“What’s his name?”
“And you’ll keep this…a lawyer secret?”
“Of course,” Lind lied.
“His name is Aarnio. Ask him.”
* * *
The meeting at the police station ended a while ago. Suhonen was drinking coffee at his computer, which was prohibited by police department regulations after too many computers had to be replaced due to spilled drinks. But Suhonen didn’t care.
He had asked Salmela more details about Nortti, but Salmela didn’t know anything else. Suhonen didn’t want to bother the ailing man any further.
The lists of Korhonen’s cell mates and Nortti nicknames didn’t amount to anything. There was no clear breakthrough. Joutsamo would’ve loved to get the Rahkola case to investigate, but eventually Takamäki agreed with the Turku and Vantaa police that the case would go to the National Bureau of Investigation. They’d have more time to try to crack the complicated murder, while the city police departments dealt with daily assaults and rapes, robberies, and manslaughter cases. These used up a lot of manpower, and the NBI didn’t have that problem.
The Rahkola case was no longer their concern. Suhonen had given Nykänen Salmela’s name and asked to be present at Salmela’s video interrogation at the hospital. Nykänen wouldn’t head the case himself; it would be handed to Leppӓlӓ, who was experienced in dealing with complicated murder cases. Suhonen knew the veteran investigator well and was confident it wouldn’t be a problem to arrange Salmela’s questioning.
Suhonen glanced at the clock on the computer. It read 4:20 P.M. He had a couple of hours left of his weekend shift. He might be spared once again from having to go determine an elderly person’s cause of death. But it was no piece of cake to search for a decayed body, either. He remembered vividly how disgusting it had been earlier to stick his finger through the hole in the jeans and touch bone. He’d need a couple of beers tonight.
CHAPTER 27
SUNDAY, 4:50 PM
NӒYTTELIJӒ STREET, HELSINKI
The name on the door read Aarnio, and Lind rang the doorbell lightly.
When she heard a dog barking inside, Lind instinctively took a step back, even though the door was still shut. A stout, fifty-year-old man wearing a plaid shirt opened the door. He had high cheekbones, a receding hairline, and piercing eyes.
“Can I help you?” the man asked, smiling.
Lind told him she was Jorma Korpivaara’s attorney and was asking questions about the homicide last week.
“Interesting,” the man said. “I don’t know anything about it.”
“Nothing?” Lind asked.
“Not really.”
The man cast a sharp glance at Lind.
“You can’t think of anything?” Lind pressed.
“Nothing of value, I don’t think.”
“Anything might be of value,” Lind said with a smile. Maybe the man knew something, and a little flirting might get him to talk.
“Without the whole picture, it’s hard to know what’s valuable,” she said. “You live right here by the murder scene.”
“Yes, yes I do.”
“How well did you know Laura Vatanen?” Lind asked, getting straight to the point.
Maybe the man would talk if the questions were straightforward.
“Well,” the man relented. “C’mon in.”
Lind asked the man’s name and he said it was Mikael Aarnio. He took the dog into the bedroom and shut the door. The apartment was similar to Sini’s in the next building, but this one had only one bedroom. It was to the left of the entrance hall and the living room to the right.
“I wasn’t expecting anyone,” the man said apologetically, quickly picking up a few magazines.
Lind thought the apartment looked nearly impeccable. The furniture was heavy and old and there was a lot of dark wood.
“Coffee?” the man asked.
“You don’t need to make any for me.”
“I have a coffeemaker that makes one cup at a time. It’s no bother.”
“In that case, a cup would be nice.”
The man went into the kitchen and returned quickly. Lind heard the hiss of the coffeemaker.
“It’ll just be a minute. You wanted to ask me about the death of the lady downstairs?”
“Yes,” Lind said.
“The police were here already.”
“As I said, I’m Korpivaara’s attorney, and I’m just doing some additional investigating about the course of events.”
“What do you mean by additional investigating?”
“Well,” Lind said. “I haven’t seen the police reports yet, but I think it’s important to ask about things while they’re still fresh in people’s minds.”
“Are you experienced?”
“Yes, I think I am,” Lind said.
“Are you married?” the man asked, leaning forward in his chair.
“I don’t think that’s relevant.”
“You’re right, it’s not,” the man said with a smile. “What would you like to know?”
Lind thought for a moment. “Do you know Jorma Korpivaara?”
“We’ve said hello and chatted occasionally. It’s important to be on the custodian’s good side, in case you need him someday.”
“What about the neighbor below, Laura Vatanen?”
“Nowadays people don’t know their neighbors, but I knew Laura.”
“Based on my information, they put on some wild parties down there. You must have heard them.”
“I went down there a few times and told them off,” the man said with a smirk.
“Who was there then?”
“Laura and her guy friends, and sometimes the young girl from the next building.”
“Sini?” Lind asked.
The man squinted. “I think that’s her name.”
“What do you think happened last Wednesday?”
“I couldn’t say,” Aarnio said. “I left for work that morning and the police came to ask questions that evening. That’s all I can tell you. Now you tell me what you think happened.”
“It’s hard to say,” Lind said. “But I don’t believe Jorma Korpivaara killed Laura Vatanen.”
“Based on what? The paper said he confessed.”
“I found someone who said Korpivaara spent the entire morning with them,” Lind said, wondering why she would tell a complete stranger about it. Apparently she had a need to talk to someone.
“But the police say the man confessed.”
“The police don’t know everything.”
“They don’t?”
“No.”
The coffeemaker stopped hissing and beeped.
“The coffee is done,” Aarnio said, standing up. Milk?”
“Black’s great,” Lind said.
Aarnio came back with a coffee mug and handed it to Lind. He had started a second cup dripping.
“So who killed Laura Vatanen, then?” he asked.
Lind shrugged and took a sip of the hot coffee. She liked it, and wondered what blend it was.
“I don’t know. Can you give me a hint?” she asked, taking another sip. It was relaxing.
She realized she was famished.
“I don’t think it was Jorma Korpivaara,” the man said, smiling.
“But who then?” Lind asked. She was feeling flushed and uncomfortable now. Suddenly it dawned on her. “What did you put in the coffee?”
The man just smiled. Lind tried to get up, but she had no energy in her legs and she collapsed in the chair.
“Don’t worry, you’ll fall asleep soon. But you should know you were right. Korpivaara didn’t kill Laura Vatanen, I did. Laura wouldn’t drink the coffee, but you did.”
Nea Lind tried to fight the paralyzing feeling. She threw her cup at the man, but missed.
You did…you did…you did… The words rang in her head until she blacked out.
* * *
Suhonen was playing Tetris on the computer when his phone rang. It was an unknown number. He answered and Toukola sounded irritated on the other end.
“Did you guys have any action on Nӓyttelijӓ Street?” the Narcotics officer asked.
“Why do you ask?”
“My guys are staking out in Kannelmӓki for any aftermath from yesterday, and there’s quite a ruckus going on.”