Margit Sandemo - The Ice People 08 - Under Suspicion

Liv got up.

“No,” she said. “No, no and once again no! Before you came, bailiff, we discussed this possibility because we know very well that our family has talents which other people don’t have. However, none of those present here have the talent for magic. And, more importantly, none of us could have done it because we didn’t have the opportunity. You can ask as much as you want. You’ll soon discover than none of us has been alone long enough to have murdered four women. These murders weren’t just a case of running up to the edge of the forest and killing the first woman who happens to come by. There’s no road up there where you can meet people at random. Unless you’re a werewolf that kills senselessly at each full moon, you’d have to have met these women somewhere else. So when were we supposed to have met these women?”

“We’ll find the answer to that one, Baroness,” said the bailiff sternly.

“Well, you just go ahead then,” answered Liv and sat down once more.

Mattias coughed gently. “Excuse me,” he said, looking gently at the bailiff. “As a doctor, I’d like to take a closer look at the deceased. Maybe I can establish how those women lost their lives?”

“Ah, you’d like that, wouldn’t you now!” barked the bailiff. “They were witches. Those types should be burned as quickly as possible. So it’s already been done.”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake,” groaned Andreas and got an angry glance from the bailiff.

“I know that they didn’t die of natural causes. They had great scratch marks on their clothes and body. Magic and ghosts have killed them, which is all that can be said on the matter!”

Now Brand was irritated. “Before you become too certain that one of us committed the crime, you should take other people into consideration as well.”

The others in the family knew that Brand’s anger with the bailiff would never fade. The bailiff had attacked Brand’s beloved family – which would never be forgiven!

“I won’t forget anybody,” said this churl of a public figure. “Joel Night Man and Jesper Klaussøn are under observation.”

“Joel Night Man is dying,” said Mattias softly. “He was assaulted by people from the village last night, so you may need to solve another murder.”

The bailiff mumbled something or other which they couldn’t hear and began cross-examining them. Half an hour later he left the farm in an angry mood. He hadn’t found one single hole in their wall of proof for their innocence. When he had left, they all agreed that the bailiff was a fool.

“What a lot of stupid questions he asked!” exclaimed Andreas. “Even I could have done it better.”

“Yes,” said Are. “I couldn’t agree more. The man hasn’t a clue what he’s talking about. If we have to put our trust in that fool of a bailiff, it won’t be long before we’ll all be dangling from the gallows. Andreas, you must carry out your own investigations. You’re smart enough to do that.”

“Thank you,” smiled Andreas. “Well, it’s quite a tempting offer. I’ll get started straightaway: Granddad, where were you when these women were killed?”

“Wait, who’s taught you to interrogate? The bailiff?” laughed Are. “I want to solicit the assistance of Kaleb. He’s quite knowledgeable about law and order.”

“Certainly,” answered Kaleb.

“Splendid,” said Are. “Then I think you should hurry to Jesper’s hut, before the bailiff arrives there. Brand, you must go along, too, because Jesper’s your old friend.”

Brand promised and they soon left. Many of them wished that Cecilie and Alexander had been there. Nobody could solve complicated matters with the same authority and efficiency as those two.

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