“And tomorrow?”
“We’ll talk about that with Lieutenant Takamäki in the morning.”
“I have an English test tomorrow,” Laura
chimed in.
“We’ll have to see about that. It’s possible you’ll both get a day off.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” said Mari, her arms outspread in obvious frustration.
“That Laura’s not going to school and you’re not going to work.”
Mari stood up. “I’ll get your sheets.”
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 15
CHAPTER 20
FRIDAY, 7:45 A.M.
PASILA POLICE HEADQUARTERS
Takamäki was sitting in the slightly more spacious, but equally joyless office of his direct supervisor Karila, chief of the VCU. Both men were nursing cups of coffee.
“Shitty deal,” said Karila.
“It is.”
“We just don’t have the numbers for an operation like that. It would tie up two officers during the day, one for the girl and one for the mom. Evenings and nights we might be able to make do with one. Once you figure in all the shifts, you get six, seven cops. Or eight if mom and daughter are out separately in the evening.”
Takamäki took a sip of coffee. He had come to the same calculation the previous evening. “A good ten percent of our entire unit.”
“Damn right. Of course we can’t just leave them to fend for themselves.”
“We don’t really have any official witness protection program, but maybe we could rig one,” said Takamäki. “We could get her an apartment in another city and help her get a job.”
“Wasn’t there some working group looking into witness protection?” Karila asked between sips of coffee.
“Yeah, but they didn’t come up with anything concrete. Just suggestions due to lack of funding. Nowadays that famous Kennedy quote might go more like: ‘Ask not what you can do for your country, ask what you can not do because of the economy.’”
“Right.”
“Besides, we have no idea how long this will last or how serious it’ll be. For now we’ll take it seriously, of course, but Lehtonen is just a random citizen that testified in court, not an informant or a biker trying to get out of a gang.”
“True,” nodded Karila.
“The easiest thing might be to send them to a safe house for a few days or a couple weeks. In the meantime, we’ll try to resolve the threats.”
Karila thought for a moment. “Do you think they can be resolved? If word’s out already, then…”
“I have a few ideas,” said Takamäki. “First thing we do is put Korpi in solitary, so at least he can’t be doling out orders. And then there’re a few other things…” he said, and listed the alternatives.
* * *
An hour later, Takamäki was ringing the doorbell of Lehtonen’s apartment. Joutsamo came to the door in track pants and a white T-shirt.
“Good morning,” said Takamäki with a smile.
Joutsamo looked at him dejectedly and raked her fingers through her dark hair. She invited him in and he hung his coat on the hook and went into the kitchen where Mari and Laura were eating breakfast. Takamäki greeted them both and sat down in an empty chair at the table.
“Let’s cut right to the chase,” he said. Initially, Takamäki had wondered whether he should talk to Mari without Laura present, but the situation affected them both, so Laura’s participation was helpful.
“Fine by me,” said Mari.
“The threats against you are being taken very seriously, and we’ve opened an investigation. Your safety is our number one priority. Number two is to stop the threats, and number three is to apprehend those responsible. We strongly suspect that this is related to your testifying against Risto Korpi.”
“Well, that’s pretty obvious,” snorted Mari. Laura sat beside her, watching quietly.
Takamäki was unfazed by the comment. “Unfortunately, we have no proof of that. We made little progress on the investigation overnight, but we’re expecting some results from the crime lab today, among other things. But these have to do with priorities two and three. Right now we should talk about number one.”
“What about it?”
“How to protect you,” said Takamäki. He had decided not to give her any choice in the matter. “We’re going to have to move you two out of this apartment.”
“Move?”
“Yes. Whoever is threatening you obviously knows your address, so it’s not safe to stay here.”
“So where? And for how long?”
“There’s a safe house in Kirkkonummi. You’ll get your own room and Laura will have a private tutor. I’ll talk personally with your employer about the situation. I can’t say how long it will be, probably a matter of weeks, but at least until the threat against you has been eliminated.”
Lehtonen was quiet. “And what if you can’t
do that?”
“Then we’d have to look for a more permanent solution. We could relocate you to another city. Of course, we’d assist you in finding housing, schools and employment. But I doubt it will come to that.”
Lehtonen looked to Joutsamo. “What do you think?”
“I think the safe house sounds like a good idea.” Of course, Joutsamo had little choice but to say so.
Takamäki went on. “Of course, this is entirely voluntary. We can’t force you to go.”
Mari turned to Laura. “And what do you think?”
Laura shrugged. It was unlikely her English test had any bearing on the matter. “I guess it’s okay.”
“Then that’s what we’ll do,” said Mari. “When do we leave?”
“As soon as your bags are packed. They’ve got washing machines and bed linens there, so you won’t need any. Pack any personal hygiene items, clothes, school books and reading material.”
Mari nodded.
Takamäki turned back to Joutsamo and handed her a packet of papers. “Go through these with Mari and Laura before they leave. The squad downstairs will take them, but you should go along.”
* * *
Their bags were packed within half an hour.
“I really don’t know about this,” said Mari as she paused at the kitchen door. Joutsamo was sitting at the table with the packet of papers Takamäki had given her.
“It’s what’s best for you and Laura. It’ll also give us a little more freedom to concentrate on the case.”
“I suppose,” said Mari. “What’s with the papers?”
“These are instructions that I’ll need to go through with you and Laura.”
Mari called for Laura.
“These are just some general dos and don’ts. First off, under no circumstances should you reveal your location to anybody. That’s the most important rule. Not to friends, not to anybody. And no texting,” said Joutsamo, glancing at Laura, whose eyes betrayed her alarm. “Once at the safe house, you’ll be known as Mari and Laura Virtanen.”
“Virtanen?” said Mari.
“Yes. No need to change your first names. You may not leave the safe house without an escort. Not to the store, not to the newsstand. Nowhere alone. If you want to buy something you’ll have to fill out a form at the front desk, they’ll purchase the items in bulk.”
Joutsamo continued down the list. “All contact with the outside must be kept to a minimum. If your location is compromised, you’ll be moved right away. Let’s see…then I have what looks like an American list of safety measures. Not sure if this is any use to you, but since my orders are to go through them, that’s what we’ll do.”
Lehtonen didn’t say anything.
“Says here that women tend to sit in the driver’s seat for a while before they start the car. That’s an opportune time for attackers to strike by opening the driver’s side door. So what you should do is lock the doors and leave promptly.”
“I don’t have a car,” said Lehtonen.
“Right,” said Joutsamo, continuing down the list. “Let’s see…if once you’re in the car, a man somehow surprises you and demands to be driven somewhere, do not obey. You should drive straight into a wall and then escape on foot. Your seatbelt and air bag will protect you, but the attacker in the back seat will be stunned by the impact.”