Á Íslandi - 28

Together the three wandsingers looked at Knud's spreadsheet and counted the ones not yet having wands.
"We never succeeded in finding a test to find out if the smaller ones are ready to have a wand or not," Rósa said.
"That's not necessary," My said. "You can't sing a wand for anybody not being able to use it.  My youngest son's oldest daughter - she's six, but a bit slow - she wanted a wand too, but the tree did not co-operate, or the magic did not work, I felt singularly uninspired and unable to sing."
"Like me and Rasmus' kitchen cabinet door," Susan laughed, and told My the story of Rasmus and his slab of mahogany wood.
"Yes exactly," My said, also laughing, "only in your case it was the wood, not the person. But it feels much the same from your telling."
"When will your children come down here?" Susan asked.
"They won't be able to make it before the summer holidays," My answered. "None of them were able to have their holidays coincide with the school holidays both now and in the summer holidays, so they choose summer holidays over the winter ones. It is the craze for the skiing mobs," My said with a resigned shrug.
"Could they maybe come here another week instead?" Susan asked, "I'd like to meet them, and get to know them. I know you have sung wands for them and taught them a bit. How is your Icelandic after all these years?" Susan asked with a smile. Languages was My's weakest spot.

Jan returned from the shed where Walther was confined, looking white, and still carrying the empty lunch tray, he had been down to collect. "I think Walther is dead!" he said, "He lies on the floor, his head in a strange angle. Come and help me."
"I'll come," Knud said,"and you Susan and Ella. There's no need for all of us going down there."
"You're right," My said, taking the tray from Jan's hands. "We stay here."
Ella, Susan and Knud followed Jan to the small shed. Jan had not bothered putting up the dome again, and the two guards, Heidi and Henning, Knud and Susan's oldest son, were at the door.
They looked in. Walther lay in an unnatural position. Susan went in and knelt at his side. She listened to his heart and then she extended her hands over his head. "He is dead," she confirmed. "His neck is most probably broken."
"Now we have to think. We have to call an ambulance."
Ella began crying, and  Heidi hugged her and held her close. "Come with me," she said, "You should not say here." Susan gave her thumbs up and Heidi led the crying Ella to the gazebo.

"As I said," Susan said, "we have to think. It is fine with us and some guests being here, Ella and Walther of course, and My and Heidi, Sandra and their family. But Hilde and Rasmus, they have to go home. No way we can explain them being able to visit Liisa at the hospital in Tromsø each morning while staying here. Frank and Freja too will have to leave. Let's meet in the Hall. Now!"
Knud closed the door and wiped off the key, then gave it to Susan and asked her to put it back on the nail outside the door. "It has hung here all the time if anybody asks," he said firmly.
Susan went to the gazebo to look after Ella. She found her and Heidi sitting at the table. Ella was quiet, but red-rimmed eyes told of her crying. Susan sat down next to her: "I'm sorry," she said, "I truly am. If it is of any consolation he died quickly. He broke his neck, I think falling down from trying to get to the small window under the roof. He did not suffer."
"Thank you," Ella said. "I know with my brains that he was an evil man, abusing me, but with my feelings I still mourn the man I loved for many years."
"As you should," Susan said. "We'll have to call an ambulance, and the police will probably arrive too. We'll have to plan. because no way we can tell the police how everybody came here. Your explanation is: You both came here by train, ticket bought in cash. For a school reunion. It is 50 years since the 4H school. Knud and I thought this over with Hilde some days ago. We were to arrange a Hogwarts-themed party, this explains the wands and old books and so on. We used the same ruse in Tromsø with Liisa."
Ella smiled a bleak smile, "I see, yes that might work. Are you going to need any help? I think I would feel better doing something rather than sitting here thinking. I can claim, which is mostly true that Walter and I were growing apart, that we have been living under the same roof rater than together for some time, and that's why I feel OK, now the first of the shock has left me."
"Let's get to the Hall," Susan said. "Knud and the others should have found everybody by now."
Everybody was assembled in the hall as Heidi, Susan and Ella sneaked in and sat down. Knud rose and magically augmented his voice: "Dear friends," he said. "Today something terrible has happened. Walther, who was in the smallest shed, tried to climb up and get out through a window, doing so he fell down and broke his neck." He paused while people gasped, sighed and fell quiet again. "I have of course called an ambulance, they are sure to either call or bring the police. And this brings us to the next problem. We cannot have everybody here. It would be hard to explain. Hardest of all you, Hilde, you would not be able to explain your being in Tromsø in the morning and here in the afternoon. Please leave quickly. I'll send you a magical letter when it's safe to return."
Hilde rose and called her family together. "Go and pack now. We take the portal and stay in my house until then, and then we return with Granddad!"
"Frank, you and Freja and your children also had better disappear, we can't find a reason for the children of a former class mate being here."
"Yes, a bit far fetched," Frank replied. "We're off. Do we get a letter ad well."
"Of course" Knud answered.
"Anyone else?" Knud asked. "Olav and Monica, do you want to leave now?"
"Yes," Olav said, "If we do not cause trouble by leaving. We are done packing."
"Then please do, we'll stay in touch." Knud said. "Hurry! I hear the ambulance now."
They left and Knud continued: "Listen. We're here for the 50 years reunion of the inter-Nordic 4H for bookworms at the Danish Enggård. We were to have a Hogwarts-themed party, this explains the wands and old books and other magical items. Walther ate lunch with us and none but Susan noticed him leaving, as we were busy talking and planning the party. He was in the shed to find a BBQ Susan tells me. Jan went to look for him, as Ella wondered why he took so long. And that's all we need to know. Finnbogi will you please disguise the portal room as soon as everybody has left?"
"Will do!" Finnbogi said.
Knud cancelled the language spell and went to the door together with Susan and Ella. The ambulance arrived and Knud led them to the shed. A police car stopped next to the ambulance.
"I am Svend Poulsen," the oldest of the police officers said. "Are any of you Susan Thorsen?"
"I am," Susan said.
"Would you please lend us a room where we can sit and then please explain what happened?"
 "Yes," Susan said. "Come along." She led them into a small room off the entrance hall and the officer sat down and bade them do the same. "Now please tell," he said.
"We had been eating lunch, and then we sat talking," Susan began.
"Who are 'we'?" the officer asked.
"We are quite many," Susan said. "We were - hopefully still are - going to have a 50 years class reunion tomorrow. Many have already arrived. It was an inter-Nordic school. Let me think," Susan paused, closed her eyes, then carried on: "Of course Ella and Walter, living in Germany. Then Finnbogi Yngvason and  Rósa Sigurdsdottir from Iceland. My Birkeland, Marit and Jan Espedal, they married since school, all from Norway. From Denmark: Fiona Sørensen, Tanja, Svend and Ida, I can't remember their last names, and their mother. And then Martine, our old teacher, and me and Knud, who live here. I hope I have not forgotten anybody. And a bunch of our children and grandchildren."
The officer wrote furiously on his notepad. "And what happened?"
"One more thing you need to know," Susan said. "We were preparing a Hogwarts themed party, so you'll find wands, potions, books and so on here and there." She drew a steadying breath. "And now to Walther, After lunch, he asked me if we had a barbecue, I told him that yes we had, but that it was not warm enough for BBQ, and that it would probably be too small anyway, but he insisted. 'It's not a party without a BBQ', he said." Susan paused again and the officer nodded knowingly, "Yes, I know the type," he said. "Please continue."
"I gave in and told him that he could find it in the smallest shed, down by the meadow, and he left to find it. We sat and talked for a long time, planning, getting ideas and shooting them down. Then Ella wondered where Walther was, I told of the BBQ and Jan went to look for him, and found him in the shed. We, not all of us, and not the children of course, went and looked. I have taken a first aid course recently, and I tried to find out if he was still alive. I searched for his pulse, I could not find any ... then things get a bit blurred. We ran around a bit, Knud called an ambulance, and told everybody to stay away from the shed, as Walther had had an accident down there. Me and Tanja consoled Ella." Susan ended, "What now?"
"Now you all better stay in the house while the doctor does his job." Then he looked at Ella, "And you're Ella, wife of the deceased Walther,"
"Ja, das bin ich," Ella answered, and the officer looked at her. "Do you speak Danish?"
"Not good," Ella said.
"I just want to know your name and address," the officer said. "I'll speak slow and clear."
Ella nodded and answered slowly too, and the officer wrote the answers on his notepad.
The police officer asked Ella about when and how they had arrived, if she had noticed anything strange, and some more rather innocent questions. Then he bade them leave and send Jan to him.
Susan saw the doctor from the ambulance arriving and went over to him with Ella.
"My condolences," he said. "Walther has died. He broke his neck, as you suspected. I have to inform the officers."
"They are in there," Susan said and pointed at the door. "They are speaking to a man now, but I suspect it will not be long."

... to be continued