by J J Marsh
Gathering all his strength, Theo focused his attention on the space below. He assessed the risks and considered the alternatives. The wind whipped his plaits so that the beads struck his face. There was no choice but to act.
“Roll down the ladder!” he shouted. “I’m going to get the bus and reverse it as close as I can. We’ll attach the winch to the tow bar and I’ll take the tarp down there. If I find them, you will need to drive the bus forward and winch them back up. Can you drive, Aleksis? Can you handle this bus with one arm?”
The kid’s face looked like a Halloween mask. “I don’t have a licence, but I think so. Yes, I think so. I’ll do the ladder.”
Theo left him the torch and used his tiny Maglite to illuminate the path ahead. It seemed to take twice as long to reach the minibus as it had to leave it. Once inside, he started the engine and wrenched the wheel to the right. The cliff top was rocky and rough, terrain which could be unpredictable, but less slippery and muddy than the track. Forcing the vehicle ahead until he was at a right angle to the original direction, Theo thrust it into reverse. He allowed the force of gravity to ease him closer to the cliffs, using the brake to slow his progress and twisting around to judge the distance by the reverse lights. The whole time, his hand hovered over the handbrake. Aleksis stood to one side, leaning into the wind.
Theo reversed as close as he dared. He left the bus in first gear, yanked at the handbrake and called Aleksis to take his place. The boom of the waves echoing through the caves below them tightened his nerves, but he spent precious minutes showing Aleksis exactly how he wanted him to move the vehicle.
“Avoid the track. Drive onto the rocks, the brush. If you go on the track, the wheels will get stuck and all you will do is spin mud. Keep the lights on and flash full beam on and off. We want to attract attention. Come on, first I need to get down there and judge the situation. We’re going to need to communicate and there’s no way you’ll hear me. If I want you to drive, I’ll flash my light twice. You flash back twice to show you’ve understood, OK?”
“I understand. The ladder is down and I packed the rucksack. Medicine, water, heat blankets, tarp, first-aid kit and Swiss Army knife.” He shrugged at Theo’s bewildered expression. “You never know. Please, take my gloves.”
“Good thinking,” agreed Theo. “Keep calling emergency services. Aleksis, listen. This is the most important thing you have ever done. Three lives depend on you.”
It was time to go. Theo zipped up his rain jacket, shouldered the rucksack and stepped out into the brutal storm.
The worst part was getting onto the ladder. The rungs were slippery and Theo struggled to find his footing as the wind seemed determined to help him descend the quickest way. After the first few tentative steps, the descent got easier. He took conscious breaths and reassured himself after every move. Hand grip, foot grip, hand grip, foot grip, look down, check next rung, hand grip, foot grip. Only once did he look up and vowed not to do it again. The tiny speck of Aleksis’s torchlight made him realise the depths to which he had descended. His heartbeat raced so hard he had to stop and breathe himself calmer.
His foot touched sand and he released a long shaky sigh. He pulled out his torch and scanned the immediate area, spotting the water bottle right away. What he had perceived as a lump of rock from above, he now saw was a sleeping bag. He hunched over the soggy fabric and found the opening. He pulled back the hood and saw the pale blue face of Samu Pekkanen. His breath caught and he took off his glove. Pressing his fingers on the boy’s neck, he searched for signs of life. Even above the ozone and seawater, Theo could smell the kid was lying in his own waste. He closed his eyes and concentrated on calming his own breath. The pounding waves, the dervish wails of the wind and the impossibility of the task ahead of him faded into the background. He reached out a hand and laid it under Samu’s ear. There, just under his index finger, a regular movement indicated a thready pulse and with a leap of optimism, he noticed long, dragging breaths as the kid’s torso rose and fell.
He threw off the rucksack, wedging his torch under his armpit and located the inhaler. With one swift movement, he dragged down the zip and hauled out Samu’s upper body. Like husking a corn on the cob, he drew back the waterproof, the fleece and the scarf to expose his head completely. The torch slipped and he swore. In order to administer this dose, he needed three hands. He took the Maglite in his teeth, directing the beam to Samu’s face with its blue lips and closed eyes. With one decisive movement, he pressed the mouthpiece between his teeth and pumped. He waited thirty seconds and pumped again, repeating the process till he had counted ten times. Samu’s condition remained the same and he slumped forward. Theo’s instinct told him to leave him there, rather than lay him on his back.
For now, Samu was still alive. Theo covered him with one of the heat blankets and shone his torch at the other lumps on this spit of sand. Where was Valpuri? Surf roared in through the cave mouth, splashing as close as Samu’s feet. Theo cupped his hands around his mouth once again.
“VALPURI! Where are you? Valpuri! VALPURI!”
His voice echoed around the chamber but long after it had died away, there was no reply. With a grim sigh, he got up to search. If she wasn’t in the cave, there was only one other place she could have gone. He glanced out at the ocean, its power terrifying as it smashed against the cliffs, and tried not to imagine what it could do to a human body.
Chapter 35
Only one sense could be trusted. She ignored all the messages from her ears, her nose and her eyes. Her sense of taste had given up days ago. All she knew now was how to feel. She slipped in and out of consciousness and could not be sure where the rainbows came from. They started in the corner of her eyes, glittering like a kaleidoscope, like sunlight on a fjord, progressing across her vision and refracting light. Where the light came from, she had no idea. Down here, in the damp and the darkness, there were no rainbows.
Sometimes, she saw stained glass like the windows of Helsinki Cathedral. Once or twice, she saw an eye. Whose eye she couldn’t be sure, but it looked like a dinosaur, or maybe a rabbit. While her eyes painted psychedelic pictures, her ears presented her with an orchestra. Carl Orff, Philip Glass, Max Richter and Markku Peltola synthesised into a composition in praise of the planet. All the instruments were forces of nature, imposing as glaziers, icebergs, volcanoes, leaving the listener feeling as insignificant as a grain of sand.
All in her mind. A fine mind, her teacher had said. A fine mind to find, no precious metals to mine, for they are not mine, these fine finds. Your daughter has a fine mind. You’ll find a fine mind in Valpuri Peura. Valpuri. Valpuri. VALPURI!
Her eyes were closed yet filled with colours. The orchestra reached yet another crescendo and there was a new note to the melody. A voice, calling her name. It wasn’t Samu. He hadn’t called anyone’s name for hours. She curled backwards, reassuring herself of his warmth, his presence, his life. He was still there, still breathing, still warm. She relaxed and withdrew into herself, returning her attention to the rainbows.
VALPURI! The voice echoed around the cave as if Poseidon himself was standing in the cave mouth, emptying his mighty oceanic lungs to reverberate around the walls. VALPURI?
She tried to open her mouth, unsticking her lips and answered the call with all the volume of baby’s cough. The effort exhausted her and she allowed her body to retract into the foetal position, willing the pretty pictures to return.
A light shone in her eyes, making her squint and recoil. Fingers pressed at her neck, parted her lips and squirted fluid into her mouth. At the same time, the ground shifted, lifting her and Samu, still curled together like sea-horses, a few centimetres higher. Poseidon had sent his waves to take them home.
Chapter 36
In the ladies’ changing rooms in the hotel gym on the tenth floor, Beatrice sat in a shower cubicle, sending a message to Astrid. No one else was using the pool or the machines but her ears were alert to the sounds of anyone entering the facility.
Astrid did not respond, probably because she was on her motorbike. Beatrice got to her feet, unable to sit still and paced around the pool, keeping an eye on the door.
The ring of her telephone made her jump. An incoming call from Karoliina and several other notifications.
“Hello, Karoliina?” She could offer no other conversation opener without giving herself away. She yanked out her headphones so she could talk and simultaneously check if anything had come through from Theo.
“Hello, Beatrice, I’m on my way back from Kolkko. I’m receiving contradictory reports on the latest developments. Do you know where the missing teenagers are and if they are OK?”
Beatrice acknowledged the fact that Karoliina’s first concern was for Valpuri and Samu, a point in her favour. “We think we know where they are but have no information as to their state of health. I’m soon heading towards the suspected location.”
There was silence at the end of the line until Karoliina stated, “Which is not in Estonia.”
“No. I’m afraid the organised crime syndicate in Tallinn story was a smokescreen to flush out an informant.” She hesitated, unsure what more to say.
Karoliina had no such qualms. “That is why my husband is currently being questioned by the Helsinki police, yes?”
A text message appeared from Theo. She opened it and scanned the contents. It contained a geographical location and exhorted her to call emergency services. It was essential Sahlberg have this information now.
“Karoliina, I’m afraid I have to go but I will keep you informed as to all developments regarding the young people. Everything else will have to wait. Goodbye.”
She forwarded Theo’s message to the detective and called him to ensure he’d received it.
“Thank you, Ms Stubbs. That is a big help. We are around ten minutes away. Everyone … is doing their best.”
Beatrice recognised how Sahlberg had ducked a reassuring platitude, remembering who he was talking to. ‘Everyone will be OK’ was a phrase Beatrice was unlikely to swallow. But everyone doing their best was all she could hope for.
She ended the call without telling him her immediate intentions and saw a tall figure silhouetted in the doorway of the gym. Her breath caught for a second until she saw the figure was carrying motorcycle helmets.
Astrid strode towards her, dressed in leathers and carrying a bag. Beatrice wasn’t wild about motorcycle riding at the best of times, leave alone in weather with ambitions to a hurricane.
“Come, put this on and let’s go.”
“Is it safe?”
Astrid’s green eyes met hers. “The hotel or the bike? I don’t know. We’ll wear our helmets in the lift so no one will recognise you. As for the weather, these are not ideal driving conditions, but I’ve seen worse. Do you need a hand?”
Beatrice was struggling to put on the one-piece waterproof bodysuit. The width was sufficient but the length was ridiculous. The crotch came to halfway up her legs and her feet reached as far as the knees. Astrid stood behind her and heaved the garment up, as if it were a toddler’s nappy. By the time she found the elasticated ankle holes, the legs were concertinaed like an accordion. Her reflection in the gym mirrors looked like a small child in a dinosaur costume.
Zipping up the neck, Astrid gave an apologetic smile. “We’re not exactly the same size, but at least you’ll be dry.”
“I understand the Malmen area is around half an hour’s drive from Helsinki. At least, that’s how long it would take in normal weather. As a local expert, what’s our ETA?”
The young woman lifted her shoulders to her ears. “We don’t know exactly where we’re going. The weather conditions are unpredictable. The short answer is I have no idea.”
“We do know where we’re going, actually.” She showed Astrid the text.
“OK. Everything depends on the state of the roads. Listen, the most important thing to keep us safe on the road is to relax. Counter-intuitive, I know, but you lean with me and don’t tense up. Let’s go.”
Tensing, leaning or any other kind of normal movement was hard to imagine in her outfit, but she wedged on her helmet and waddled after Astrid to the lifts.
The idea of white nights had long since disappeared from the sky and relentless swirls of rain came in from the coast. Within seconds of leaving the lobby, her helmet fogged up and she could barely see the neon stripes on Astrid’s biker gear as she led the way to the large motorcycle.
“Zip up your jacket to the top and put on your gloves,” Astrid commanded.
Beatrice did as she was told and struggled to get astride the pillion. Astrid took her wrists and pulled them around her own waist. Beatrice shuffled closer, using Astrid’s back as a windbreak. The engine powered up and they took off into the storm.
Just relax, lean with her, don’t tense up, she reminded herself and made a determined effort to breathe deeply. The bike moved through the city streets at an unhurried pace, weaving slightly when a gust of wind hit them broadsides. Astrid leaned from side to side as they took the corners, almost part of the machine. With surprising speed, Beatrice learned to copy her. The danger from the rain and wind was their inconsistency. One minute it would die down to a showery breeze then assault them with a physical force. Water crept its way down her neck but the constant speed of the bike cleared her visor, so she could see where they were going.
She noticed Astrid tried to avoid stopping at traffic lights, slowing long before a stop signal and keeping momentum as soon as it changed. It made sense. A stationary bike would be harder and heavier to hold upright. Once out of the suburbs, they crossed a bridge, one of the most terrifying experiences of Beatrice’s life. Relaxing was nigh on impossible. She almost screamed when Astrid overtook a truck and after they had passed the vehicle, a wall of water attacked from the sea. Astrid navigated with a diagonal lean, cutting through the wave at speed. They were both dripping wet and the seat was slippery.
She clung to her driver and echoed her every move apart from the knee thing. When the gale knocked them off course, Astrid would use her knee like a sail, catching the airstream to pull them upright. Beatrice judged it better to leave such manoeuvres to the expert.
Through the next stretch of urbanisation, apartment blocks shielded them from the wind and the tension in Beatrice’s body reduced from all-out panic to manageable fear for her life. They faced the next challenge when crossing the bridge to Malmen. Beatrice was shivering with cold and anticipation. On seeing waves pounding the span, all energy and hope drained from her. She closed her eyes and trusted her body to move with Astrid, to move with the bike and keep them going forward.
This bridge was much shorter and traffic was down to one lane in each direction. Cars and buses created a pattern of brake lights as they inched across, stopping and starting. To Beatrice’s horror, she realised they would have to come to a halt and somehow try keeping 500lbs of machinery from falling over and crushing them. She glanced down at her wet legs and walking boots, convinced she would be unable to manage it.
Astrid spurred the bike forwards and to Beatrice’s amazement, slid the beast past the waiting vehicles, maintaining momentum as she followed the white lines. The traffic offered them some protection against the pounding ocean and they reached the other side only marginally wetter than before. She indicated and pulled off the main road towards a place called Sarvvik. The landscape turned black and featureless with few signs of life.
After rumbling along a country lane for a few minutes, Beatrice spotted flashing lights. Astrid guided the bike down the turning to the golf course and parked up behind the building. Beatrice released her and got off, her legs wobbling as if she’d run a marathon.
She lifted her visor. “You are amazing!”
Astrid took off her helmet and tugged her scarf up to protect her ears. “You did pretty well yourself. What now?”
“Let’s go and see what’s going on.”
Chapter 37
Any hope of the storm subsiding was long forgotten.
The waves raced closer and wilder, making a mockery of Theo’s feeble efforts to drag the sleeping bag containing Samu and Valpuri out of their reach. The tide was coming in at a pace he could never outrun. By his own calculations, he had fewer than ten minutes before the cave flooded completely. Once the raging sea entered the space, everything within it would be battered against the rocks. As he worked on dragging the tarpaulin from his rucksack, the waves rushed at his ankles, threatening, teasing, relentless.
The tarp was only strong enough to take one, even in perfect conditions. The odds against any one of them getting out of the cave looked grim. With an inexperienced driver at the wheel of the minibus, lethal winds and communication between him and Aleksis almost negligible, it was clear this could never work. He had to make a choice.
Option one was to risk someone’s life by placing one of them in the tarpaulin and flashing his torch at the surface. In the unlikely event Aleksis could winch one body to the surface, by the time the winch returned, the other two would have drowned. Valpuri was delirious and incapable of taking instructions, yet occasionally violently active. She had lashed out at him when he tried to give her fluid. There was an alternative: leave them both here and try to scramble up the ladder before the waves took him down with them.
A voice echoed around his head. Not your fight, mate. Get out and save yourself. You did what you could. No time for heroics. In that instant, Theo retreated from it all, shutting out the terrifying booms of the encroaching surf, the tortured screams of the wind and his own panicky breath. He turned his attention inwards and pressed two fingers between his brows. What do I do? The answer came before he had even completed the thought. Use your strength.