“That’s interesting, but it doesn’t prove...”
“Listen, I know it only indicates that Erik Repo was at the scene. It doesn’t put the knife in his hand. All I said was that I had a theory.”
“Continue,” Takamäki said.
“The items also included a stuffed animal that had been found on the kitchen floor, because it had blood on it, too. It turns out that it was—as I expected—Arja’s blood. But they found something else on that stuffed animal, too. In other words, the child’s DNA, of course, which was determined by that blood sample we acquired. Which leads us to my theory.”
Takamäki was listening.
“The child’s DNA looked strange, and my friend at the NBI lab took a closer look at it. Arja was the boy’s, Joel’s, mother, but Timo Repo was not the father.”
“Theoretically speaking, that would give Timo more of a motive.”
Joutsamo shook her head. “I checked the calls from the night of the explosion. Repo mentioned his son twice. He didn’t know.”
“But Grandpa Erik did?”
“Or found out,” Joutsamo said. “It’s pure speculation, but it fits the picture. Timo Repo passes out. Erik and his daughter-in-law start to bicker about something. That’s what Erik had told Timo, and according to the old interrogation reports, it wasn’t the first time. The situation escalates. They’re drunk.”
Takamäki interrupted, “As far as I can recall, in the preliminary investigative reports no one mentioned anything about shouting.”
“Maybe they didn’t shout. Maybe they just argued. Maybe they didn’t want to wake up Timo, who was passed out. Anyway, Arja insults her father-in-law and he dishes it right back. At some point, she pulls out the big guns and insults the family by telling him that the child was the result of an extramarital affair. Grandpa Erik can’t stomach it and slashes her throat. Then, in a panic, he frames his son.”
“Why?”
“This is just a theory, but maybe he considered his son just as worthless as the woman he killed,” Joutsamo said.
“Cruel father,” Takamäki said.
“Wouldn’t be the first. But like I said, this is just a theory. And we won’t be able to take it any further.”
Takamäki nodded. “I also have a theory. A drunk married couple gets into a fight. The woman insults the man by telling him the kid is someone else’s. The man panics, kills the woman, and doesn’t remember anything. They don’t always. The man’s father is on the scene or happens to come in a little later and sees what happened. He flees the apartment in horror and doesn’t call the police until he’s outside the building.”
“Cruel husband,” Joutsamo said.
“But the dad isn’t so bad after all. He sees his son languishing in uncertainty in prison and decides to ease his pain. He lies to his son that he committed the crime. He knows he’ll lose his son, but he’ll save him from going insane,” Takamäki said. “But this is just a theory, too. And we won’t be able to take it any further.”
“But the courts did, once upon a time,” Joutsamo mused. “All the way to a murder conviction.”
Also by Ice Cold Crime
Jarkko Sipila Helsinki Homicide: Against the Wall
Winner of 2009 Best Finnish Crime Novel
Detective Lieutenant Kari Takamäki’s trusted man Suhonen goes undercover as Suikkanen, a gangster full of action. In pursuit of a murderer, he must operate within the grey area of the law. But, will the end justify the means?
Jarkko Sipila Helsinki Homicide: Vengeance
Tapani Larsson, a Finnish crime boss, walks out of prison with one thought on his mind: Vengeance. Larsson targets Suhonen, the undercover detective who put him in prison. With every string Suhonen pulls, he flirts with death itself.
Jarkko Sipila Helsinki Homicide: Nothing But the Truth
A mother of a 12-year old girl is a witness in a murder case. After testifying in the trial, she finds herself the target of an escalating spiral of threats. As the threats mount, the witness is torn between her principles and her desire to keep her family safe. How much should an ordinary citizen sacrifice for the benefit of society as a whole?
Harri Nykanen Raid and the Blackest Sheep
Winner of 2001 Best Finnish Crime Novel
Hard-nosed hit man Raid travels around Finland with Nygren, a career criminal in the twilight of his life, wreaking vengeance him and paying penance. Soon, both cops and crooks are on the trail of the mysterious pair.
Harri Nykanen Raid and the Kid
Hard-nosed hit man Raid is reluctantly mixed up into the world of drug trafficking in this twisting tale of cops, criminals, and those who blur the lines
Seppo Jokinen Wolves and Angels
Winner of 2002 Best Finnish Crime Novel
With attacks on the disabled and ailing, Detective Sakari Koskinen and his eccentric team spring into action in a gripping story about the struggles of the disabled coping with their new lives and the strains on those who care for them. Nuanced depictions of interpersonal relationships and personal challenges make Jokinen's characters come to life on the page
Helsinki homicide: Cold Trail Page 25