‘Pia?’
The girl was hunched up, wrapped up in a blanket in the corner of the car. Her eyes were closed.
‘What has he done to you?’
Vadi was moaning loudly. His eyes flashed angrily at Leena. The woman was trying to help him up. Leena was thinking fast. She looked at the dark forest that surrounded them. The black tree trunks stuck out from the white snow, at least a metre high. To escape there with the girl was impossible. There was no one in the car park, and she could not carry the girl even the short distance to the other side of the sand bins and the door of the changing rooms. She decided to flee alone and try to get help. But as she turned around, Vadi had regained his composure and was upon her. He pushed his face into Leena’s and opened up his coat. Leena saw a flash of metal. She looked into Vadi’s eyes and wondered how she could have fallen for this man. His eyes were cold and his teeth looked yellow when he spoke. She felt tears well up inside her. Vadi grabbed her chin with his gloved hand and said, ‘Quiet, enough games Leena?’ His warm breath was sour. Leena forced her face away from Vadi. She could no longer stand the sight of him.
22
Maija couldn’t understand why the Lyceum girls didn’t return to applaud the Russians when they were presented with their medals. She surveyed the dark entrance where the competitors had emerged, searching for Pia, or Miss Joutila, or one of the smaller girls. But no one stood in the shadows. Neither the judges, nor the dignitaries in the boxed area seemed to notice the absence of the girls. Where were they? Maija looked around the hall, trying to spot Iain. She left her seat as soon as the Russian anthem finished.
Suddenly there was a throng of people, all trying to get out of the hall at the same time. Maija tried to look above the heads of the crowd, to see if she could spot either Pia or Iain. When she got to the top of the staircase leading out onto the exit, she saw the Russian in the long black coat. He had his arm around a girl.
‘Pia, Pia!’ Maija shouted. Several people turned around, but the Russian carried on walking out of the ice-hockey hall. Maija pushed past people and shouted ‘Mr Kovtun, Pia!’
At last the man turned around. Maija was now standing so close to the girl she could touch her shoulder, ‘Pia, where have you been?’ She’d recognise Pia’s white down jacket anywhere.
The girl turned around, but it wasn’t Pia. The Russian smiled at Maija and said, ‘Goodbye, Mrs Mäkelä.’ He put his arm around the girl and led her towards the glass doors. The girl said nothing, just allowed herself to be led by Kovtun. It was the same girl who had smiled so sweetly at the man before the performance. Something about the way she looked now didn’t seem right.
Kovtun and the girl disappeared somewhere into the shadows of the car park. Maija guessed they’d got onto the Russian bus. It looked menacingly dark with its black windows. A row of other Russian girls, led by their masculine trainer, walked past Maija. The trainer had a clipboard as she counted the girls out of the hall. There were at least thirty gymnasts and staff. Maija couldn’t help but feel sorry for the Russians. She had heard awful things about the Soviet Union. There were food shortages, imprisonment for the tiniest criticism of their leaders, and severe poverty. She wondered if these talented gymnasts had it any better. Did their families benefit from their successes abroad? Did they strive for perfection so they could leave the Soviet Union? Like the ballet dancer, Nureyev?
Maija watched as the Russian bus was loaded up with bags by two men in shiny black jackets. The Finnish yellow and blue bus, parked next to the Russian one, was locked up. There was no driver and no lights on.
The Russians looked ready to leave. Kovtun had reappeared and was discussing something with the trainer with the clipboard outside the open doors of the bus. Kovtun was waving his arms about, and finally they both stepped inside the bus. Kovtun came out just before the doors of the Russian bus closed and it turned away from the ice-hockey hall. Kovtun then walked into the dark car park and Maija lost sight of him. Maija felt relief when she saw the Russian was gone. She went inside the hall again. She must find Pia.
Leena woke with a start. She felt for her hands, but she wasn’t able to move them. Her ankles were also tied together. She lifted her head slowly and looked around. She was in the back seat of the car, alone. The fabric of the seat smelled stale. Leena struggled to lift her body into a sitting position. Where was Pia? She saw there was someone sitting in the driver’s seat. Or was there? It was dark, but she could make out the shape of a head with long hair. Suddenly a set of headlights of another car lit the space and Leena saw briefly the eyes of Vadi’s woman in the rear-view mirror. But the eyes had looked different from the way they had the night before. Where was Vadi? Why was this woman holding her prisoner? And where was Iain? She needed to know Pia was safe. A glimmer of hope entered her mind. Perhaps Iain had rescued Pia from the car and taken Vadi to the police. But in that case, why hadn’t he also freed her. No, it was hopeless. Leena’s head hurt and her mouth was dry.
She leant over towards the front seat and said, ‘Please,’ in English.
Another flash of light from a car leaving the ice-hockey hall revealed the woman was gripping the steering wheel hard. She was no longer looking at Leena, but staring out of the window into the empty woods.
The front door of the car opened, startling both Leena and the woman. No lights came on inside the car, but a cold gust of wind hit Leena’s face. She winced; it made her face sting. A girl with long brown hair sat down in the passenger seat. She glanced briefly behind her, with an expressionless face. Leena recognised her, Vadi’s daughter. Leena shivered.
At that moment the back door on Leena’s side was flung open. Leena saw Vadi’s boots and the hem of his coat. He bent down and looked at Leena, grinning. He was holding the gun, casually pointing it at Leena. He motioned for Leena to move and sat next to her. Leena was too slow and was half crushed. He shoved the gun onto Leena’s ribs and said, ‘Not a sound!’ Vadi made a gesture with his other hand, and the woman put the car in gear and drove slowly away.
‘What are you going to do to me? Where are we going?’ Leena said.
But the Russian didn’t reply. Instead he took hold of Leena’s shoulders and tied a rag around her mouth. Then he pushed her down to the floor. Leena hit her head hard against the seat in front of her, but she was too afraid to make a sound. She sat silently, trying to think.
Iain came to as the door hit his back He tried to lift himself up, but felt an intense pain in his temples as well as his back. Suddenly he remembered and got to his feet. The door to the large shower room was open and a boy was standing in the doorway gawping at him.
‘Mr Collins?’
‘Good God,’ Iain said, ‘Help me up, Heikki, we haven’t got much time.’
Iain motioned for the boy to follow him. They ran through the corridor. Iain banged on the door of the Finnish girls’ dressing room. A small face peered at him. Iain forced himself to appear calm and friendly when he asked, ‘Is Miss Joutila there?’
‘No,’ the little girl whispered. Her thin hair was limp on her shoulders.
‘Pia?’ Iain said, ‘is Pia inside?’
‘No, she already went with her mother, and Miss Joutila went after her. She told us not to open the door to anyone, but we’re frightened.’
‘What’s going on?’ Heikki said.