastered, the pair of you.’ Alex shook his head, amusement dancing in his eyes. They were very nice eyes. ‘Hand over a screwdriver, I don’t think either of you are capable.’

  ‘Yes I … ackshully, no I’m not.’ Lucy handed over her screwdriver and leaned back against the wall waiting for the room to stop moving.

  Taking the screws out of the door wasn’t difficult at all, but it was going to take some care and he was worried about whether the hinges on the opposite side would be strong enough to take the weight of both doors and whether the lock in the middle would be strong enough to hold the two doors together.

  He glanced back at the two girls. Hekla’s head now drooped, nodding as if she were falling asleep. She wasn’t going to be any help at all. He glanced at Lucy who was gazing at him with big owlish eyes and a silly smile on her face. Drunk as a skunk and rather cute with it. It was nice to see her smiling properly. She didn’t do it often enough. It opened up the possibility of a very different Lucy Smart and brought back a golden memory of the day at Gullfoss. When she smiled her whole face brightened.

  ‘Lucy, do you think you could give me a hand?’ This could all end in disaster he realised and relying on her probably wasn’t the wisest choice but it was all he had. ‘Once I’ve got these screws out, I’m going to need your help. You need to hold the doors in place and take the weight here where they join at the lock.’

  ‘OK, you’re the boss.’ She rolled up her sleeves, bouncing on her toes like a perky boxer ready to go into the ring. ‘Let’s go.’ With a half-crouch, sticking her bottom out, she took a couple of steps forward, almost dancing around him to reach the spot he indicated.

  ‘What are you doing?’ he asked.

  She straightened and gave him that haughty stare he’d seen a couple of times which now he found amusing. ‘Are you dissing my finest ninja moves?’

  ‘Oh, that’s what they were. Sorry.’ He pressed his lips together to stop himself laughing at the serious, semi-outraged look on her face.

  ‘I’ll have you know I’ve done karate,’ she said sticking her chin up in the air at him.

  ‘You have, have you?’ He grinned at her and something in his chest tightened as she looked up at him slightly glassy-eyed but so serious and determined. For all her bravado, there was a vulnerability about her. Since she’d arrived, she’d never asked for help. That initial lethargy and slowness to act had been replaced by a decisive and almost stubborn determination to get the job done.

  ‘You’ve got dimples.’ She lifted her hand and stroked his cheek. ‘They’re nice,’ she breathed, her face softening, her eyes suddenly warm.

  Warmth bloomed as the unexpected touch floored him, sparking a desire to scoop her up into his arms and kiss the mouth mere inches from his curving upwards in a secretive feminine smile.

  ‘Yeah,’ he said brusquely, ‘I was a really cute baby. Now are you going to help me or not?’

  His heart thudded. What the hell was he doing here? In a parallel universe in Paris he would have asked Gustave the head of maintenance to go and get the cupboard door opened and he wouldn’t be reporting back to Quentin on Lucy Smart’s performance.

  She moved around him and stood as he carefully started to undo the screws on the top left hinge, relying on Lucy to keep the doors in place.

  ‘You’ll need to slide your foot underneath that little gap to stop the door on the left dropping and twisting the hinges on the ri
ght,’ he said. It took a good twenty minutes to take out all of the screws and pull the doors away from the door frame, but it had worked a treat.

  ‘You take that side,’ he nodded to the right-hand edge of the two doors, ‘and I’ll take this and we’ll shuffle forward.’

  ‘That what you were looking for?’ he asked as the gap widened to reveal a walk-in room filled with shelves packed with a bright array of cushions, neatly folded throws and boxes of wooden birds, their beaks and feet poking up over the top of the cardboard like bizarre jackstraws.

  ‘Bingo!’ said Lucy peering around the door. ‘Exactly what we were looking for. Hekla! Hekla. Oh.’ Lucy turned to look at the sleeping Hekla on the floor. ‘That’s sobered me up fast.’ She blinked at him. ‘I thought we might find a couple of things but not the whole damn shooting match.’

  ‘What do you want to do now?’ asked Alex.

  ‘What would you do?’

  Alex winced. He was here to judge her. That was why he was here. He knew exactly what he’d do. How Lucy would tackle it? As a good manager she had to be able to handle this sort of thing. ‘I’ve no idea.’

  ‘Well I do,’ she said, her mouth firming as she looked up at him. ‘I shouldn’t have to resort to this ridiculous behaviour.’ Her imperious manner was slightly at odds with the wobble to her head as she tried to indicate the cupboard doors. ‘I want to get everything out and dress the lounge and library the way they should be. I’m really cross that these have all been locked away. What was Eyrun thinking?’

  ‘OK, but we’ll need to prop the doors up over there while you get everything out. Do you want to do it all now? And after that? Do you want to leave the doors off or put the door back on?’