“Of course not. I didn’t know anything about it-you know that. Do you think I’d have been in that car if I’d known? Not a chance in hell. Son of a bitch! What reason would I have to lie to you? And I sure don’t trust the appeals court to change anything. They’re all in bed with the pigs one way or another.”
Martin started to say something but Korpi shut him up with a raised hand. “Don’t say a word. Not a word. Just listen. I don’t understand how it’s possible some bitch with a photographic memory would just happen to see me and then go and call the cops. That’s some bad fucking karma. Shit, I can’t think straight with fifteen years hanging over me, but I’ll figure it out. I know from experience you never sleep the first night after a sentencing, but that doesn’t matter right now. I’ll get things straightened out.”
Korpi fell silent, and Martin was quiet too.
Korpi spoke up again, “Not sure if they’re gonna move me to Helsinki Prison today or tomorrow, but you’re gonna come meet me in the afternoon. By then my head’ll be clear and I’ll tell you what to do.”
“I can’t…”
Korpi narrowed his eyes. “You’ll do what I tell you. Or you’re the one I’ll be thinking about tonight.”
CHAPTER 15
WEDNESDAY, 10:05 P.M.
MARI LEHTONEN’S APARTMENT
Mari Lehtonen was at home watching the evening news with her daughter, Laura, at her side. Mari had opened a bottle of wine, which had now dwindled to about a third. The broadcast had begun with news from the Middle East, which had been grim for so many years that it wasn’t interesting anymore. Next up had been some political story, but that too, at least tonight, held no charm.
The news anchor continued, “Tonight Helsinki District Court sentenced two men to life in prison for a drug-related murder that took place in September. According to the court, the motive for the murder was a turf battle between competing drug rings.”
Laura glanced at her mother, who nodded.
The screen cut abruptly to reporter Sanna Römpötti, standing in front of the courthouse in the waning light. Römpötti proclaimed that the court’s swift verdict was only as extraordinary as the murder: two dealers, who had been previously convicted of drug crimes, assassinated a competing dealer. It was yet another example of the ever more violent nature of organized crime.
Some photographs of the crime scene appeared on the screen and Römpötti described the murder. As the surveillance photograph of the Mazda in front of the apartment building appeared on screen, the reporter explained, “A crucial piece of evidence in the case came when a Helsinki woman testified to having seen this car, as well as the driver’s face, at the time of the murder. In court the witness identified gang leader Risto Korpi as the man who was waiting in the car, while Korpi’s henchman Esa Nyberg went into the building and shot a competing cocaine dealer to prevent him from taking business from Korpi’s organization.”
More crime scene photographs appeared on the screen. “Korpi denied allegations in court that he had been at the scene, and that he had given Nyberg the order to kill. But since a reliable witness had testified that Korpi was in the car, and Nyberg was a member of a gang led by Korpi, the court found him guilty of murder as well.”
Mari’s phone alerted her to a text message, but she ignored it. The broadcast moved on to the backstory and highlighted the recent spate of violence among criminals. The reporter concluded that the game was clearly getting more ruthless, and would continue to do so.
When the news anchor reappeared and shifted to a story on water quality, Lehtonen picked up her phone. The text had come from her boss, Essi Saari, and it was brief: “Nicely done!”
Lehtonen had time to take another sip of wine before the phone rang. The call was from an unknown number. Mari wondered if she should answer or not, but since the police also used blocked numbers, she decided to answer.
“Hello?”
“Yeah…so I hear you got a nice new black suit and red necklace,” said a man’s voice. Mari recognized her ex-husband all too well.
“What?” she managed to say as she stood up.
“Where’d you get the money for them fancy new clothes and jewelry?”
Mari stole into the bathroom and closed the door so Laura wouldn’t hear. “What are you talking about? You’re drunk.”
“Fuck yeah, I’m drunk, but I still got ears. I hear you been hanging out with the cops in a fancy new suit and necklace puttin’ an innocent man in jail.”
“I don’t have any… Where’d you get this number?”
The man’s voice grew threatening. “Listen, whore. You done somethin’ real stupid and you’re gonna…”
Lehtonen hung up and turned off her phone. The jerk could leave a thousand voicemails and she wouldn’t listen to a single one. She came back into the living room and Laura looked at her inquiringly.
“Nothing. Just a wrong number.”
The girl shrugged. “What are we watching sports scores for?” she wondered, reaching for the remote control. The next channel up was airing some detective show.
“Change the channel,” said Mari. “Or better yet, get your jammies on and get to bed. You’ll be getting that feedback on your project tomorrow night.”
She poured herself another glass of wine. The tremor in her hand had returned.
* * *
Joutsamo was crooning like an Idols star on the karaoke stage of the Ace of Spades Bar, “And your day to day life is the torment of strangers. Day after day, restless Cinderella makes a martyr of herself.”
The other officers were sitting around a table in the crowded bar.
“I didn’t know homicide cops could sing,” said Nykänen.
“Now you do. She’s the one and only,” said Takamäki, and he took a swig of beer. With five rounds already in his system, he was beginning to feel it.
“Least not here, anyway,” Nykänen added. The Ace of Spades was the flagship of Finland’s karaoke bars, and not just anybody could take the stage there. “I gotta say, though, she’s not half bad.”
“Yeah. Seems like she’s good at everything she does. Either that or she doesn’t do anything she
stinks at.”
“You know, I’m still a little bitter about you stealing her away,” said Nykänen, not entirely joking. Nykänen had once worked with Takamäki’s team, but had made lieutenant and taken a position with Espoo narcotics, where Joutsamo had been working. “She planning on going for lieutenant?”
“Not sure. That’s what I’ve been asking her myself, but she hasn’t hinted either way.”
“It’d be a good position for her.”
“I think her clock is ticking, too.”
Nykänen gave Takamäki a blank look before he finally understood. “Oh, right. Yeah. Is she seeing someone?”
“Not to my knowledge.”
“Strange. Maybe she’s set the bar too high.”
The music faded out, and the men changed the subject as Joutsamo came back to the table.
“I see you know your Dingo tunes. Nicely done,” said Takamäki.
Suhonen had a fresh cider waiting for her. “Not bad,” he said, handing her the drink.
“Thanks,” she smiled.
Suhonen heard his phone ring through the opening bars of Don Huonot’s, “Good Night, Good Morning.” “No such thing as a bulletproof heart yet,” sang a forty-something man, well out of step with the music. After checking the number, Suhonen excused himself, got up and went into the bathroom where he could hear.
When he came back five minutes later, the conversation had turned to the Korpi case. The team was happy with the course of the investigation and the final verdict.
“I gotta go,” said Suhonen without sitting down.
Takamäki looked at him inquiringly. “What is it?”