Väisänen was the key. She was sure of that much. Elisa was sure too, even though she didn’t want to believe anything bad about her dad. But she had to. After seeing the pictures, her face went somehow gray. Something inside her collapsed. In that moment, what remained of the innocence of her youth disappeared, and a part of her identity shattered.
Lumikki recognized the feeling. She remembered looking at herself in the mirror sometime in the fall of first grade, a little before Christmas, and seeing a frightened, shocked little girl who never could have believed that something like that could happen to her. That anything like that even existed. I am no longer me. That was what she thought. And it was true. She had become something else, a different kind of girl.
Once upon a time, there was a girl who learned to fear.
Weary from watching the police station, Lumikki rested her eyes by looking around the bus depot for a while. Renovated about a year earlier, it was a beautiful functionalist-style building. The morning light rippled in through large windows. If you only looked at the light and not at the dazzling brightness outside, you could imagine it was summer.
Lumikki would have liked to lean back in her waiting hall chair, close her eyes, and dream once more of warmth and abandon. To accept the joy and sorrow of those summer memories. What the hell was she doing here?
Viivo Tamm kept one eye on the police station as he filled in his tabloid sudoku. He was doubting Boris Sokolov’s mental health. Lying in ambush all day for an on-duty police officer didn’t feel all that smart. But Sokolov was sure that something funny was going on. He was puzzled by Väisänen’s lack of response to Natalia’s e-mail. Apparently, Natalia had giggled once about how Väisänen usually replied to her almost before she had clicked “send.”
Sokolov had this hunch something was going to happen today. And when Sokolov had a hunch, there was no point arguing.
Viivo had asked Sokolov why he couldn’t just go talk to Väisänen. To make him understand it wasn’t a good idea to keep jerking them around. Viivo was good at keeping people in line. Keeping them quiet. Some people never said anything ever again after he paid them a visit.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t an option this time. None of them could be seen with the cop if they wanted to continue their collaboration. So he was just supposed to watch.
Sokolov was convinced that Väisänen was trying to pull a fast one, and he wanted to know whether he had accomplices.
Did that square need a nine or a seven? Should have picked a three-star sudoku instead of a five. Keep it simple. He wasn’t trying to become a sudoku master or anything, just kill some time. Chewing on the end of his pencil, Viivo glanced up at the police station.
This was going to waste his entire day.
Lumikki started digging out her cell phone to call Elisa and take back her promise. She had already wasted enough of her life on this futile stakeout.
Over in the police station, Terho Väisänen thought about the e-mail he’d received late the night before. Of course, he hadn’t been able to contact Polar Bear directly, but he did manage to get in touch with one of his “assistants,” who also went by a code name. The assistant had e-mailed to say that Terho should visit the Tampere Convention Center to retrieve a cell phone hidden in the tank of the third toilet stall in the men’s restroom, and use it to call the first number in the contact list. Then he would receive further instructions. The cell phone would be there today only.
Was he biting off more than he could chew?
Maybe he should just keep working with Boris Sokolov and the Estonians. They were straightforward, midlevel criminals. Sokolov was a rung above the Estonians, but still just an underling. Polar Bear was something else entirely. There were only rumors about him, nothing concrete. Terho didn’t know anyone who had actually seen the man.
But if he wanted his money, he had to do something. And he really wanted it. He had to have it. He had been counting on it, and now a couple of gaming debts were threatening to come due.
Pulling on his coat, Terho silenced his grumbling stomach and decided to spend his lunch hour in the convention center restroom.
A man walked out of the police station.
Viivo Tamm perked up.
Lumikki perked up.
Tamm was slightly faster, which was lucky for Lumikki because it gave her just enough time to realize that the man who suddenly dropped his sudoku looked familiar. When the man sprang into action, Lumikki recognized him from the length of his stride, his slightly hunched posture, and the way he swung his arms.
One of her pursuers.
The man rushed out the door. In the blink of an eye, Lumikki understood that it was no accident that he was here and now charging out at the same time she was. A simple fact connected her and this man.
The same target.
Damn it. This was going to make everything more difficult. She would have to stay out of sight of two men instead of just one.
Lumikki stood in the lobby of the convention center, momentarily indecisive.
So far, everything had gone well. Elisa’s dad had been so focused on reaching his destination and his pursuer so focused on tailing him that neither had paid any attention to Lumikki. She had hung back as far as she could, maintaining a visual connection with both men. Now you see me, now you don’t. She knew this game.
After crossing the railroad bridge, they each passed the university and turned north toward the convention center. Inside, Lumikki ran into a problem.
Terho Väisänen walked resolutely along the main concourse, following Kimmo Kaivanto’s Blue Line, a stripe of special tiles running down the middle of the floor that occasionally rose toward the ceiling in blocky cobalt statues. Then Väisänen turned into the men’s restroom. His pursuer paused for a few seconds outside, glancing around and then entering as well.
Lumikki considered her options. She could wait in the lobby, hidden from view. However, something decisive might happen in the restroom. Would probably happen in the restroom. No way had Elisa’s dad come all this way just to get a little variety in the color of tile he stared at while he peed. He had some other reason for being here, and Lumikki had to find out what that was. She couldn’t go inside as a girl because she would attract too much unwanted attention. So she would have to go in as a boy.
Lumikki looked at herself in the mirrors next to the coat check. She was wearing dark clothing and a gray knit hat. All appropriately gender neutral. A thick winter coat concealed the shape of her body. Quickly tucking her hair under her hat, she changed her posture, shifting her center of gravity slightly. She altered the expression of her face.
The transformation was striking. In the mirror, a teenage boy with his hat pulled down low glared back at her.
The gait was the most important thing. She had to relax, opening her hips and slouching slightly. Then she walked up to the men’s room door, grabbed the handle, and yanked it open confidently.
Terho Väisänen’s fingers slipped when he tried to lift the lid of the toilet tank. It was surprisingly heavy and tight fitting. He tried to get his fingernails into the tiny gap, but it didn’t help. He needed something longer. Terho rummaged in his pockets. His reflector armband wasn’t going to be any help, and neither was his driver’s license. Fortunately, in the bottom of one coat pocket, he found the key to an old bike lock, which he was able to wedge under the lid. Then he started wrenching the tank open as quietly as possible. Suddenly, he heard someone enter the stall on his left.
Just his luck. Couldn’t he ever catch a break?
The key was bending dangerously, but thank goodness, the lid was also shifting. It banged nastily against the edge of the tank, sounding like an explosion in the quiet restroom.
The door opened again. Great, another set of ears. The newcomer chose the stall on his right. Terho felt surrounded. He had to calm down, breathe deeply, try not to be paranoid. The convention center was a public place with free toilets. Of course there would be other people here. It was just
an unfortunate coincidence that three men wanted to empty their bowels at the same time. Well, two, since he was otherwise occupied.
Terho removed his coat and rolled up his shirtsleeves. Shoving his hand into the water tank, he groped around. At first, his fingers only felt water, and he was revolted, despite knowing that tank liquid was perfectly clean. Was he in the right stall? What if they had already taken the phone back? Or what if he had been tricked?
Then his hand hit something.
Bingo.
Terho pulled out a black case, which must have been waterproof. Opening it carefully, he found a cell phone wrapped in plastic inside. Shoving the phone in one coat pocket and the case in another, he replaced the toilet tank lid. His heart was pounding in his ears like an insane drummer. He realized his hands were shaking. Fear made his knees weak, even though there shouldn’t have been anything to be afraid of.
Coat on, door open, quickly to the sinks. Vigorously rubbing soap into his hands, Terho washed and rinsed thoroughly, and then repeated the process. He fought back his desire to go wipe his fingerprints off the water tank. That would have been excessive.
Not a peep came from the other toilet stalls. Maybe a little constipation going around, Terho thought, drying his hands carefully and then hurrying out of the room.
Lumikki counted the seconds. With a quick glance down, she had made sure to enter a stall next to Väisänen. He’d been struggling with something, and based on the noises, it must have been the toilet tank. After finishing the job, he’d washed his hands and left.
She heard the pursuer flush. For the sake of appearances, presumably. Then he left the restroom too, but without washing his hands. Lumikki detested it when people didn’t wash their hands after using the bathroom. She wasn’t a clean freak by any means, but that was just basic hygiene.
Five, six, seven, eight . . .
At ten seconds, Lumikki opened the stall door, washed her hands, and rushed out. She made it just in time to see Terho Väisänen walk out of the building with the other man trailing behind. Lumikki had to hurry.
The park and duck pond outside looked enchanted. Every trunk and branch was either covered in thick rime or snow frozen in delicate crystalline formations. Sunlight reflected off every facet. Glittering, glimmering, glistening, sparkling, scintillating. The Snow Queen had ridden her sleigh through the park with hair and gown streaming, leaving behind infinitesimal ice crystals suspended in the air. She had made everything white and magical.
The breath of the Snow Queen. Ice and wind.
Lumikki’s breath. Water vapor that quickly formed frost on her scarf and the delicate, almost imperceptible hair of her cheeks.
Stopping at some exercise equipment along the jogging path, she did a few pull-ups, eavesdropping carefully. Terho Väisänen had removed a cell phone from his pocket, fiddling with it for a few seconds before walking toward the pond with it pressed to his ear.
His pursuer stood behind a nearby tree pretending to light a cigarette. It seemed like Väisänen still hadn’t noticed him. He’d probably notice Lumikki doing her pull-ups, but he wouldn’t think some kid out for a jog would be interested in his telephone conversation. He also probably thought he was far enough away that no one could hear. However, in the perfectly still winter air, sound waves carried a long way.
Three, four, five.
Lumikki counted pull-ups while she waited for Elisa’s dad to start his call.
“Hello? This is . . . okay, you know who this is.”
The English made understanding harder. Väisänen spoke in a low voice facing the pond, which meant some of the words got lost along the way. Filling in the gaps would have been easier in Finnish.
Lumikki’s arms began to tire. She obviously hadn’t been doing enough pull-ups lately. She didn’t give up, though.
The pursuer was clearly listening too.
Twelve, thirteen.
“Polar Bear . . . So soon . . . ? Eight p.m. tomorrow. Right. Black tie. If you could just—”
The last sentence was cut off. Someone had clearly hung up on Terho Väisänen. Lumikki had heard enough, though. So Elisa’s dad was going to Polar Bear’s party after all.
Lumikki’s arms suddenly failed her, sending her thudding to the ground, muscles trembling and sore from the exertion.
Crap. So much for staying invisible.
Väisänen and his pursuer both turned to look in her direction. There was no way she could continue following them. Now the most important thing was to suck it up and finish playing her role as the innocent athlete.
Lumikki started jogging around the duck pond, trying to maintain her masculine posture. Her combat boots slipped on the icy walking path, breaking the illusion. But they weren’t going to turn into cleated running shoes simply because she willed them to. She just had to keep her chin up.
Nothing to see here, folks, just a kid out for a run.
If she could only get around the pond, she would have a straight shot home to a cup of something warm and a chance to report back to Elisa.
Lumikki knew her hope was in vain when she heard heavy footfalls approaching from behind.
Boris Sokolov tried to call Viivo Tamm, but he didn’t pick up. He’d probably put his phone on silent to focus on the stakeout. That was sensible, but the whole job was pointless now. Boris had just received a message from Polar Bear saying that Terho Väisänen had gotten in contact with him, and that Polar Bear’s men had delivered an invitation to the party by rather unorthodox means. Boris didn’t always understand Polar Bear’s methods. Sometimes he wondered whether Polar Bear was really so cautious or just liked running people around. The latter possibility felt just as plausible as the first. Sometimes following Polar Bear’s orders could be exhausting. Boris knew he was in a privileged position, even a favorite of sorts, but that could be taken away at any moment. He lived in constant fear, an invisible noose around his neck. He didn’t have room for even a single mistake.
So he needed to stay focused on the job at hand. And now there was no reason to risk someone connecting the Estonian to their police informant. Or of Tamm going and doing something stupid. Viivo was a good man, a professional, but occasionally he lost his cool. When that happened, he could become unpredictable and difficult to control.
Boris sent him a text message. It said: “Stop. Abort mission.”
Viivo Tamm sped up. This time the little bitch wasn’t going to get away from him. This time he would show her. The first time had been a fluke. Now it was personal. His cell phone buzzed in his pocket. Someone was trying to call, but Viivo couldn’t stop to answer just now. He had business to attend to.
At first, Viivo hadn’t been able to put his finger on what was so familiar about the boy at the pull-up bar. Then he looked closer. The coat. He had seen it somewhere before. When the boy started running, Tamm remembered. The boy wasn’t a boy, he was a girl. A girl running a little differently somehow, but similarly enough that he recognized her.
But why hadn’t Terho Väisänen recognized her? His own daughter?
Processing this took Tamm a few seconds, but when the insight came, it hit him like a ton of bricks. The girl wasn’t the cop’s daughter. This girl was someone else entirely who was somehow mixed up in all of this. And Viivo was going to find out how.
When the girl sped up, Viivo filled with rage. No teenage bitch was going to cross him. Because of her, he had frozen his fingers and toes, using up precious time he could have used dealing product skulking around in the bushes in Pyynikki and filling in sudoku puzzles in the bus depot. The girl in the red hat had made a fool of him.
He was going to catch her and lean on her until she told him what her connection was.
She was going to learn not to play grown-up games when she didn’t know the rules.
Up along a narrow path flanking the convention center, uphill toward Kaleva Street and over it. Ice, slippery, completely the wrong shoes for running. Lung-rending cold and a bulky coat. Winter running clearly was
n’t her sport.
Lumikki glanced back.
The man had nearly caught up with her.
Lumikki tried to breathe through a gap in her teeth. Hissing as she ran, like she was messing up a tongue twister. She sells seashells on the seashore. The frigid air was merciless.
Across Kaleva Street to the other side.
Cold, cold, cold, cold. Cold hands, cold heart. Cold hands, cold heart. Words pounded in Lumikki’s head as she tried to think rationally. Should she continue along Kaleva Street? Pluses: other people, cars. Minuses: patches of black ice and the possibility that the pursuer’s accomplices could be lurking somewhere with their van, ready to nab her at any second. Would they dare? In broad daylight?
Lumikki made a quick decision as she reached the next cross street. The walking path was less icy there. Turning, she ran toward the graveyard.
The man followed. Fortunately, he seemed to be having trouble with the slippery spots too.
Cold hands, cold heart . . .
Stop it.
Lumikki tried to get something else stuck in her head.
Sheryl Crow came to the rescue.
Lumikki’s combat boots kept slipping. She swore to herself. From now on, she would have to start wearing ice cleats and running shoes all the time. Just in case someone started chasing her. Which seemed more than a little likely in light of recent events.
She turned into the cemetery, speeding past Väinö Linna’s grave on the right, Juice Leskinen’s on the left. Dead writers and singers might be able to save her from boredom on long winter nights, but they couldn’t do anything for her now. Was she really going to die surrounded by graves? How ironic.
She could hear the steps growing closer all the time. Lumikki knew looking over her shoulder was not a good idea now. If she did, she would lose precious seconds. Could she run to the chapel? Or to the crematorium pick-up door? Would someone be there? Could she get inside?
No running in cemeteries.
Her mother’s voice. Her mother’s rules. Sorry, Mom. Not even you can know or control everything. Sometimes you just have to run.
As Red as Blood (The Snow White Trilogy) Page 10